Reacher: The Stories Behind the Stories by Lee Child

 

Reacher: The Stories Behind the Stories by Lee Child

Reviewed by Jeanne

Back a few years ago, Otto Penzler managed to talk his friend Lee Child into allowing Penzler to publish special limited editions of the Reacher books.  As an added attraction, Child would write a preface to each book, describing a bit about how it came to be written. Fortunately for Reacher fans without deep pockets, these prefaces have now been gathered into a single volume so that those without the good fortune (or deep pockets) can read them as well.

To be honest, I think I expected it to be a collection of real life true crime incidents that shaped the narratives, an adrenaline-fueled, action packed adventure. Instead, it’s more a thoughtful, insightful, and sometimes gently humorous collection about how Child came to write each book.

The impetus for writing the first Reacher novel was Child’s impending unemployment; it was as good a time as any to investigate a new income stream.  The first book sold, but with much re-writing; and a second book was under contract. The books sold, but weren’t topping the charts.  Fortunately, the mystery community (including Otto Penzler) championed those early books or else the series might have faded into obscurity.  They generated enough interest for the publisher to contract for two more books, and the rest is history.

This book is not just a peek into Child’s personal life and his mindset as he wrote each book; in many ways it’s a look back at a world that no longer exists.  He wrote the first Reacher novel out in longhand, later borrowing his daughter’s computer to type it up. Child didn’t have an email address, a cell phone, or a fax machine.  Manuscripts were delivered by courier. Word of mouth was critical to a book’s success, back in the days before Facebook or TikTok.

There are some interesting insights along the way, such as the fact that Child did not (and still doesn’t) like the title The Killing Floor for the first novel.  It wasn’t until his fifth book, Echo Burning, that Child was able to use a title he chose. That was also the first book he wrote entirely while living in the U.S.

For me, these short, informative, and entertaining introductions have a lot of charm. Child comes across as a guy-next-door sort, never bragging, but always looking for the next tale to tell.

At this point, I should probably admit that I have never read a Reacher novel and yet I thoroughly enjoyed all the insights and stories.  I can only imagine how much a real fan will react.

And by the way—there’s a brand new Reacher story included, “A Better Place.”