Below is the complete list of Lee Child Books In Order1 books in publication order. For this series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Jack Reacher Books in Order
- Killing Floor (1997)
Killing Floor was published in 1997 and is listed as book #1 in the Jack Reacher series. - Die Trying (1998)
Published in 1998, Die Trying is listed as book #2 in the Jack Reacher series. - Tripwire (1999)
Tripwire is a 1999 release and appears as book #3 in the Jack Reacher series. - Running Blind / The Visitor (2000)
In the Jack Reacher series, Running Blind / The Visitor is book #4 and was published in 2000. - Echo Burning (2001)
Echo Burning was first published in 2001; within the Jack Reacher series, it is listed as book #5. - Without Fail (2002)
Without Fail was published in 2002 and is listed as book #6 in the Jack Reacher series. - Persuader (2003)
Published in 2003, Persuader is listed as book #7 in the Jack Reacher series. - The Enemy (2004)
The Enemy is a 2004 release and appears as book #8 in the Jack Reacher series. - One Shot (2005)
In the Jack Reacher series, One Shot is book #9 and was published in 2005. - The Hard Way (2006)
The Hard Way was first published in 2006; within the Jack Reacher series, it is listed as book #10. - Bad Luck and Trouble (2007)
Bad Luck and Trouble was published in 2007 and is listed as book #11 in the Jack Reacher series. - Nothing to Lose (2008)
Published in 2008, Nothing to Lose is listed as book #12 in the Jack Reacher series. - Gone Tomorrow (2009)
Gone Tomorrow is a 2009 release and appears as book #13 in the Jack Reacher series. - 61 Hours (2010)
In the Jack Reacher series, 61 Hours is book #14 and was published in 2010. - Worth Dying For (2010)
Worth Dying For was first published in 2010; within the Jack Reacher series, it is listed as book #15. - The Affair (2011)
The Affair was published in 2011 and is listed as book #16 in the Jack Reacher series. - A Wanted Man (2012)
Published in 2012, A Wanted Man is listed as book #17 in the Jack Reacher series. - Never Go Back (2013)
Never Go Back is a 2013 release and appears as book #18 in the Jack Reacher series. - Personal (2014)
In the Jack Reacher series, Personal is book #19 and was published in 2014. - Make Me (2015)
Make Me was first published in 2015; within the Jack Reacher series, it is listed as book #20. - Night School (2016)
Night School was published in 2016 and is listed as book #21 in the Jack Reacher series. - The Midnight Line (2017)
Published in 2017, The Midnight Line is listed as book #22 in the Jack Reacher series. - Past Tense (2018)
Past Tense is a 2018 release and appears as book #23 in the Jack Reacher series. - Blue Moon (2019)
In the Jack Reacher series, Blue Moon is book #24 and was published in 2019. - The Sentinel (2020)
(With Andrew Child)
The Sentinel was first published in 2020; within the Jack Reacher series, it is listed as book #25. - Better Off Dead (2021)
(With Andrew Child)
Better Off Dead was published in 2021 and is listed as book #26 in the Jack Reacher series. - No Plan B (2022)
(With Andrew Child)
Published in 2022, No Plan B is listed as book #27 in the Jack Reacher series. - The Secret (2023)
(With Andrew Child)
The Secret is a 2023 release and appears as book #28 in the Jack Reacher series. - In Too Deep (2024)
(With Andrew Child)
In the Jack Reacher series, In Too Deep is book #29 and was published in 2024. - Exit Strategy (2025)
(With Andrew Child)
Exit Strategy was first published in 2025; within the Jack Reacher series, it is listed as book #30. - Chain Reaction (2026)
(With Andrew Child)
Chain Reaction was published in 2026 and is listed as book #31 in the Jack Reacher series.
Jack Reacher Short Stories & Novellas Books in Order
with Andrew Child
- Guy Walks Into a Bar (2009)
Guy Walks Into a Bar was published in 2009 and is listed as book #1 in the Jack Reacher Short Stories & Novellas Books in Orderwith Andrew Child series. - Second Son (2011)
Published in 2011, Second Son is listed as book #2 in the Jack Reacher Short Stories & Novellas Books in Orderwith Andrew Child series. - Deep Down (2012)
Deep Down is a 2012 release and appears as book #3 in the Jack Reacher Short Stories & Novellas Books in Orderwith Andrew Child series. - High Heat (2013)
In the Jack Reacher Short Stories & Novellas Books in Orderwith Andrew Child series, High Heat is book #4 and was published in 2013. - Not a Drill (2014)
Not a Drill was first published in 2014; within the Jack Reacher Short Stories & Novellas Books in Orderwith Andrew Child series, it is listed as book #5. - Good and Valuable Consideration: Jack Reacher vs. Nick Heller (2014)
(With Joseph Finder)
Good and Valuable Consideration: Jack Reacher vs. Nick Heller was published in 2014 and is listed as book #6 in the Jack Reacher Short Stories & Novellas Books in Orderwith Andrew Child series. - The Picture of the Lonely Diner (2015)
Published in 2015, The Picture of the Lonely Diner is listed as book #7 in the Jack Reacher Short Stories & Novellas Books in Orderwith Andrew Child series. - Small Wars (2015)
Small Wars is a 2015 release and appears as book #8 in the Jack Reacher Short Stories & Novellas Books in Orderwith Andrew Child series. - Too Much Time (2017)
In the Jack Reacher Short Stories & Novellas Books in Orderwith Andrew Child series, Too Much Time is book #9 and was published in 2017. - The Christmas Scorpion (2018)
The Christmas Scorpion was first published in 2018; within the Jack Reacher Short Stories & Novellas Books in Orderwith Andrew Child series, it is listed as book #10. - The Fourth Man (2019)
The Fourth Man was published in 2019 and is listed as book #11 in the Jack Reacher Short Stories & Novellas Books in Orderwith Andrew Child series. - Cleaning the Gold (2019)
(With Karin Slaughter)
Published in 2019, Cleaning the Gold is listed as book #12 in the Jack Reacher Short Stories & Novellas Books in Orderwith Andrew Child series. - New Kid in Town (2024)
(By Andrew Child)
New Kid in Town is a 2024 release and appears as book #13 in the Jack Reacher Short Stories & Novellas Books in Orderwith Andrew Child series. - You Shook Me All Night Long (2025)
(By Andrew Child)
In the Jack Reacher Short Stories & Novellas Books in Orderwith Andrew Child series, You Shook Me All Night Long is book #14 and was published in 2025.
Jack Reacher Collections Books in Order
- No Middle Name (2017)
No Middle Name was published in 2017 and is listed as book #1 in the Jack Reacher Collections series.
Jack Reacher Miscellaneous Books in Order
- Jack Reacher’s Rules (2012)
Jack Reacher's Rules was published in 2012 and is listed as book #1 in the Jack Reacher Miscellaneous series.
Short Stories/Novellas Books in Order
- I Heard a Romantic Story (2012)
I Heard a Romantic Story was published in 2012 and is listed as book #1 in the Short Stories/Novellas series. - The Hollywood I Remembered (2012)
Published in 2012, The Hollywood I Remembered is listed as book #2 in the Short Stories/Novellas series. - James Penney’s New Identity (2019)
James Penney's New Identity is a 2019 release and appears as book #3 in the Short Stories/Novellas series. - Eleven Numbers (2025)
In the Short Stories/Novellas series, Eleven Numbers is book #4 and was published in 2025.
Short Story Collections Books in Order
- Safe Enough: And Other Stories (2024)
Safe Enough: And Other Stories was published in 2024 and is listed as book #1 in the Short Story Collections series.
Non-Fiction Books in Order
- Jack Reacher’s Rules (2012)
Jack Reacher's Rules was published in 2012 and is listed as book #1 in the Non-Fiction series. - The Hero (2019)
Published in 2019, The Hero is listed as book #2 in the Non-Fiction series. - Reacher: The Stories Behind the Stories (2025)
Reacher: The Stories Behind the Stories is a 2025 release and appears as book #3 in the Non-Fiction series.
Akashic Drug Chronicles Books in Order
- The Cocaine Chronicles (2005)
The Cocaine Chronicles was published in 2005 and is listed as book #1 in the Akashic Drug Chronicles series. - The Nicotine Chronicles (2020)
Published in 2020, The Nicotine Chronicles is listed as book #2 in the Akashic Drug Chronicles series.
Akashic Noir Books in Order
- Phoenix Noir (2009)
Phoenix Noir was published in 2009 and is listed as book #1 in the Akashic Noir series. - USA Noir (2013)
Published in 2013, USA Noir is listed as book #2 in the Akashic Noir series. - Belfast Noir (2014)
Belfast Noir is a 2014 release and appears as book #3 in the Akashic Noir series.
Harold Middleton Books in Order
- The Chopin Manuscript (2007)
The Chopin Manuscript was published in 2007 and is listed as book #1 in the Harold Middleton series. - The Copper Bracelet (2009)
Published in 2009, The Copper Bracelet is listed as book #2 in the Harold Middleton series.
MX New Sherlock Holmes Stories Books in Order
- Part VII (2017)
Part VII was published in 2017 and is listed as book #1 in the MX New Sherlock Holmes Stories series.
Mysterious Profiles Books in Order
- Jack Reacher (2022)
Jack Reacher was published in 2022 and is listed as book #1 in the Mysterious Profiles series.
The MatchUp Collection Books in Order
- Faking a Murderer (2019)
(With Kathy Reichs)
Faking a Murderer was published in 2019 and is listed as book #1 in the The MatchUp Collection series.
About Lee Child Books
Lee Child is the pen name of James Dover Grant, the British-born thriller writer best known for creating Jack Reacher, one of modern commercial fiction’s most recognizable wandering heroes. Born in Coventry in 1954 and raised in Birmingham, Child did not begin his career as a novelist. Before publishing fiction, he spent many years working in television at Granada, where he was involved in production and presentation across a wide range of programming. That background matters because his books often show a strong instinct for pace, scene construction, and clean dramatic movement. He writes in a way that feels visual, direct, and built for momentum.
Child’s turn to fiction came after he lost his television job in the 1990s. Rather than moving into another corporate role, he began writing the novel that became Killing Floor, published in 1997. The book introduced Jack Reacher, a former U.S. Army military policeman who has left institutional life behind and drifts across America with no fixed home, few possessions, and a strong personal code. Killing Floor was a major debut, winning awards and launching a series that would become a long-running international bestseller.
The power of the Reacher concept lies in its simplicity. Reacher arrives somewhere, notices something wrong, and becomes involved because he cannot ignore injustice, corruption, violence, or abuse of power. He is highly capable, physically imposing, and analytically sharp, but he is not tied to a police department, intelligence agency, family home, or ongoing workplace. This gives the series unusual freedom. Each book can move to a new town, new conspiracy, new victim, and new moral problem while keeping Reacher himself as the constant.
Child’s writing style is lean, controlled, and highly readable. He favors short chapters, clear stakes, strong hooks, and a rhythm that keeps the reader moving forward. His prose is not decorative, but it is carefully engineered. Reacher often thinks through problems step by step, weighing geography, timing, body language, logistics, and probability. That practical intelligence is part of the character’s appeal. The books are action thrillers, but many of their best scenes depend on observation and deduction before violence ever arrives.
Although Jack Reacher dominates Child’s bibliography, the series has gone through distinct phases. Early books such as Killing Floor, Die Trying, and Tripwire established the wandering-hero structure. Later titles including The Enemy, Bad Luck and Trouble, and The Affair filled in more of Reacher’s military past, especially his work with the 110th Special Investigations Unit. The books do not always follow Reacher’s life chronologically, which is why publication order remains the clearest way to experience the series’ development in tone, structure, and character history.
In 2020, Child began transitioning the Reacher series to his younger brother Andrew Grant, who writes as Andrew Child. Their collaborations began with The Sentinel, and later books continued under both names before Andrew Child took on a larger role in carrying the series forward. This handover is one of the most notable developments in Child’s career because it allows the Reacher books to continue while acknowledging that the original creator had stepped back from the annual pace that defined the series for decades.
Beyond the novels, Reacher has become a major screen character, first through feature films starring Tom Cruise and later through the television series starring Alan Ritchson. These adaptations expanded the audience, but the core appeal still comes from Child’s original creation: a solitary ex-military investigator who lives outside ordinary systems yet repeatedly confronts the failures of those systems. Lee Child’s bibliography is best understood through that figure—restless, precise, unsentimental, and built around the fantasy that one person can walk into a broken situation, understand it clearly, and set it right.