Jack Reacher Books in Order
Jack Reacher appears in 45 books, published between 1997 and 2026: 32 in the Jack Reacher series and 13 related titles. The first book is Killing Floor (1997) and the newest main-line book is Chain Reaction (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 45
- Published
- 1997–2026
- Confirmed
- 43 of 45 titles
- Pages on record
- 8,368 in 19 of 45 books
Jack Reacher is the lead character of the thriller books catalogued under Lee Child, 45 titles from 1997 to 2026. Reacher first appears in Killing Floor (1997), followed by Die Trying (1998) and Tripwire (1999). The subjects tie the books to military police, retired military personnel, ex-police officers and murder investigation. Lee Child is credited on 42 of the books, and Andrew Grant is credited on the 3 published from 2024 to 2026, including the newest, Chain Reaction (2026). The run is ongoing.
Source: composed
How many Jack Reacher books are there?
Jack Reacher appears in 45 books, released between 1997 and 2026. 32 of them belong to the Jack Reacher series, and 13 related titles sit outside it: short stories and novellas and other titles.
Who wrote Jack Reacher?
The Jack Reacher books have more than one credited writer. Of the 45 titles, 42 are credited to Lee Child and 3 to Andrew Grant.
Jack Reacher Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 45 Jack Reacher 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 November 2026.
- 11997–4/4
- 219984344/4
- 319994324/4
- 420004984/4
- 520014324/4
- 62002–4/4
- 72003–4/4
- 820044164/4
- 920054004/4
- 1020064004/4
- 1120075124/4
- 122008–4/4
- 132009–2/4
- 1420094214/4
- 1520105144/4
- 1620105444/4
- 172011–3/4
- 182011–4/4
- 192011–4/4
- 2020121513/4
- 2120124053/4
- 2220136244/4
- 232014–4/4
- 24Good and Valuable Consideration: Jack Reacher vs. Nick HellerNick Heller Short Stories/Novellas #62014 · confirmed 4/42014–4/4
- 2520145444/4
- 262015–2/4
- 272015–3/4
- 282015–4/4
- 2920164964/4
- 3020174184/4
- 312017–4/4
- 322018–4/4
- 332018–4/4
- 342019–3/4
- 352019–4/4
- 362019–4/4
- 3720203684/4
- 382021–4/4
- 3920223594/4
- 402023–4/4
- 412024–3/4
- 422024–4/4
- 432025–3/4
- 442025–4/4
- 452026–3/4
Jack Reacher Books in Chronological Order
In story order, The Enemy comes first and Chain Reaction comes last. Chronological order follows the events inside the story rather than the release dates. The 31 books with a recorded story position run in that sequence below.
- 8The Enemy2004 · 416 pages · confirmed 4/420044164/4
- 28The Secret2023 · confirmed 4/42023–4/4
- 21Night School2016 · 496 pages · confirmed 4/420164964/4
- 16The Affair2011 · confirmed 4/42011–4/4
- 1Killing Floor1997 · confirmed 4/41997–4/4
- 2Die Trying1998 · 434 pages · confirmed 4/419984344/4
- 3Tripwire1999 · 432 pages · confirmed 4/419994324/4
- 4Running Blind / The Visitor2000 · 498 pages · confirmed 4/420004984/4
- 5Echo Burning2001 · 432 pages · confirmed 4/420014324/4
- 6Without Fail2002 · confirmed 4/42002–4/4
- 7Persuader2003 · confirmed 4/42003–4/4
- 9One Shot2005 · 400 pages · confirmed 4/420054004/4
- 10The Hard Way2006 · 400 pages · confirmed 4/420064004/4
- 11Bad Luck and Trouble2007 · 512 pages · confirmed 4/420075124/4
- 12Nothing to Lose2008 · confirmed 4/42008–4/4
- 13Gone Tomorrow2009 · 421 pages · confirmed 4/420094214/4
- 1461 Hours2010 · 514 pages · confirmed 4/420105144/4
- 15Worth Dying For2010 · 544 pages · confirmed 4/420105444/4
- 17A Wanted Man2012 · 405 pages · confirmed 3/420124053/4
- 18Never Go Back2013 · 624 pages · confirmed 4/420136244/4
- 19Personal2014 · 544 pages · confirmed 4/420145444/4
- 20Make Me2015 · confirmed 4/42015–4/4
- 22The Midnight Line2017 · confirmed 4/42017–4/4
- 23Past Tense2018 · confirmed 4/42018–4/4
- 24Blue Moon2019 · confirmed 4/42019–4/4
- 25The Sentinel2020 · 368 pages · confirmed 4/420203684/4
- 26Better Off Dead2021 · confirmed 4/42021–4/4
- 27No Plan B2022 · 359 pages · confirmed 4/420223594/4
- 29In Too Deep2024 · confirmed 4/42024–4/4
- 30Exit Strategy2025 · confirmed 4/42025–4/4
- 31Chain Reaction2026 · confirmed 3/42026–3/4
Do you have to read Jack Reacher books in order?
You should read the Jack Reacher series in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 13 related titles (short stories and novellas and other titles) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each Jack Reacher book also stands alone.
What order should you read Jack Reacher books in?
Read them in publication order, starting with Killing Floor (1997), the earliest published book in the Jack Reacher series. After it come Die Trying (1998), Tripwire (1999), Running Blind / The Visitor (2000) and Echo Burning (2001); the numbered table above continues from there. In the chronological order, The Enemy comes first.
What is the first Jack Reacher book?
Killing Floor (1997) is the first book in the Jack Reacher series, and the numbered table above starts with it.
What is the newest Jack Reacher book?
Chain Reaction (2026) is the newest book in the Jack Reacher series.
Is there a new Jack Reacher book coming?
No next Jack Reacher book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards Jack Reacher has won
Wikidata records 4 awards and 7 nominations for Jack Reacher. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given. Award data is sourced from Wikidata.
- Nero Award2005Wonfor The Enemy
- Barry Award for Best Novel2005Wonfor The Enemy
- 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
- CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger2002Shortlistedfor Without Fail
- Dilys Award1998Shortlistedfor Killing Floor
Printable Jack Reacher Books in Order Checklist
A printable checklist of all 45 books in publication order is on the Jack Reacher reading checklist, with a tick box beside each title.
Jack Reacher at a glance
- Still running
- Jack Reacher is still running, with a main-line title published as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- Jack Reacher books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 8,368 pages across the 19 of 45 books with a recorded length, a median of 432 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Jack Reacher books, 22 of 45, were published in the 2010s.
- Corroboration
- 35 of the 45 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and 43 in at least three.
- Attribution
- Of the 45 titles, 42 are credited to Lee Child and 3 to Andrew Grant.
When Jack Reacher books were published
Publication distribution by decade, showing when Jack Reacher titles appeared. 2010s was the most productive decade with 22 titles.
45 books total across 4 decades. Decade reflects the year each title was first catalogued.
What the Jack Reacher books are about
29 of the 45 Jack Reacher 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 29. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Thrillers 20 of 29 books
- Suspense 10 of 29 books
- Murder 8 of 29 books
- Ex-police officers 7 of 29 books
- Investigation 7 of 29 books
- Military police 7 of 29 books
- Mystery & detective 6 of 29 books
- Private investigators 6 of 29 books
- Crime 4 of 29 books
- Retired military personnel 4 of 29 books
- Action 3 of 29 books