The Recurring Cast
Character guide · 31 books · 1997 to 2026

Lee Child

Thriller and suspenseAction and adventure

Jack Reacher drifts across America with a toothbrush and no fixed address, and trouble finds him in every town. Each book stands alone, but a handful of people from his army years and his family come back.

Best estimate, compiled from series guides, publisher descriptions and reviews where available, and from memory otherwise. Book level only, not chapter level. Minor includes cameos and brief references. Each book carries a confidence rating in its tooltip. From The Sentinel (2020) the books are written with Andrew Child. Short stories and novellas are left out.

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Who appears in which book

Click a name to follow that character from book to book, or a book title to see its cast.

LLeadMMajor·MinorHas a note
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Lee Child books in order

Each series in publication order, with its lead characters. Where the story runs in a different order, switch to Story order. Crossover books are marked and listed under their main series. Use My books to track what you have read.

Jack Reacher

31 books · story order differsAction and adventure
  1. 1Killing Floor1997With Jack Reacher · Set in the fictional Margrave, GeorgiaBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Die Trying1998With Jack Reacher · Set in MontanaBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Tripwire1999With Jack Reacher · Set in New YorkBuy on Amazon
  4. 4Running Blind2000With Jack Reacher · Set in various placesBuy on Amazon
  5. 5Echo Burning2001With Jack Reacher · Set in TexasBuy on Amazon
  6. 6Without Fail2002With Jack Reacher · Set in Washington, D.C.Buy on Amazon
  7. 7Persuader2003With Jack Reacher · Set in the Maine coastBuy on Amazon
  8. 8The Enemy2004With Jack Reacher · Set in North CarolinaBuy on Amazon
  9. 9One Shot2005With Jack Reacher · Set in IndianaBuy on Amazon
  10. 10The Hard Way2006With Jack Reacher · Set in New YorkBuy on Amazon
  11. 11Bad Luck and Trouble2007With Jack Reacher · Set in Los AngelesBuy on Amazon
  12. 12Nothing to Lose2008With Jack Reacher · Set in the fictional Hope, ColoradoBuy on Amazon
  13. 13Gone Tomorrow2009With Jack Reacher · Set in New YorkBuy on Amazon
  14. 1461 Hours2010With Jack Reacher · Set in the fictional Bolton, South DakotaBuy on Amazon
  15. 15Worth Dying For2010With Jack Reacher · Set in NebraskaBuy on Amazon
  16. 16The Affair2011With Jack Reacher · Set in the fictional Carter Crossing, MississippiBuy on Amazon
  17. 17A Wanted Man2012With Jack Reacher · Set in NebraskaBuy on Amazon
  18. 18Never Go Back2013With Jack Reacher · Set in Washington, D.C.Buy on Amazon
  19. 19Personal2014With Jack Reacher · Set in LondonBuy on Amazon
  20. 20Make Me2015With Jack Reacher · Set in the fictional Mother's Rest, MissouriBuy on Amazon
  21. 21Night School2016With Jack Reacher · Set in HamburgBuy on Amazon
  22. 22The Midnight Line2017With Jack Reacher · Set in WyomingBuy on Amazon
  23. 23Past Tense2018With Jack Reacher · Set in New HampshireBuy on Amazon
  24. 24Blue Moon2019With Jack Reacher · Set in an unnamed American cityBuy on Amazon
  25. 25The Sentinel2020With Jack Reacher · Set in TennesseeBuy on Amazon
  26. 26Better Off Dead2021With Jack Reacher · Set in ArizonaBuy on Amazon
  27. 27No Plan B2022With Jack Reacher · Set in ColoradoBuy on Amazon
  28. 28The Secret2023With Jack Reacher · Set in various placesBuy on Amazon
  29. 29In Too Deep2024With Jack Reacher · Set in various placesBuy on Amazon
  30. 30Exit Strategy2025With Jack Reacher · Set in various placesBuy on Amazon
  31. 31Chain Reaction2026With Jack Reacher · Set in various placesBuy on Amazon

Characters

17 recurring and key characters, with the book each one first appears in.

Reacher and his family

Army friends

Allies and adversaries