Published in 1997, "Killing Floor" is the first Jack Reacher novel in the long Lee Child series featuring the larger-than-life Army Veteran drifter with a chip on his shoulder crisscrossing the USA bringing an unlikely justice to the inexplicable troubles that come his way. Unlike the subsequent volumes, "Killing Floor" is written in the first person POV. If you read any other Jack Reacher novels, watched the Tom Cruise movies based loosely on the books, or watched the Amazon TV series starring Alan Ritchson, you may find this first outing a bit rough. The first person perspective is unsettling as the strength of the protagonist in both the later novels and the Amazon series is his raw physicality, his instinctive morality, and cunning for targeted violence. Reacher comes across as more thoughtful, unsure, and clay-footed in this first outing.I am new to the Jack Reacher franchise. I read and enjoyed "No Middle Name," the short story collection that explains Reacher's origins and focuses on his propensity for violent direct action to clear up any misunderstandings with bad guys. I did not watch the movies as I dislike Tom Cruise (entirely miscast in the role) and assumed Reacher was a Jack Ryan copy or a low-tech Mission Impossible. And I did watch a couple episodes of the Amazon TV series, which is based on the plot of "Killing Floor" but with several key storyline deviations. After reading "No Middle Name," I believe Alan Ritchson nailed the role and if you've seen any scenes from that show, it will be impossible for you to conceive of Reacher portrayed any other way.In "Killing Floor," Jack Reacher is starting his life on the road. Led by a clue from his brother, Joe, about a blind blues guitarist's mysterious demise in a backroad Georgia town, Reacher walks into Margrave, GA, only to find himself arrested for a crime he didn't commit. The bluesman clue was an attempt by Joe Reacher to bring his brother Jack into town to help break a counterfeiting conspiracy. But Joe Reacher, a Treasury agent whom Jack hasn't seen in years, is murdered and the body count piles up as the criminal conspiracy unravels. This is such a good mystery plot that to add anymore description of the storyline would be one long spoiler. Those who have watched the Amazon show will recognize the clues. But as a novel, there are important differences in the storyline between the book and the show. I prefer to think of such situations as "different interpretations" of a story rather than compare the two. Needless to say, Jack Reacher brings the conspiracy to an explosive end while ending the lives of some of the most vile thugs in crime novel history. It's a great read.The book's strongpoints are the way in which Lee Child has the crime caper picked apart and solved by the team of Reacher, Margrave Detective Finlay, and Margrave Policewoman Roscoe. The action scenes are very well-done and the violence is descriptive and realistic. Lee Child performed excellent research to have put together such a great criminal mystery. It is worth reading for that reason alone. I also like the government corruption angle as this is entirely realistic given the amount of money being moved by the bad guys.The novel has several weak points starting with the relationship between Roscoe and Reacher, a romance element that never sat well with me, since I knew it wasn't going anywhere. Seemed somewhat gratuitous, as if Lee Child knew he needed to romantic angle to sell this first book to women.Jack Reacher's military origins are vague and unrealistic. Reacher doesn't seem like a West Point type to me. I would have made him a prior enlisted guy who maybe got a commission at Texas A&M. As a veteran, I am picky about the military references in a novel. Which is on me but still, it can't be helped.Finally, the ending was a bit too clean. The advantage of the drifter protagonist is that he/she can move on at the end. So things can be left unsettled or unresolved if need be. I thought this one wrapped up too quickly... especially as the relationship with Roscoe should have produced more baggage. But maybe it does and I will find out more if I read more Jack Reacher novels or watch more episodes of the TV series.This fast moving novel is pure entertainment for those who like a well-paced mystery with great action scenes and where the bad guys get what's coming to them. I was 260 pages into this before I realized it was a 500 page novel. But I read it quickly enough... in fact... I couldn't put it down! Recommended... but be warned, this is a violent and graphic novel. Not for the faint-hearted. Enjoy!