Throughout Lee Child's series, readers are told of Jack Reacher's history as an Army M.P. and his past decision to leave the only life he has ever known to become a wanderer. "The Affair" returns to 1997, when Reacher is assigned an undercover role near a secret base in Mississippi run by a powerful senator's son, where a woman has been murdered. Reacher arrives in town and quickly has his cover blown by local sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux who tells him about other women who have been murdered. Soon, a journalist and a teen are discovered shot near the base As he Reacher falls for the sheriff he discovers conflicting clues, including reports that Deveraux is a prime suspect. Readers will enjoy solving the mystery along with Reacher, while discovering the source of many of his idiosyncrasies and the reason he leaves the army.