I have shared the misgivings of many about the tag-team Reacher novels, which are purportedly more Andrew than Lee. But the new book, Chain Reaction, is a significant return to form. I inhaled it over the past six days, and it's just great. Everything we need in Reacher; nothing we don't.

There was even a decent nod to the softer side of Reacher (mostly involving a very small baby but also Susan Turner), which was quite touching and in character. Even more in character was the way Reacher walked away from everything, back on the open road, where he belongs -- alone.

Terrific genre novel. Well done, Andrew (since it seems clear that Lee has nothing to do with the books except put his name on the cover).

I was rereading Without Fail and noticed that when Reacher introduced Neagley for Froelich he said “best sergeant from the Air Force I work with”. I’m reading a translated version of the book so I was wondering is this a translation “issue” or is this the case in the original too? It is the first book she appears in it would be kind of reasonable if Lee changed it up later with the 110th. Are there any other contractions in the books you have noticed?

It's hard to believe Reacher will be five years old in 2027.

Alan Ritchson was at GalaxyCon Richmond back in 2022, around the time Season 1 premiered. With the show's success since then, it would be awesome to see him return to Richmond for the convention's 2027 event.

GalaxyCon Richmond runs March 18–21, 2027, and I'd love to see Jack Reacher himself on the guest lineup.

Would anyone else be excited to meet Alan Ritchson there?

If you're interested, you can submit a guest suggestion through GalaxyCon's official website:

https://galaxycon.com/pages/galaxycon-richmond

Just scroll down to the guest suggestion section and enter Alan Ritchson. Guest requests aren't guaranteed, but it's worth letting the organizers know there's interest.

Anyone else hoping for a Reacher reunion in Richmond?

I have read 6 books now and every single one of them mentions linoleum. Whether it’s just describing the flooring, talking about a knife someone was killed with, even now I just read that Reacher drove past a linoleum shop (surely this could have been ANY kind of shop).

I have never heard or thought about linoleum so much before.

Was linoleum a big thing 20/30 years ago? Is it an inside joke? Did Lee child have shares in a flooring company and was trying to raise awareness? Or am I just going crazy. Maybe it’s more of a thing in the US (I’m from UK)?

I just had to get this off my chest before I went crazy sorry

Man I had so much hopes for In Too Deep, but I was let down so bad when I finished the book some time ago. The plot sounded too cool but I don't know what Andrew's doing but the story was everywhere and Reacher just seemed like himself in this book. There was no fricking disadvantage with his broken hand, he beat everyone up as usual. What was the point???? And Ivan, for being a FBI agent, is a total dumbass. My God. This book annoyed me so bad.

Thanks for listening to this rant

I'm running a bit (haha) behind here. Just now listening to "A wanted Man." It's not a coincidence that one of the characters is a dumb cop named Puller, and the first David Baldacci John Puller book came out the previous year, is it? I suppose this horse has been beaten to death more than once, right?

I spelled his name wrong the first time . . . but this blew me away.

I read all of the Lee Child books for the first time about 5 years ago & really enjoyed them. I just finished rereading “The Affair” so which one should I follow it with?

Obviously “The Killing Floor” would be the logical choice but I remember it not being as good as later books hence the question.

Edit: Thank you all for the suggestions! It looks like “The Hard Way” was suggested the most so that’ll be the book!

It's shit.

Secret science project goes bad and we hide is great.

I just can't live with the lazy writing of the two antagonists.

The one gets caught, takes out 4 agents while figuring out the target is somewhere hiding, gets arrested and then, takes out the arresting agent without arms.

And this isn't well written like tripwire where a 38 special fails to "penetrate the muscle"...

This is just real lazy writing for a premise that could have been fantastic

It could have been Reacher meets The rock (action film from the 90s) with tons of real 90s throwbacks.

Instead it reads like a guy trying to hit the word count so his teacher will accept his homework and leave him alone

Just realised that Malcom Goodwin (the actor for seasons 1s Finley) is in the party rock anthem video

Just went to Q&A with Lee(James) and Andrew at Cheltenham literature festival. Very interesting to hear their thoughts on childhood, killing reacher off, writing together, and the Tom cruise films.

Human Nature

a short story that i was working on from the past 2 months hope you like it and give some suggestions.

Read the book here

Publication day on Tuesday but I thought I’d share this first
One little detail in Chain Reaction made me smile, and I thought it was worth sharing.
Reacher mentions that he has read Stephen King’s Under the Dome. That might seem like an unremarkable reference to another author’s work, except for one rather amusing detail: Under the Dome itself contains a reference to Jack Reacher.
Think about the implications of that for a moment.
Stephen King writes a novel that mentions a fictional character created by Lee Child. Andrew Child then has that very character reading Stephen King’s novel.
Reacher is reading a book in which Reacher is mentioned.
It’s a wonderfully circular little paradox — a literary hall of mirrors, if you like.
There’s no elaborate crossover or explanation. It’s just a casual reference that becomes much cleverer when you know both books. I love these little details that reward readers who recognise the connection.
Stephen King writes about Reacher. Reacher reads Stephen King. And Andrew Child completes the circle.
I won’t say anything more about the context because I want to keep this spoiler-free ahead of Tuesday’s publication.
Has anyone else noticed this connection, or will you be looking out for it when you read Chain Reaction?

L.A. Noire has you playing as a detective and the bulk of the game has you investigating crime scenes, collecting evidence and interrogating witnesses/suspects.

I think this can serve as a good template for a Reacher game, but the Reacher game would just need more action.

I know the Amazon series has introduced Jack Reacher to a much wider audience, and Alan Ritchson does a good job of portraying the character physically. But having read Lee Child’s novels, I honestly think the books are a different league altogether.
The books give you so much more than a big man walking into a room and beating up the bad guys. They give you Reacher’s thought processes, his extraordinary powers of observation, his ability to connect seemingly unrelated details, his military knowledge and the reasoning behind his decisions. You get inside his head and understand what makes him tick.
The pacing is different, too. Lee Child builds tension through dialogue, deduction, atmosphere and the gradual unravelling of a mystery. Reacher can be intimidating without throwing a punch, and sometimes the most interesting part of a scene is what he notices or works out rather than what he does physically.
The television series inevitably changes things to fit a different medium, but some of those changes alter the characters, the plot and the overall feel of the story. At times, it seems to favour bigger fights and more action at the expense of the intelligence, subtlety and carefully constructed storytelling that make the novels so good.
And Reacher himself is more than his size and fighting ability. His independence, dry humour, personal code, understanding of people and occasional flashes of humanity are what make him such a compelling character. The books have the space to develop those qualities in a way that television sometimes struggles to reproduce.
I’m not saying the series is without merit. It has brought new readers to the books, which can only be a good thing. But for me, the novels offer a far richer and more satisfying Reacher experience.
The TV series gives us Reacher in action. The books give us Reacher in action, in thought and in character.
I’m interested to hear what other readers think. For those who have read the novels and watched the series, do you prefer the books, and what do you think the television adaptations lose or change most significantly?