Best books by Lee Child

Lee Child is a British thriller writer best known for the bestseller Jack Reacher series. His first novel and its sequels have sold millions of copies worldwide.

Let’s check out some of this prolific author's best Jack Reacher books.

Who is Lee Child?

Jim Dover Grant was born in England in 1954. However, he is best known as the pen name Lee Child, which he went by for all his novels.

Before establishing himself as a published author, he made a career on television as a presentation director in Manchester. His first novel, Killing Floor, was published in 1997. He then moved to New York the following year.

Lee Child’s Jack Reacher character has inspired two major motion pictures and an Amazon Prime TV series.

Awards for Lee Child

Lee Child’s first thriller novel, Killing Floor, earned him the Anthony award. The stories of Jack Reacher, the former American military policeman drifter, became an incredible success—so much so that he wrote 25 sequels of the story.

The second novel, Die Trying, received the WH Smith Thumping Good Read Award. His 2002 novel, The Enemy, was the eighth book of the Jack Reacher series and was awarded the Barry and the Nero award. In 2011, he received Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award for his 14th Jack Reacher book, 61 Hours.

For A Wanted Man, released in 2012, he won the Specsavers’ National Book Award and the Thriller & Crime Novel of the Year.

The 19th Jack Reacher sequel, Personal, was granted the RBA Prize for Crime Writing.

The ten best Lee Child books

For fans of crime thrillers, the Jack Reacher novels are a must-read collection. It has mystery, intriguing dialogue, and satisfying crime-solving worth checking out. Keep in mind that this best Jack Reacher book selection is not in chronological order.

Worth Dying For

In Worth Dying For, the drifter ex-military cop falls right in the middle of deadly trouble in Nebraska.

A local clan, the Duncans, want him gone. However, a missing child case of 10 years makes him stay.

With the Duncans waiting for a secret shipment, they’ll do whatever it takes to keep Reacher away from their business.

Without Fail

Without Fail is the sixth book of the series, published in 2002. Jack Reacher goes to Atlantic City with a group of blues musicians.

Secret Service agent M. E. Floelich approaches him with a special request. She wants Reacher to conduct a security audit of the Secret Service’s protection of the vice-president elect, who’s been receiving death threats.

Along with his colleague, Frances Neagley, he sets off to find out who’s behind the impending attack on the vice president’s life.

The Enemy

In this Jack Reacher novel, a two-star general is found dead on the way to a conference. His wife and two other people also get killed.

The year is 1990. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Reagan era provide the backdrop in which Jack Reacher has to conduct an undercover investigation to find the killer.

One Shot

A massacre in a public plaza leaves five, apparently random, people dead. The shooter turns out to be an Army infantry sniper named James Barr. When he gets caught, he asks for Jack Reacher.

The unemployed ex-military cop takes a bus to Indiana. He has no intention of helping Barr. He wants to help convict him.

However, during his investigation, he realizes the authorities might not have as airtight a case as they thought.

Gone Tomorrow

It’s two in the morning, and Jack Reacher is on the New York City subway. He notices Susan Mark, a person identified as a potential suicide bomber. Before Reacher can help her, she commits suicide.

NYPD wants to close the investigation as soon as possible, but Jack Reacher wants to get to the bottom of what happened that night. After all, Susan Mark was a Pentagon staffer. What made her leave DC and kill herself?

The Affair

It’s 1997, and military cop Jack Reacher goes to Carter Crossing, Mississippi.

He must go undercover to investigate the murder of a young woman. The primary suspect is a U.S. soldier with powerful friends.

Reacher joins forces with local sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux. They need to work fast, as influential people are conspiring to bury the truth forever.

Bad Luck and Trouble

A man was thrown from a plane over the California desert. The victim is one of Jack Reacher’s old friends.

Jack Reacher is a loner and seemingly unreachable, with no phone, address, or ties. However, a woman from his old military unit finds him.

All the survivors of his team reunite to unveil the plot that’s trying to kill them.

Killing Floor

Killing Floor was Lee Child’s first book. In the story, Jack Reacher goes to a small Georgia town to investigate a guitar player's mysterious death.

His desire to stay anonymous vanishes when the chief of police brings him in for questioning on a murder investigation.

All Jack Reacher wants is to escape the town and return to his anonymity. However, that all changes when he discovers the victim is his brother. Even worse, he’s sure Chief Morrison is involved.

The Hard Way

Edward Lane’s wife and child have been kidnapped. He runs an illegal soldiers-for-hire operation and will do anything to get them back.

He hires Jack Reacher to help him find the bad guys. However, on the kidnappers’ trail, Reacher starts uncovering horrifying truths and secrets about his employer.

Persuader

Jack Reacher is appointed to work unofficially for the DEA. They are trying to get evidence of Zachary Beck’s drug smuggling operation.

However, when the DEA realizes they are mistaken, they end the investigation.

But Jack Reacher has other ideas. He discovers that Zachary Beck’s boss is former military intelligence agent Francis Xavier Quinn.

Ten years before, Quinn had murdered Reacher’s military colleague, Dominique Kohl. Now it’s time for his revenge.

Honorable mentions

For those who can’t get enough of Jack Reacher’s adventures, here are some books from the series you need to add to your reading list.

• 61 Hours (2010) — Jack Reacher goes to South Dakota to help the police protect a witness to a biker gang methamphetamine deal.
• Die Trying (1998) — A woman claiming to be an FBI agent kidnaps Jack Reacher and takes him to a new country.
• Echo Burning (2001) — Jack Reacher decides to hitchhike and ends up with Carmen Greer. She needs protection from her abusive husband.
• No Plan B (2022) — A woman dies after being run over by a bus. It may have been ruled suicide, but Jack Reacher saw the man in a hoodie that pushed her.
• Blue Moon (2019) — Jack Reacher gets caught in a battle between the Albanian and Ukrainian mafia.
• The Midnight Line (2017) — Reacher embarks on finding the criminal enterprise behind a series of robberies.
• Night School (2016) — U. S. Army Major Jack Reacher is ordered to be part of inter-agency cooperation with the CIA and the FBI.
• Make Me (2015) — Reacher arrives at a small town named Mother’s Rest, curious about the story behind the name.
• Running Blind (2000) — Jack Reacher tries to find a serial killer.
• Better off Dead (2021) — On his way to San Francisco, he decided to help a woman find her lost brother.
• Tripwire (1999) — Attorney Jodie Garber wants Reacher’s help investigating her deceased father’s last project.
• Never Go Back (2013) — Following the events of 61 Hours, Reacher faces trial for two alleged crimes committed while he was in the Army.

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FAQ

How many books are in the Jack Reacher series?

The Jack Reacher series consists of 26 books and a short story collection named No Middle Name.

Is the Jack Reacher series worth reading?

Jack Reacher is a must-read book series if you enjoy stories about a stranger with nothing to lose who helps the most unthinkable characters.

What else should I read if I like Jack Reacher?

If you loved the Jack Reacher book series, you’d enjoy the Paul McGrath series by Andrew Child, Lee Child’s brother. Andrew Child is Andrew Grant’s pen name.

Why are Jack Reacher books popular?

The Jack Reacher books are thrilling stories about a silent hero with nothing to lose. He goes from town to town, saving defenseless people when no one else will help.

What is the name of the first book in the Jack Reacher series?

The first book from the Jack Reacher series is Killing Floor, published in 1997.

Are there any Jack Reacher films?

The are two Jack Reacher films starring Tom Cruise as the main protagonist. Additionally, Amazon Prime released a TV series (Reacher) based on the Lee Child books with Alan Ritchson in the role of Jack Reacher.