Killing Floor

Child states that the Jack Reacher books are “revenge novels,” in which Reacher often takes revenge “on behalf of someone else or on behalf of a situation in which an arrogant and contemptuous person prevails in an evil way” (Crime Reads 2018). Revenge typically falls under the definition of vigilante justice, and Reacher exemplifies the best qualities of the escapism a vigilante’s quest provides. He is not bound by any oaths to the law, only by his sense of duty to other people. That duty is earned on a case-by-case basis. He is devoted to his late brother, Joe, and he is devoted to Finlay and Roscoe as they become friends. However, his relationships with the two police officers proves tricky to navigate at first, as he notes that “Finlay wouldn’t sanction the sort of punishments that were going to be necessary,” and the laws Roscoe swore to uphold were “designed to get in my way” (160, 220). Despite these difficulties, Reacher pursues his goals with or without his companions’ approval. He becomes almost single-minded in his relentless search for the truth, and he conducts his “investigation” by his own moral code. In physical fights, Reacher admits he “cheats,” such as headbutting the antagonistic prisoner at Warburton, or sneaking up behind Kliner’s son and the killing squad to break their necks.