How to read Lee Child's Jack Reacher: Complete list of books in chronological order

Lee Child's Jack Reacher is one of the most well-known and profitable action thriller book series of all time. The franchise presently has 28 installments, and a new one, titled The Secret, will be released in October 2023. The novels follow the exploits of Jack Reacher, a former military police major who now wanders the country, solving crimes and eliminating criminals.

The best book to start with in the series is Killing Floor, the first in the collection. It serves as Reacher's character introduction and a superb illustration of the kind of tales the franchise will deliver.

After reading Killing Floor, fans can enjoy the subsequent volumes in the series in any order because they are all stand-alone stories. However, some may wish to read the books in order to get the most out of the franchise because there are certain repeating characters and themes.

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Complete publication and read order for Lee Child's Jack Reacher explained

There are two approaches to reading the Jack Reacher book series: chronological order and publishing order.

Here is the publication order:

1. Killing Floor (1997)
2. Die Trying (1998)
3. Tripwire (1999)
4. Running Blind (2000)
5. Echo Burning (2001)
6. Without Fail (2002)
7. Persuader (2003)
8. The Enemy (2004)
9. One Shot (2005)
10. The Hard Way (2006)
11. Bad Luck and Trouble (2007)
12. Nothing to Lose (2008)
13. Gone Tomorrow (2009)
14. 61 Hours (2010)
15. Worth Dying For (2010)
16. The Affair (2011)
17. A Wanted Man (2012)
18. Never Go Back (2013)
19. Personal (2014)
20. Make Me (2015)
21. Night School (2016)
22. The Midnight Line (2017)
23. Past Tense (2018)
24. Blue Moon (2019)
25. The Sentinel (2020)
26. Better Off Dead (2021)
27. No Plan B (2022)

Here is the chronological order:

1. The Enemy (Set 8 years before the events of 1997's Killing Floor)
2. Night School (Introduces Jack Reacher as a minor character)
3. The Affair (Sets the context for Killing Floor)
4. Killing Floor
5. Die Trying
6. Tripwire
7. The Visitor
8. Echo Burning
9. Without Fail
10. Persuader
11. One Shot
12. The Hard Way
13. Bad Luck and Trouble
14. Nothing to Lose
15. Gone Tomorrow
16. 61 Hours
17. Worth Dying For
18. A Wanted Man
19. Never Go Back
20. Personal
21. Make Me
22. No Middle Name
23. The Midnight Line
24. Past Tense
25. Blue Moon
26. The Sentinel
27. The Secret

The Jack Reacher series takes place in a variety of American locations, from large cities like New York City and Los Angeles to little villages in the Midwest and the South. Often, the sites are just as significant as the characters and contribute to the tension and reality of a story.

The protagonist, Jack Reacher, is a former major in the US Army. He is now a wanderer, touring the country, working odd jobs, and looking into strange and frequently perilous circumstances. He has a tall, chiseled build, a serious demeanor, and a quick mind. He also has excellent fighting and shooting skills.

Season 2 of the Amazon Prime Video adaptation of the Jack Reacher novel series, set to be released in December this year, is eagerly anticipated by fans.

Audiences are interested to see more of Jack Reacher's escapades after the first season, which was both critically and commercially successful.