Ex- cop Jack Reacher is the perfect antihero--tough as
nails, but with a brain and a conscience to match. He's able to
see what most miss and is willing to do whatever it takes to get
the job done. Each book in Lee Child's smart, addictive series
(The New York Times has referred to it as "pure escapist gold")
follows the wandering warrior on a new adventure, making it easy
to start with any book, including his latest gem, Bad Luck and
Trouble. However, be forewarned...once you meet Jack Reacher,
you'll be hooked, so be prepared to stock up on the series.
--Daphne Durham
Who Is Jack Reacher? A Video from Lee Child
Watch the video
A Note from Lee Child
Two years ago I was on a book tour, promoting that year's new
Jack Reacher novel, One . One particular night, the event was
held in a small town outside of Chicago. The date was June 21st.
As I was giving my talk and answering questions and signing
books, that date was nagging away at the back of my mind. I knew
it had some significance. I started panicking--had I forgotten my
anniversary? No, that's in August. My wife's birthday? No, that's
in January. My own birthday? No, that's in October.
Then suddenly I remembered--it was ten years to the day since I
had been fired from my previous job. That was why and how I had
become a writer. That night in Illinois was a ten-year
anniversary of a different sort, somewhat bittersweet.
And ten is a nice round number. So I started thinking about my
old colleagues. My workmates, my buddies. We had been through a
lot together. I started to wonder where they all were now. What
were they doing? Were they doing well, or struggling? Were they
happy? What did they look like now? Pretty soon I was into
full-on nostalgia mode. Ten-year anniversaries can do that to a
person. I think we all share those kind of feelings, about high
school, or college, or old jobs we've quit, or old towns we've
moved away from.
So I decided to make this year's Jack Reacher book about a
reunion. I decided to throw him back among a bunch of old
colleagues that he hadn't seen for ten years, people that he
loved fiercely and respected deeply. Regular Reacher readers will
know that he's a pretty self-confident guy, but I wanted him to
wobble just a little this time, to compare his choices with
theirs, to measure himself against them.
The renewed get-together isn't Reacher's own choice, though. And
it's not a standard-issue reunion, either. Something very bad has
happened, and one of his old team-members from the army contacts
him, by an ingenious method (it's hard to track Reacher down).
She gives him the bad news, and asks him to do something about
it. He says, "Of course I'll do something about it."
"No," his friend says. "I mean, I want you to put the old unit
back together."
It's an irresistible invitation. Wouldn't we all like to do
that, sometimes? --Lee Child
Secrets of the Series: A Q&A with Lee Child
Q: Why do you think readers keep coming back to your novels?
A: Two words: Jack Reacher. Reacher is a drifter and a loner
with a strong sense of justice. He shows up, he acts, he moves
on. He's the type of hero who has a long literary history. Robin
Hood, the Lone Ranger, Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings, Jack
Reacher--they're all part of the same heroic family. Reacher just
ratchets it up a notch. Maybe more than a notch. Why is he so
appealing? Most often people say to me it's his sense of justice;
he will do the right thing. Even though there is no reward in it
for him, even though there is often a high cost to be paid by
him, he will always try to do the right thing and people find
that reassuring in today’s world when not too many people are
doing the right thing.
Q: Jack Reacher gets compared to James Bond, Jack Bauer and
Jason Bourne, each of whom now has a "face." In a movie, which
actor do you think could fill Reacher's shoes?
A: That's the toughest question. The thing about Reacher is he's
huge; he’s 6'5" tall and about 250 pounds. There aren’t any
actors that size--actors tend to be small. So we aren't going to
find a physical facsimile for Reacher because there aren't any.
We have to find someone who is capable of looking big on the
screen. Many people have said to me a young Clint Eastwood would
have been perfect--we need someone like that who has the vibe of
a big intimidating man. Hopefully there will be somebody
available like that. It's also a question of finding somebody
ready to sign up for more than one movie. They want to make a
franchise, minimum of three, and that makes it a little bit
harder.
Q: What research is involved in writing one of your stories?
A: My research is all kind of backwards. I don't go to the
public library for three months and take notes in advance;
instead my best research is by remembering and adapting. I read,
travel, and talk to people just for the fun of it, filing away
these interesting little snippets to the back of my mind and
eventually they float to the surface and get used. The problem
is, I approach writing the book with the same excitement and
impatience that I hope the reader is going to feel about reading
it. But even so, I need a certain measure of technical intrigue
in the story. There is specific research I have to do as I go
along, anything that's a small detail; a car, a , a type of
bullet. I will check that out at the time. But, that's what I
call the detail--the broad stuff is the stuff I already know.
Meet Jack Reacher
The Killing Floor
Die Trying
Tripwire
Running Blind
Echo Burning
Without Fail
Persuader
The Enemy
One
The Hard Way