"...he just kept right on...killing me softly with his song." Song Lyrics

Reacher matches the description of the suspect who shot a man the prior night and is arrested for murder shortly after arriving in Margrove, Georgia.

As he waits in the jail, he speaks to Capt. Finley, chief investigations officer and attempts to convince him of his innocence.

A cell phone by the body belongs to a man named Paul Hubble and when questioned, Hubble confesses to the murder. However, he was at a social event and couldn't have committed the crime.

Reacher uses his skills, learned when he was with the Military Police and served as a homicide investigator. He has to figure out what is happening in this small town in Georgia. He only has two people on his side, Capt. Finley and an attractive police officer named Roscoe with whom he becomes romantically involved.

Reacher learns that the scheme has something to do with finance. He and his two associates must find out the details while keeping their investigation apart from the corrupt members of the police force and town mayor. To add to the tension, there is a deadline in finding the necessary answers. The Coast Guard will change their manner of patrolling the coast on Sunday and Reacher must get his answers and stop the criminals before that time.

The charactes are well portrayed. Reacher and the honest members of the police department are dedicated, brave and determined. The antagonists are arrogant, brutal and truly evil. This is the kind of story that, when finished, the reader can sit back, breathe a sigh, and congratulate the author for a writing an exceptional novel.