Lee Child discusses Reacher’s success ahead of Iceland visit
Sunday 8th November 2026 on 22:31 in
Iceland
Author Lee Child says he never expected the Jack Reacher books to become a global hit. In an interview with mbl.is, he discussed creating the character and said he was looking forward to visiting Iceland next week for Iceland Noir.
Child, who was born in England, now lives there after nearly three decades in the United States. He is best known for his novels about Reacher, a former military police officer who travels around the US and solves complicated crimes using force.
The first Reacher novel, Killing Floor, was published in 1997 and won an award for best crime fiction debut. The series now has 31 books, including the latest, Chain Reaction, published this autumn. Child’s younger brother Andrew has co-written the books for the past six years.
Child’s books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide and been translated into numerous languages. They have also inspired films starring Tom Cruise and the television series Reacher.
Asked whether he had imagined fame and screen adaptations when he began the first book, Child said he had hoped the series would be successful, but had not expected its popularity. He joked that his dream had been to write one book and never have to work again. More realistically, he thought he might make a living from writing for a few years.
Child said Reacher reflects him to some extent, perhaps as a better version of himself, but also draws on the fiction he enjoyed reading. He described the character as part of a long tradition of the unexpected traveller: a mysterious stranger who arrives, does good and solves problems. The tradition, he said, has roots in medieval European stories, Norse sagas and Greek mythology.
Child said he was especially looking forward to meeting Icelandic crime writers and fans on his first trip to Iceland. “Some people want to be helped, and others want to be the ones who help. So it fulfils everyone’s wishes,” he said.
Andrew Child began writing with his brother in 2020 and has now taken over most of the work. Lee Child said Andrew writes all the lines, but the stories take shape through discussion, including decisions about which characters and villains they find interesting.