Maintaining Reacher: villain and hook

Andrew explains crafting fresh hooks, avoiding villain inflation, and making antagonists personally obnoxious to motivate Reacher.

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The Jack Carr Book Club November 2025 Selection: EXIT STRATEGY by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child & Andrew Child.

Jack Reacher will make three stops today. Not all of them were planned.

In EXIT STRATEGY, the blockbuster new Jack Reacher thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child, Reacher once again finds himself in the crosshairs of a mystery that only he can unravel. A suspicious brush in a Baltimore coffee shop. A forgotten coat in a store. And a handwritten note tucked into his pocket—a desperate plea for help that sets him on a collision course with danger, deception, and “the best villain yet” (USA Today).

Lee Child is the author of twenty-five New York Times bestselling Jack Reacher novels, with sixteen reaching the #1 position, along with the #1 bestselling short story collection No Middle Name.

Andrew Child, who also writes as Andrew Grant, is the author of RUN, FALSE POSITIVE, FALSE FRIEND, FALSE WITNESS, INVISIBLE, and TOO CLOSE TO HOME.

This month’s conversation explores the evolution of Jack Reacher, the craft behind maintaining one of the world’s most iconic heroes, and how Lee and Andrew continue to push the Reacher universe forward with fresh energy and a deep respect for the character’s legacy. We dig into their collaborative process, the precision behind Reacher’s moral compass, and what readers can expect as the series continues to evolve.

FOLLOW LEE

Instagram - @jackreacherbooks

Facebook - @JackReacherOfficial

X - @LeeChildReacher

Website - https://www.jackreacher.com/us/

FOLLOW ANDREW

Facebook - @andrewgrantauthor

X - @andrew_grant

Website - https://andrewgrantbooks.com/

FOLLOW JACK

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X - @JackCarrUSA