March 1997 A woman has her throat cut behind a bar in Carter Crossing, Mississippi Just down the road is a big army baseIs the murderer a local guy - or is he a soldier? Jack Reacher, still a major in the military police, is sent in undercoverThe county sheriff is a former US Marine - and a stunningly beautiful woman Her investigation is going nowhere Is the Pentagon stonewalling her? Or doesn't she really want to find the killer? The adrenaline-pumping, high-voltage action in The Affair is set just six months before the opening of Killing Floor, and it marks a turning point in Reacher's career If he does what the army wants, will he be able to live with himself? And if he doesn't, will the army be able to live with him? Is this his last case in uniform?