An introduction to Lee Child’s vigilante hero.
Now that Lee Child has written more than 20 books in his highly successful Jack Reacher series, it might seem daunting prospect to come in late. But do you necessarily have to start at the beginning? Which book is the first one? And which books fit together? We’re here to help bring some clarity…
We are first introduced to Jack Reacher in Killing Floor. He’s a loner who used to be in the military, dangerous and unattainable, and the series follows his exploits all across America and occasionally into other countries.
There are four books that form a sub-series starting off with 61 Hours then continuing in Worth Dying For, A Wanted Man and finally Never Go Back. They follow Reacher as he’s trying to get to Virginia to return to his old base and a woman’s voice.
The first book in Lee Child‘s series is so good it seems a shame not to start there, but this is a series you can dip into at different stages because there’s always one constant – Jack Reacher.
Here’s a rundown of some of the killer titles in the Jack Reacher series:
Killing Floor: (Jack Reacher 1)
Jack Reacher gets off a bus in a small town in Georgia, and is thrown into the county jail for a murder he didn’t commit.
Die Trying: (Jack Reacher 2)
Reacher is locked in a van with a woman claiming to be FBI, and ferried right across America into a brand new country.
The Visitor: (Jack Reacher 4)
Two naked women are found dead in a bath filled with paint. Both are victims of a man just like Reacher.
Persuader: (Jack Reacher 7)
A kidnapping in Boston. A cop dies. Has Reacher lost his sense of right and wrong?
One Shot: (Jack Reacher 9)
This is the novel the Jack Reacher movie was based on, so from a film perspective is a valid place to start. A lone sniper shoots five people dead in a heartland city. But the accused guy says, ‘Get Reacher’.
Nothing to Lose: (Jack Reacher 12)
Reacher crosses the line between a town called Hope and one named Despair.
61 Hours: (Jack Reacher 14)
In freezing South Dakota, Reacher hitches a lift on a bus heading for trouble.
Worth Dying For: (Jack Reacher 15)
Reacher runs into a clan that’s terrifying the Nebraska locals. But it’s the unsolved case of a missing child that he can’t let go.
Never Go Back: (Jack Reacher 18)
Reacher has finally made it to Virginia. But the woman he’s meeting isn’t where she’s supposed to be and before Reacher knows it, there’s a lot that’s not quite the way it’s supposed to be. Will he be sorry he went back? Or will someone else be?
Make Me: (Jack Reacher 20)
Reacher has no place to go, and all the time in the world to get there, so a remote railroad stop on the prairie with the curious name of Mother’s Rest seems perfect for an aimless one-day stopover. Reacher’s one-day stopover becomes an open-ended quest… into the heart of darkness.
Night School: (Jack Reacher 21)
With trusted sergeant Frances Neagley at his side, Reacher must carry the fate of the world on his shoulders, in a wired, fiendishly clever new adventure that will make the cold sweat trickle down your spine.
The Midnight Line: (Jack Reacher 22)
Jack Reacher is having a bad day.
It would be a dumb idea to make it worse.
Reacher sees a West Point class ring in a pawn shop window. It’s tiny. It's a woman cadet’s graduation present to herself. Why would she give it up? Reacher was a West Pointer too, and he knows what she went through to get it.
All he wants is to find the woman.
Past Tense: (Jack Reacher 23)
Jack Reacher plans to follow the autumn sun on an epic road trip across America, from Maine to California. He doesn’t get far. On a country road deep in the New England woods, he sees a sign to a place he has never been - the town where his father was born. He thinks, what’s one extra day? He takes the detour.
Blue Moon: (Jack Reacher 24)
In a nameless city, two ruthless rival criminal gangs, one Albanian, the other Ukrainian, are competing for control. But they hadn’t counted on Jack Reacher arriving on their patch.
The Sentinel: (Jack Reacher 25)
Jack Reacher gets off the bus in a sleepy no-name town outside Nashville, Tennessee. He plans to grab a cup of coffee and move right along. Not going to happen.
The town has been shut down by a cyber attack. At the centre of it all, whether he likes it or not, is Rusty Rutherford. He's an average IT guy, but he knows more than he thinks. As the bad guys move in on Rusty, Reacher moves in on them…