As you know, Lee Child is one of my favorite authors. Thanks for the insight into his history.

Also one of mine. And I have to believe that Jack Reacher is my all time favorite fictional character.

For someone with no experience writing, he sure has done a damn fine job of it!!

I miss going to my favorite used book store! Starting to run out of books.

Thanks for that wonderfully descriptive background Elmer. I haven't read any of the Jack Reacher series and I've unfairly let my lack of appreciation of Tom Cruise influence me. I watched the first Reacher film and never finished it. But that beginning to his first book intrigues me.

Maire

I’ve been a Lee Child and Jack Reacher fan since I bought a signed first edition of Killing Floor in May 1997. I’ve read all the series and still like them.

I went back and found two interviews I liked:

The first, a 45 minute Lee Child interview conducted by Stephen King (yes, that one)

The second, at the National Writiers something or other in Traverse City MI. A bit more than 90 minutes but something real fans of his will enjoy. His wit and charm are more on display than the first one.

I enjoy the Jack Reacher novels as well. I can't stand Tom Cruise but did start watching one of the movies but turned it off after about 2 minutes. Tom Cruise is not how I envision Jack Reacher looking.

I recall a couple of things that Child has said about the casting of Cruise as Reacher.

First, what author wouldn't be thrilled to have an actor as accomplished and acclaimed as Cruise to portray his character on the big screen, and

Second, he was well paid for the use of his intellectual property for film depiction only. The main Reacher character was created for books and Child's entire body of work remains available in books as he wrote them with no changes. Reacher's true appearance exists in different forms in the mind of each reader anyway. So, height aside, no actor could look like the Reacher each and every reader imagines he would be. They're all different.

I haven't read any of his books but I'll look for them now!!

marylmi, with any series, I recommend reading them in order. With Child, try a few and see what you think. His stuff is widely available in ebook formats (like Overdrive) from public libraries if that's something you like. I myself like audio books and one reader in particular who has done many (all?, not sure) is terrific, Dick Hill.

I love Child's novels with Reacher as his main character and have read them all. Once I've read a book, I've never been interested in seeing a movie based on it - as Elmer said "exists in different forms in the mind of each reader".

I also adore Reacher which is astonishing to me since I read nothing else in that genre. I've spent some time thinking about why I like the books so much and Reacher as a character. I think much of it has to do with the fact that Reacher really, really likes women. Not that he likes to make love to them, but that he truly likes them as people, and the women are always bright, self confident women and sometimes difficult ones. I think this is so rare in fiction--especially in that type of "easy" fiction.

While I wouldn't say Reacher is my favorite character in fiction, he's certainly my favorite in series fiction.

But Tom Cruise as Reacher? Simply ridiculous. Reacher to me is exactly as he's described by Child--huge, rangy, with a beat up face and hands like catcher's mitts.

Never in a month of Sundays would I have picked up such a book. I am sold, Elmer. The first two books in the series are on their way to me. Thank you for the introduction.

I enjoy the Jack Reacher books too. Child holds the reader's interest from the first page. I cannot imagine Tom Cruise as Reacher-- tall, large, impressive presence when it calls for it, overwhelming strength.

When looking to fill out a series, I get used books on Amazon. Many come from Salvation Army/Goodwill stores that sell books online.

The first Reacher movie with Tom Cruise wasn't bad except for Cruise. My ideal Reacher is Liev Schreiber.

LOVE the Jack Reacher series. Tom Cruise did a great job in the movies but I agree that he wasn't the best actor to be cast in the role considering that Jack is described as a very tall, giant guy with huge hands and feet in the novels.

And blond with blue eyes :-) Tom Cruise couldn't be farther from the literary description of Jack Reacher if he tried!!

Correction to first post. Jim Grant (Lee Child) didn't work at ITV, it was Granada TV.

Green eyes, if I recall. I stand corrected. Trying to remember which mystery character had green eyes. Hmmmm

Really coincidental, I just put down a book I am reading, edited by Lee Child : Matchup. It's a collection of co-written stories by mystery writers. The one I just finished is" Faking a Murderer" by Kathy Reich and Lee Child. The Lee Child character is Reacher.

From TRIPWIRE, as described by Jody Garber: “His lazy lopsided grin. His tousled hair. His arms, so long they gave him a greyhound’s grace even though he was built like the side of a house. His eyes, cold icy blue like the Arctic. His hands, giant battered mitts that bunched into fists the size of footballs.”

Terrific, gg. Those words are verbatim from the book, written by Child as narrative, the silent thoughts of someone who knew Reacher. Child doesn't always use such colorful similes/metaphors (I have trouble remembering which is which) but the words are as sparse yet vivid as could be.