How to Read Every 'Jack Reacher' Book in Order
Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher in the Prime Video adaptation.
The Jack Reacher series by Lee Child began in 1997 and is still going strong, featuring ex-military cop Jack Reacher and his many action-packed adventures. Each book reads like a crime thriller and doesn’t touch much on previous Reacher stories, meaning the series can be read in any order.
Serious Jack Reacher fans may have their own reading order, and indeed the series can be started at different points. One Goodreads page suggests reading the books in chronological order, from titular character Reacher’s teenage years into his adulthood (the author tends to jump around in timeline).
However, if you want a more official point of reference then take it from the Jack Reacher website and keep it simple: read them in publication order, starting with the first Jack Reacher book published in ‘97. It should be noted that there are more Jack Reacher books aside from the main list—such as collected short stories and books that Child wrote with other authors—and these can also be read in any order.
With that said, here is every Jack Reacher book in publication order.
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Jack Reacher Books in order
1. Killing Floor (1997)
In the very first Jack Reacher installment, Reacher is passing through a small town in Georgia when he’s jailed for a murder he didn’t commit. In what’s to become his pattern, he’s left to his own devices to solve the crime and clear his name.
2. Die Trying (1998)
In downtown Chicago, a van abducts Reacher and a woman who claims to be an FBI special agent. The two join forces to try to escape their captors, with the FBI in hot pursuit.
3. Tripwire (1999)
Reacher’s attempt to relax in the Florida Keys goes awry when a private investigator turns up dead. The PI, hired by the daughter of a former mentor, was hot on a case that Reacher must now follow to the end.
4. Running Blind (2000)
Two women are found dead, both ex-military and both known by Reacher. Without a shred of evidence, Reacher must track down the killer before they strike again.
Berkley
5. Echo Burning (2001)
Reacher is hitchhiking through Texas when he’s picked up by a beautiful young ranch owner in Echo County. With her hostile family, murderous husband and town full of cops who can’t be trusted, it’s Reacher’s biggest challenge yet.
6. Without Fail (2002)
A Secret Service agent enlists Reacher’s help to find the flaws in her protection. The vice president is being hunted, and if he can’t help them then the VP will pay with his life.
7. Persuader (2003)
Ten years ago, an investigation went wrong and a killer got away. The trail went cold … until now. Through a chance encounter, Reacher has the opportunity to find the culprit and make them pay.
8. The Enemy (2004)
In Reacher’s Army days, 1990, a general is found dead in a North Carolina motel with his briefcase missing. When more dominoes start to fall, it’s up to Reacher to travel to Paris and untangle the conspiracy.
9. One Shot (2005)
An old acquaintance—an ex-military sniper—is accused of murder and calls on Reacher to help him. Teaming up with a young defense lawyer and working against both the D.A. and the gunman, Reacher does his best work yet.
10. The Hard Way (2006)
In New York City, Reacher is wrapped up in a rich man’s bid to find his kidnapped wife and child. But as Reacher hunts down clues, he discovers there’s more to the case than what he previously thought.
11. Bad Luck and Trouble (2007)
In the 11th Jack Reacher installment, Reacher finds out a member of his old military team has been brutally murdered. As he rounds up other members—and discovers that more have gone missing—he must renounce his loner ways and trust his team to get to the bottom of what’s happening.
12. Nothing to Lose (2008)
Reacher is traveling through small-town Colorado when he stops for a cup of coffee. He finds himself working with a beautiful cop against a garrison of well-armed military cops and a violent mystery.
13. Gone Tomorrow (2009)
On a subway train in New York City, Reacher’s training kicks in and tells him something isn’t right about one of the passengers. All his instincts are screaming for him to intervene and try to stop a bombing that could kill everyone on the train—including him.
14. 61 Hours (2010)
In true Reacher fashion, a small town in South Dakota is being threatened by sinister forces. Reacher must act quickly and come to the aid of the woman set to take the stand—lest the assassin get to her first.
15. Worth Dying For (2010)
Reacher makes enemies in Nebraska, and as he navigates that familiar brand of trouble he’s intrigued by the decades-old case of a missing child, and what he might be able to do to solve it now.
16. The Affair (2011)
Another installment going back to Reacher’s military days, this one takes a look at a murder in Carter Crossing, Mississippi. The woman was killed just down the road from a big Army base, and Reacher is sent in to find out if the perpetrator is a civilian or soldier.
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17. A Wanted Man (2012)
Hitchhiking to Virginia, Reacher is trapped in a car with three very mysterious strangers, unaware that a murder has just taken place a few towns behind them.
18. Never Go Back (2013)
Reacher makes it to Virginia, to the headquarters of his old unit he used to call home. He’d traveled to meet the unit’s new commanding officer, but instead he’s met by a man accusing him of a 16-year-old homicide.
19. Personal (2014)
Pulled back into service by the CIA, Reacher must track down the American sniper who tried to assassinate the president of France. Along with a rookie analyst, he races across Europe to catch the sniper before it’s too late.
Dell
20. Make Me (2015)
As he drifts through another small town, Reacher comes upon a woman whose partner went missing during a private investigation. Their journey takes them to L.A., Chicago, Phoenix, San Francisco and back again before they can confront the source of the conflict.
21. Night School (2016)
In 1996, a CIA asset overhears a troubling conversation in a Jihadist sleeper cell. The Army ropes Reacher into a top-secret mission where he’s teamed up with an FBI agent and CIA analyst to stop a terrorist attack before it even starts.
22. The Midnight Line (2017)
Reacher buys a 2005 West Point class ring from a pawn shop in Wisconsin, intent on finding its owner and returning it to her. As he crosses the upper Midwest and delves deeper into the mystery, he gets more than he bargained for.
23. Past Tense (2018)
On a remote New England road, Reacher chances across a sign to the town where his father was born. When the old family home leads to a dead end, he’s left wondering if his father ever really lived there in the first place.
Dell
24. Blue Moon (2019)
When he tries to help an elderly couple down on their luck, Reacher is drawn into a world of loan sharks, thugs and assassins. Along with a mysterious waitress who lives in town, he aims to take down the powerful, greedy bad guys.
25. The Sentinel (2020)
In Tennessee, Reacher saves an IT manager from an ambush. The manager was fired after a vicious cyberattack locked up the town’s records, but he wants to stay put and clear his name. And Reacher, of course, is more than happy to help.
26. Better Off Dead (2021)
Reacher and an ex-Army FBI agent travel through backwater Arizona, looking for her twin brother who’s gotten mixed up with a bad crowd. In order to find him, Reacher will have to use all his same tricks and a few new ones, too.
27. No Plan B (2022)
A woman dies under a bus in Colorado, and the death is ruled an accident. But Reacher saw what really happened: A man quickly and stealthily pushed her in front of the bus. When another “accidental” death occurs, Reacher sets down a path to uncover the truth and find the killer.
28. The Secret (2023)
In the latest Jack Reacher installment, a younger, Army fatigues-clad Reacher is called in by the Secretary of Defense to look into a string of deaths across the U.S. His investigation turns dangerous when he realizes he may not be able to trust the people he’s working with.
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