History Literature / JackReacher

** Lampshaded in the first novel ''Killing Floor' where Reacher reflects on how the scene would play out in a book or a movie as he contemplates taking down the bad guy, and how direct confrontation isn;t actually pratical. Of course, he then proceeds to have a fist-fight with the guy.

** [[spoiler: while it's a stretch to call her a love interest, Reacher is attracted to special Agent Sorrenson in ''A wanted Man''. However, she gets shot to death as well. Reacher was already planning to storm the enemy's stronghold before her death, but its safe to say his subsequent massacre of the baddies is something of a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.]]

** In ''A Wanted Man'' Reacher teams up with Special Agent Sorenson and [[spoiler: Special Agent Karen Delfuenso]]. He likes and admires them both and feels at least fleetingly attracted to Sorenson. [[Spoiler: But the prospect of getting involved with either of them never comes up - as it were - [[spoiler: and then Sorenson is killed in any case.]]

** In ''A Wanted Man'' Reacher teams up with Special Agent Sorenson and [[spoiler: Special Agent Karen Delfuenso]]. He likes and admires them both and feels at least fleetingly attracted to Sorenson. [[Spoiler: But the prospect of getting involved with either of them never comes up - as it were - and Sorenson is killed in any case.]]

** In the ''Jack Reacher'' movie, [[spoiler Jack does NOT sleep with the GirlOfTheWeek, although there was a scene early on where she thought he was going to try.]]

* [[WhyWereBummedCommunismFell Why We're Bummed Communism Fell]]: The collapse of the Berlin Wall is a major plot point in ''The Enemy''. The cutbacks that followed in subsequent years are the implied reason Reacher left.

Received a film adaptation based on the novel ''One Shot'' titled ''Film/JackReacher'', which was directed and written by Christopher [=McQuarrie=], starring TomCruise in the lead role with Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, Robert Duvall and WernerHerzog also starring.

* CombatPragmatist: Reacher, most prominently. [[EyeScream Eye gouging]], throat slitting, GroinAttack, etc anything to kill his enemies quickly.
* ContrivedCoincidence: In ''The Killing Floor'', Reacher just happens to wander into the town [[spoiler: his brother was very recently murdered in]].

** [[spoiler: At least she makes it out of the novel alive, unlike Secret Service agent/love interest M.E. Froelich in ''Without Fail'', who not only takes a bullet protecting the Vice-President-elect but expires in Reacher's arms afterwards.]]

** In the ''Jack Reacher'' movie, [[spoiler: Jack does NOT sleep with the GirlOfTheWeek, although there was a scene early on where she thought he was going to try.]]

* HandicappedBadass: Holly Johnson in the second novel Die Trying. Having to rely on crutches to walk around doesn't stop her from [[spoiler: escaping her holding cell and killing at least three guerilla fighters armed with guns.]]

* KnightErrant: Jack Reacher is a great contemporary example. He roams the countryside (a good part of the US), saves damsels in distress (when he's not sleeping with them) and gives villains no quarter.

* OrgyOfEvidence: In ''One Shot'', this is what the case against James Barr becomes. However, what makes Reacher suspicious is not the amount of evidence, but [[spoiler: that the investigative team thought to look for a clue that they had no reason to believe existed.]]

** Subverted - the actual reason is given in ''61 Hours''; [[spoiler: Reacher built up a case against a general who had been selling food supplies that should have gone to his troops in the Gulf. The general laughed at him and got his skull broken complete with a six month coma. Only the strength of the case saved Reacher from outright discharge, but his commanding days were over.]]

Received a film adaptation based on the novel ''One Shot'' titled ''Jack Reacher'', which was directed and written by Christopher [=McQuarrie=], starring TomCruise in the lead role with Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, Robert Duvall and WernerHerzog also starring.

* BattleInTheRain: The final battle of the movie takes place in the middle of the rain.

* TheCameo: The film adaptation of ''One Shot'' has Lee Child appear as a desk sergeant in one scene.

* OhCrap: In the film, the look on [[spoiler:the Zec]]'s face when [[spoiler:the man who would do anything to survive realises he's just talked himself into a death sentence.]]

* {{Silence is Golden}}: Multiple sections of the film of ''One Shot'' are conducted with no dialogue whatsoever, such as the car chase and the BattleInTheRain near the end of the movie.
* SociopathicSoldier: In the film adaptation of ''One Shot'', Jack lists four different types of soldiers that he knew from experience -- {{Military Brat}}s who followed their parents into the military, [[MyCountryRightOrWrong patriots]], [[JoinTheArmyTheySaid people looking for work]], and these types, people who join so that they can kill without repercussions. [[spoiler: James Barr was this type, having eventually snapped and gone on a shooting rampage in Baghdad just so that he could feed his urge to kill; the only reason he got away with it was because, unbeknownst to him, [[KickTheSonOfABitch his victims]] [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil all had it coming]], and the PMC that they worked for didn't pursue justice because they knew that the victims' crimes would be exposed if they did so.]]

* BadAss: Reacher is BadAss Incarnate

* Anticlimax: In almost every book. Child spends a couple of hundred pages having the villain of the day do some truly horrendous things, so that only the most CruelAndUnusualDeath will satisfy the reader. When Reacher finally catches up with him, though, the villain's death inevitably takes less than a sentence, and usually occurs by BoomHeadshot. Most times, the villains don't even see it coming. Likely intentional, to illustrate Reacher's ruthless efficiency.

* AnticlimaxBoss: In almost every book. Child spends a couple of hundred pages having the villain of the day do some truly horrendous things, so that only the most CruelAndUnusualDeath will satisfy the reader. When Reacher finally catches up with him, though, the villain's death inevitably takes less than a sentence, and usually occurs by BoomHeadshot. Most times, the villains don't even see it coming.

* AnticlimaxBoss: In almost every book. Child spends a couple of hundred pages having the villain of the day do some truly horrendous things, so that only the most CruelAndUnusualDeath will satisfy the reader. When Reacher finally catches up with him, though, the villain's death inevitably takes less than a sentence, and usually occurs by BoomHeadshot. Most times, the villains don't even see it coming. Likely intentional, to illustrate Reacher's clinical efficiency.

* DramaticGunCock: Deconstructed in ''The Affair," when Reacher debates the advantage gained from the intimidation factor of cocking his shot gun versus the advantage lost by having one fewer shell in the gun if it comes to a shoot out.

** BadassAdorable: In 61 Hours, it is revealed that decades ago, the US Army ran an experiment on Army brats to try to identify children who did not have a typical fear response. A monster movie was screened on military bases with a secret camera hooked up to capture the children in the audience precisely 18 frames after the monster makes its first appearance. The only one they captured without a fear response? 6-year old Reacher. Lunging TOWARDS the screen. With a switchblade. Which he managed to deploy in 3/4 of a second.