Lee Child Books in Order
Lee Child has written 78 books, published between 1997 and 2026. The first book is Killing Floor (1997) and the newest is Chain Reaction (2026). One more title is announced: Zero Margin (2027). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 78 + 1 announced
- Published
- 1997–2026
- Confirmed
- 53 of 79 titles
- Pages on record
- 9,660 in 24 of 79 books
Lee Child is the pen name of James Dover Grant, a British thriller writer born on 29 October 1954. The Jack Reacher novels follow a former American military policeman who drifts across the United States. Killing Floor (1997), the first novel, won the Anthony Award and the 1998 Barry Award for Best First Novel, and Die Trying (1998) and Tripwire (1999) came next. The catalogue runs to Chain Reaction (2026), with Zero Margin listed for 2027. Andrew Child shares credit on a line of Jack Reacher short stories and novellas, and a Frances Neagley line also appears. Subjects include military police, ex-police officers, private investigators and murder.
The Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child have been adapted into films and a television series.
How many Lee Child books are there?
Lee Child has 78 published books, released between 1997 and 2026. They include 2 series and 1 title listed outside any series. One more, Zero Margin (2027), is announced.
Lee Child Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 79 Lee Child books in the order they were released, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 11997–4/4
- 219984344/4
- 319994324/4
- 420004984/4
- 520014324/4
- 62002–4/4
- 72003–4/4
- 82004–1/4
- 920044164/4
- 102005363/4
- 112005–1/4
- 122005–1/4
- 1320054004/4
- 142006–1/4
- 1520064004/4
- 1620075124/4
- 172008–4/4
- 182009–2/4
- 192009–1/4
- 2020094214/4
- 212010–1/4
- 222010–1/4
- 232010–1/4
- 2420105144/4
- 2520105444/4
- 262011–3/4
- 272011–4/4
- 282011–1/4
- 292011–1/4
- 302011–4/4
- 3120121513/4
- 3220123843/4
- 332012–4/4
- 342012–1/4
- 3520124053/4
- 362013–1/4
- 3720136244/4
- 382014–4/4
- 39Good and Valuable Consideration: Jack Reacher vs. Nick HellerNick Heller Short Stories/Novellas #62014 · confirmed 4/42014–4/4
- 402014–1/4
- 412014–1/4
- 4220145444/4
- 432015–2/4
- 442015–3/4
- 452015–4/4
- 462016–1/4
- 472016–1/4
- 4820164964/4
- 4920174184/4
- 5020174883/4
- 522017–1/4
- 532017–4/4
- 542018–4/4
- 552018–1/4
- 562018–1/4
- 572018–4/4
- 582019964/4
- 592019–4/4
- 602019–3/4
- 612019–4/4
- 622019–4/4
- 632019–4/4
- 642019–1/4
- 6520202883/4
- 662020–1/4
- 6720203684/4
- 682021–4/4
- 692022–4/4
- 7020223594/4
- 712023–4/4
- 722024–4/4
- 732024–1/4
- 742024–4/4
- 752025–4/4
- 762025–4/4
- 772025–4/4
- 78Chain Reaction2026 · confirmed 1/42026–1/4
- 792027–3/4
Lee Child series and characters in order
The character linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Jack Reacher books in order 45 books
Lee Child books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. A group whose heading is a link has its own reading-order page; the other groups have no page of their own on this site.
Jack Reacher books in order
31 books by Lee Child- 1. Killing Floor
- 1. No Middle Name
- 2. Die Trying
- 3. Tripwire
- 4. Running Blind / The Visitor
- 5. Echo Burning
- 6. Without Fail
- 7. Persuader
- 8. The Enemy
- 9. One Shot
- 10. The Hard Way
- 11. Bad Luck and Trouble
- and 19 more in the table above
Lee Child Short Stories/Novellas
26 books26 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Jack Reacher Short Stories & Novellas
8 books8 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Akashic Drug Chronicles in order
2 booksLee Child Non-Fiction
2 books2 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Jack Reacher Miscellaneous
1 book1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Lee Child Short Story
1 book1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Frances Neagley in order
1 book- 1. Zero Margin
Dennis Lehane Short Stories/Novellas
1 book1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Mysterious Profiles in order
1 book- 4. Jack Reacher
Nick Heller Short Stories/Novellas
1 book1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
MX New Sherlock Holmes Stories in order
1 book- 7. Part VII
MatchUp Collection
1 book1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Will Trent books in order
1 book by Lee ChildStandalone books
1 book1 Lee Child title here is not listed as part of any series.
Lee Child Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the Lee Child books run from Killing Floor (1997) to Chain Reaction (2026), the sequence in the table above. The Jack Reacher series also has a separate in-universe order on record: Jack Reacher books in chronological order. No other Lee Child story order is on record.
Do you have to read Lee Child books in order?
You only need to read Lee Child books in order within each series: the books listed here span 2 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
What order should you read Lee Child books in?
Read them in publication order, starting with Killing Floor (1997), the first Jack Reacher book. It is also the earliest catalogued title.
What is the newest Lee Child book?
Chain Reaction (2026) is the newest Lee Child book released so far.
Is there a new Lee Child book coming?
Yes. Zero Margin (2027) is the next Lee Child book announced in the catalogue. A publication year announced this far ahead moves, so it is worth rechecking: every announced title dated after 2026 sits on the upcoming book releases page.
Awards Lee Child has won
Wikidata records 7 awards and 7 nominations for Lee Child. The most recent 12 are listed here. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Macavity Awards2022Won
- Cartier Diamond Dagger2013Won
- Nero Award2005Wonfor The Enemy
- Barry Award for Best Novel2005Wonfor The Enemy
- Nero Award2005Won
- Anthony Award for Best First Novel1998Wonfor Killing Floor
- Barry Award for Best First Novel1998Wonfor Killing Floor
- CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger2010Shortlistedfor 61 Hours
- Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award2009Shortlistedfor Bad Luck and Trouble
- Dilys Award2005Shortlistedfor The Enemy
- CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger2003Shortlistedfor Persuader
- Dilys Award2003Shortlistedfor Without Fail
Printable Lee Child Books in Order Checklist
A printable checklist of all 79 books in publication order is on the Lee Child reading checklist, with a tick box beside each title.
Lee Child at a glance
- Still publishing
- Lee Child is still publishing. Zero Margin is announced for 2027.
- Release pace
- Lee Child books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 9,660 pages across the 24 of 79 books with a recorded length, a median of 420 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Lee Child books, 44 of 79, were published in the 2010s.
- Corroboration
- 43 of the 79 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and 53 in at least three.
What the Lee Child books are about
33 of the 79 Lee Child books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: thrillers is tagged on 20 of 33. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Thrillers 20 of 33 books
- Suspense 11 of 33 books
- Murder 8 of 33 books
- Mystery & detective 7 of 33 books
- Ex-police officers 7 of 33 books
- Investigation 7 of 33 books
- Military police 7 of 33 books
- Private investigators 6 of 33 books
- Crime 4 of 33 books
- Retired military personnel 4 of 33 books