Gave up. Tedious over-use of the F word. ( )

Milton is walking from Ohio to points west as the result of almost taking a drink (he tries to attend regular meetings of AA) beset as he is by demons from his past hits. Walking in the rainstorm in the Upper Peninsula, he’s given a lift to a campsite by the local sheriff who sees him as just another drifter waiting to cause trouble. Being a contrary person, Milton walks back to town and walks into the local hotel to clean up and then to the local bar and grill for dinner. There, he is seen taking down a couple of very large tourists by himself, by Mallory and two FBI agents. (He’s also seen by the sheriff leading to some momentary unpleasantness that we need not go into here.) The FBI and Mallory are both seeking a group of modern-day outlaws they think might be hold up somewhere in the UP; Mallory only because she believes her “simple” brother may have hooked up with them.

To make a long introduction short, Mallory and one of the FBI agents (Ellie), follow Milton (who agrees to lead them reluctantly) into the back-country to look for Mallory’s brother and the gang. Turns out to be a Christian militia determined to attack the federal government.

Sound like a Reacher story? It certainly has much of the same flavor although personally I like Milton better than Reacher, but both Lee Child and Mark Dawson write more than competently. A very good story until the ending which is ridiculously over-the-top. 3.5 rounded up to 4. ( )