Read Lee Child's Jack Reacher Series This Summer

Author, Lee Child was born in 1954 in Coventry, England but grew up in the nearby city of Birmingham.  He attended law school and eventually had an 18 year career as the presentation director for British TV.  He was fired in 1995 and decided to try something new.  Child’s biography says he bought six dollars’ worth of paper and pencils, sat down, and wrote “Killing Floor”, the first novel in the Jack Reacher series.  The 16^th Jack Reacher installment, “The Affair”, will be available on September 27, 2011.

Jack Reacher is a former United States Army Military Police Major. He was born on a military base in Berlin on October 29, 1960. At age 24, he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. After graduation, he served 13 years as a Military Policeman, during which time he became part of a fictional military police unit, the 110th Special Investigations Unit, formed to handle exceptionally tough cases, especially those involving members of the United States Army Special Forces.

Since leaving the military, Reacher spends his time travelling.  He owns nothing.  The only things that he carries with him are money, a foldable toothbrush, and the clothes on his back.  One of his strict rules is – never leave a paper trail.  Rather than spend time at a laundromat he stops at a discount store every couple of days and buys something new.  There is a quick change of clothes in the dressing room and the old clothes go to the trash.   Nothing in this description describes a dependable person but what Jack Reacher does have is a very strong moral code.  If you are the underdog and you have been wronged by an evil person; Jack Reacher is the man you want at your back.

The Reacher character develops a little more in each book.  The reader eventually finds out what type of music he likes, his religious beliefs, bits and pieces of his years growing up, and why he doesn’t want the responsibility of ownership.  Jack is not adverse to using violence to solve problems and never shows any remorse for his actions.  He is great in any type of a fight and an excellent marksman.

The Reacher series is an excellent summer vacation choice.