Jack Reacher Stories by Lee Child

Just finished listening to the 15th Jack Reacher story "Worth Dying For" by author Lee Child as read by Dick Hill on Audio book on my much loved iPod. I read the actual novel about a month ago, as I did with the 14 books before this one. Read it then listen to it. Lee Child has created the best Hero of all time in Jack Reacher. If you like good reading get amongst it. Read "Killing Floor" first then work your way through the next 14 books, or if your lazy get hold of the audio books. I'm assuring you, you will not be disappointed. And visit Lee on his web page.

http://www.leechild.com/

I had the privilege of meeting Lee Child when he visited Melbourne a few months back and had him sign the 14th book "61 Hours" I enjoy these stories so much that I have listened to the first 13 books 3 times each. I know, crazy, and in Lee Childs words when I met him, I must be a glutton for punishment. No Lee just love a great story and a great story is worth listening to again and again and again.

JACK REACHER

Name: Jack Reacher (no middle name)
Born: October 29th
Measurements: 6'5", 220-250 lbs., 50" chest
Hair: Dirty-blond
Eyes: Ice blue
Clothing: 3XLT coat, 95 cm. pants' inseam

Reacher left home at 18, graduated from West Point. Performed 13 years of Army service, demoted from Major to Captain in 1990, mustered out with the rank of Major in 1997.

"I was born in Berlin. Never even saw the States until I was nine years old. Five minutes later we were in the Philippines. Round and round the world we went. Longest I was ever anywhere was four years at West Point. Then I joined up and it started all over again. Round and round the world."

"Where's your family now?" she asked.

"Dead," he said. "The old man died, what? Ten years ago, I guess. My mother died two years later. I buried the Silver Star with her. She won it for me, really. Do what you're supposed to do, she used to tell me. About a million times a day, in a thick French accent."

"Brothers and sisters?" she said.

"I had a brother," he said. "He died last year. I'm the last Reacher on earth, far as I know."

"When did you muster out?" she said.

"April last year," he said. "Fourteen months ago."

"Why?" she asked.

Reacher shrugged.

"Just lost interest, I guess," he said. "The defense cuts were happening. Made the Army seem unnecessary, somehow. Like if they didn't need the biggest and the best, they didn't need me. Didn't want to be part of something small and second-rate. So I left. Arrogant, or what?"

In TRIPWIRE, Jodie (Jodie Garber, see below) noted "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." Reacher has a scar on his arm where his brother struck him with a retaliatory chisel (see below, Brother: Joe).

Born on an Army base in Germany. His father chose his name; it read "Jack-none-Reacher" on the birth certificate faxed to the Berlin Embassy. They called his brother Joe, but nobody ever called Jack by his first name. How it came about, no one knows but Jack was always called Reacher.

As kids, Jack and his brother moved so much that spending a full school year in any one place felt weird. "Our friends just kept disappearing. Some unit would be shipped out somewhere and a bunch of kids would be gone. Sometimes we saw them again in a different place. Plenty of them we never saw again. Nobody ever said hello or goodbye. You were just either there or not there."