Expanding his search, Reacher discovers that his father grew up in Ryantown, an abandoned blue-collar community built around a prosperous tin mill.

At the same time, Shorty Fleck and Patty Sundstrom, two Canadian migrants looking to sell a trove of priceless comic books so they can use the money to settle in Florida, arrive in Laconia after their car breaks down.

Through a combination of lies, gaslighting, and psychological manipulation, the owners trap Shorty and Patty in their room, thwarting their attempts to escape while preparing to welcome six guests, all of whom pay a large sum of money for what turns out to be a human bowhunting contest.

Meanwhile, Reacher is barred from returning to Laconia after getting in two separate fights, making him the target of both a corrupt local farmer and an unnamed crime syndicate based out of Boston.

Patrick Burke (who he saved earlier from being assaulted) learn that a professor at a nearby university, also named Reacher, wants to speak to him as he is the only living male descendant of his family line.

Daisy Buchanan of The Independent gave the book three stars out of five commenting "The pace picks up, and the creepiness becomes downright disturbing, the action becomes brutal, and we're led to an extremely satisfying conclusion.