I love to read things in chronological order, but they were not written in that order and are intended to be fully stand-alone in any order (which they are). Lee Child (pen name of Jim Grant) says he believe one will appreciate the prequels better if one has already read the books in the order written. (I tend to disagree, but then I did not read the first several in any particular order, which I found frustrating.)
The Jack
Reacher novels:
- #1 Killing Floor (1997) [1998 Barry Award] and [Anthony Award for Best First Novel]
- #2 Die Trying (1998)
- #3 Tripwire (1999)
- #4 Running Blind: US title/The Visitor: UK title (2000)
- #5 Echo Burning (2001)
- #6 Without Fail (2002)
- #7 Persuader (2003)
- #8 The Enemy (2004) Prequel set eight years before Killing Floor when he was still in the military.
- #9 One Shot (2005)
- #10 The Hard Way (2006)
- #11 Bad Luck and Trouble (2007)
- #12 Nothing to Lose (2008)
- #13 Gone Tomorrow (2009)
- #14 61 Hours (Spring 2010)
- #15 Worth Dying For (Fall 2010)
- #16 The Affair (Fall 2011) This is another prequel.
- #17 A Wanted Man (Sept 2012)
Short story
anthologies:
___
Fresh Blood 3 (1999) Lee's story,
"James Penney's New Identity", features a
pre-Killing Floor Jack Reacher.
___
Like a Charm (2004) Serialized novel;
Lee wrote Chapter Six: "The Snake Eater
by the
Numbers".
___
The Cocaine Chronicles (2005) Lee's
story: "Ten Keys".
___
Greatest Hits (2005) Lee's story:
"The Greatest Trick of All".
___
Thriller (2006) Contains an edited
version of "James Penney's New Identity"
originally
published in Fresh Blood 3.
___
MWA Presents Death Do Us Part (2006)
Lee's story: "Enough".
___
Bloodlines: A Horse Racing Anthology
(2006) Lee's story: "The .50 Solution".
___
The Best British Mysteries IV (2007)
Lee's story: "The Greatest Trick of All".
___
The Chopin Manuscript (2007) Audio
serialized novel; Lee wrote Chapter 15.
___
Killer Year: Stories to Die For
(2008) Lee edited but did not contribute a story.
___
Guy Walks Into a Bar (June 7, 2009)
published in The New York Times.
___
Phoenix Noir (2009) Lee's story:
"Public Transportation".
___
The Copper Bracelet (2009) Audio
serialized novel; Lee wrote one chapter.
___
The Line Up (2010) Lee gives the
inside story on Reacher and his origins.
___
Watchlist (2010) Print edition of
previously audio-only serialized novels
The Chopin Manuscript (2007) and The Copper Bracelet (2009).
___
The Dark End of the Street (2010)
Lee's story: "Me and Mr. Rafferty".
___
Agents of Treachery (2010) Lee's
story: "Section 7 (a) (Operational)".
___
First Thrills (2010) Lee edited but
did not contribute a story.
___
The Best American Mystery Stories 2010
(Sept) Lee edited only.
