Thursday, June 4, 2009

Thriller - Lee Child - Jack Reacher novels

I have only read the novels and I have enjoyed everyone of them so far.  This list is from the author's own website and includes his shorts stories, etc.  I cannot address the content of anything I have not read.


I love to read things in chronological order, but they were not written in that order and are intended to be fully stand-alone in any order (which they are).  Lee Child (pen name of Jim Grant) says he believe one will appreciate the prequels better if one has already read the books in the order written.  (I tend to disagree, but then I did not read the first several in any particular order, which I found frustrating.)


The Jack Reacher novels:

  •   #1     Killing Floor (1997) [1998 Barry Award] and [Anthony Award for Best First Novel]
  •   #2     Die Trying (1998)
  •   #3     Tripwire (1999) 
  •   #4     Running Blind: US title/The Visitor: UK title (2000)
  •   #5     Echo Burning (2001)
  •   #6     Without Fail (2002)
  •   #7     Persuader (2003)
  •   #8     The Enemy (2004) Prequel set eight years before Killing Floor when he was still in the military.
  •   #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 (Spring 2010)
  • #15    Worth Dying For (Fall 2010)
  • #16    The Affair (Fall 2011) This is another prequel.
  • #17    A Wanted Man   (Sept 2012)
Short story anthologies:

___ Fresh Blood 3 (1999) Lee's story, "James Penney's New Identity", features a
                             pre-Killing Floor Jack Reacher.
___ Like a Charm (2004) Serialized novel; Lee wrote Chapter Six: "The Snake Eater
                             by the Numbers".
___ The Cocaine Chronicles (2005) Lee's story: "Ten Keys".
___ Greatest Hits (2005) Lee's story: "The Greatest Trick of All".
___ Thriller (2006) Contains an edited version of "James Penney's New Identity"
                             originally published in Fresh Blood 3.
___ MWA Presents Death Do Us Part (2006) Lee's story: "Enough".
___ Bloodlines: A Horse Racing Anthology (2006) Lee's story: "The .50 Solution".
___ The Best British Mysteries IV (2007) Lee's story: "The Greatest Trick of All".
___ The Chopin Manuscript (2007) Audio serialized novel; Lee wrote Chapter 15.
___ Killer Year: Stories to Die For (2008) Lee edited but did not contribute a story.
___ Guy Walks Into a Bar (June 7, 2009) published in The New York Times.
___ Phoenix Noir (2009) Lee's story: "Public Transportation".
___ The Copper Bracelet (2009) Audio serialized novel; Lee wrote one chapter.
___ The Line Up (2010) Lee gives the inside story on Reacher and his origins.
___ Watchlist (2010) Print edition of previously audio-only serialized novels
                             The Chopin Manuscript (2007) and The Copper Bracelet (2009).
___ The Dark End of the Street (2010) Lee's story: "Me and Mr. Rafferty".
___ Agents of Treachery (2010) Lee's story: "Section 7 (a) (Operational)".
___ First Thrills (2010) Lee edited but did not contribute a story.
___ The Best American Mystery Stories 2010 (Sept) Lee edited only.