"Worth Dying For", by Lee Child

Book 15 in the Jack Reacher series

Jack Reacher's new adventure will bring him closer to Virginia, his eastward destination. He leaves Bolton, South Dakota and his adventure in '61 Hours' behind him by hitching a ride that takes him to a desolate town in Nebraska County, his intention is to stay overnight at the only motel in town and hit the road early next morning. Avid followers of Reacher know better, trouble is never far behind.

You will think that after fifteen episodes, Reacher would know enough to keep his distance from trouble. This time his plans change when he befriends a doctor that is trying to drown his sorrows at the motel bar and offers to help him when he gets an emergency call to treat a local woman in distress. When they realise she has a broken nose and is a victim of conjugal violence, Reacher feels he is the woman's only line of defence. He soon gets embroiled in a power struggle between the town's people and the husband's powerful family. The family enforcers do not like strangers meddling in personal matters and have a tendency to discourage any involvement with brute force. After many encounters and looking like a pro-fighter on a bad day, Reacher wonders how his friend Susan in Virginia will react to his roughed up appearance. Giving back the town's people their self-respect is his immediate concern and leaving the local undertaker plenty of work has always been his trade mark before he moves on....

This novel has all the ingredients to be a successful thriller: a tough hero with a code of ethics and true American values, easy to read, although the prose may seem a bit rough it is nevertheless clear and concise, the dialogue is rather artificial but don't let it bother you too much, the storyline is an absurd and unbelievable one but full of suspense with enough violence to satisfy the average fan. It's corny, it's fun, and it's a real blast to read.