At a motel outside
Washington D.C., two men confront former Army cop Jack Reacher, calling him a disgrace for bringing his army unit into disrepute and order him to leave town. Reacher refuses, and subdues them in a fistfight. Earlier that same day, Reacher had arrived at the headquarters of his old unit, the 110th MP Special Investigations Unit, to meet with its commander, Major Susan Turner. When he arrives, however, he discovers that Turner has been relieved of command. Her replacement, Col. Morgan, says Reacher is under investigation in two cases: a suspected homicide dating back nearly sixteen years, and a lawsuit filed by Candice Dayton, a woman who alleges that she and Reacher had an affair when he was stationed in
South Korea and that he is the father of her fourteen-year-old daughter, Samantha. When Reacher points out that the military has no authority to investigate him due to his civilian status, Morgan reinstates him as an officer and gives him a room at a motel, where the fight occurs later that night. Learning that Turner has been incarcerated on suspicion of taking a bribe, Reacher goes to see her, but learns that she has requested that he not be allowed to visit her. The next morning, Reacher meets with his lawyers, Maj. Helen Sullivan and Capt. Tracy Edmonds, and learns more about both cases. He also asks Col. Moorcroft, Turner's attorney, to get her released from custody. Returning to police headquarters, Reacher discovers that Morgan is nowhere to be found, and that two men from the 110th on duty in
Afghanistan have gone missing. Reacher uses his authority as an officer to order a search for them, embarrassing Morgan and getting himself banned from setting foot in the headquarters or issuing any more orders. Police from the 75th MP, led by Warrant Officer Pete Espin, later take him into custody and bring him to the same prison where Turner is held. Moorcroft has been severely beaten, and Reacher is considered a prime suspect. Reacher arranges a meeting with Sullivan to buy time until Turner arrives, and then stages an escape, stealing Sullivan's ID and giving it to Turner. The two find her car and leave, but are intercepted by
Metro police and end up ditching their ride and fleeing to
Berryville, where Reacher informs Turner that her men in Afghanistan were assassinated, and that the charges against her were invented to cover up illegal activity. Finding themselves tracked by unusual men, they hitch a ride into
West Virginia. Reacher steals money and a car from deceased meth dealer Claughton, but his relatives identify the car, locate Reacher and Turner's motel, and confront them. Reacher intimidates them into backing down, and takes one of their trucks. Turner says the mission in Afghanistan was linked to a
Pashtun elder, later identified as Emal Zadran, and theorizes that Morgan, the unusual men, and higher-ups in the army's chain of command (who are using the pseudonyms Romeo and Juliet) are working together to protect him. She also insists that Reacher go to
Los Angeles to deal with Dayton. They track down Samantha, but Espin later confirms that the paternity claim is bogus as he found that someone named Romeo had secured a falsified birth certificate from a crooked LA lawyer and had Candice sign it for $100. Sullivan also discovers that the homicide charge was faked as well, clearing Reacher of any potential legal consequences. Through Edmonds, Reacher and Turner learn that an illicit operation was being run through Fort Bragg army base in
North Carolina under the control of Crew Scully and Gabriel Montague, both Deputy Chiefs of Staff, involving the smuggling of contraband using empty ordnance crates. Reacher arranges for Morgan and Staff Sgt. Ezra Shrago, one of the smugglers, to be arrested, and locates Scully and Montague at Dove Cottage in
Georgetown, a private club owned by Scully and Montague, where both men choose to commit suicide rather than be arrested. Morgan and Shrago reveal that Zadran had been supplying their bosses with
opium, and Turner's name is cleared, allowing her to resume command. They part ways, and Reacher drops his phone in the trash and sits on a bench waiting for the next bus. ==Critical reception==