Jack Reacher's Rules

HOW TO OPEN A LOCKED IRON GATE WITH A CHRYSLER

1. Open all the windows of the car to lessen the noise, so that the bang on impact doesn’t deafen you completely.

2. Hold up one arm in front of you to stop yourself from being knocked out by the air bag.

3. Position the car about fifteen feet from the gate.

4. Rev the engine to the maximum with your foot on the brake until the car is rocking and straining.

5. Suddenly release the brake and stamp on the accelerator; shoot forward and smash the gate.

6. Get the hell out of there before the cops turn up.

THE SCIENCE OF … THE PERFECT SHOT

The perfect bullet

…has to be a perfect little artifact. It’s got to be as good as any manufactured article has ever been. It has got to be cast better than any jewelry. It must be totally uniform in size and weight. Perfectly round, perfectly streamlined. It has to accept ferocious rotation from the rifling grooves inside the barrel. It has to spin and hiss through the air with absolutely no wobble, no bias.

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The perfect barrel

…has to be tight and straight. No good at all if a previous shot has heated and altered the barrel shape. The barrel has to be a mass of perfect metal, heavy enough to remain inert. Heavy enough to kill the tiny vibrations of the bolt and the trigger and the firing pin.

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The perfect powder

…behind the bullet in the shell case has to explode perfectly, predictably, powerfully, instantly. It has to smash the projectile down the barrel at maximum speed. The powder has to explode fast, explode completely, and explode hard. Difficult chemistry. Weight for weight, that explosion has got to be the best explosion on the planet.

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The perfect shot

“He glanced at himself in an old spotted mirror. Six-five, two fifty, hands as big as frozen turkeys, hair all over the place, unshaven, torn shirt cuffs up on his forearms like Frankenstein’s monster. A bum.”

1. ALWAYS SHAVE AND GET A GOOD HAIRCUT

A whitewall. Leave an inch and a half on the top and use clippers to shave the bottom and the sides up toward it. Then flip the clippers over and square off the sideburns and clean the fuzz off the neck. Unless you’re going undercover.

2. DON’T SKIP THE SHOWER

Four kinds, depending on circumstances:

The straight shower (11 minutes)—shower and hair wash

The shave and shower (22 minutes)—shave, hair wash, shower

The special procedure (30 minutes +)—shower and hair wash, shave, shower, and second hair wash

The even longer one. When you’ve got company

“He knew he was out of step with the Western world in terms of how often he changed his clothes, but he tried to compensate by keeping his body scrupulously clean.”

3. ALWAYS CARRY A TOOTHBRUSH

Even for a man without luggage, it’s essential to have your own toothbrush, preferably a folding one that you can keep in your pocket. In the absence of toothpaste, freshen your mouth with gum.

If you can’t get time to sleep, a shower is a good substitute. If you can’t get time to shower, cleaning your teeth is the next best thing.

“His folding toothbrush was on the floor, stepped on and crushed.

‘Bastards,’ he said.”

4. HOW TO KEEP CLOTHES CLEAN ON THE ROAD

Option 1: every three to four days soak or rinse clothes and place under mattress to press.

Option 2: after up to nine days put clothes in trash and buy a new set.

Option 3: if you dress in wet clothes you’ve got a built-in air conditioner that keeps you cool while they dry out.

“He folded his pants and his shirt very carefully and put them flat under the mattress. That was as close as he ever got to ironing.”