10 Best Jack Reacher Books, Ranked

Lee Child's epic "Jack Reacher" series of books has grown to span 30 novels and 16 short stories and novellas as of this writing. The extremely popular action-adventure thrillers follow the titular Jack Reacher, a chivalrous and highly skilled former Army officer-turned-drifter, as he goes from town to town, and even country to country, solving crimes with his fists and wits. The character has become so popular that the material has been adapted twice by Hollywood: first, for the big screen, with Tom Cruise in the less-successful-than-expected "Jack Reacher" and "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back," and then by Prime Video as the mega-successful series "Jack Reacher," where he's played by Alan Ritchson. The difference between them, of course, is that the streaming series spends hours adapting a "Reacher" novel compared to the movies' two-ish hour runtimes; the show even built a whole town so it could get things just right.

TV fans who have fallen in love with Reacher's good-guy ways might be interested in diving into his voluminous on-paper adventures, but where in the world should they start? Reacher's adventures are packed with variety, and they all weave together to tell a larger story, with each storyline and character ultimately creating a sprawling fabric of associations. But while it's a good idea to start with the very first Reacher book and keep going, if you're simply interested in focusing solely on the series' biggest highlights, here are the ten best and most indispensable books in the Reacher series, ranked from tenth to first based on the author's own opinions as someone who has read all of them. 

"Echo Burning" is the fifth "Jack Reacher" book, a Texas-based whodunit that combines a lot of what the character does best with the intolerant attitudes he often has to face down as he guilelessly moves through life. It's formative Reacher, which makes it a decent place to start and get your bearings if you haven't yet read any of the books. It doesn't deserve to be at the top of the heap due to some narrative issues, but it's an absorbing and fascinating place to begin your Reacher reading journey.

In this novel, Jack Reacher is on the run from a mean sheriff when he hitchhikes his way into trouble. He's picked up by a woman named Carmen Greer, who explains that she, too, is dealing with a big problem — her ex-husband, memorably nicknamed Sloop, who physically abuses her on top of being a tax cheat, has just been released from prison. Carmen takes Reacher back to the family ranch, where he takes on work as a ranch hand and soon becomes a victim of the family's ugly politics. When Sloop dies, even more terrible secrets come tumbling out of his closet, revelations that force Reacher to seek justice for his victims and help protect Carmen.

A novel that's very Reacher-in-a-nutshell, "Echo Burning" is engrossing and dramatic. It's easy to fall in love with him here — and root for Carmen to make it out alive, too.

The eighteenth "Reacher" book to be published and the second to receive a movie adaptation, "Never Go Back" has Reacher deal with three problems simultaneously, which really helps the tension mount up. Set in Washington, DC, like many Reacher stories, it focuses on Jack's old Army days and the connections — and tumult — that remain in the wake of his service.

Reacher is headed for a meeting at the 110th MP Special Investigations Unit when he learns that the unit's commander has been removed. Reacher has been summoned to defend himself against two charges — that he was involved in a sixteen-year-old murder case and that he fathered a now-fourteen-year-old girl during his deployment in South Korea. Reinstated to the service, Jack has to clear himself twice over while working to find out why his unit's commander won't talk to him –  and why several members of his unit have suddenly disappeared.

There's a reason this was the second adaptation to come out of Hollywood — "Never Go Back" is fantastic due to how deeply it takes us into Jack's past and how thick the intrigue lies in the narrative. Genuinely interesting secondary characters and a truly twisty mystery combine to make this a fascinating story, even if it's not the best in the series.

It's hard to resist a Reacher book where he has to go completely outside of his own element to solve a case. Thus, this New York-based story that pits its central hero against a kidnapper with a mission provides something different that compels the reader to keep on following along. "The Hard Way" — the tenth novel released in the franchise — is such a fast-paced read that it's nigh impossible to put the book down.

Reacher has been hanging around a New York coffee shop for a number of days when he's picked up and taken to Edward Lane, a mercenary who's interested in what Jack knows about a possible car theft he may have witnessed while sipping his java. Once he learns about Reacher's background, Lane gives the former Army major another case to solve. His wife, her daughter, and their chauffeur were all kidnapped during a trip to Bloomingdale's, and Lane wants them back — well, at least his wife, Kate. He offers to pay Reacher $25,000 a month to get this done, but, naturally, his own less-than-clean deeds end up making Jack's life extremely complicated.

Out of all of the many Reacher books, this "The Hard Way" (one of the Reacher books Alan Ritchson wants the series to adapt) does the best job of getting you excited for Jack's next adventure even as you wonder how he'll ever survive this one.

"Jack versus the elements" is always a fun, reliable plot device in any "Reacher" book, but the fourteenth book in Lee Child's series, "61 Hours," does it best. Combining the insular, prejudiced claustrophobia of a small town with the genuine danger and chills of a snowstorm, it enthralls in a unique way and becomes an important part of the overall Reacher mythology.

As always, Reacher accidentally finds himself in the thick of things in the most innocent manner. While hitching a ride on a senior citizens tour bus in South Dakota, he finds himself in a snow-related crash. He helps lead the group of elderly folks to safety in a nearby town — and this is where trouble truly begins, because Bolton is home to a supermax prison and a meth-dealing biker gang. Whenever there's a riot at the prison, everyone has to rush to deal with it — which means the gang can take care of its nefarious business while the police are otherwise occupied. Only retired librarian Janet Salter has the courage to testify against the bikers' drug-dealing operation, but her life is imperiled every time the prison's siren sounds off, forcing Jack to go about dismantling the crime mecca while trying to keep her alive.

"61 Hours" piles conflict on Reacher from all sides, but the core of the franchise remains in place, with Reacher looking out for another downtrodden innocent while cleaning house in the name of kindness and decency. It's not the best the series has to offer, but it's high on the list.

The basis for Season 2 of Prime Video's "Reacher" and the eleventh book in the series, "Bad Luck and Trouble" deals with one of the wildest rides Jack Reacher ever experienced with his old army unit associates.

In "Bad Luck and Trouble," Reacher makes contact with several members of his old unit when Calvin Franz, one of their own, is violently murdered. Frances Neagley, one of eight elite members of Reacher's old team, deposits $1,030 into his account — a special SOS signal that only the lot of them would understand. Reacher reaches out to Frances, and they decide to regather their five other friends to solve Calvin's death. It seems he knew something that he shouldn't have thanks to his work for New Age, a defense contractor, and it all might come down to a group of missing squad members. Have they been killed, or do they hold the key to what happened to Calvin?

It's twisting, tensile, and unspools in a way that's truly jaw-dropping. It's also the best book that reckons with everything he did while serving. If you only want to read one Reacher book that deals with his storied military past, make it this one.

While this one's a sequel to "61 Hours," "Worth Dying For" is actually a much more urgent read than its predecessor. The fifteenth book in the series pits Reacher against another small-town oligarchy that hates him, so he goes pedal to the metal to defend the abused. You can actually read these two books in reverse order because "Worth Dying For" does a decent job of explaining why Jack Reacher is invested in meeting up with Major Susan Turner in "61 Hours."

On the way to conclude his government business, Reacher spends the night in a Nebraska motel. He overhears a conversation between an abused wife, Eleanor Duncan, and the house doctor. No one wants to get involved in the Duncan family's business because they notoriously rule this part of Nebraska with an iron fist, shaking down the local farms for cash and even hiring football players to push their agenda. It's an injustice that Reacher's not about to let stand, and so, into the breach he goes — to both protect Eleanor and go scorched earth on the Duncan clan.

Much sharper than its predecessor, thus earning a higher spot on the list, it's ultimately another classic Reacher story where the safety of a woman and the abusive nature of a posse of bad guys drive the action. His job as defendant protector of the downtrodden is placed at the forefront of the story, making it one of the most important installments in the book series.

The Jack Reacher series is utterly steeped in military stories, and "Tripwire" is no exception to that rule. But among the many tales that take a look at the hero's life in fatigues, the third book released provides the most trenchant character work. Here, it's a Vietnam veteran who becomes the center of the action, as his duplicity is slowly unveiled and his secrets exposed.

Reacher's working one of his two part-time jobs –  bouncing at a strip club, not digging out pools — when a private investigator who recently approached him is found dead on the sidewalk outside. Said P.I., Costello, has another case on his docket involving an MIA Vietnam vet who disappeared when his helicopter went down on a mission. It turns out that it was Reacher's mentor, General Leon Garber, who put Costello on the case. Even more intriguing, Garber has recently died himself. Reacher teams up with Jodie Garber-Jacob, Leon's lawyer daughter, to find out more about the man her father was investigating. The true identity of Victor Truman "Hook" Hobie remains obscured, and Reacher only knows that Hobie has a secret he would kill to protect — and may have already done so.

This novel is Reacher at his jack-of-all-trades best, showing how far he'll go if he needs to protect someone who deserves to be shielded. Tip-top in every respect, it's a rock-solid thriller with so many twists you'll feel like you're on a roller coaster.

"One Shot" is the Reacher novel that ended up being turned into the very first "Jack Reacher" film — even though it's the ninth novel in the series. When a mass shooting in Indiana points to a former military sniper, Jack Barr calls on his old friend Reacher to get him out of this gigantic pickle. Unfortunately for Barr, Reacher thinks he did it. Why? Because Barr participated in a similar shooting when they were both deployed to Kuwait. The only person who believes Barr didn't do it is his sister, Rosemary, but the more time Reacher spends around Barr, the more it appears that he didn't actually commit the crime.

For sheer impact and breadth of scope, "One Shot" belongs on this list, as it's a slam-bang action feat that leaves you in awe of what Lee Child hopes to accomplish with the franchise as a whole. The way it explores how random violence can shape others is outstanding, especially when that so-called randomness proves to actually be calculated, a horrifying fact that's slowly revealed, layer by layer. When Reacher realizes the truth, another important franchise theme — that guilt ought not be presumed but must be proven — also reaches fruition in this book.

The very first "Jack Reacher" novel almost takes the top slot on our list, but it's held back to the second slot by a few plotting issues. Despite that, the way Reacher is introduced and the beauty of the way Lee Child explains his motive and mien make this a vital read.

"Killing Floor" jumps right into the action, with Reacher being arrested for a murder he didn't commit seconds after arriving in a new town. Presumed guilty, he and former banker Paul Hubble are sent to jail together after Hubble confesses to being an accessory to the crime. Reacher soon becomes protective of his new acquaintance, but when they're transferred to a state penitentiary, they're separated, and Reacher starts to believe that they've been set up to take this particularly ugly ride. Digging deeper into the case teaches him more and more about things he's not meant to know, making him realize that even the most innocent-looking person in the world may be hiding a whole lot of secrets under their bed.

If you want to get into the character's mindset and know why he's chosen a life on the road doling out justice in drips and drabs to the needy, it's an important and worthy book that ought to be read and enjoyed by any blooming Reacher fan.

Here it is. Book seven, the one that Season 3 of "Reacher" is based on, is the very best Jack Reacher novel out there. Astonishingly twisted and twisted up, "Persuader" is a needle-sharp romp involving danger, revenge, and complex morality featuring Jack as a double agent working directly with authorities as a plant while simultaneously taking up the little guy's cause. That's enough to put it on top of the heap for sheer novelty's sake, but it's much richer and deeper than that, layering coincidences and accidents to create a unique, top-flight affair.

Reacher is working with the DEA to take on Zachary Beck, who stands accused of smuggling drugs. When Beck's son is kidnapped as part of a plot to get him to confess, he turns to Reacher for help. Beck's situation soon becomes complicated, and Reacher is bound and determined to stay undercover both to stop the DEA's attack on Beck and track down a guy who used to be a huge part of his own past – Francis Xavier Quinn, an intelligence officer. Reacher has vowed to kill Quinn — and will fight to the death to do so. Sharp, action-packed, and tense, the book ends up keeping readers flipping the pages — and that's what makes it the apex of the "Reacher" universe.