Jack Reacher
Encyclopedia
Jack Reacher is a fictional character
created by British author Jim Grant who writes under the pen name of Lee Child
.
Military Police Major
. He was born on a military base in Berlin
in 1960. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he served 13 years in the Military Police, during which time he became part of a fictional military police
unit, the 110th Special Investigations Unit, formed to handle exceptionally tough cases, especially those involving members of the United States Army Special Forces
.
Though he was demoted from Major to Captain in the prequel novel The Enemy
, he regained the rank of Major by the time he mustered out
in 1997. He received many military awards during his career, including the Silver Star
, the Defense Superior Service Medal
, the Legion of Merit
, the Soldier's Medal
, the Bronze Star
, and a Purple Heart
for wounds sustained in the bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut
in 1983.
Since leaving the Army, Reacher has been a drifter
. He wanders throughout the United States because he felt he never got to know his own country, having spent his youth living overseas on military bases. He usually travels by hitchhiking
or bus. As a drifter, the only possessions he carries are money, a foldable toothbrush and, after 9/11, an expired passport. He wears his clothing for 2–3 days before discarding it, usually purchasing new clothing cheaply from chain outlets. He has no steady income and lives on savings in his bank account and part-time jobs. At various points during the series, his bank account is supplemented by taking money from his enemies (this occurs most notably in Bad Luck and Trouble
). Reacher knows how to drive although he is admittedly not a very good driver. He has never possessed a driver's license.
, and he does not talk much. He has a propensity for saying "that's for damn sure". Reacher frequently does not answer when people make statements or ask questions, nodding or shrugging, preferring the other party to fill the silence. A recurring line in the novels is "Reacher said nothing". He is cool-headed and rarely becomes visibly angry, one of the few exceptions to this occurs in Nothing to Lose
when he erupts in rage at an apathetic hospital employee for not ensuring that comatose Iraq War veteran received the proper care. Reacher has the uncanny ability to know what time it is, at any time of the day, without referring to a clock. He often uses his internal clock as an alarm, enabling him to wake up at any time he chooses. It is revealed in Bad Luck and Trouble
that Reacher has a fascination with mathematics. Reacher drinks coffee constantly. With this, he quotes in The Enemy
: "The Reacher brothers' need for caffeine makes heroin addiction look like an amusing little take-it-or-leave-it sideline". He is also fond of breakfast foods, especially eggs, pancakes, and bacon. Reacher only occasionally uses profanity
.
Reacher is highly skilled at fighting, although he is not an expert in any particular martial art.Reacher's favorite techniques include elbow strikes, uppercuts, and headbutts. His tremendous strength aids him in fighting, as he is significantly stronger than most of his opponents. As revealed in Nothing to Lose
, Reacher hates confronting an opponent armed with a knife. In addition to his fighting prowess, a common element of the Reacher novels is his overall propensity for brutality when necessary. Reacher's capacity for violence is enormous, although those he harms are nearly always villains worthy of what they receive. One notable exception to this was a bartender Reacher encounters during an Army investigation in the prequel novel The Enemy
. Reacher badly maims the man in a fight but later learns he was not involved with the story's antagonists. He was officially reprimanded for this by the Army. In his efforts to protect innocents and stop villains, he has done such things as snap necks, bludgeon skulls, and break knees. Sometimes during the course of a novel (usually toward the end) Reacher calmly kills his foe(s) even after they are no longer a threat, but only if they have committed terrible acts (usually multiple murders) which he feels merit their deaths as justice. Such killings by Reacher are featured in Persuader
and Bad Luck and Trouble
, among others. In The Hard Way, Reacher is described as completely lacking, "The remorse gene. It just wasn't there."
In Killing Floor
it is revealed that he has a love for music, especially blues music
. It was this affinity for the blues that inspired Reacher to get off the bus at the start of Killing Floor and catapulted him into the resulting story. It is also in this novel that Reacher's internal monologue reveals that he has a music collection in his head, which he listens to.
Reacher is always aware of his surroundings; he always sits with his back to the wall, so that he can see those entering a room so he cannot be attacked from behind. He generally likes to be alone, especially in the dark. In 61 Hours
it is stated that an Army psychological study of reactions to fear in children showed him as having abnormally fast reflexes and aggression levels at the age of six.
As revealed in Nothing to Lose
, Reacher holds no religious beliefs and is openly scornful of the fundamentalist Christianity espoused by the novel's antagonist. Reacher also shows his disdain for religion when in Bad Luck and Trouble
he is traveling to Los Angeles via airline, and he states that he does not like Alaskan Airlines "because they put scripture cards on the meal trays."
Reacher is a skilled marksman
. In addition being the only non-Marine to win the Marine Corps
Wimbledon Cup rifle competition, he also won the US Army Pistol Championship and served as a pistol instructor. Throughout the novels, Reacher has shown great skill in the use of handguns, rifles, sub-machine guns, and shotguns.
Reacher's mother was from France, and he speaks French fluently.
, he has never been an exercise enthusiast.) He is exceptionally strong but is not a good runner. Reacher is strong enough to break a man's neck with one hand (Bad Luck and Trouble) and kill a villain with a single punch to the head (61 Hours) or chest (Worth Dying For). In a fight against a 7 foot, 400 lb steroid
-using thug (Persuader), Reacher was able to lift his opponent into the air and drop him on his head.
Reacher has various scars, most notably a scar on his abdomen caused by a bombing in Lebanon. He also has a 3-4 inch thin white scar that intersects his shrapnel
scar that he received during a knife fight with Al-Qaeda
operative Lila Hoth. Reacher mentions how the rough stitch work from his existing scar helped decrease the severity of his most recent attack. However, the cut did produce a deep, serious gash that led to Reacher passing out from blood loss. He also has a scar on his chest from a .38 bullet, a tear drop burn scar from close range gunshot that crossed his chest at point blank range, and one on his arm where his brother struck him with a chisel in his youth.
and married him in Holland (The Enemy
). She was widowed in 1988, and died in 1990 at the age of 60 of cancer. When she was only 13, she joined the French Resistance
and under the alias "Beatrice" worked with Le Chemin de Fer Humain (the Human Railroad), saving 80 men. She garroted a schoolmate, a boy who threatened to give her up to the Nazis. Josephine Moutier was awarded the Médaille de la Résistance
(the Resistance Medal) for her heroism.
Reacher's father (Stan Reacher) was a Marine
captain, who served in Korea and Vietnam. His service in the United States Marine Corps
kept his family continually moving all around the world to various military bases. He died in 1988. When describing his father, Jack is quoted as saying, "(He was) a stone-cold killer. Next to him I look like Liberace
." After military service, "there was no place left for people like him."
Jack had only one sibling, brother Joe Reacher. Two years older than Jack, Joe was born on a military base in the Philippines
. Jack used to help Joe beat up the kids who gave him trouble in school, and vice versa. Joe was also a West Point graduate, and spent five years in Military Intelligence
before joining the Treasury Department
. He never won any of the "good medals", only the "junk awards." Joe died at the age of 38, having arranged a meeting with a potential investigation subject (see Killing Floor). Because he was killed in the line of duty, he can be found on the Treasury's Roll of Honor.
, exploring the one country he never got to see in his childhood, are the subject of all the novels so far, with the exception of two prequels, one being The Enemy, which centers on a case he undertook as an investigator in the Military Police in 1990, and the other being The Affair. The novels are set in locales ranging from New York City and Los Angeles to small towns in the American South and Midwest. To date, Reacher's travels outside of the United States have taken him to rural England (The Hard Way) and Paris, France, where Reacher visits his dying mother with his brother.
or third-person. Child says writing in the first person is more natural for him, but writing in the third person gives him more freedom when building up suspense.
So far in the series, Killing Floor, Persuader, The Enemy, Gone Tomorrow and The Affair are in the first person narrative. Die Trying, Tripwire, Running Blind/The Visitor, Echo Burning, Without Fail, One Shot, The Hard Way, Bad Luck and Trouble, Nothing to Lose, 61 Hours and Worth Dying For are in the third person.
He can also be seen in the short story "James Penney's New Identity" from Fresh Blood 3 (Oct 1999, ISBN 978-1899344529), a compilation of short mystery stories edited by Mike Ripley and Maxim Jakubowski
, although Reacher is not the protagonist in the story and appears only briefly. Reacher is also mentioned several times in the Stephen King's novel Under the Dome
.
Killing Floor
Plot: After hopping off a Greyhound to pursue a whim (finding out what happened to Blind Blake
the musician) Reacher is arrested and charged with murder. After an attempt on his life while being held over the weekend in a state prison, Reacher is determined to figure out what happened. Later he finds out that the person he was framed for murdering was Joe Reacher, his brother. Unknowingly, Jack Reacher had stumbled into one of the biggest counterfeiting schemes in the United States. And takes head on, a vicious and ruthless butchers of a well established town gang operating a massive counterfeit notes racket. This novel is set in Margrave, Georgia.
Die Trying
Plot: Whilst helping Holly Johnson, an attractive young woman struggling with her crutches on a Chicago street, they turn around only to discover two handguns pointing at them. Reacher and the woman are thrown into a dark van and taken 2000 miles across America, completely unaware why they were kidnapped and where they are going. Finding themselves trapped in a seemingly remote place, they must work together to find the answers.
Tripwire
Plot: Hanging around in Key West, digging pools by hand and moonlighting as a bouncer
for a topless bar, Reacher finds himself wanted in New York by a Mrs. Jacob. She turns out to be the beautiful Jodie Garber, daughter of General Leon Garber, Reacher's mentor and surrogate father in the Army. Jack and Jodie soon find themselves hunted by a psychopath crippled from Vietnam who has a shadowy business and other secrets to protect. Reacher inherits a house and a steady girlfriend, and contemplates the joys of sedentary life.
. A former U.S. military policeman, a loner and a drifter, he matches the psychological profile prepared by the FBI, and is arrested by ambitious Special Agent Julia Lamarr. But when the body of another woman, Sergeant Lorraine Stanley, is discovered, killed with similar precision, Reacher is released. Everyone fears there is a serial killer on the loose. But the FBI know something in Reacher's past and have strong persuasive powers. Before long Reacher finds himself heavily involved in the murder investigation. He has to find out what these women have in common and why someone is out to do them harm.
Echo Burning
Plot: Hitching rides is an unreliable mode of transport. In temperatures of over a hundred degrees, you're lucky if a driver will open the door of his air-conditioned car long enough to let you slide in. That's Jack Reacher's conclusion. He's adrift in the fearsome heat of a Texas summer, and he needs to keep moving through the wide open vastness, like a shark in the water. The last thing he's worried about is exactly who picks him up. He never expected it to be somebody like Carmen. She's alone, driving a Cadillac. She's beautiful, young and rich. She has a little girl who is being watched by unseen observers. And a husband who is in jail. Who will beat her senseless when he comes out. If he doesn't kill her first. Reacher is no stranger to trouble. And at Carmen's remote ranch in Echo County there is plenty of it: lies and prejudice, hatred and murder. Reacher can never resist a lady in distress. Her family is hostile, the cops can't be trusted and the lawyers won't help.
Without Fail
Plot: Reacher arrives in Atlantic City, New Jersey
, after hitching a ride with a couple of aging musicians. He is accosted there by Mary Ellen (M. E.) Froelich, a beautiful secret service agent who managed to track him down. She has a special request for him: she consults him on how he could kill the Vice-President; countering those methods would help her considerably in her job: protecting the Vice-President. He accepts the challenge, and enlists old colleague Frances Neagley to help carry out the mission. Froelich asked Reacher's assistance on this matter because of suspicious and threatening letters which had been sent to the Vice-President but instead intercepted by his protective team. Together, they attempt to find the ones responsible.
Persuader
Plot: Walking along the street, Reacher sees Quinn, a man who should be dead. Reacher is a man who hates unfinished business. Ten years ago, a key investigation went sour and Francis Xavier Quinn got away with murder. Now a chance encounter outside Boston's Symphony Hall
brings it all back. And Reacher sees his one last shot to finish what was started all those years ago.
The Enemy
Plot: On New Year's Day, 1990, in a North Carolina motel, a two-star general is found dead. Within minutes, Reacher is ordered to contain the situation. But things soon escalate when Reacher discovers the general's briefcase is missing and within hours, the general's wife is killed. Reacher soon finds himself embroiled in a complex game of tug of war
between powerful men in the United States Army, and beyond.
One Shot
Plot: In an innocent heartland city, five are shot dead by an expert sniper. The police quickly identify and arrest a suspect, and build a slam-dunk case with iron-clad evidence. But the accused man claims he's innocent and says "Get Jack Reacher.". Reacher himself sees the news report and turns up in the city. The defense is immensely relieved; but Reacher has come to bury the guy. Shocked at the accused's request, Reacher sets out to confirm for himself the absolute certainty of the man's guilt, but comes up with more than he bargained for.
The Hard Way
Plot: After witnessing an exchange of $1,000,000. Jack Reacher is hired by the underhanded director of a private military firm to rescue his wife and stepchild, who appear to have been kidnapped
although they have run away. While Reacher uncovers clues that might lead to a rescue, he learns about the director's dubious past which involves a murderous plot against two ex-associates.He meets a beautiful ex-FBI agent converted to private investigator
who assists him in the investigation to unveil the shocking truth, and ultimately engages in a showdown on a farm in Norfolk,England. The novel is set primarily in New York City
.
Bad Luck and Trouble
Plot: You don't mess with the Special Investigators. When one of his old army crew turns up dead outside Los Angeles
, Reacher gets his old investigations unit back together to get to the bottom of what's going on.
Nothing to Lose
Plot:Based in Colorado, travelling from the town of Hope to the town of Despair, it soon becomes clear that Reacher is an unwelcome visitor in a town with a lot of secrets to hide. Reacher cannot resist the opportunity to explore the town's secrets further, especially the peculiar town owner who has employed the majority of the population to work within his recycling factory.
to New York City
to even Afghanistan
during the Soviet occupation of that country.
61 Hours
Plot:The 14th book of the Jack Reacher saga. In South Dakota a coach crashes during a savage snow storm with Jack Reacher in it. Jack gets caught up in a hunt for a murderer and the protection of a key witness. Meanwhile, a link to Reacher's past comes to his aid and a brings a path to redemption.
Worth Dying For
Plot:Jack Reacher arrives late one night in a rural Nebraska town. In the town's fading motel bar he overhears a drunk doctor's refusal to attend a domestic abuse. The victim of the abuse is married to the scion of the Duncan clan, which holds that part of Nebraska in its grip, keeping the population cowed and docile. Reacher talks the doctor into doing the right thing, and ends up embroiled in a smuggling ring and an unsolved disappearance from twenty-five years prior.
Worth Dying For was published on 30 September 2010 in the UK and on 19 October 2010 in the USA.
The Affair
Plot:March 1997. Six months before the events of Killing Floor. Jack Reacher is still in the army. And there's big trouble in a small town in Mississippi, where a soldier's girlfriend is found with her throat cut from ear to ear. Local trouble? Or is the killer from nearby Fort Kelham, a giant base used by elite Army Rangers? In 1997, Reacher's orders are: go undercover, keep your distance, monitor the investigation. Eventually the army's official investigation produces a cast-iron prime suspect—and so does Reacher's undercover search. But Reacher's answer is not the same as the army's. If he keeps quiet, will he be able to live with himself? And if he speaks out, will the army be able to live with him?
recently hired Academy Award nominated screenwriter Josh Olson
to adapt One Shot, the ninth book in the series. Christopher McQuarrie
, Oscar-winning screenwriter for The Usual Suspects
, was then brought in to re-write Olson's draft. It was announced in July 2011 that Tom Cruise
would play Reacher in the movie adaptation of One Shot.
Author Lee Child revealed the origin of Jack Reacher's name in a video clip: whilst unemployed and midway through writing the first novel with the character as yet unnamed, he visited his local supermarket with his wife. An elderly lady approached him and asked him to reach an item off a high shelf for her. His wife commented: "Hey if this writing thing doesn't work out, you can be a reacher in a supermarket."
The schedule for the Reacher series, previously one-per-year, was stepped up with 61 Hours and Worth Dying For both released in 2010. Lee Child was twice approached by Guildrose/Ian Fleming Publications to continue the James Bond novels but has turned down the offers.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
created by British author Jim Grant who writes under the pen name of Lee Child
Lee Child
Jim Grant , better known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British thriller writer. His wife Jane is a New Yorker, and they currently live in New York state. His first novel, Killing Floor, won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel....
.
Biographical information
Jack (None) Reacher is a former United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Military Police Major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
. He was born on a military base in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1960. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he served 13 years in the Military Police, during which time he became part of a fictional military police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
unit, the 110th Special Investigations Unit, formed to handle exceptionally tough cases, especially those involving members of the United States Army Special Forces
United States Army Special Forces
The United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and...
.
Though he was demoted from Major to Captain in the prequel novel The Enemy
The Enemy (novel)
The prequel, The Enemy is the eighth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child.-Plot introduction:In the last hours of 1989, two-star Army General Ken Kramer is in a North Carolina motel when he dies of a fatal heart attack...
, he regained the rank of Major by the time he mustered out
Mustering-out Payment Act
The Mustering-out Payment Act is a United States federal law passed in 1944. It provided money to servicemen, returning from the Second World War, to help them restart their lives as civilians....
in 1997. He received many military awards during his career, including the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
, the Defense Superior Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
The Defense Superior Service Medal is a senior United States military decoration of the Department of Defense, awarded to members of the United States armed forces who perform "superior meritorious service in a position of significant responsibility."...
, the Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
, the Soldier's Medal
Soldier's Medal
The Soldier's Medal is a military award of the United States Army. It was introduced as Section 11 of the Air Corps Act, passed by the Congress of the United States on July 2, 1926...
, the Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
, and a Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
for wounds sustained in the bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
in 1983.
Since leaving the Army, Reacher has been a drifter
Vagabond (person)
A vagabond is a drifter and an itinerant wanderer who roams wherever they please, following the whim of the moment. Vagabonds may lack residence, a job, and even citizenship....
. He wanders throughout the United States because he felt he never got to know his own country, having spent his youth living overseas on military bases. He usually travels by hitchhiking
Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking is a means of transportation that is gained by asking people, usually strangers, for a ride in their automobile or other road vehicle to travel a distance that may either be short or long...
or bus. As a drifter, the only possessions he carries are money, a foldable toothbrush and, after 9/11, an expired passport. He wears his clothing for 2–3 days before discarding it, usually purchasing new clothing cheaply from chain outlets. He has no steady income and lives on savings in his bank account and part-time jobs. At various points during the series, his bank account is supplemented by taking money from his enemies (this occurs most notably in Bad Luck and Trouble
Bad Luck and Trouble
Bad Luck and Trouble is the eleventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child.The title is derived from the song lyrics by singer Albert King "Born Under a Bad Sign".-Plot summary:...
). Reacher knows how to drive although he is admittedly not a very good driver. He has never possessed a driver's license.
Skills
Reacher's demeanor is stoicSTOIC
STOIC was a variant of Forth.It started out at the MIT and Harvard Biomedical Engineering Centre in Boston, and was written in the mid 1970s by Jonathan Sachs...
, and he does not talk much. He has a propensity for saying "that's for damn sure". Reacher frequently does not answer when people make statements or ask questions, nodding or shrugging, preferring the other party to fill the silence. A recurring line in the novels is "Reacher said nothing". He is cool-headed and rarely becomes visibly angry, one of the few exceptions to this occurs in Nothing to Lose
Nothing to Lose (novel)
Nothing to Lose is the twelfth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published in the UK by Bantam Press in March 2008...
when he erupts in rage at an apathetic hospital employee for not ensuring that comatose Iraq War veteran received the proper care. Reacher has the uncanny ability to know what time it is, at any time of the day, without referring to a clock. He often uses his internal clock as an alarm, enabling him to wake up at any time he chooses. It is revealed in Bad Luck and Trouble
Bad Luck and Trouble
Bad Luck and Trouble is the eleventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child.The title is derived from the song lyrics by singer Albert King "Born Under a Bad Sign".-Plot summary:...
that Reacher has a fascination with mathematics. Reacher drinks coffee constantly. With this, he quotes in The Enemy
The Enemy (novel)
The prequel, The Enemy is the eighth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child.-Plot introduction:In the last hours of 1989, two-star Army General Ken Kramer is in a North Carolina motel when he dies of a fatal heart attack...
: "The Reacher brothers' need for caffeine makes heroin addiction look like an amusing little take-it-or-leave-it sideline". He is also fond of breakfast foods, especially eggs, pancakes, and bacon. Reacher only occasionally uses profanity
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
.
Reacher is highly skilled at fighting, although he is not an expert in any particular martial art.Reacher's favorite techniques include elbow strikes, uppercuts, and headbutts. His tremendous strength aids him in fighting, as he is significantly stronger than most of his opponents. As revealed in Nothing to Lose
Nothing to Lose
Nothing to Lose is a 1997 comedy starring Martin Lawrence and Tim Robbins. The film was directed by Steve Oedekerk who also wrote the film and made a cameo appearance as a lip-synching security guard in the film....
, Reacher hates confronting an opponent armed with a knife. In addition to his fighting prowess, a common element of the Reacher novels is his overall propensity for brutality when necessary. Reacher's capacity for violence is enormous, although those he harms are nearly always villains worthy of what they receive. One notable exception to this was a bartender Reacher encounters during an Army investigation in the prequel novel The Enemy
The Enemy (novel)
The prequel, The Enemy is the eighth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child.-Plot introduction:In the last hours of 1989, two-star Army General Ken Kramer is in a North Carolina motel when he dies of a fatal heart attack...
. Reacher badly maims the man in a fight but later learns he was not involved with the story's antagonists. He was officially reprimanded for this by the Army. In his efforts to protect innocents and stop villains, he has done such things as snap necks, bludgeon skulls, and break knees. Sometimes during the course of a novel (usually toward the end) Reacher calmly kills his foe(s) even after they are no longer a threat, but only if they have committed terrible acts (usually multiple murders) which he feels merit their deaths as justice. Such killings by Reacher are featured in Persuader
Persuader (novel)
Persuader is the seventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. After a chance encounter with an old adversary, Reacher finds himself once again obsessed with revenge and in increasingly dire straits in an attempt to settle a decade-long score...
and Bad Luck and Trouble
Bad Luck and Trouble
Bad Luck and Trouble is the eleventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child.The title is derived from the song lyrics by singer Albert King "Born Under a Bad Sign".-Plot summary:...
, among others. In The Hard Way, Reacher is described as completely lacking, "The remorse gene. It just wasn't there."
In Killing Floor
Killing Floor (novel)
Killing Floor is the debut novel by Lee Child, first published in 1997 by Putnam. The book won the Anthony Award and Barry Award for best first novel...
it is revealed that he has a love for music, especially blues music
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
. It was this affinity for the blues that inspired Reacher to get off the bus at the start of Killing Floor and catapulted him into the resulting story. It is also in this novel that Reacher's internal monologue reveals that he has a music collection in his head, which he listens to.
Reacher is always aware of his surroundings; he always sits with his back to the wall, so that he can see those entering a room so he cannot be attacked from behind. He generally likes to be alone, especially in the dark. In 61 Hours
61 Hours
61 Hours is the fourteenth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published on 18 March 2010 in the UK and 18 May 2010 in the USA.-Plot summary:...
it is stated that an Army psychological study of reactions to fear in children showed him as having abnormally fast reflexes and aggression levels at the age of six.
As revealed in Nothing to Lose
Nothing to Lose (novel)
Nothing to Lose is the twelfth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published in the UK by Bantam Press in March 2008...
, Reacher holds no religious beliefs and is openly scornful of the fundamentalist Christianity espoused by the novel's antagonist. Reacher also shows his disdain for religion when in Bad Luck and Trouble
Bad Luck and Trouble
Bad Luck and Trouble is the eleventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child.The title is derived from the song lyrics by singer Albert King "Born Under a Bad Sign".-Plot summary:...
he is traveling to Los Angeles via airline, and he states that he does not like Alaskan Airlines "because they put scripture cards on the meal trays."
Reacher is a skilled marksman
Marksman
A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision, or a sharpshooter shooting, using projectile weapons, such as with a rifle but most commonly with a sniper rifle, to shoot at long range targets...
. In addition being the only non-Marine to win the Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Wimbledon Cup rifle competition, he also won the US Army Pistol Championship and served as a pistol instructor. Throughout the novels, Reacher has shown great skill in the use of handguns, rifles, sub-machine guns, and shotguns.
Reacher's mother was from France, and he speaks French fluently.
Physical appearance
Reacher is a giant, standing at 6' 5" tall (1.96m) with a 50-inch chest, and weighing between 210 and 250 pounds (100–115 kg). He has ice-blue eyes and dirty blond hair. He has very little body fat, and his muscular physique is completely natural (he reveals in PersuaderPersuader (novel)
Persuader is the seventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. After a chance encounter with an old adversary, Reacher finds himself once again obsessed with revenge and in increasingly dire straits in an attempt to settle a decade-long score...
, he has never been an exercise enthusiast.) He is exceptionally strong but is not a good runner. Reacher is strong enough to break a man's neck with one hand (Bad Luck and Trouble) and kill a villain with a single punch to the head (61 Hours) or chest (Worth Dying For). In a fight against a 7 foot, 400 lb steroid
Steroid
A steroid is a type of organic compound that contains a characteristic arrangement of four cycloalkane rings that are joined to each other. Examples of steroids include the dietary fat cholesterol, the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone, and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone.The core...
-using thug (Persuader), Reacher was able to lift his opponent into the air and drop him on his head.
Reacher has various scars, most notably a scar on his abdomen caused by a bombing in Lebanon. He also has a 3-4 inch thin white scar that intersects his shrapnel
Shrapnel
Shrapnel shells were anti-personnel artillery munitions which carried a large number of individual bullets close to the target and then ejected them to allow them to continue along the shell's trajectory and strike the target individually. They relied almost entirely on the shell's velocity for...
scar that he received during a knife fight with Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
operative Lila Hoth. Reacher mentions how the rough stitch work from his existing scar helped decrease the severity of his most recent attack. However, the cut did produce a deep, serious gash that led to Reacher passing out from blood loss. He also has a scar on his chest from a .38 bullet, a tear drop burn scar from close range gunshot that crossed his chest at point blank range, and one on his arm where his brother struck him with a chisel in his youth.
Family
Reacher's mother Josephine Moutier Reacher, born in France, was 30 years old when Reacher was born. She met Reacher's father in KoreaKorea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and married him in Holland (The Enemy
The Enemy (novel)
The prequel, The Enemy is the eighth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child.-Plot introduction:In the last hours of 1989, two-star Army General Ken Kramer is in a North Carolina motel when he dies of a fatal heart attack...
). She was widowed in 1988, and died in 1990 at the age of 60 of cancer. When she was only 13, she joined the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
and under the alias "Beatrice" worked with Le Chemin de Fer Humain (the Human Railroad), saving 80 men. She garroted a schoolmate, a boy who threatened to give her up to the Nazis. Josephine Moutier was awarded the Médaille de la Résistance
Médaille de la Résistance
The French Médaille de la Résistance was awarded by General Charles de Gaulle "to recognise the remarkable acts of faith and of courage that, in France, in the empire and abroad, have contributed to the resistance of the French people against the enemy and against its accomplices since June 18,...
(the Resistance Medal) for her heroism.
Reacher's father (Stan Reacher) was a Marine
Marine corps
A marine is a member of a force that specializes in expeditionary operations such as amphibious assault and occupation. The marines traditionally have strong links with the country's navy...
captain, who served in Korea and Vietnam. His service in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
kept his family continually moving all around the world to various military bases. He died in 1988. When describing his father, Jack is quoted as saying, "(He was) a stone-cold killer. Next to him I look like Liberace
Liberace
Wladziu Valentino Liberace , best known simply as Liberace, was a famous American pianist and vocalist.In a career that spanned four decades of concerts, recordings, motion pictures, television and endorsements, Liberace became world-renowned...
." After military service, "there was no place left for people like him."
Jack had only one sibling, brother Joe Reacher. Two years older than Jack, Joe was born on a military base in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Jack used to help Joe beat up the kids who gave him trouble in school, and vice versa. Joe was also a West Point graduate, and spent five years in Military Intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
before joining the Treasury Department
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
. He never won any of the "good medals", only the "junk awards." Joe died at the age of 38, having arranged a meeting with a potential investigation subject (see Killing Floor). Because he was killed in the line of duty, he can be found on the Treasury's Roll of Honor.
Acquaintances
- Officer Roscoe, (30), is a police officer, appearing in Killing Floor.
- Holly Johnson, (27), is a newly inducted FBI Special Agent and former Wall Street stock analyst. She is dark, attractive, self-assured and a knee ligament injury sustained whilst playing soccer requires her to use a cane. She appeared in Die Trying. She is the only daughter of General Johnson, head of the Joint Chiefs of StaffJoint Chiefs of StaffThe Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
and is the goddaughter of the President. - Jodie Garber-Jacob, (30), is the daughter of General Leon Garber, his former commanding officer (The Enemy). She met and fell in love with Reacher when she was 15 and was totally off-limits to him. In Tripwire, she is divorced, using her maiden name and working as a corporate attorney. She is mentioned in Echo Burning as having moved to Europe. She appeared in Tripwire, and Running Blind (The Visitor in the United Kingdom and Australia).
- General Leon Garber, (retired), is the father of Jodie, a General who knew Reacher, helped him in Die Trying, and willed him his house. He appeared in Die Trying and The Enemy and The Affair. His funeral is in Tripwire.
- Lisa Harper, (29), is an FBI Agent, stationed at Quantico. She appeared in Running Blind (The Visitor in the United Kingdom and Australia).
- Alice Amanda Aaron, (25), graduated from Harvard Law SchoolHarvard Law SchoolHarvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, practicing law at a legal mission in Pecos, TexasPecos, TexasPecos is the largest city in and the county seat of Reeves County, Texas, United States. It is situated in the river valley on the west bank of the Pecos River at the eastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert and the Trans-Pecos region of west Texas and near the southern border of New Mexico...
, as penance for coming from a wealthy family. She appeared in Echo Burning. - Carmen Greer, (30), is a housewife, short, slim, dark-skinned, fine-boned, "maybe 100 pounds". She is married with one child and an abusive husband. She appeared in Echo Burning.
- Frances Neagley, (late thirties), is a Security consultant, and former Army Master Sergeant and Military Policeman. She is of medium height, slim, and has dark hair and eyes. She spends large amounts of time in the gym and has a purely platonic relationship with Reacher, not liking to be touched. Her demeanor suggests that she could be considered something of a female counterpart to Reacher. She appeared in Without Fail and Bad Luck & Trouble and The Affair.
- Mary Ellen Froelich, (35), is a Secret Service Agent, charged with protecting the Vice President. She has short fair hair, and is quietly confident. She dated Joe Reacher. She appeared in Without Fail.
- Susan Duffy, (early thirties), is a rogue agent with the Drug Enforcement AdministrationDrug Enforcement AdministrationThe Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
. She is pale, slim, and attractive, and appeared in Persuader. - Lieutenant Summer, (25), is an African-American Lieutenant in the Army Military Police. She is petite and slender, and appeared in The Enemy.
- Eileen Ann Hutton, (age unknown), is a Brigadier General in the Judge Advocate General's CorpsJudge Advocate General's CorpsJudge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, refers to the legal branch or specialty of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called Judge Advocates. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard do not maintain separate JAG Corps...
of the US Army. She and Reacher had a relationship prior to, and featured in, One Shot. - Vaughan, (exact age unknown), is a police officer in Hope, Colorado. She is "probably less than five feet six, probably less than a hundred and twenty pounds, probably less than thirty-five years old" according to Reacher's estimate. Married to a totally incapacitated casualty of the war in Iraq (husband's name is Robert David Vaughan, called David). She befriends Reacher in Nothing to Lose.
- Karla Dixon, (age unknown, possibly late 30s) is a forensic accountantForensic accountantForensic accountants are experienced auditors, accountants, and investigators of legal and financial documents that are hired to look into possible suspicions of fraudulent activity within a company; or are hired by a company who may just want to prevent fraudulent activities from occurring...
; formerly a Major in the Army and part of Reacher's 'Special Investigators Unit', which he formed and led in the 90s. They are reunited in Bad Luck & Trouble and secretly rekindle an affair, which they regret not starting back in the army. She is described as 'dark, very pretty, comparatively small' and slim. She is extremely good with numbers and shares Reacher's fascination with mathematics. - Detective Theresa Lee is an NYPD detective who aids Reacher's take down of an Al-QaedaAl-QaedaAl-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
team in Gone Tomorrow. They had a brief romantic episode before Reacher left to complete his task. - Lauren Pauling, (early fifties), is an ex-FBI agent who now acts as a private investigator. She often refers to herself as being old. She appears in The Hard Way.
- Susan Turner, (early thirties), is a Major in the US Army and is the current commander of the 110th MP. She is described as a little above average height (5'7"), slender, long dark hair tied back, tanned skin and deep brown eyes. Her face is described as conveying "intelligence and authority and youth and mischief at the same time". Her defining characteristic, however, is her voice ... "warm, a little husky, a little breathy, a little intimate". She appears in 61 Hours.
- Stan Lowrey, (late thirties), is a member of Reacher's old 110th MP unit. He is handsome, youthful, and full of energy. A kind of man that gets the job done. He appears in Bad Luck and Trouble and in the latest novel The Affair.
- Dave O'Donnell, (late thirties), is a member of Reacher's old 110th MP unit. He appears in Bad Luck and Trouble. He carries a army blade in one pocket and a pair of ceramic brass-knuckles in the other.
Travels
His travels around the United States of AmericaUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, exploring the one country he never got to see in his childhood, are the subject of all the novels so far, with the exception of two prequels, one being The Enemy, which centers on a case he undertook as an investigator in the Military Police in 1990, and the other being The Affair. The novels are set in locales ranging from New York City and Los Angeles to small towns in the American South and Midwest. To date, Reacher's travels outside of the United States have taken him to rural England (The Hard Way) and Paris, France, where Reacher visits his dying mother with his brother.
Style
The Reacher novels are written either in the first-personFirst-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
or third-person. Child says writing in the first person is more natural for him, but writing in the third person gives him more freedom when building up suspense.
So far in the series, Killing Floor, Persuader, The Enemy, Gone Tomorrow and The Affair are in the first person narrative. Die Trying, Tripwire, Running Blind/The Visitor, Echo Burning, Without Fail, One Shot, The Hard Way, Bad Luck and Trouble, Nothing to Lose, 61 Hours and Worth Dying For are in the third person.
List of novels/ Appearances
Jack Reacher can be found in the following books by Lee Child:- Killing FloorKilling Floor (novel)Killing Floor is the debut novel by Lee Child, first published in 1997 by Putnam. The book won the Anthony Award and Barry Award for best first novel...
(March 1997) - Die TryingDie Trying (novel)Die Trying is the second novel in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published in 1998 by Putnam.-Plot introduction:In Chicago, Jack Reacher stops to help Holly Johnson, an attractive young woman. For his pains he is kidnapped with no explanation...
(July 1998) - TripwireTripwire (novel)Tripwire is the third book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published in 1999 by Putnam in America and Bantam in the United Kingdom.-Plot summary:...
(June 1999) - Running Blind (published as The Visitor in the UK and AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) (April 2000) - Echo BurningEcho BurningEcho Burning is the fifth novel in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published in 2001 by Putnam in America and Bantam in the United Kingdom.-Plot summary:...
(ISBN 0-515-13331-0) (April 2001) - Without FailWithout FailWithout Fail is the sixth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published by Putnam in 2002.-Main characters:*Jack Reacher: hero, brother of Froelich's former boyfriend Joe....
(April 2002) - PersuaderPersuader (novel)Persuader is the seventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. After a chance encounter with an old adversary, Reacher finds himself once again obsessed with revenge and in increasingly dire straits in an attempt to settle a decade-long score...
(April 2003) - The EnemyThe Enemy (novel)The prequel, The Enemy is the eighth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child.-Plot introduction:In the last hours of 1989, two-star Army General Ken Kramer is in a North Carolina motel when he dies of a fatal heart attack...
(Prequel, time frame occurs before Killing Floor) (April 2004) - One ShotOne Shot (novel)-Awards and nominations:*2006 Macavity Award nominee, Best Mystery Novel*New York Times Bestseller-Film adaption:Paramount Pictures own the rights to One Shot and a film is said to be in production. Josh Olson is attached to write the script. Tom Cruise has been confirmed to play the role of Jack...
(ISBN 0-385-33668-3) (April 2005) - The Hard WayThe Hard Way (novel)The Hard Way is the tenth Jack Reacher novel written by Lee Child. It was published in 2006 by Delacorte Press.-External links:*...
(ISBN 0-385-33669-1) (May 2006) - Bad Luck and TroubleBad Luck and TroubleBad Luck and Trouble is the eleventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child.The title is derived from the song lyrics by singer Albert King "Born Under a Bad Sign".-Plot summary:...
(ISBN 0-385-34055-9) (April 2007) - Nothing to LoseNothing to Lose (novel)Nothing to Lose is the twelfth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published in the UK by Bantam Press in March 2008...
(ISBN 978-0593057025) (March 2008) - Gone Tomorrow (April 2009)
- 61 Hours61 Hours61 Hours is the fourteenth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published on 18 March 2010 in the UK and 18 May 2010 in the USA.-Plot summary:...
(March 2010) - Worth Dying ForWorth Dying For (novel)Worth Dying For is the fifteenth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published on 30th September 2010 in the UK and was published on 19th October 2010 in the USA.-Plot:...
(September 2010) - The Affair (September 27, 2011) Prequel to "Killing Floor"
He can also be seen in the short story "James Penney's New Identity" from Fresh Blood 3 (Oct 1999, ISBN 978-1899344529), a compilation of short mystery stories edited by Mike Ripley and Maxim Jakubowski
Maxim Jakubowski
Maxim Jakubowski is a crime, erotic, and science fiction writer and critic.Jakubowski was born in England to Russian-British and Polish parents, but raised in France. Jakubowski has also lived in Italy and has travelled extensively...
, although Reacher is not the protagonist in the story and appears only briefly. Reacher is also mentioned several times in the Stephen King's novel Under the Dome
Under the Dome
Under the Dome is a novel by Stephen King, published in November 2009. It is a partial rewrite of a novel King attempted writing twice in the late 1970s and early 1980s, under the titles The Cannibals and Under the Dome...
.
Killing FloorKilling Floor (novel)Killing Floor is the debut novel by Lee Child, first published in 1997 by Putnam. The book won the Anthony Award and Barry Award for best first novel...
Plot: After hopping off a Greyhound to pursue a whim (finding out what happened to Blind BlakeBlind Blake
"Blind" Blake was an American blues and ragtime singer and guitarist.-Biography:...
the musician) Reacher is arrested and charged with murder. After an attempt on his life while being held over the weekend in a state prison, Reacher is determined to figure out what happened. Later he finds out that the person he was framed for murdering was Joe Reacher, his brother. Unknowingly, Jack Reacher had stumbled into one of the biggest counterfeiting schemes in the United States. And takes head on, a vicious and ruthless butchers of a well established town gang operating a massive counterfeit notes racket. This novel is set in Margrave, Georgia.
Die TryingDie Trying (novel)Die Trying is the second novel in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published in 1998 by Putnam.-Plot introduction:In Chicago, Jack Reacher stops to help Holly Johnson, an attractive young woman. For his pains he is kidnapped with no explanation...
Plot: Whilst helping Holly Johnson, an attractive young woman struggling with her crutches on a Chicago street, they turn around only to discover two handguns pointing at them. Reacher and the woman are thrown into a dark van and taken 2000 miles across America, completely unaware why they were kidnapped and where they are going. Finding themselves trapped in a seemingly remote place, they must work together to find the answers.TripwireTripwire (novel)Tripwire is the third book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published in 1999 by Putnam in America and Bantam in the United Kingdom.-Plot summary:...
Plot: Hanging around in Key West, digging pools by hand and moonlighting as a bouncerBouncer
Bouncer or The Bouncer may refer to:* Bouncer , a person who provides security at a public venue* Bouncer or BNC, a piece of software used to relay traffic and connections in computer networksIn sport:...
for a topless bar, Reacher finds himself wanted in New York by a Mrs. Jacob. She turns out to be the beautiful Jodie Garber, daughter of General Leon Garber, Reacher's mentor and surrogate father in the Army. Jack and Jodie soon find themselves hunted by a psychopath crippled from Vietnam who has a shadowy business and other secrets to protect. Reacher inherits a house and a steady girlfriend, and contemplates the joys of sedentary life.
Running Blind
Plot: It's tough being a high-flying woman in the Army. Very tough. When Sergeant Amy Callan and Lieutenant Caroline Cook are found dead in their own homes—in baths filled with Army-issue camouflage paint, their bodies completely unmarked—Jack Reacher is under suspicion. He knew them both—and he knows that they both left the Army under dubious circumstances, both victims of sexual harassmentSexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
. A former U.S. military policeman, a loner and a drifter, he matches the psychological profile prepared by the FBI, and is arrested by ambitious Special Agent Julia Lamarr. But when the body of another woman, Sergeant Lorraine Stanley, is discovered, killed with similar precision, Reacher is released. Everyone fears there is a serial killer on the loose. But the FBI know something in Reacher's past and have strong persuasive powers. Before long Reacher finds himself heavily involved in the murder investigation. He has to find out what these women have in common and why someone is out to do them harm.
Echo BurningEcho BurningEcho Burning is the fifth novel in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published in 2001 by Putnam in America and Bantam in the United Kingdom.-Plot summary:...
Plot: Hitching rides is an unreliable mode of transport. In temperatures of over a hundred degrees, you're lucky if a driver will open the door of his air-conditioned car long enough to let you slide in. That's Jack Reacher's conclusion. He's adrift in the fearsome heat of a Texas summer, and he needs to keep moving through the wide open vastness, like a shark in the water. The last thing he's worried about is exactly who picks him up. He never expected it to be somebody like Carmen. She's alone, driving a Cadillac. She's beautiful, young and rich. She has a little girl who is being watched by unseen observers. And a husband who is in jail. Who will beat her senseless when he comes out. If he doesn't kill her first. Reacher is no stranger to trouble. And at Carmen's remote ranch in Echo County there is plenty of it: lies and prejudice, hatred and murder. Reacher can never resist a lady in distress. Her family is hostile, the cops can't be trusted and the lawyers won't help.Without FailWithout FailWithout Fail is the sixth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published by Putnam in 2002.-Main characters:*Jack Reacher: hero, brother of Froelich's former boyfriend Joe....
Plot: Reacher arrives in Atlantic City, New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, after hitching a ride with a couple of aging musicians. He is accosted there by Mary Ellen (M. E.) Froelich, a beautiful secret service agent who managed to track him down. She has a special request for him: she consults him on how he could kill the Vice-President; countering those methods would help her considerably in her job: protecting the Vice-President. He accepts the challenge, and enlists old colleague Frances Neagley to help carry out the mission. Froelich asked Reacher's assistance on this matter because of suspicious and threatening letters which had been sent to the Vice-President but instead intercepted by his protective team. Together, they attempt to find the ones responsible.
PersuaderPersuader (novel)Persuader is the seventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. After a chance encounter with an old adversary, Reacher finds himself once again obsessed with revenge and in increasingly dire straits in an attempt to settle a decade-long score...
Plot: Walking along the street, Reacher sees Quinn, a man who should be dead. Reacher is a man who hates unfinished business. Ten years ago, a key investigation went sour and Francis Xavier Quinn got away with murder. Now a chance encounter outside Boston's Symphony HallSymphony Hall
Symphony Hall usually refers to:* Symphony Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, USAIt may also refer to:Concert Halls* Allentown Symphony Hall in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA* Phoenix Symphony Hall in Phoenix, Arizona, USA...
brings it all back. And Reacher sees his one last shot to finish what was started all those years ago.
The EnemyThe Enemy (novel)The prequel, The Enemy is the eighth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child.-Plot introduction:In the last hours of 1989, two-star Army General Ken Kramer is in a North Carolina motel when he dies of a fatal heart attack...
Plot: On New Year's Day, 1990, in a North Carolina motel, a two-star general is found dead. Within minutes, Reacher is ordered to contain the situation. But things soon escalate when Reacher discovers the general's briefcase is missing and within hours, the general's wife is killed. Reacher soon finds himself embroiled in a complex game of tug of warTug of war
Tug of war, also known as tug o' war, tug war, rope war or rope pulling, is a sport that directly pits two teams against each other in a test of strength. The term may also be used as a metaphor to describe a demonstration of brute strength by two opposing groups, such as a rivalry between two...
between powerful men in the United States Army, and beyond.
One ShotOne Shot (novel)-Awards and nominations:*2006 Macavity Award nominee, Best Mystery Novel*New York Times Bestseller-Film adaption:Paramount Pictures own the rights to One Shot and a film is said to be in production. Josh Olson is attached to write the script. Tom Cruise has been confirmed to play the role of Jack...
Plot: In an innocent heartland city, five are shot dead by an expert sniper. The police quickly identify and arrest a suspect, and build a slam-dunk case with iron-clad evidence. But the accused man claims he's innocent and says "Get Jack Reacher.". Reacher himself sees the news report and turns up in the city. The defense is immensely relieved; but Reacher has come to bury the guy. Shocked at the accused's request, Reacher sets out to confirm for himself the absolute certainty of the man's guilt, but comes up with more than he bargained for.The Hard WayThe Hard Way (novel)The Hard Way is the tenth Jack Reacher novel written by Lee Child. It was published in 2006 by Delacorte Press.-External links:*...
Plot: After witnessing an exchange of $1,000,000. Jack Reacher is hired by the underhanded director of a private military firm to rescue his wife and stepchild, who appear to have been kidnappedKidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
although they have run away. While Reacher uncovers clues that might lead to a rescue, he learns about the director's dubious past which involves a murderous plot against two ex-associates.He meets a beautiful ex-FBI agent converted to private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
who assists him in the investigation to unveil the shocking truth, and ultimately engages in a showdown on a farm in Norfolk,England. The novel is set primarily in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Bad Luck and TroubleBad Luck and TroubleBad Luck and Trouble is the eleventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child.The title is derived from the song lyrics by singer Albert King "Born Under a Bad Sign".-Plot summary:...
Plot: You don't mess with the Special Investigators. When one of his old army crew turns up dead outside Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Reacher gets his old investigations unit back together to get to the bottom of what's going on.
Nothing to LoseNothing to Lose (novel)Nothing to Lose is the twelfth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published in the UK by Bantam Press in March 2008...
Plot:Based in Colorado, travelling from the town of Hope to the town of Despair, it soon becomes clear that Reacher is an unwelcome visitor in a town with a lot of secrets to hide. Reacher cannot resist the opportunity to explore the town's secrets further, especially the peculiar town owner who has employed the majority of the population to work within his recycling factory.Gone Tomorrow
Plot: Reacher takes the subway late at night, and routinely checks his fellow passengers. Four are okay, but the fifth is not. Checking against his mental list for suicide bombers, he comes to the conclusion that the fifth is one too. He is puzzled with her choice of timing and place, as it is not crowded; on the contrary the subway was exceedingly empty. He reasons with her, but she shoots herself; thereby proving Reacher wrong when he concluded she was a bomber. He is determined to discover why she killed herself and soon uncovers a massive conspiracy stretching from CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to even Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
during the Soviet occupation of that country.
61 Hours61 Hours61 Hours is the fourteenth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published on 18 March 2010 in the UK and 18 May 2010 in the USA.-Plot summary:...
Plot:The 14th book of the Jack Reacher saga. In South Dakota a coach crashes during a savage snow storm with Jack Reacher in it. Jack gets caught up in a hunt for a murderer and the protection of a key witness. Meanwhile, a link to Reacher's past comes to his aid and a brings a path to redemption.Worth Dying ForWorth Dying For (novel)Worth Dying For is the fifteenth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published on 30th September 2010 in the UK and was published on 19th October 2010 in the USA.-Plot:...
Plot:Jack Reacher arrives late one night in a rural Nebraska town. In the town's fading motel bar he overhears a drunk doctor's refusal to attend a domestic abuse. The victim of the abuse is married to the scion of the Duncan clan, which holds that part of Nebraska in its grip, keeping the population cowed and docile. Reacher talks the doctor into doing the right thing, and ends up embroiled in a smuggling ring and an unsolved disappearance from twenty-five years prior.Worth Dying For was published on 30 September 2010 in the UK and on 19 October 2010 in the USA.
The AffairThe AffairThe Affair may refer to:* The Dreyfus affair* extramarital affair* The Affair, a novel by C. P. Snow in the Strangers and Brothers series, published in 1959**The Affair by a 1962 Broadway play by Ronald Millar based on Snow's novel...
Plot:March 1997. Six months before the events of Killing Floor. Jack Reacher is still in the army. And there's big trouble in a small town in Mississippi, where a soldier's girlfriend is found with her throat cut from ear to ear. Local trouble? Or is the killer from nearby Fort Kelham, a giant base used by elite Army Rangers? In 1997, Reacher's orders are: go undercover, keep your distance, monitor the investigation. Eventually the army's official investigation produces a cast-iron prime suspect—and so does Reacher's undercover search. But Reacher's answer is not the same as the army's. If he keeps quiet, will he be able to live with himself? And if he speaks out, will the army be able to live with him?Miscellaneous
Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
recently hired Academy Award nominated screenwriter Josh Olson
Josh Olson
Josh Olson is an American screenwriter and director. Olson began his career working as a production assistant in the art department on the 1987 film Masters of the Universe...
to adapt One Shot, the ninth book in the series. Christopher McQuarrie
Christopher McQuarrie
Christopher McQuarrie is an American screenwriter, producer and director. His screenplays include The Usual Suspects, for which he won the 1996 Academy Award, The Way of the Gun and Valkyrie....
, Oscar-winning screenwriter for The Usual Suspects
The Usual Suspects
The Usual Suspects is a 1995 American neo-noir film written by Christopher McQuarrie and directed by Bryan Singer. It stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey and Pete Postlethwaite....
, was then brought in to re-write Olson's draft. It was announced in July 2011 that Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
would play Reacher in the movie adaptation of One Shot.
Author Lee Child revealed the origin of Jack Reacher's name in a video clip: whilst unemployed and midway through writing the first novel with the character as yet unnamed, he visited his local supermarket with his wife. An elderly lady approached him and asked him to reach an item off a high shelf for her. His wife commented: "Hey if this writing thing doesn't work out, you can be a reacher in a supermarket."
The schedule for the Reacher series, previously one-per-year, was stepped up with 61 Hours and Worth Dying For both released in 2010. Lee Child was twice approached by Guildrose/Ian Fleming Publications to continue the James Bond novels but has turned down the offers.