March 1997. A woman has her throat cut behind a bar in Carter Crossing, Mississippi. The latest in a string of killings in the small town. Just down the road is a big army base. Is the murderer a local guy; or is he a soldier? Reacher, still a major in the military police at this point, is sent in undercover. The county sheriff is a former US Marine & a stunningly beautiful woman. Her investigation is going nowhere. Is the Pentagon stonewalling her? Or is she involved?
