Lee Child: Reacher (USA 2025)

From the Publisher:
Lee Child tells the stories behind the stories from the bestselling Jack Reacher novels.
Includes a new, never-before-seen Reacher tale.

After making his debut in 1997's The Killing Floor, Jack Reacher has quickly become one of the most popular -- and most enduring -- fictional heroes to emerge in the past half century. Now, his creator tells the stories behind the stories.

These are the origin tales of all of the Reacher novels written solely by Lee Child, chock full of colorful anecdotes and intriguing inspirations. One by one, they expand upon each novel and place it in the context not only of the author's life, but of the world outside the books. And taken together, they chart the rise of an action icon, from 1999's The Killing Floor to 2019's Blue Moon. An afterword by crime fiction expert and bookseller Otto Penzler considers the importance of the character and novels in the canon of contemporary crime fiction.

In addition to the essays, this collection also includes an original Reacher short story -- the first new Reacher appearance entirely written by Lee Child since 2019. Entertaining and enlightening, Reacher: The Stories Behind the Stories is a must-read for fans of the Jack Reacher series and a capstone to any collection of this excellent author.

Lee Child: Reacher. The Stories Behind the Stories. The Mysterious Press / Penzler Books, ISBN: 9781613167069 (September, 2025), 221 p., $26.95, eBook $12.99 (?).

Lee Child: Reacher (UK 2025)

From the Publisher:
From global bestseller and creator of Jack Reacher, comes Lee Child's first-ever autobiographical collection.
On Monday September 5th, 1994, at home, at the dining room table, I sat down to write. An hour later, I gave the first chapter to my wife. I asked, "Should I continue?"
"Yes," she said. "I like it."

'Essential reading for all Reacher fans.' STEVE CAVANAGH
'Need a Lee Child/Reacher fix? Of course you do... This book is perfect for rabid fans and unabashed addicts - like me.' JAMES PATTERSON
'Fans of the series (and would-be writers looking for tips) will relish this... engaging and instructive' Sunday Times

From urgently scribbling out his debut Killing Floor in pencil (the stub of which he still owns), to taking a step back with Blue Moon, and everything in between, here are 24 honest, witty and wise personal reflections on his life and work, crafted across decades.

Whether it is through Lee's moving account of meeting a fan years after her mother brought her to a book signing; facing his first computer and the coming of the internet; writing about New York just before - and just after - 9/11, to later seeing his novels adapted for the big screen, each riveting piece deftly evokes where he was psychologically and physically when he wrote each novel.

Lee has clearly felt unwavering gratitude for his readers since 1997. And these stories were originally designed for fans of Reacher who may be interested in a 'behind-the-scenes' - or, in Lee's words: 'why the books turned out the way they did'.

But this collection is also so much more. It is the story of a man who once put pencil to paper in an attempt to turn his luck around... and who made every word count.

Lee Child: Reacher. The Stories Behind the Stories. Bantam Books, ISBN: 9780857508744 (September, 2025), 241 p., £16.99, eBook £8.99.