Our love affair is a wonderous thing.

Lee Child steps back into Jack Reacher's early history to tell this story.

It's 1997 and Reacher is still in the military. He's a major in the military police and goes where he's ordered. This time, he's sent to Carter Crossing, Mississippi, to be undercover and monitor the official investigation of a woman who was murdered. The crime took place outside Ft. Kelham a U.S. Ranger base where there is a secret operation under way. Rangers are being sent as peace keepers to Kosovo. Reacher is ordered to observe the action and avoid publicity.

The Rangers ordered for the mission are from Alpha and Bravo companies and as Reacher arrives, Ft. Kelham is ordered down with no one allowed off the base.

Reacher meets the sheriff, the attractive Elizabeth Devereaux, who is attempting to investigate the murder of the woman in question, who is white, and two black women. All three women were very attractive but only the white woman's death stirred up any concern in Mississippi.

Devereaux is prevented in running a complete investigation because her official powers stop at Ft. Kelham's gate. As Reacher gets to know Devereaux and finds she is the daughter of the former sheriff and was a former military police member, she and Reacher begin to work together and develop a romantic relationship.

The plot moves rapidly with built in humor as Reacher tries to search for answers while dealing with a group of local hillbillies.

The pacing is well done as there are moments of tension spaced with the relationship of Reacher and Devereaux. We also are interested at the attempt of the military to white wash the investigation for political purposes with Reacher's refusal to bend to the attempted cover-up.

"The Affair" is another well written novel by Lee Child, a master storyteller.