Books with heroes like Jack Reacher
If you’re a Jack Reacher fan, you’re going to love the heroes of these action-packed crime thrillers.
Jack Reacher, the hero of Lee Child’s bestselling Jack Reacher crime thrillers, has a lot of qualities that make for good reading: he’s tough and smart with a knack for solving complicated problems; he does things his own way; he refuses to adhere to the rule of law, especially when he doesn’t think it’ll get the job done; and he’s willing to do just about anything in the name of justice. Reacher is a man who lives by his own code of (sometimes questionable) ethics. This is what makes reading about him such a good time. With Reacher, there’s never a dull moment.
If you’re a fan of Reacher, and have already read all of Lee Child’s books, don’t fret! There are a lot more action heroes like Reacher, all with their own quirks and specific ways of thinking. These books, many of which are the first in a series, are a good place to start. These smart, brash, unforgettable men and women-amateur sleuths, private eyes, ex-cops, precocious teenagers-are sure to fill the Jack Reacher shaped space in your reading life.
If you’ve already devoured all of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books, the next obvious step is the Hunting for Reacher series by Diane Capri. In these novels, set in the Reacher universe, everyone’s favourite detective is as tough, stubborn, and ruthless as ever. Don’t Know Jack pits Reacher against two by-the-book FBI agents who aren’t sure if he’s their worst nightmare or exactly the man they need to crack a tough case. Full of the sharp dialogue and plot twists that make Lee Child’s books so readable, this is a must-read for Reacher fans.
If you’re craving more stories about anti-heroes like Reacher, S.A. Cosby’s action-packed thriller Razorblade Tears is a sure bet. Ike Randolph has been out of jail for over a decade, and believes he’s put his criminal past behind him. But when he learns his son Isiah, and Isiah’s husband Derek, have both been murdered, Ike’s old instincts come rushing back. He teams up with Derek’s father who, like Ike, never accepted his gay son. Desperate for revenge, the two men track down their sons’ murderers. Along the way, they finally confront their own prejudices-and find their chance for redemption at last.
Cash Blackbear, the 19-year old Ojibwe heroine of Marcie Rendon’s gripping debut mystery, is the embodiment of a “tough guy” detective. She spends her days drinking and smoking at local bars, working as a truck driver, and generally being a badass while solving crimes based on the visions she receives. When she and her best friend get involved in case involving a murdered Native American man, Cash’s life story — and all the hardships she’s experienced that have made her who she is — slowly come to light.
Fans of smart and quirky loners with hidden depths, take note: Isaiah Quintabe might just become your new favourite detective! Isaiah, known as IQ, lives in a L.A. neighbourhood where crime is a near-everyday occurrence. So he takes on the cases the LAPD ignores, accepting whatever pay his clients can afford, which sometimes isn’t much more than a home cooked meal. But he still has to pay his bills, so he agrees to investigate a case for a wealthy rap mogul — and it leads him into all kinds of danger.
Here’s another L.A. detective that Reacher fans will surely appreciate. Juniper Song is an amateur sleuth with a razor-sharp wit, an eye for detail, and a love of old-school noir fiction. So when a friend asks her to investigate his father’s alleged affair, she jumps at the chance to do some real-life sleuthing. But real life sleuthing soon turns into real-life danger, and Song finds herself deep in L.A.’s criminal underbelly, where she’ll have to use all of her skills and intellect to stay alive.
If you’re craving more stories about detectives who operate outside of established institutions, always adhering to their own ideas about punishment and revenge, you’re definitely going to want to meet Virgil Wounded Horse. He lives on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where he’s known for delivering justice when the U.S. legal system fails. When his nephew gets caught up in a wave of heroine plaguing the reservation, Virgil is forced to reassess his life. This is a smart, thoughtful, and ultimately moving thriller about one man’s desire to make things right in his community.
There’s definitely something Jack Reacher-ish about a detective who quits the force in order to do things their own way. That’s exactly what Cass Raines does — after being injured in a violent confrontation, thanks to an incompetent colleague, she strikes out on her own as a private investigator. But life as a PI isn’t a picnic, especially when one of her dearest friends and lifelong mentor is murdered, and it’s up to her to bring his killers to justice.
Cover photo via Amazon Prime
Originally published at https://www.kobo.com on October 9, 2022.
