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Not A Drill A Jack Reacher Short Story
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Book Synopsis Not a Drill: A Jack Reacher Short Story by : Lee Child
Download or read book Not a Drill: A Jack Reacher Short Story written by Lee Child and published by Delacorte Press. This book was released on 2014-07-29 with total page 55 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In this eBook exclusive short story from Lee Child, Jack Reacher is again on the move. But even a pleasant hike on a beautiful summer day turns into a walk on the wild side . . . and perhaps something far more sinister. Don’t miss a gripping preview of Lee Child’s highly anticipated new Jack Reacher novel, Personal! Jack Reacher is on the road, hitching a ride with some earnest young Canadians who are planning a hike through some of the last unspoiled wilderness in North America in the dense forests of Maine. They part ways after sharing a hot meal, and Reacher checks out a quiet town surrounded by countryside serene enough to cool even his raging wanderlust. But not for long. First the trail is suddenly and inexplicably closed. Then the military police show up in force. Maybe it’s a drill. Or maybe it’s trouble—the kind of trouble that always finds Reacher, no matter how far he travels off the beaten path. Praise for Lee Child and his Jack Reacher novels “Welcome to the relentless world of Jack Reacher and his impressive tendency to be in the wrong place at the right time. . . . Child has created an iconic character that other thriller writers try to emulate but don’t come close to matching.”—Associated Press “The Reacher novels are easily the best thriller series going.”—NPR “Child is a superb craftsman of suspense.”—Entertainment Weekly “The truth about Reacher gets better and better.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times “If you’re a thriller fan and you’re not reading the Reacher series, you’re not a thriller fan.”—Chicago Tribune “[A] feverishly thrilling series . . . With Child, you can always count on furious action.”—The Miami Herald “Irresistible Reacher remains just about the best butt-kicker in thriller-lit.”—Kirkus Reviews
Download or read book No Middle Name written by Lee Child and published by Dell. This book was released on 2017-05-16 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING JACK REACHER SERIES THAT INSPIRED TWO MAJOR MOTION PICTURES AND THE STREAMING SERIES REACHER The ultimate Jack Reacher experience: a thrilling new novella and eleven previously published stories, together for the first time in one pulse-pounding collection from Lee Child. No Middle Name begins with “Too Much Time,” a brand-new work of short fiction that finds Reacher in a hollowed-out town in Maine, where he witnesses a random bag-snatching but sees much more than a simple crime. “Small Wars” takes readers back to 1989, when Reacher is an MP assigned to solve the brutal murder of a young officer found along an isolated forest road in Georgia—and whose killer may be hiding in plain sight. In “Not a Drill,” Reacher tries to take some downtime, but a pleasant hike in Maine turns into a walk on the wild side—and perhaps something far more sinister. “High Heat” time-hops to 1977, when Reacher is a teenager in sweltering New York City during a sudden blackout that awakens the dark side of the city that never sleeps. Okinawa is the setting of “Second Son,” which reveals the pivotal moment when young Reacher’s sharp “lizard brain” becomes just as important as his muscle. In “Deep Down,” Reacher tracks down a spy by matching wits with four formidable females—three of whom are clean, but the fourth may prove fatal. Rounding out the collection are “Guy Walks into a Bar,” “James Penney’s New Identity,” “Everyone Talks,” “The Picture of the Lonely Diner,” “Maybe They Have a Tradition,” and “No Room at the Motel.” No suitcase. No destination. No middle name. No matter how far Reacher travels off the beaten path, trouble always finds him. Feel bad for trouble. Praise for No Middle Name “Captivating . . . classic [Lee] Child . . . This volume demonstrates what his fans already know: he’s a born storyteller and an astute observer.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Lee Child, like his creation, always knows exactly what he’s doing—and he does it well. Time in his company is never wasted.”—Evening Standard
Book Synopsis Small Wars: A Jack Reacher Story by : Lee Child
Download or read book Small Wars: A Jack Reacher Story written by Lee Child and published by Delacorte Press. This book was released on 2015-08-18 with total page 59 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this eBook exclusive short story, #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child goes back to 1989, when Jack Reacher is an MP assigned to solve the cold-blooded murder of a young officer—whose killer may be closer to Reacher than he suspects. Don’t miss a thrilling preview of Lee Child’s highly anticipated new Jack Reacher novel, Make Me! The telex is brief and to the point: One active-duty personnel found shot to death ten miles north of Fort Smith. Circumstances unknown. Found in a silver Porsche along an isolated forest road in Georgia, the victim was shot twice in the chest and once in the head. A professional hit. Clean. The crime scene suggests an ambush. Military police officer Jack Reacher is given the case. He calls his older brother, Colonel Joe Reacher, at the Pentagon for intel and taps Sergeant Frances Neagley to help him answer the big question: Who would kill a brilliant officer on the fast-track to greatness? For Jack Reacher, the answer hits home. Praise for #1 bestselling author Lee Child and his Reacher series “Welcome to the relentless world of Jack Reacher and his impressive tendency to be in the wrong place at the right time. . . . Child has created an iconic character that other thriller writers try to emulate but don’t come close to matching.”—Associated Press “[Reacher] is the stuff of myth, a great male fantasy. . . . One of this century’s most original, tantalizing pop-fiction heroes.”—The Washington Post “Jack Reacher is the coolest continuing series character now on offer.”—Stephen King “Child is a superb craftsman of suspense.”—Entertainment Weekly “Easily the best thriller series going.”—NPR “The truth about Reacher gets better and better.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times “If you’re a thriller fan and you’re not reading the Reacher series, you’re not a thriller fan.”—Chicago Tribune
Book Synopsis Deep Down: A Jack Reacher Story by : Lee Child
Download or read book Deep Down: A Jack Reacher Story written by Lee Child and published by Delacorte Press. This book was released on 2012-07-16 with total page 71 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In thriller master Lee Child’s exclusive eBook short story, Jack Reacher must track down a spy in soldier’s clothing—by matching wits with four formidable females. Three are clean—but the fourth may prove fatal. Includes a thrilling preview of Lee Child’s hotly anticipated Jack Reacher novel, A Wanted Man! Summoned by Military Intelligence to Washington, D.C., Reacher is sent undercover. The assignment that awaits him: The army is meeting with its Capitol Hill paymasters for classified talks on a new, state-of-the-art sniper rifle for U.S. forces. But vital details about the weapon are leaking—straight from the Capitol and probably into the hands of unidentified foreign arms dealers. The prospect of any and every terrorist, mercenary, or dictator’s militia getting their hands on the latest superior firepower is unthinkable. That’s where Reacher comes in. His task: infiltrate the top-secret proceedings and smoke out the mole. His target: a quartet of high-powered Army political liaison officers—all of them fast-track women on their way to the top. According to his bosses, it’s a zero-danger mission. No need to draw a gun . . . just chat over drinks. But Reacher knows that things are rarely what they seem. And he’s learned the hard way never to underestimate an opponent. Or four. Lessons that will come in handy when he starts digging for the truth—and gets his hands a lot dirtier than he expected. “Child is a superb craftsman of suspense.”—Entertainment Weekly “The truth about Reacher gets better and better.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times
Book Synopsis Second Son: A Jack Reacher Story by : Lee Child
Download or read book Second Son: A Jack Reacher Story written by Lee Child and published by Delacorte Press. This book was released on 2011-08-15 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this new short story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child, available exclusively as an eBook, a young Jack Reacher knows how to finish a fight so it stays finished. He knows how to get the job done so it stays done. And, in one of his earliest challenges, he knows that his analytical brain is just as important as his impressive brawn. Okinawa, 1974. Even at thirteen, Jack Reacher knows how to outwit and overpower anyone who stands in his way. And as the new kid in town, that’s pretty much everyone. His family has come to the Pacific with his father, who’s preparing for a top-secret Marine Corps operation. After receiving a rude welcome from the local military brats, Reacher and his older brother, Joe, intend to teach them a lesson they won’t forget. But it’s soon clear that there’s more at stake than pride. When his family’s future appears to come crumbling down, it’s the youngest Reacher who rises to the occasion with all the decisive cunning and bravura that will one day be his deadly trademark. Second Son also includes a thrilling excerpt from Lee Child’s forthcoming novel, The Affair.
Book Synopsis High Heat: A Jack Reacher Novella by : Lee Child
Download or read book High Heat: A Jack Reacher Novella written by Lee Child and published by Delacorte Press. This book was released on 2013-08-06 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Thriller master Lee Child returns with an exclusive eBook novella. In the midst of a savage heat wave and an infamous murder spree, a blackout awakens the dark side of the city that never sleeps—and a young Jack Reacher takes action as only he can. Don’t miss the exciting preview of Lee Child’s highly anticipated Jack Reacher novel, Never Go Back! July 1977. Jack Reacher is almost seventeen, and he stops in New York City on the way to visit his brother at West Point. The summer heat is suffocating, the city is bankrupt, and the mad gunman known as Son of Sam is still on the loose. Reacher meets a woman with a problem, and agrees to help her . . . but then the power grid fails and the lights go out, plunging the lawless city into chaos. What does a visiting teenager do in the dark? If that visiting teenager is Jack Reacher, the answer is plenty. Praise for Lee Child and his Jack Reacher novels “Jack Reacher is the coolest continuing series character now on offer.”—Stephen King, in Entertainment Weekly “Like his hero, Jack Reacher, Lee Child seems to make no wrong steps.”—Associated Press “The truth about Reacher gets better and better.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times “[A] feverishly thrilling series . . . With Child, you can always count on furious action.”—The Miami Herald “One of the best thriller characters at work today.”—Newsweek “Jack Reacher is much more like the heir to the Op and Marlowe than Spenser ever was.”—Esquire “Widely admired by other writers as a master craftsman of action thrillers.”—The Wall Street Journal
Download or read book Too Much Time written by Lee Child and published by Random House. This book was released on 2018-07-02 with total page 85 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Roughly one significant crime is committed in the US every three seconds. So it's not unlikely to find yourself witnessing one. Jack Reacher is minding his own business in a town in Maine when he sees a youth snatching a woman's bag, and, like a good citizen, steps in to stop him. Politely invited by the cops to act as a witness, will Reacher be treated as the perfect patsy for a crime he didn't commit? Too Much Time is a new novella which sees Jack Reacher, hero of no fixed abode, finding himself on the wrong side of the law. It is also available in No Middle Name, the complete Jack Reacher short story collection. _________ Don't miss Reacher's newest adventure, no.26, Better off Dead! ***COMING SOON and AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW***
Book Synopsis The Christmas Scorpion: A Jack Reacher Story by : Lee Child
Download or read book The Christmas Scorpion: A Jack Reacher Story written by Lee Child and published by Delacorte Press. This book was released on 2018-10-02 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING JACK REACHER SERIES THAT INSPIRED TWO MAJOR MOTION PICTURES AND THE UPCOMING STREAMING SERIES REACHER Jack Reacher’s spending the holidays in California. The last thing he expects is a blizzard—or a visit from the world’s deadliest assassin. On Christmas Eve, Jack Reacher stumbles into a no-name bar in the California desert, desperate to take refuge from an unexpected snowstorm. Reacher came to Barstow for a little R&R. Instead, he’s sequestered in a dark little roadhouse with a bartender, a bewildered elderly couple—and two members of Britain’s Royal Military Police. They tell Reacher they were escorting a VIP to a top-secret meeting at a U.S. military base when they became separated from their charge. That’s when the threat came in from a notorious assassin: the Christmas Scorpion. Now they need a miracle to save the day. Or maybe all they need is Jack Reacher.
Download or read book Worth Dying For written by Lee Child and published by Bantam. This book was released on 2012-08-07 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING JACK REACHER SERIES THAT INSPIRED TWO MAJOR MOTION PICTURES AND THE STREAMING SERIES REACHER A heart-racing page-turner that hits the ground running and then accelerates all the way to a colossal showdown “Jack Reacher is the coolest continuing series character now on offer.”—Stephen King, in Entertainment Weekly There’s deadly trouble in the corn country of Nebraska . . . and Jack Reacher walks right into it. First he falls foul of the Duncans, a local clan that has terrified an entire county into submission. But it’s the unsolved case of a missing child, already decades old, that Reacher can’t let go. The Duncans want Reacher gone—and it’s not just past secrets they’re trying to hide. They’re awaiting a secret shipment that’s already late—and they have the kind of customers no one can afford to annoy. For as dangerous as the Duncans are, they’re just the bottom of a criminal food chain stretching halfway around the world. For Reacher, it would have made much more sense to keep on going, to put some distance between himself and the hard-core trouble that’s bearing down on him. For Reacher, that was also impossible.
Download or read book Personal written by Lee Child and published by Delacorte Press. This book was released on 2014-09-02 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Jack Reacher returns in another fast-moving, action-packed, suspenseful book from Lee Child. You can leave the army, but the army doesn’t leave you. Not always. Not completely, notes Jack Reacher—and sure enough, the retired military cop is soon pulled back into service. This time, for the State Department and the CIA. Someone has taken a shot at the president of France in the City of Light. The bullet was American. The distance between the gunman and the target was exceptional. How many snipers can shoot from three-quarters of a mile with total confidence? Very few, but John Kott—an American marksman gone bad—is one of them. And after fifteen years in prison, he’s out, unaccounted for, and likely drawing a bead on a G8 summit packed with enough world leaders to tempt any assassin. If anyone can stop Kott, it’s the man who beat him before: Reacher. And though he’d rather work alone, Reacher is teamed with Casey Nice, a rookie analyst who keeps her cool with Zoloft. But they’re facing a rough road, full of ruthless mobsters, Serbian thugs, close calls, double-crosses—and no backup if they’re caught. All the while Reacher can’t stop thinking about the woman he once failed to save. But he won’t let that that happen again. Not this time. Not Nice. Reacher never gets too close. But now a killer is making it personal. Praise for Personal “The best one yet.”—Stephen King “Reacher is the stuff of myth, a great male fantasy. . . . One of this century’s most original, tantalizing pop-fiction heroes . . . Child does a masterly job of bringing his adventure to life with endless surprises and fierce suspense.”—The Washington Post “Yet another satisfying page-turner.”—Entertainment Weekly “Reacher is always up for a good fight, most entertainingly when he goes mano a mano with a seven-foot, 300-pound monster of a mobster named Little Joey. But it’s Reacher the Teacher who wows here.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times
Book Synopsis No One Man Should Have All That Power by : Amos Barshad
Download or read book No One Man Should Have All That Power written by Amos Barshad and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2019-04-09 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this exploration of shadowy, behind-the-scenes operators, “each portrait provides an incisive dissection of the acquisition and maintenance of power” (The Nation). Journalist Amos Barshad has long been fascinated by the powerful. But not by elected officials or natural leaders—he’s interested in the dark figures who wield power from the shadows. And, as Barshad shows in No One Man Should Have All That Power, these master manipulators are not confined to political backrooms. They can be found anywhere—from Hollywood to drug cartels, recording studios, or the NFL. In this wide-ranging, insightful exploration of the phenomenon, Barshad takes readers into the lives of more than a dozen notorious figures, starting with Grigori Rasputin himself. The Russian mystic drank, danced, and healed his way into a position of power behind the last of the tsars. Based on interviews with well-known personalities like Scooter Braun (Justin Bieber’s manager), Alex Guerrero (Tom Brady’s trainer), and Sam Nunberg (Trump’s former aide) and original reporting on figures like Nicaragua’s powerful first lady Rosario Murillo and the Tijuana cartel boss known as “Narcomami,” Barshad investigates a variety of modern-day Raputins. He explores how they got there, how they wielded control, and what lessons we can take from them, including how to spot Rasputins in the wild.
Download or read book 61 Hours written by Lee Child and published by Delacorte Press. This book was released on 2010-05-18 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • THE BLOCKBUSTER JACK REACHER SERIES THAT INSPIRED TWO MAJOR MOTION PICTURES AND THE STREAMING SERIES REACHER “Reacher gets better and better. . . . [This is the] craftiest and most highly evolved of Lee Child’s electrifying Reacher books.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times A bus crashes in a savage snowstorm and lands Jack Reacher in the middle of a deadly confrontation. In nearby Bolton, South Dakota, one brave woman is standing up for justice in a small town threatened by sinister forces. If she’s going to live long enough to testify, she’ll need help. Because a killer is coming to Bolton, a coldly proficient assassin who never misses. Reacher’s original plan was to keep on moving. But the next 61 hours will change everything. The secrets are deadlier and his enemies are stronger than he could have guessed—but so is the woman he’ll risk his life to save.
Book Synopsis The Essential Jack Reacher 11-Book Bundle by : Lee Child
Download or read book The Essential Jack Reacher 11-Book Bundle written by Lee Child and published by Delacorte Press. This book was released on 2013-11-25 with total page 3883 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “If you’re a thriller fan and you’re not reading the Reacher series . . . you’re not a thriller fan.”—Chicago Tribune Jack Reacher is the most compelling hero in action and suspense today—hailed by Stephen King as “the coolest continuing series character now on offer” and a household name for legions of fans who can’t get enough of Lee Child’s #1 bestsellers. “The truth about Reacher gets better and better.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times Once an elite military cop, Reacher is now a man with no phone, no address, and no ties anywhere. He wanders the land and lives in the moment—a cool-headed righter of wrongs who can’t let the bad guys get away with anything. This addictive eBook bundle features eleven Reacher adventures, which can be read in any order. But fair warning: Once you start, you won’t stop until you’ve finished them all. PERSUADER THE ENEMY ONE SHOT THE HARD WAY BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE NOTHING TO LOSE GONE TOMORROW 61 HOURS WORTH DYING FOR THE AFFAIR A WANTED MAN Also includes the eBook short stories “Second Son” and “Deep Down” as well as an excerpt of the latest Jack Reacher thriller, Never Go Back! Praise for #1 bestselling author Lee Child and his Reacher series “Child is a superb craftsman of suspense.”—Entertainment Weekly “Like his hero Jack Reacher, Lee Child seems to make no wrong steps.”—Associated Press “Lee Child [is] the current poster-boy of American crime fiction.”—Los Angeles Times “Indisputably the best escape artist in this escapist genre.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times “Jack Reacher is much more like the heir to the Op and Marlowe than Spenser ever was. . . . Reacher is as appealingly misanthropic as ever.”—Esquire “For pure fun, the Reacher novels are easily the best thriller series going.”—NPR “Widely admired by other writers as a master craftsman of action thrillers.”—The Wall Street Journal “Implausible, irresistible Reacher remains just about the best butt-kicker in thriller-lit.”—Kirkus Reviews
Download or read book Marine written by Tom Clancy and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1996-11-01 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-depth look at the United States Marine Corps-in the New York Times bestselling tradition of Submarine, Armored Cav, and Fighter Wing Only the best of the best can be Marines. And only Tom Clancy can tell their story--the fascinating real-life facts more compelling than any fiction. Clancy presents a unique insider's look at the most hallowed branch of the Armed Forces, and the men and women who serve on America's front lines. Marine includes: An interview with the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Charles "Chuck" Krulak The tools and technology of the Marine Expeditionary Unit The role of the Marines in the present and future world An in-depth look at recruitment and training Exclusive photographs, illustrations, and diagrams
Download or read book A Fatal Crossing written by Tom Hindle and published by Random House. This book was released on 2022-01-20 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Dazzling' Crime Monthly 'My kind of book!' Belfast Telegraph 'Captivating' My Weekly Magazine 'Ingenious' Crime Time 'Suspenseful' Country Life Magazine _____________________________________ November 1924. The Endeavour sets sail to New York with 2,000 passengers - and a killer - on board . When an elderly gentleman is found dead at the foot of a staircase, ship's officer Timothy Birch is ready to declare it a tragic accident. But James Temple, a strong-minded Scotland Yard inspector, is certain there is more to this misfortune than meets the eye. Birch agrees to investigate, and the trail quickly leads to the theft of a priceless painting. Its very existence is known only to its owner . . . and the now dead man. With just days remaining until they reach New York, and even Temple's purpose on board the Endeavour proving increasingly suspicious, Birch's search for the culprit is fraught with danger. And all the while, the passengers continue to roam the ship with a killer in their midst. ________________________________________________________ 'A very clever plot and a final twist which will delight Agatha Christie fans. You will love it!!!' Ragnar Jónasson 'With twist after gut-punching twist, A Fatal Crossing really is an ingenious thriller. Highly recommend' M. W. Craven 'It twists and turns like the best of Christie' - Peterborough Telegraph 'A tantalizing and captivating plot, filled with detail and texture to enhance the feeling of the halcyon days of the liners and their times' Shots Magazine 'The action unfolds at a rip-roaring pace in this perfectly executed homage to the Golden Age of crime, which features a deviously devised plot boasting a final twist worthy of Christie herself. I absolutely loved it' Anita Frank 'Twists and turns cartwheel to a blindsiding finish' Woman's Weekly 'My favourite westward Atlantic crossing detective novel is Peter Lovesey's The Fake Inspector Dew (1981), but A Fatal Crossing by Tom Hindle is a first-rate addition to the corpus [...] A very good debut novel' The Critic Murder on Lake Garda by Tom Hindle was a no.8 Sunday Times bestseller 04/02/24
Book Synopsis A Wanted Man (with bonus short story Not a Drill) by : Lee Child
Download or read book A Wanted Man (with bonus short story Not a Drill) written by Lee Child and published by Dell. This book was released on 2013-05-28 with total page 626 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • THE BLOCKBUSTER JACK REACHER SERIES THAT INSPIRED TWO MAJOR MOTION PICTURES AND THE STREAMING SERIES REACHER “The indomitable Reacher burns up the pages.”—USA Today Four people in a car, hoping to make Chicago by morning. One man driving, another telling stories that don’t add up. A woman in the back, silent and worried. And a hitchhiker with a broken nose. An hour behind them, the FBI descends on an old pumping station where a man was stabbed to death—the knife work professional, the killers nowhere to be seen. All Jack Reacher wanted was a ride to Virginia. All he did was stick out his thumb. But he soon discovers he has hitched more than a ride. He has tied himself to a massive conspiracy, in which nothing is what it seems, and nobody is telling the truth. “Furious action . . . [Lee] Child keeps the pacing swift and the surprises rolling. . . . [A] feverishly thrilling series.”—The Miami Herald “Smart, breathless . . . [with] one of the best female characters in the whole Reacher series.”—The New York Times “Subtle and nuanced [with] seductive writing and irresistible plot twists.”—Newsweek
Download or read book The Reacher Guy written by Heather Martin and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2020-09-29 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An exquisitely written and nuanced biography of an exceptional individual and writer who has created the # 1 international bestselling hero Jack Reacher, revered by dedicated and loyal readers worldwide. Lee Child has a great public persona: he is gracious and generous with readers and fans. But Jim Grant is a reticent and very private man. This rags-to-riches literary and social biography is based principally on disarmingly frank personal conversations and correspondence with the author since 2016 and privileged access to archival materials. It consists almost entirely of original material, and is the nearest thing the world is likely to get to the autobiography he does not intend to write. There are a handful of great Lee Child/Reacher stories that have been recycled over and over again. They are so good that no one has bothered to look beyond them. This book revisits (and sometimes revises) those irresistible stories, but goes back further and digs deeper. The emphasis on chronology, accuracy and specificity is unprecedented. The Lee Child origin myth is much loved. But mostly it sees him springing fully formed from the brow of Granada Television. There are glancing references to Aston Villa and the schoolyard, but no one has examined the social and historical detail or looked closely at where Lee really came from: the people, places and period. This is the first time someone has described the Lee Child arc: from peaceful obscurity in the Yorkshire Dales and Upstate New York to cult figure, no. 1 in America, rock star, celebrity and publishing institution through to backlash, the changing zeitgeist, and intimations of retirement. The analysis of the emotional power and significance of Lee’s work in the final chapters—the themes of happiness, addiction, dependency, loneliness, and existential absurdity—and the first-hand retrospective accounts of his life and second-act career are all exclusive to this definitive biography.
