Jack Reacher is the protagonist of a popular series of novels and short stories by British author Jim Grant, writing under the pen name Lee Child. Reacher is a former U.S. Army Military Police Officer who now roams the United States, visiting places he only heard about during his youth. By choice, he lives a minimalist lifestyle, carrying only a folding toothbrush, an ATM card, and a passport. Guided by a strong moral compass and a sense of duty, he often becomes involved in helping people in need.
The Reacher novels are typically released annually and are predominantly set in the United States, ranging from bustling cities like New York and Los Angeles to small towns in the Midwest and South. Some of Reacher’s adventures also take him abroad, including rural England (The Hard Way), London (Personal), Hamburg (Night School), and Paris, where he visits his mother’s grave with his brother.
Premise
The series is widely recognized as a mystery crime franchise. Since the debut of Killing Floor in 1997, the novels have followed an anthology format, telling self-contained action-packed stories with recurring themes and occasional references to past events or characters. The timeline of each book generally aligns with its publication year. In 2010, two novels were released, deviating from the usual one-book-per-year schedule.
The core premise involves Reacher encountering and unraveling terrorist plots, conspiracies, and murder cases. These situations often lead to significant character development and interactions with recurring allies who assist him in overcoming the threats. Although the primary series lacks an overarching plot, its narratives are connected through shared themes and characters. Most stories follow a similar structure: an initial incident draws Reacher in, and as the plot unfolds, the responsible parties and their motives are gradually revealed.
Additionally, spinoff series and standalone stories have expanded the Reacher universe, offering shorter, self-contained narratives that complement the main series.
Main Entries
- Killing Floor - Published in March 1997 - 1st POV
- Die Trying - Published in July 1998 - 3rd POV
- Tripwire - Published in July 1999 - 3rd POV
- Running Blind (US), The Visitor (UK) - Published in April 2000 - 3rd POV
- Echo Burning - Published in April 2001 - 3rd POV
- Without Fail - Published in April 2002 - 3rd POV
- Persuader - Published in April 2003 - 1st POV
- The Enemy - Published in April 2004 - 1st POV
- One Shot - Published in April 2005 - 3rd POV
- The Hard Way - Published in May 2006 - 3rd POV
- Bad Luck and Trouble - Published in April 2007 - 3rd POV
- Nothing to Lose - Published in March 2008 - 3rd POV
- Gone Tomorrow - Published in April 2009 - 1st POV
- 61 Hours - Published in March 2010 - 3rd POV
- Worth Dying For - Published in September 2010 - 3rd POV
- The Affair - Published in September 2011 - 1st POV
- A Wanted Man - Published in Septemebr 2012 - 3rd POV
- Never Go Back - Published in September 2013 - 3rd POV
- Personal - Published in August 2014 - 1st POV
- Make Me - Published in September 2015 - 3rd POV
- Night School - Published in September 2016 - 3rd POV
- The Midnight Line - Published in November 2017 - 3rd POV
- Past Tense - Published in November 2018 - 3rd POV
- Blue Moon - Published in October 2019 - 3rd POV
- The Sentinel - Published in October 2020 - 3rd POV
- Better Off Dead - Published in October 2021 - 1st POV
- No Plan B - Published in October 2022 - 3rd POV
- The Secret - Published in October 2023 - 3rd POV
- In Too Deep - Published in October 2024 - 3rd POV
- Exit Strategy - Published in November 2025
Short Stories
- James Penney's New Identity - Published in October 1999
- Guy Walks Into a Bar - Published in June 2009
- Second Son - Published in August 2011
- Everyone Talks - Published June 2012
- Deep Down - Published in July 2012
- High Heat - Published in August 2013
- Not a Drill - Published in July 2014
- The Picture of the Lonely Diner - Published in June 2015
- No Room at the Motel - Published in July 2015
- Small Wars - Published in August 2015
- Maybe They Have a Tradition - Published in December 2016
- Too Much Time - Published in May 2017
- The Christmas Scorpion - Published in October 2018
- The Fourth Man - Published in March 2019
- Smile - Published in July 2019
- New Kid in Town - Published in May 2022
- Many Happy Returns - Published in December 2023
Crossover Stories
- Knowing You're Alive - Published in 2014 - Dr. Sin/Jack Reacher
- Good and Valuable Consideration - Published in 2014 - Nick Heller/Jack Reacher
- Faking a Murderer - Published in 2017 - Temperance Brennan/Jack Reacher
- Cleaning the Gold - Published in 2019 - Will Trent/Jack Reacher
- Over Easy - Published in 2024 - Maggie Bird/Jack Reacher
Book Covers
Modern
_cover.png "Exit Strategy (US) cover.png (809 KB)")
Old
.jpg "Killing Floor First Edition (US).jpg (49 KB)")
_2.jpg "Killing Floor First Edition (US) 2.jpg (43 KB)")
_2.jpg "Die Trying First Edition (US) 2.jpg (66 KB)")
.jpg "Die Trying First Edition (US).jpg (90 KB)")
.jpg "Tripwire First Edition (US).jpg (156 KB)")
_2.jpg "Tripwire First Edition (US) 2.jpg (45 KB)")
.jpg "Running Blind First Edition (US).jpg (205 KB)")
_2.jpg "Running Blind First Edition (US) 2.jpg (40 KB)")
.jpg "Echo Burning First Edition (US).jpg (50 KB)")
_2.jpg "Echo Burning First Edition (US) 2.jpg (33 KB)")
.jpg "Without Fail First Edition (US).jpg (168 KB)")
_2.jpg "Without Fail First Edition (US) 2.jpg (37 KB)")
.jpg "Persuader First Edition (US).jpg (83 KB)")
_2.jpg "Persuader First Edition (US) 2.jpg (32 KB)")
.jpg "The Enemy First Edition (US).jpg (21 KB)")
.jpg "One Shot First Edition (US).jpg (115 KB)")
.jpg "The Hard Way First Edition (US).jpg (86 KB)")
.jpg "Bad Luck and Trouble First Edition (US).jpg (44 KB)")
.jpg "Nothing to Lose First Edition (US).jpg (204 KB)")
.jpg "Gone Tomorrow First Edition (US).jpg (134 KB)")
.jpg "61 Hours First Edition (US).jpg (91 KB)")
.jpg "Worth Dying For First Edition (US).jpg (182 KB)")
.jpg "The Affair First Edition (US).jpg (202 KB)")
.jpg "A Wanted Man First Edition (US).jpg (130 KB)")
.jpg "Never Go Back First Edition (US).jpg (172 KB)")
.jpg "Personal First Edition (US).jpg (63 KB)")
.jpg "Killing floor First Edition (UK).jpg (61 KB)")
.jpg "Die Trying First Edition (UK).jpg (114 KB)")
.jpg "Tripwire First Edition (UK).jpg (59 KB)")
.jpg "The Visitor First Edition (UK).jpg (37 KB)")
.jpg "Echo Burning First Edition (UK).jpg (43 KB)")
.jpg "Without Fail First Edition (UK).jpg (40 KB)")
.jpg "Persuader First Edition (UK).jpg (43 KB)")
.jpg "The Enemy First Edition (UK).jpg (47 KB)")
.jpg "One Shot First Edition (UK).jpg (36 KB)")
.jpg "The Hard Way First Edition (UK).jpg (20 KB)")
.jpg "Bad Luck and Trouble First Edition (UK).jpg (13 KB)")
.jpg "Nothing to Lose First Edition (UK).jpg (14 KB)")
.jpg "Gone Tomorrow First Edition (UK).jpg (18 KB)")
.jpg "61 Hours First Edition (UK).jpg (16 KB)")
.jpg "Worth Dying For First Edition (UK).jpg (14 KB)")
.jpg "The Affair First Edition (UK).jpg (185 KB)")
.jpg "A Wanted Man First Edition (UK).jpg (17 KB)")
.png "Never Go Back First Edition (UK).png (179 KB)")
Links
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