What is the best Jack Reacher novel?

From gritty small-town mysteries to globe-trotting modern thrillers, this lineup spans nearly three decades of one drifter's relentless brand of justice. Which book comes out on top?

1

Killing Floor

The 1997 debut novel that introduces Reacher, framed for murder in a small Georgia town.

1000pts

2

One Shot

The 2005 novel in which Reacher probes a sniper shooting, later adapted into the first Jack Reacher film.

902pts

3

The Hard Way

The 2006 novel in which Reacher investigates a wealthy man's kidnapped wife and daughter in New York.

595pts

4

Personal

The 2014 novel in which Reacher is recruited to stop a sniper who once shot at the French president.

595pts

5

61 Hours

The 2010 novel in which Reacher is stranded in a South Dakota town facing a blizzard and a drug conspiracy.

534pts

6

Persuader

The 2003 novel in which Reacher goes undercover to infiltrate a drug-smuggling operation.

463pts

7

Die Trying

The 1998 second novel in which Reacher is kidnapped alongside an FBI agent by a militia group.

463pts

8

Never Go Back

The 2013 novel in which Reacher returns to his old Army unit and faces false accusations.

463pts

9

Running Blind

The 2000 novel in which Reacher is suspected in a string of murders of former servicewomen.

463pts

10

Bad Luck and Trouble

The 2007 novel reuniting Reacher with his old Army special investigations unit to solve a colleague's murder.

379pts

11

Without Fail

The 2002 novel in which Reacher is hired to test the Secret Service's protection of the Vice President.

379pts

12

The Affair

The 2011 prequel set in 1997 Mississippi, revealing the case that led Reacher to leave the Army.

379pts

13

The Midnight Line

The 2017 novel in which Reacher traces the owner of a pawned West Point class ring into the opioid crisis.

379pts

14

Blue Moon

The 2019 novel in which Reacher intervenes as two immigrant gangs battle for control of a Midwestern city.

379pts

15

Tripwire

The 1999 third novel in which Reacher investigates a private detective's murder tied to his own past.

278pts

16

Past Tense

The 2018 novel in which Reacher explores his father's hometown while a separate thriller plot unfolds nearby.

278pts

17

Gone Tomorrow

The 2009 novel in which Reacher investigates an apparent suicide on a New York City subway.

278pts

18

Make Me

The 2015 novel in which Reacher uncovers a dark conspiracy in a mysteriously named farm town.

278pts

19

Echo Burning

The 2001 novel in which Reacher helps a Texas ranch wife accused of plotting her husband's murder.

154pts

20

The Enemy

The 2004 prequel set in 1990, following Reacher as a young Army investigator amid the fall of the Berlin Wall.

154pts

21

Worth Dying For

The 2010 novel in which Reacher confronts a family that terrorizes a rural Nebraska community.

154pts

22

Night School

The 2016 prequel set in 1996, following Reacher on a covert assignment investigating a terror threat in Germany.

154pts