With Reacher: Season 2 wrapped up, the focus shifts to Reacher: Season 3, already in progress per series star Alan Ritchson. With 28 Jack Reacher books available, showrunner Nick Santora has ample material. The question is, which of Lee Child’s intricate stories will he choose to adapt? Here are some recommendations.
Without Fail (Book 6)
So far, Reacher has adapted The Killing Floor (Book 1) and Bad Luck and Trouble (Book 11) for its first two seasons, introducing recurring characters such as Frances Neagley (Maria Sten) and Oscar Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin). It stands to reason that the series would want to continue this trend. While Neagley could feasibly fit within any storyline, utilizing a story already featuring her character might be easier. That narrows the list down to Without Fail (Book 6), The Enemy (Book 8), One Shot (Book 9), Nothing to Lose (Book 12), and 61 Hours (Book 14).
Considering Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie already adapted One Shot, I would suggest Without Fail as the next best storyline. Here, the Secret Service seeks Reacher’s assistance in locating and apprehending assassins who threaten the Vice President-Elect, leading to an action-packed narrative with plenty of brutal violence and political intrigue. Larger in scope than many of Child’s stories, Without Fail would certainly expand Reacher’s TV universe and allow Santora to inch the character ever closer to 24’s Jack Bauer — something he seems keen to do.
Die Trying (Book 2)
Another cool Reacher novel is Nothing to Lose, which finds our muscle-packing detective accidentally whisked away to a Colorado town with a mysterious woman. As it turns out, this small town seeks to break from the United States and has assembled a massive armada to do so. A brisk read, Nothing to Lose contains an abundance of gnarly baddies, a few wicked set pieces, and a climactic third act just begging for the big screen treatment. Also, the plot feels oddly relevant, considering the political unrest brewing across America.
Echo Burning (Book 5)
Personally, I prefer Reacher as a lone wolf who travels from town to town helping ordinary people instead of being an occasional government assassin-for-hire. Echo Burning falls into the former camp and sees our hero venturing across Texas, where he stumbles upon a young woman trying to rid herself of her terrifying husband. Classic Reacher, this small-scale storyline is chock-full of memorable moments and doesn’t so much expand the character’s lore so much as solidify his purpose as a nomadic savior. The rural setting offers intriguing visuals, while the timely narrative surrounding immigration would give the franchise a little more heft.
Gone Tomorrow (Book 13)
Another political thriller, Gone Tomorrow once again finds Reacher entangled in a conspiracy after witnessing a mysterious woman commit suicide. Driven by guilt, Reacher aims to discover what drove the woman to kill herself, leading to a fast-paced story involving terrorists, corrupt politicians, and a few brutal knife fights. There isn’t exactly a ticking bomb at the center of this narrative, but the core mystery would unwind nicely through eight episodes, and the emotional stakes are strong enough to keep audiences invested in the outcome.
Tripwire (Book 3)
Another early Reacher story, Tripwire sees our boy “in the best shape of his life” digging pools and bouncing at a strip club in Key West. The death of a former pal drags him into another mystery surrounding a deceased helicopter pilot and a dangerous villain with a hook for a hand. Dark, violent, and awesome, Tripwire starts as a slow-burn mystery and builds toward an intense finale that sees Reacher take on some truly vile henchmen all by himself. He also engages in a fling with Jodie Garber-Jacob, a character who pops up in a few other novels, in case the TV series wants to further expand this thrilling universe.
