We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
How to Read the Jack Reacher Books in Order
Yep, all 49 of them
Before Lee Child was Lee Child, he was Jim Grant. Jim Grant was a hotshot presentation director for Granada TV. It was the golden age of British television, and his job was to ensure smooth broadcasting of heavyweight shows like Brideshead Revisited and Coronation Street.
He was a man of power and influence. But the digital era was washing in, and old-schoolers like Jim Grant were being swept out. He knew his TV days were numbered. So, one September day in 1994, while on his lunch break, he popped to WHSmiths to buy a notepad to write a list of other jobs he could do. He walked into that stationery dispenser as Jim Grant. He came out as Lee Child.
Instead of a jobs list, Child wrote the first lines of what would become one of the biggest-selling thriller franchises of the 21st century, about an ex-army drifter the size of a fridge with a head full of fighting skills and a heart full of quiet fury:
I was arrested in Eno’s diner. At twelve o’clock. I was eating eggs and drinking coffee. A late breakfast, not lunch. I was wet and tired after a long walk in heavy rain. All the way from the highway to the edge of town.
He called him Jack Reacher.
Drifter noir, hardboiled thriller, modern western. The genre has many names, but one aim: to get readers in a headlock and not let go until the very last page. A quarter of a century on, with more than 200 million books sold, Jack Reacher's legacy is built on gripping action, a mountain of bodies, and sentences so clipped they could cut a throat.
Tom Cruise has twice given Reacher the Hollywood treatment, before Amazon Prime muscled in with the series Reacher, starring Alan Ritchson.
Amazon’s offering has delighted Reacher-philes for its loyal-to-the-source portrayal of the wandering hunk. This has a lot to do the fact Ritchson, like Reacher, is colossal. For Cruise, said to be 5’7”, the name feels almost ironic – it’s hard to imagine him reaching the protein powder on the top shelf, let alone the truth hidden in a stack of files.
Not only that, but fans of the books have also hailed Ritchson for his stoic, almost laconic, rendering of the hero (compared to Cruise’s action-hero energy), while Amazon’s retelling is considered to be more faithful to its source material.
But if you, like Reacher, are the kind of guy who prefers to do things his way, you should make up your own mind and read the books yourself. We'd not recommend reading in order of publication, but chronologically: from the short story outlining Reacher's childhood in the 1970s to the final novel set in the present day.
But beware: this is not just a list of the 29 novels in the franchise. No, this list includes all the short stories, novellas, spin-offs, shoe-ins and author collabs. That's 49 in total. Buckle up and check your airbag...
In faraway South Pacific, where we lay our scene. 1970s. A U.S. military base. A 13-year-old Jack Reacher experiences the transient and disciplined world of a military family stationed overseas, giving him a taste of his future life and developing sense of rough justice.
It's 1977. A teenage Reacher navigates arson, gang violence, and the dangerous underbelly of New York City during the blackout, solidifying his morals and resourcefulness.
Set early in his military career, Reacher is summoned to Washington D.C., Reacher goes undercover to investigate a potential leak of military secrets about a new sniper rifle, with four high-ranking female officers as prime suspects. Despite being labelled a low-risk mission, Reacher knows better than to underestimate potential danger and prepares to uncover the truth, no matter how messy the consequences.
In 1989, a young lieutenant colonel in a stylish handmade uniform roars through the damp Georgia woods in her new Porsche, bound for a clandestine meeting with a secretive Pentagon unit. Reacher stumbles upon the aftermath of a brutal shooting that may connect to the woman and her shadowy team, thrusting him into a dangerous, off-the-books investigation with far-reaching consequences.
New Year's Eve, 1989. Still a Major in the military police, Reacher investigates the death of a general, uncovering military secrets and hidden agendas. His unwavering sense of justice clashes with the complexities of authority
During his military career (timeline unclear, likely early or mid-1990s), Reacher's strategic mind and resourcefulness are showcased when he's tasked with helping a key witness assume a new identity. Reacher must outmanoeuvre those seeking to silence the witness, orchestrating a meticulous and calculated plan to ensure their safety and preserve a vital asset.
1992. Somewhere else in the world, rave culture is at its peak. But not for Reacher; he's just raving mad. He's been demoted to captain and joins military investigators on a multi-agency task force to hunt down those targeting former government scientists. Early glimpses into the calculating side of Reacher.
During the pandemic, Lee Child was harbouring his own secret - that he planned to soon hang up his pen. But the twist: he would not be killing off Reacher.
Instead, he would pass the pen to brother Andrew Child (not his real name). The plan was to warm Andrew in. So together they wrote The Secret, thrusting Reacher back in time to 1992. A string of mysterious deaths leads the Secretary of Defense to form a task force and demand Reacher's participation. Reacher, recently demoted in the military police, must navigate office politics while uncovering a decades-old secret. As he delves deeper, he discovers the killings aren't random, and he's up against a formidable force bent on revenge.
1996. Fresh from a successful mission, Reacher is summoned to a secret operation to infiltrate a dangerous terrorist cell with international implications. This gives Reacher the perfect opportunity to showcase his skills in adaptability, loyalty, and combat.
Mid-1990s. Six months before leaving the military, Major Reacher investigates a suspicious on-base murder that sparks doubts about his devotion to the army and lays the groundwork for his future choices.
This is the original book that launched Lee Child into stardom - and the basis for Amazon Prime's first series of Reacher. Set in the late 1990s, Reacher, a drifter armed with nothing but a passport, a toothbrush and a burning sense of righteousness, gets off a bus in Georgia, only to be wrongly arrested for murder. Determined to clear his name, he unravels hidden conspiracies and kickstarts his career as an unconventional detective.
Shortly after the events of Killing Floor, Reacher witnesses a woman's kidnapping in Chicago and becomes embroiled in a relentless battle with a fanatical survivalist group, highlighting his combat skills and drive to protect.
Late 1990s/early 2000s - Y2K is dawning in Key West, where Reacher stumbles upon clues leading to a missing person with ties to his past. The case gets personal as he uncovers a lethal game of revenge, buried truths, and confronts his own past.
Early 2000s. Investigating seemingly random murders, Reacher suspects the killer may be hunting someone from his past, drawing on his protective instincts and relentless pursuit of the truth.
Early 2000s. Hitchhiking through Texas, Reacher helps a Mexican woman fleeing a ruthless cartel. He confronts a dangerous world of criminals and injustice, driven by chivalry and a commitment to protect the vulnerable.
Early/Mid-2000s. Recruited by the Secret Service to protect the Vice President-elect, Reacher uncovers hidden threats within political circles. His strategic thinking and ability to anticipate threats are tested.
Early/Mid-2000s. Teaming up with DEA Agent Susan Duffy, Reacher goes undercover to dismantle a ruthless drug lord's empire, seeking revenge for the murder of a Boston detective. A showcase of his adaptability, skill in assuming identities, and willingness to partner - a skill that will come in handy for him but also Child who surely by now is feeling the need to branch out with more than 30 books to go.
We're into the mid-2000s now. A series of meticulous sniper shootings rocks a town, framing Reacher for the crimes. He fights to clear his name, uncovers a complex conspiracy, and battles his own notoriety.
Mid-2000s. Reacher is hired by a mysterious director to find his kidnapped family, triggering a chase across New York City and a brutal showdown on a remote English farm. This mission highlights his ruthless side and protective instincts.
Mid to late 2000s - the book Amazon Prime based its second series on. Reuniting with old military friends sparks troubling memories, prompting Reacher to confront a dangerous enemy from their shared past. He delves into the lasting impact of their shared experiences.
Watch Next
‘The Big Cigar’: The True Story of Huey P. Newton
Inside the Movement to Bring Arts to Outer Space
Lenny Kravitz on Love, London And Playing Wembley
Everything We Know About 'The Handmaid's Tale' S6
