Jack Reacher reading order

A plan for the whole series

29 volumes, 12,837 pages, about 235 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 10 months.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 29, “In Too Deep” (by 27%).
• Readers scored volume 12, “Nothing to Lose”, below its predecessor (7.5 after 7.9). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you. From volume 13 the form returns.
• The series is still running; the last volume came out in 2024. You will wait for the next one anyway, so no need to rush.

Stages

15 stages, with 14 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around November 3, 2027, about 8 weeks later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 117 habout 3 weeksby November 21, 2026

   • 1. Killing Floor1997 · 520 pages · 10 h
   • 2. Die Trying1998 · 434 pages · 8 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 25, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 217 habout 3 weeksby December 18, 2026

   • 3. Tripwire1999 · 426 pages · 8 h
   • 4. Running Blind2000 · 496 pages · 9 h
4. Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 21, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 316 h21 daysby January 11, 2027

   • 5. Echo Burning2001 · 432 pages · 8 h
   • 6. Without Fail2002 · 416 pages · 8 h
6. Short breakOn Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century · Timothy Snyder · 128 pp. · score 8.42 h, by January 15, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 417 habout 3 weeksby February 7, 2027

   • 7. Persuader2003 · 465 pages · 9 h
   • 8. The Enemy2004 · 478 pages · 9 h
8. Short breakAnimal Farm · George Orwell · 128 pp. · score 8.32 h, by February 11, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
9. 5
   Stage 516 habout 3 weeksby March 5, 2027

   • 9. One Shot2005 · 436 pages · 8 h
   • 10. The Hard Way2006 · 448 pages · 8 h
10. Short breakTo Be Taught, If Fortunate · Becky Chambers · 153 pp. · score 8.33 h, by March 10, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
11. 6
    Stage 616 habout 3 weeksby March 31, 2027

    • 11. Bad Luck and Trouble2007 · 446 pages · 8 h
    • 12. Nothing to Lose2008 · 448 pages · 8 h
12. Short breakThe Importance of Being Earnest · Oscar Wilde · 102 pp. · score 8.22 h, by April 4, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
13. 7
    Stage 716 habout 3 weeksby April 26, 2027

    • 13. Gone Tomorrow2009 · 448 pages · 8 h
    • 14. 61 Hours2010 · 448 pages · 8 h
14. Short breakA Room of One's Own · Virginia Woolf · 144 pp. · score 8.23 h, by April 30, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
15. 8
    Stage 89 h11 daysby May 12, 2027

    • 15. Worth Dying For2010 · 464 pages · 9 h
16. Short breakThe Prophet · Kahlil Gibran · 116 pp. · score 8.22 h, by May 15, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
17. 9
    Stage 918 habout 3 weeksby June 9, 2027

    • 16. The Affair2011 · 544 pages · 10 h
    • 17. A Wanted Man2012 · 445 pages · 8 h
18. Short breakThe Screwtape letters · C. S. Lewis · 106 pp. · score 8.22 h, by June 12, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
19. 10
    Stage 1016 habout 3 weeksby July 4, 2027

    • 18. Never Go Back2013 · 448 pages · 8 h
    • 19. Personal2014 · 448 pages · 8 h
20. Short breakA Short Stay in Hell · Steven L. Peck · 80 pp. · score 8.21 h, by July 7, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
21. 11
    Stage 1117 habout 3 weeksby July 29, 2027

    • 20. Make Me2015 · 432 pages · 8 h
    • 21. Night School2016 · 472 pages · 9 h
22. Short breakThornhedge · Ursula Vernon · 122 pp. · score 8.22 h, by August 2, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
23. 12
    Stage 1216 habout 3 weeksby August 23, 2027

    • 22. The Midnight Line2017 · 448 pages · 8 h
    • 23. Past Tense2018 · 416 pages · 8 h
24. Short breakSmall Things Like These · Claire Keegan · 112 pp. · score 8.12 h, by August 27, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
25. 13
    Stage 1317 habout 3 weeksby September 18, 2027

    • 24. Blue Moon2019 · 480 pages · 9 h
    • 25. The Sentinel2020 · 424 pages · 8 h
26. Short breakNumber the Stars · Lois Lowry · 149 pp. · score 8.13 h, by September 23, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
27. 14
    Stage 1414 h18 daysby October 11, 2027

    • 26. Better off Dead2021 · 353 pages · 6 h
    • 27. No Plan B2022 · 384 pages · 7 h
28. Short breakRoadside Picnic · Arkady Strugatsky · 179 pp. · score 8.13 h, by October 16, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
29. 15
    Stage 1514 h18 daysby November 3, 2027

    • 28. The Secret2023 · 385 pages · 7 h
    • 29. In Too Deep2024 · 353 pages · 6 h
30. The end of the series

    November 3, 2027

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

Does the series hold up

Shape of the series: uneven. Scores jump by 0.6 points with no clear direction.

Best volume: One Shot (8.0, 322 ratings). Weakest: Better off Dead (7.3). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 28 and 29: 27%. The series is not finished; the last volume came out in 2024. The last volume (7.5) scores close to the series average or above it.