Love a good crime thriller series? Find out here how to read the Jack Reacher books in order, written by Lee Child.

How to read the Jack Reacher books in order

If you’re the type of person who loves fast-paced action books with compelling characters and intricate plots and is on the hunt for your next favorite book series, we have what you’re looking for. Just pick up a Jack Reacher book and get enveloped in one of the best crime-solving series of the 21st century.

Who is Jack Reacher?

Jack Reacher is a former military police officer who solves crimes and finds himself in a plethora of dangerous situations while he travels across the United States as a drifter and a lonely man. This tough and independent character fights against corruption and crime, gets into more trouble than most people could handle, but still always comes out of it. He has his quick thinking and problem-solving skills to help him out of every sticky situation. The books were even adapted into two different TV series and a couple of Jack Reacher movies starring Tom Cruise that brought the Jack Reacher story to our screens.

Who wrote the Jack Reacher Books?

The Jack Reacher books are unique and different from most book series because they were written by two different people or two brothers to be more precise.

Lee Child

James Grant, better known by his pseudonym Lee Child, is an author who found fame in 1997 when he published the novel Killing Floor, which was the first book in the Jack Reacher series.

Andrew Grant

Andrew Grant is the younger brother of Lee Child who wrote the latest book in the Jack Reacher series. He also went by the pen name Andrew Child.

Why read Jack Reacher's books in order?

If you’re thinking about reading the entire Jack Reacher book series, here is why you should read the novellas in order.

Understanding the character development of Jack Reacher

If you read the books in order, you can track how the character of Jack Reacher gets fleshed out, develops, and grows from one adventure to the next.

Unfolding of the overarching plot

There are certain themes and story lines throughout the books that have an overarching plot. So if you read the books in order, you can follow the development of these plot lines without getting lost or confused.

Improved reading experience

When you have the chance to understand the character development and the overarching plot, your overall reading experience will be improved.

Overview of Jack Reacher book series in publication order

If you want to know in what order all the Jack Reacher books were published, here is a complete list.

Killing Floor

While passing through the town of Margrave, Georgia, our main character is suddenly and unexpectedly arrested for murder. And it’s up to him to prove his innocence.

Die Trying

When a woman is kidnapped in broad daylight in the streets of Chicago, Jack gets kidnapped alongside her just for being nothing more than an innocent bystander. Now he has to save her and himself or die trying.

Tripwire

When an investigator shows up in Florida looking for Jack, the stranger is murdered just a few hours after arriving in town. Jack is determined to find out why.

Running Blind

Innocent women are being murdered across the country with the killer leaving no trace evidence. So Jack has no choice but to solve these perfect crimes.

Echo Burning

As he’s driving across the Texas desert, Jack Reacher is accompanied by Carmen Greer, a woman with a wild story and an even wilder plan which may cost our hero his life.

Without Fail

When a covert group has plans to assassinate the vice president of the United States, Jack Reacher is hired to find ways to help the Secret Service protect him.

Persuader

When Jack Reacher gets another crack at an unsolved murder, he jumps at the chance to finally attend to some unfinished business and finally get justice.

The Enemy

On New Year’s Day, 1190, a two-star general is found dead in a motel room in North Carolina and Jack is hired to control the situation. But as one thing after another goes wrong, our hero begins to question himself and all his beliefs.

One Shot

Six shots were fired but only five of them hit the target. The local police catch their criminal but the accused man claims innocence and asks for Reacher. So our hero is called in to solve a case that isn’t as straightforward as it seems.

The Hard Way

Jack Reacher is the best man hunter in the world. That is why when he’s asked by Edward Lane to find his kidnapped wife and daughter, he’s going to do it. But as he digs deeper into the case, he discovers his employer is hiding too many secrets to count.

Bad Luck and Trouble

As he’s trying to enjoy a peaceful and lonely life in Portland, Jack Reacher is found by a woman from his old military unit and she has some disturbing news for him – someone has killed people they both served with. Now it’s up to them and the rest of their surviving team members to solve these murders.

Nothing to Lose

Hope and Despair are two small towns in the middle of nowhere and as he’s walking between them, Jack gets targeted by four hostile locals. But they don’t know who they’re picking on. Now, he’s determined to find out what Despair is trying so hard to hide.

Gone Tomorrow

In a New York City subway car, Jack is one of the six passengers. One of his fellow passengers, Susa Mark, is hiding a big secret, which will lead to a violent spree throughout Manhattan.

61 Hours

After a bus crash during a terrible snowstorm brings Jack to the town of Bolton, South Dakota, Jack finds himself wedged in the middle of a deadly confrontation as a dangerous assassin is coming to town.

Worth Dying For

While in Nebraska, Jack gets curious about an unsolved missing child case from decades ago and falls foul of the local clan who the entire corn country is scared of.

The Affair

When investigating the murder of a young woman, Reacher unwillingly joins forces with local sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux as they find a way to trust each other and work together.

A Wanted Man

All Jack wanted to do was hitch a ride to Virginia, but he finds himself in the midst of a conspiracy and on the trail of a murder. Nobody is being honest and nothing is what it seems.

Jack Reacher's Rules

A collection of rules and advice from Jack himself along with sections from all of the novels.

Never Go Back

Jack goes back to the headquarters of his old unit to meet the new commanding officer, Major Susan turner, but she’s nowhere to be found. When he’s accused of a serious crime, it’s up to him to find the new CO.

Personal

When John Kott, a world-class marksman who had gone bad, gets released after 15 years in prison and is targeting the French President, Jack is the only man who can stop him. Because he’s done it before.

Make Me

Mother’s Rest is a strange tiny town with even stranger residents, one of them being Michelle Chang. Reacher thinks there’s something about her so they team up and start trying to dig up the secrets of the small town. And the only way to stop Jack Reacher from finding out the truth is to make him.

Night School

Back in 1996, while he’s still in the Army, Jack gets sent to night school along with an FBI agent and a CIA analyst. There’s no better team than that to solve a mystery unfolding in a sleeper cell in Hamburg, Germany.

The Midnight Line

While strolling through a small town in Wisconsin, Jack’s attention is drawn to a class ring in a pawn shop window. This small ring, dating to the year 2005, only has the owner’s initials engraved. Jack decides to return the ring to the owner and so starts an adventure on dangerous terrain.

No Middle Name

A collection of Jack Reacher short stories.

Past Tense

When he was on a road trip from Maine to California, Jack Reacher gets drawn to his father’s hometown, a small town where his father was born. But while asking around about his family home, he’s told nobody by the name of Reacher ever lived there. And so, Jack starts exploring his father’s life and past.

Blue Moon

After an elderly couple finds themselves facing the consequences of some well-meaning mistakes, it doesn’t take Reacher long to find himself caught in the midst of a turf war between two rival gangs. Now it’s up to Jack to get the type of justice that only occurs once in a blue moon.

The Sentinel

While in a town near Pleasantville, Tennessee, Reacher intervenes to help a man who was ambushed by four other men. It turns out he saved an IT manager who was recently fired after a cyberattack. All he wants to do is clear his name and stay out of trouble, which intrigues our hero.

Better Off Dead

As an army veteran turned FBI agent, Michaela Fenton is on a quest to find her twin brother who got mixed up with some very dangerous people, Reacher is by her side. And he’ll have to achieve the impossible and get to the bottom of secrets everyone is trying to hide.

No Plan B

When a woman dies after being hit by a moving bus, everyone rules the accident as a suicide, but Jack Reacher knows better. After yet another murder is ruled as an accident, Reacher is on the hunt for a killer on the loose.

Jack Reacher short stories

Over the years, there have been 13 short stories published that feature Jack Reacher, and they can be found in No Middle Name: The Complete Collected Jack Reacher Short Stories. These stories include:

1. "Too Much Time"
2. "Second Son"
3. "High Heat"
4. "Deep Down"
5. "Small Wars"
6. "Not a Drill"
7. "Maybe They Have a Tradition"
8. "No Room at the Motel"
9. "The Picture of the Lonely Diner"
10. "The Fourth Man"
11. "The Musician"
12. "The Midnight Line"
13. "The Christmas Scorpion"

Jack Reacher series: Chronological order

This is what the series looks like if we take the story’s chronological order into account:

1. The Enemy (set in 1990)
2. Night School (set in 1996)
3. The Affair (set in 1999)
4. Killing Floor (set in 1997)
5. Die Trying (set in 1998)
6. Tripwire (set in 1999)
7. Running Blind / The Visitor (set in 2000)
8. Echo Burning (set in 2001)
9. Without Fail (set in 2001)
10. Persuader (set in 2002)
11. One Shot (set in 2005)
12. The Hard Way (set in 2006)
13. Bad Luck and Trouble (set in 2008)
14. Nothing to Lose (set in 2008)
15. Gone Tomorrow (set in 2009)
16. 61 Hours (set in 2009)
17. Worth Dying For (set in 2010)
18. The Affair (set in 1999 and 2010)
19. A Wanted Man (set in 2012)
20. Never Go Back (set in 2013)
21. Personal (set in 2014)
22. Make Me (set in 2015)
23. Night School (set in 1996 and 2016)
24. The Midnight Line (set in 2017)
25. Past Tense (set in 2018)
26. Blue Moon (set in 2019)
27. The Sentinel (set in 2020)

Chronological order vs. publication order

You may be wondering whether it would be better to read the Jack Reacher novels chronologically or in publication order, and there is no right answer to this question. It all depends on personal preference. If you want to get a good understanding of the timeline of all the events that occur throughout the series and connect all the subplots together, the chronological order is the better choice. However, if you want to follow the development of our titular character as the author intended and see how Lee Child grew as an author, then it’s best to read them in publication order. Not to mention that the books were written to be read in the order they were published. But at the end of the day, the choice of how you want to take on the Lee Child books is up to you.

Love to listen rather than read?

Audiobooks have become very popular over the past few years, and if you love to listen rather than read or simply don’t want to wait for your physical book orders off Amazon to arrive, then Speechify is the perfect platform for you. Audiobooks are a great choice for anyone who likes to do other activities while enjoying a book but also for those who have difficulties with reading or are visually impaired. Speechify has an extensive library of audiobooks narrated by professional voice actors. All you have to do is sign up for Speechify, search for the title of the book you want to read, pick from their extensive catalog, and start listening. Enjoy listening to the words of Lee Child come alive in “Good and Valuable Consideration” in FaceOff, as well as other exciting crime and spy thriller series similar to Jack Reacher like the Jason Bourne series from Speechify.