Best Jack Reacher Books in the UK

Review & Comparison, Last Update February 16, 2024
If you are a fan of detective and thriller stories, you may also enjoy Jack Reacher books by Lee Child. Known worldwide for their ...Read more
PROS

The fellow travellers on the night bus turn out to be not so average, and Jack Reacher with his natural power of observation quickly notices that. And as always, he finds himself dragged in the dangerous and super thrilling situation.

CONS

The premise is preposterous.

OUR VERDICT

This thriller with action elements shows us a hero who fights for justice and gets himself into big trouble while trying to help people. This book about Jack Reacher is definitely an enjoyable read. 

detailed parameters
Name and Series

Blue Moon, Book 24

Book Type

Kindle
Hardcover
Audiobook
Paperback
Mass Market Paperback

Number of Pages / File Size

396 pages / 1165 KB

Publisher

Transworld Digital (October 29, 2019)

PROS

During his next journey, Jack decides to visit his father's hometown where he has never been before. But Jack has no idea how much trouble is waiting for him out there. 

CONS

It took too long for the “goodies” to meet up.

OUR VERDICT

Jack reacher doesn't usually look back in the past, but not this time. The book has two main plotlines including Jack's story and the story of a young couple that was trapped in a vicious game. As the plot unwinds, these two lines intertwine and the action becomes even more captivating.

detailed parameters
Name and Series

Past Tense, Book 23

Book Type

Kindle
Hardcover
Audiobook
Paperback
Audio CD

Number of Pages / File Size

406 pages / 4305 KB

Publisher

Transworld Digital; 01 Edition (5 Nov. 2018)

PROS

Reacher is a stranger in the small town of Margrave, which suspiciously seems too perfect at the first glance. He arrives on the day the town was shattered by the murder that has happened for the first time within the last thirty years. And unexpectedly, Jack becomes the main suspect.

CONS

Some parts are too bloody.

OUR VERDICT

This is a debut novel that kickstarts the Jack Reacher series of books written by Lee Child. The main character is trapped in prison with the most outrageous criminals that serve life sentences. In the meantime, the town streets are crowded with more and more dead bodies, and only Jack can stop it.

detailed parameters
Name and Series

Killing Floor, Book 1

Book Type

Kindle
Hardcover
Audiobook
Paperback
Mass Market Paperback

Number of Pages / File Size

532 pages / 4533 KB

Publisher

Transworld Digital; 01 Edition (September 15, 2009)

PROS

Reacher tries to live a normal life in a small quiet resort. It all goes great until one day a detective from New York appears in his favourite bar and looks for him. Later that day, the body of the detective was found in the dark alley.

CONS

Too much of the book was dedicated to Reachers love interest.

OUR VERDICT

This thriller has a very tricky and complicated plot. The book includes a detailed description of a well-planned escape of Victor Hobie who went missing during the war in Vietnam. But it turns out that everything is not that easy, and Victor actually may be an imposter.

detailed parameters
Name and Series

Tripwire, Book 3

Book Type

Kindle
Hardcover
Audiobook
Paperback
Audio CD

Number of Pages / File Size

418 pages / 4470 KB

Publisher

Transworld Digital; 01 Edition (4 Sept. 2008)

PROS

In this book, Jack Reacher will have to answer two questions. The first one is how Sergeant Amy Callan and Lieutenant Caroline Cooke were killed. And the second one is why there are no traces of violence on their bodies.

CONS

Some descriptions could be a bit shorter. 

OUR VERDICT

Reacher joins the investigation about the murder of two women that had a successful career in military forces. As the story goes on, the number of victims grows, and the narrative becomes even more unpredictable and tense.

detailed parameters
Name and Series

The Visitor, Book 4

Book Type

Kindle
Hardcover
Audiobook
Paperback
Audio CD

Number of Pages / File Size

516 pages / 5498 KB

Publisher

Transworld Digital; 01 Edition (4 Sept. 2008)

Jack Reacher Latest Book

Blue Moon by Lee Child is a perfect choice for all the action lovers. As for now, this thriller is the latest, 24th book in the series, yet, the author still manages to find new plot twists and interesting turns to make the whole story unusual and look different from his other novels. The book was even called “one of the best Jack Reacher books” by The Time magazine.

Jack Reacher takes a night bus to go nowhere with a few strangers. However, thanks to his natural power of observation and close attention to details, he quickly realises that they are not just ordinary people as they might seem. His companions on this ride are an old man sleeping in his seat and a younger guy with definitely something bad in his mind. The old man carries an envelope with cash in his pocket and both Reacher and the other guy noticed that. When the criminal tries to get-rich-quick, Jack just can’t stay by and stops the bad guy. He also offers help to the old man and wants to accompany him home. Yet, the man refuses while looking scared and really intimidated by something.

It also turns out that the city where the protagonist arrives is torn apart by two rival criminal gangs. Each of them struggles for power and full control over the city. But how can this innocent-looking old man get in trouble with dangerous gangs? Jack decides to find the answer and starts his investigation. And, as always, his own life is now hanging on a thread. Now, you will have to find out by yourself if Jack Reacher manages to avert the threat.

One Of The Most Engaging Plots In The Series

The book features a lot of action elements and unexpected events. Even though the story is written from the third-person perspective, you will still be able to really go through this adventure with the protagonist.

The book got a lot of positive reviews both from readers and from critics. Speaking of which, some of them even call this novel the best in the series, with “diverting”, “engaging” and “riveting” plot. Also, note that the author provides a pretty vivid description of violence, so, this story is definitely a better pick for no too sensitive and emotional adult audience.

To wrap the whole thing up, we would like to say that the latest instalment in the Jack Reacher series is definitely a must-read for all the fans of this character or the author. And if you are new to the story but you love action-packed gripping thrillers with a smart plot, you will also be able to fairly enjoy Blue Moon.

Last updated price £5.99
Stock In stock
ASIN B07P99P1BR

Reacher's Family Secrets

One of the latest Lee Child’s novels about Jack Reacher is called Past Tense and was published in 2018. In the previous books, the author introduced us to other members of Jack’s family, but in this book, we will get a chance to know more about his father and his side of the family.

In the beginning, we find out that Reacher winds up in the city of Laconia, New Hampshire on his way to Portsmouth. Jack has never been there but he heard about this place since his father was born and raised there. But once he tries to find out anything about his dad, it turns out that no one with the name Reacher has ever lived in this town. This is when Jack’s new adventure starts. He involves in a fight with a local corrupted farmer and barely escapes from a killer sent by a Boston crime syndicate. In the meantime, though, he manages to get a clue about his family and learns that a university professor with a surname Reacher wants to speak to him.

What makes the book even more interesting is that there are two plot lines. Apart from Jack’s adventures, we also meet two Canadian migrants who seek help after their car broke. They meet four men who offer them to stay in a hotel. Little did the couple know that they were walking into a trap and would be hunted down like animals. And when their story interwines with Jack’s own story, the action becomes even more captivating.

In this story, Jack Reacher will have not only to deal with his own problems but also to try to save people from horrible and undeserved death. At the very end, the readers also will be able to get the answers to the question of what actually happened with Jack’s father and other family members, and this answer is truly unexpected and shocking.

Interesting Dialogues and Characters

This novel stands out among other books in the series because it focuses not only on Jack but also on other characters. It has less of a detective element and more of a thriller. Even though the beginning is a little slow, it reads in one shot. The other thing that makes this story a little bit different is that we get a detailed look into the hero’s past and Jack Reacher usually doesn’t look back.

We also want to give credit to the author for brilliant dialogues. Reacher’s lines are usually smart and sometimes even funny. Thanks to that, you never get bored of talking.

Summing up, Past Tense by Lee Child answers a lot of questions about the past of the famous American hero. Yet, it is still not boring and has an exciting and thrilling subplot.

Last updated price £5.99
Stock In stock
ASIN B079Q87KL7

The Very First Jack Reacher Book

Killing Floor is Lee Child’s debut novel and the first book ever written about Jack Reacher. It was published in 1997 and won the Barry Award and Anthony Award as the best debut novel of the year. So let's take a closer look at this story and find out if it's worth reading.

We meet the main character when he steps out from a bus in the town of Margrave, Georgia. This place seems incorrupt and perfect at a glance, which makes everything look even more suspicious. Jack decided to visit this place because the musician Blind Blake allegedly died here. While sitting in the cafe, Jack Reacher, who is the only stranger in the town, is arrested. Later, it turned out that on the day he arrived, the city was shattered by the murder, which has been the first crime of this kind within the recent 30 years. The victim was a middle-aged man who had a paper piece with a phone number in his shoe. Reacher found out all of that while being in custody from the officers Finlay and Roscoe who believe he is innocent. Jack persuades them to call this phone number and the men who answered confesses to the crime. Before Jack gets released from jail, he also manages to save himself and the killer from a mysterious assassination attempt. Now, when his innocence is proven, he decides to join the investigation.

As the story goes, we get to know that the murdered man was someone whom Jack knew very well, so, he has a huge motivation to find the killer. It also becomes obvious that this person wasn’t the only victim. While Reacher tries to connect the dots, the streets of a small quiet town become flooded with dead bodies. So, if you want to find out how all those murders and Jack’s fake accusations relate to money laundering, read this book.

Take A Look At The Hero's Origin

If you fancy how Jack Reacher’s story actually started, this book should be on your to-read list. It reveals a lot of details on Jack’s past and his family and manifests his key character traits throughout his actions. The story is filled with gruesome and bloody moments at times and shows some violent decisions made by characters. But if you are a hardcore thriller fan, it shouldn’t be a huge turn-off for you.

In the end, we consider Killing Floor a triumphal debut of Lee Child and a masterfully created introduction of such an iconic figure in modern literature as Jack Reacher. The book is a real nail-biter that will grab your interest and keep you on the edge of your seat from the first to the last page (and there are as many as 532 of them).

Last updated price £3.99
Stock In stock
ASIN B0031RS2HC

A Puzzling Escape Story

If you want to read a book about Jack Reacher that is filled with thriller elements, we suggest giving Tripwire a try. It is the third book in the series, which was highly praised by critics for its plot and Lee Childs' writing style.

Tripwire starts with the description of Victor Truman "Hook" Hobie who has a detailed plan of his escape with lots of traps and tricks. In order to protect himself, he sets a specific system, the so-called tripwires, and the narrative shifts when both of tripwires go on one day.

The story takes a turn and the readers end up in the tropical atmosphere of Key West, where Jack Reacher seemingly found his peace. He tries to live a normal life and works as a pool cleaner and a bouncer in a club. During his night shift, he discovers that some investigator from New York is looking for him. On top of that, two suspicious-looking men are trying to find Reacher as well. But while following them, Jack stumbles upon the dead body of the New York detective. After some research, he finds out that this investigator, Costello, was working with some woman Mrs Jacob, so, he has to fly to Big Apple. There, he meets her at the funeral of his command officer and mentor Leon Garber. Mrs Jacob turns out to be his daughter Jodie who was looking for Reacher so that he would help her investigate her father’s latest case.

Here’s where we return to Victor Hobie who is actually a military helicopter pilot. His family is looking for him after he has gone missing in Vietnam, and the grieving relatives were tricked to give their money to someone named Rutter. Now Jack with the help of Jodie tries to unravel this secret and bring the bad guy down. So, if you want to find out if the justice was served, give this book a go.

Praised by Readers, Critics, and Other Authors

Tripwire is filled with action, suspense and even gore, which makes it a bright example of the genre. Thanks to non-trivial plot and smart twists, the novel should fit the taste of all the fans of this genre.

The novel was welcomed not only by readers but also by critics who praised Lee Child for his writing style and attention-grabbing plot ideas and innovations. More than that, the book was also acknowledged by Child’s fellow authors who called it a real page-turner.

All in all, the third book about Jack Reacher will please you with the original story and smart antagonist who put the main hero into many troubles. With all that in mind, we think that Tripwire is a good choice for those who seek an interesting and intense thriller.

Last updated price £3.99
Stock In stock
ASIN B0031RS4SY

Mysterious Murders of Military Women

The Visitor, also known as Running Blind in the US, is one of the most intense and gruesome stories about the American major Jack Reacher. It features an interesting detective story spiced up with some mystery and thriller elements, so, if you seek a long intense read, it should fit the bill perfectly.

While working on the other case, Jack Reacher beats up two thugs. At his house, he gets arrested, not because of a fight but because of two military women, Sergeant Amy Callan and Lieutenant Caroline Cooke, who were killed, and Reacher has a fitting criminal profile. It turns out that while serving in the military police, he was working with them on cases about sexual harassment, and the investigators suspect that he may be involved in the murder. Since Jack has no alibi, he gets help from his girlfriend-lawyer who take him out of the prison. But when the next murder occurs, FBI forces Reacher to help them with this case.

Jack starts working with the mysterious agent Lamar who seems to have her own secrets. And even though eventually he manages to get out of FBI’s control, the murders don’t stop. What makes the case even harder is that there are no traces of violence on the bodies. So, Jack has to find out how and, most importantly, why they were killed. The end of the story is truly unexpected and shocking, and the killer turns out to be someone whom military forces could never suspect. If you want to get an answer to this mystery (which may or may not involve hypnosis), start reading this book.

Discusses Relevant Problems

The book was published back in 2000 but it still stays relevant in our days. It touches on such topics as sexual harassment and misogyny, which unfortunately continue to exist today. The author describes human cruelty and violence and creates a marvellous thriller.

What also makes this book so interesting to read is that the smart narrative allows the readers to step into detective’s shoes and build theories on who is the real killer, agree and disagree with main suspects, and improve their detective skills. Such engagement in a story will always keep you interested in the next chapter and won’t let you put the book down.

To conclude, book 4 in the series is not an easy but still pretty interesting read. The Visitor has a complicated storyline with an unexpected ending that won’t leave you disappointed. So, if you want to read about tricky investigations and wrack your brains a bit over some mystery, try reading this book.

Last updated price £4.99
Stock In stock
ASIN B0031RS4SO

What Is A Jack Reacher Book?

Jack Reacher is the main character in the series with the same name written by a British author Lee Child. Reacher is described as a former major in the USA Army Police Corp. At the age of 36, he leaves the army and starts picking up temporary jobs connected with suspicious and dangerous situations and investigating them.

For now, there are 24 novels in the series and the 25th book is about to be published. The first book came out in 1997 and since then a new novel gets published every year (except for 2010 when 2 books were published). Apart from the novels, there are also numerous short stories and novellas that describe one small yet interesting situation that Reacher finds himself in. Both novels and short stories gained massive success among the audience with over 60 million of the sold copies of the series. Two books, One Shot and Never Go Back, have big-screen adaptations with Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher.

As we mentioned before, there is a big number of books in the Jack Reacher series and it is very hard to pick the best one. Yet, we did our best and picked top-5 stories that deserve your attention. We also suggest checking out our lists of the best mystery books and true crime books.

What Features to Compare

Even though all the Jack Reacher books have one main character, they are all very different. Every book has new characters, so they can be read in any order. Yet, there are still some criteria you can check before getting a book.

Plot

When Selecting the first Jack Reacher book to read, pay close attention to the plot. Pretty much all the books are written in the genre of thriller and detective novels, but each book still has some unique plot. Depending on whether you like stories about unmasking terrorists or big government conspiracies, you will be able to find a story that fits you to a T.

Perspective

Lee Child uses two types of narrative in the books: first-person and third-person view, with the second one being in most of the books. Stories that are written from the first person’s perspective are Killing Floor, Persuader, The Enemy, Gone Tomorrow, The Affair, and Personal. Running Blind (or The Visitor) is the only book that combines the second and the third POVs.

Location

Most of Jack Reacher’s adventures take place in the USA. The author provides some detailed descriptions of cities, military bases, and famous American buildings. Usually, the stories occur in New York, Los Angeles, and various small towns in the Midwest and Southern states. On top of that, there are a few stories that can take you to Europe to such cities as Paris, Hamburg, London, and some smaller ones in rural England.

Number Of Pages

These stories also vary in the number of pages. Some stories take around 350-380 pages, which is pretty average for a novel. However, you can find bigger ones that have more than 500 pages. Thus, if you are heading on a long vacation or intend to take long rides, you will be able to find the book that will entertain you for a long time. On the other hand, if you don’t like spending a lot of time with one story, you can go with a smaller one.

Book Type

Nowadays, most of the books are available not only in paper versions but also in electronic format, and Jack Reacher stories are not an exception. Each book has a Kindle edition, which allows you to enjoy reading on your favourite e-reader. What is more, the books are available in audio format, so you can listen to them while jogging, exercising, or doing any other activities. As for the paper versions, there are also a few of them. You can purchase a Jack Reacher book as a high-quality hardcover, paperback, and affordable mass market paperback.

About The Author

Contrary to popular belief, the books about great American military policeman Jack Reacher weren’t written by the American author. Lee Child, whose real name is James Dover Grant, was actually born in Coventry, Warwickshire, England in 1954.

Childhood and Education

When he was a child, his family moved to Birmingham where he attended a prestigious King Edward’s school. Later on, he studied law at the University of Sheffield. The career of a lawyer didn’t look really appealing to him and Grant has never actually worked as a lawyer. However, his Bachelor’s and Ph. D. degrees gave him a basic knowledge about the justice system, which he successfully applies in his novels.

First Jobs

In the university, James Grant got interested in more creative professions and took a part-time job in the theatre. After graduation, he worked in television production as a presentation director and was involved in broadcasting thousands of hours of TV programs. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for the whole world, he was fired due to corporate reorganisation in 1995.

Writing Career

Discharge from the old job pushed James Grant to start writing. He took the pseudonym Lee Child and published his debut novel about Jack Reacher in 1997. The book won multiple awards and was praised by critics. Plus, the character of Jack Reacher gained massive success among the readers, so, the writer decided to come up with other stories about this military man. Jack Reacher is a protagonist in multiple novels, short stories, and novellas. However, Grant writes not only about the former US military officer. He also has a few stories about other characters and has collaborations with other authors on stories that are not built around Reacher. If you like Grant's writing style, it's worth checking on his other stories as well.

Achievements

The first story about Jack Reacher won the Anthony Award and Barry Award as the best debut novel and has a few other nominations. Other books in the series also were nominated in different literature categories. In 2020, Lee Child was invited to join the judging panel of the Booker Prize. On top of that, he took Visiting Professorship at the University of Sheffield (where he studied) and funded the Jack Reacher scholarship for the university students.

Apart from literary achievements, James Grant has also received the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2019.

In 2020, Lee Child announced that he is not going to continue the Jack Reacher series. His younger brother Andrew will take his place instead. But no matter if he continues with his writing career or not, Child has already left a big mark in the word’s literature history.

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