About the Author
Lee Child created Jack Reacher, the former military policeman at the centre of his thriller novels. Killing Floor introduced Reacher in 1997. Child worked in television before becoming a novelist. His brother Andrew Child, who also publishes as Andrew Grant, joined the Reacher series with The Sentinel in 2020; the subsequent novels carry both authors' names. For the main novels, use the Jack Reacher series list. Short-story collections and other books are separate from that numbered sequence.
Lee Child Books: Novels or Short Stories?
If you searched for Lee Child books in order, the most useful first choice is whether you want the
numbered Reacher novels or shorter fiction. For the novels, go to the
Jack Reacher publication-order list and begin with
Killing Floor. The list distinguishes the main sequence from collections and future releases.
Lee Child and Andrew Child
Andrew Child is Lee's brother and also writes under the name Andrew Grant. The publisher credits both
Lee and Andrew on the Reacher novels beginning with The Sentinel (2020), including
Exit Strategy (2025). These belong to the existing Reacher sequence, not a new series
that needs a second reading list.
Collections are not extra Reacher novels
No Middle Name collects Reacher short stories. Safe Enough is a collection of
other crime stories, not a continuation of Reacher's numbered adventures. Choose the former if you
want more of the character in a shorter format; choose the latter if you want to explore Child's
writing beyond Reacher.
A film or television tie-in cover can also appear under a familiar book title.
Compare the title and the story, not the cover, before treating it as a book you have not read.
Running Blind and The Visitor, for example, are regional names for the same novel.
Reading Guides & Book Lists
These are the reading lists currently covered on this site, not a count of every work the author has published.
Common Questions about Lee Child
Can I read Jack Reacher books in any order?
Mostly yes — each Jack Reacher novel is designed to work as a standalone, dropping Reacher into a new situation in a new place with a new cast. You will not be lost starting anywhere in the series. That said, a handful of books reference earlier events, and readers who want the full picture of Reacher's character arc tend to read in publication order starting with Killing Floor (1997).
Is Andrew Child (Andrew Grant) continuing the Jack Reacher series?
Yes. Lee Child's brother, Andrew Child (formerly published as Andrew Grant), has co-written the series with Lee since The Sentinel (2020) and has taken on an increasing share of the writing. Lee Child remains the series' creator and public face. The books published since 2020 continue the same character and tone.
Are the Tom Cruise Jack Reacher films accurate to the books?
The films adapt the plots of One Shot (2012 film) and Never Go Back (2016 film) reasonably faithfully, but many book readers objected to the casting — Reacher in the novels is 6'5" and around 250 lbs, described as physically imposing in a way that is central to how he operates. The Amazon Prime series (2022–present), with Alan Ritchson in the role, is widely considered a much closer match to the source material.