Books from Lee Child

Kane and Abel

Jeffrey Archer's thrilling historical fiction novel, Kane and Abel, is a global phenomenon that has captivated readers worldwide, spawning two sequels and dominating bestseller charts the world over.Two strangers born worlds apart with one destiny that will define them both.William Lowell Kane, the son of a Boston millionaire, and Abel Rosnovski, the son of a penniless Polish immigrant, are born on the same day on opposite sides of the world and brought together by fate and the quest of a dream.Locked in a relentless struggle spanning sixty years and three generations, the two men battle for supremacy in pursuit of an empire, fuelled only by their hatred for the other and the knowledge it will end in triumph for one, and destruction of the other . . .‘If there were a Nobel Prize for storytelling, Archer would win’ - The Daily Telegraph
Lee Child
Writer
I even enjoyed Jeffrey Archer’s “Kane and Abel.”
Books from Lee Child

The Lost

Soon to be featured in the Ken Burns documentary The U.S. and the Holocaust, premiering on PBS September 18thA New York Times Notable Book • Winner of the National Jewish Book Award • Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award • A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist“A gripping detective story, a stirring epic, a tale of ghosts and dark marvels, a thrilling display of scholarship, a meditation on the unfathomable mystery of good and evil, a testimony to the enduring power of the ancient archetypes that haunt one Jewish family and the greater human family, The Lost is as complex and rich with meaning and story as the past it seeks to illuminate. A beautiful book, beautifully written.”—Michael ChabonIn this rich and riveting narrative, a writer's search for the truth behind his family's tragic past in World War II becomes a remarkably original epic—part memoir, part reportage, part mystery, and part scholarly detective work—that brilliantly explores the nature of time and memory, family and history.The Lost begins as the story of a boy who grew up in a family haunted by the disappearance of six relatives during the Holocaust—an unmentionable subject that gripped his imagination from earliest childhood. Decades later, spurred by the discovery of a cache of desperate letters written to his grandfather in 1939 and tantalized by fragmentary tales of a terrible betrayal, Daniel Mendelsohn sets out to find the remaining eyewitnesses to his relatives' fates. That quest eventually takes him to a dozen countries on four continents and forces him to confront the wrenching discrepancies between the histories we live and the stories we tell. And it leads him, finally, back to the small Ukrainian town where his family's story began, and where the solution to a decades-old mystery awaits him.Deftly moving between past and present, interweaving a world-wandering odyssey with childhood memories of a now-lost generation of immigrant Jews and provocative ruminations on biblical texts and Jewish history, The Lost transforms the story of one family into a profound, morally searching meditation on our fragile hold on the past. Deeply personal, grippingly suspenseful, and beautifully written, this literary tour de force illuminates all that is lost, and found, in the passage of time.
Lee Child
Writer
What was the last truly great book you read? The words “truly great book” set a very high bar, don’t they, in the context of the last couple of centuries. Therefore I’d have to pick “The Lost,” by Daniel Mendelsohn. Nonfiction, but only incidentally.
Books from Lee Child

Live by Night

Joe Coughlin is nineteen when he meets Emma Gould. A smalltime thief in 1920s Boston, he is told to cuff her while his accomplices raid the casino she works for. But Joe falls in love with Emma - and his life changes for ever.That meeting is the beginning of Joe's journey to becoming one of the nation's most feared and respected gangsters. It is a journey beset by violence, double-crossing, drama and pain. And it is a journey into the soul of prohibition-era America...A powerful, deeply moving novel, Live By Night is a tour-de-force by Dennis Lehane, writer on The Wire and author of modern classics such as Shutter Island, Gone, Baby, Gone and The Given Day.
Lee Child
Writer
So my version of the question would be: What book is on your kitchen counter now, waiting to be picked up in the morning while the first pot of coffee brews? And today’s answer is: “Live by Night,” by Dennis Lehane. I always read for an hour or two in the morning, before I do anything else. And Lehane was in my graduating class, so to speak, in that we came up together, and in some ways he’s the best of us.
Books from Lee Child

A Treachery of Spies

THRILLER OF THE MONTH ‘Superb . . . a blend of historical imagination and storytelling verve reminiscent of Robert Harris.’ The Sunday Times'The most exciting, involving thriller I've read in an age, and I can't recommend it highly enough.' Mick Herron *A Treachery of Spies is an espionage thriller to rival the very best, a high stakes game of cat-and-mouse, played in the shadows, which will keep you guessing every step of the way.A body has been found. The elderly victim’s identity has been cleverly obscured but one thing is clear: she has been killed in the manner of traitors to the Resistance in World War Two.To find answers in the present, police inspector Inès Picaut must look to the past; to 1940s France, a time of sworn allegiances and broken promises, where the men and women of the Resistance fought for survival against Nazi invaders.But, as Picaut soon discovers, there are those in the present whose futures depend on the past remaining buried, and who will kill to keep their secrets safe. Old fashioned espionage might be a thing of the past but treachery is as dangerous as ever.*'This is a rich vein for fiction, and Scott does it more than justice, with this beautifully imagined, beautifully written, smart, sophisticated - but fiercely suspenseful - thriller.' Lee Child'The most exquisite story of heroism, deception, love and treachery you’ll find this year.' Simon Mayo 'A fast-moving tightly-wrought thriller. The destination is in fact as unexpected as it’s satisfying - and very thought-provoking.' Robert Goddard'A Treachery of Spies is a masterclass in thriller-writing. It is a heart-racing, heart-wrenching read, conceived with passion and executed with frightening skill. An awe-inspiring achievement.' Giles Kristian
Lee Child
Writer
“This is a rich vein for fiction, and Scott does it more than justice, with this beautifully imagined, beautifully written, smart, sophisticated – but fiercely suspenseful – thriller.” -LC
Books from Lee Child

Orphan X

THE FIRST INSTALMENT IN THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING EXPLOSIVE THRILLER SERIES'Outstanding in every way' LEE CHILD'The page turner of the season' THE TIMES__________TRAINED TO KILL, NOW HE HELPS THOSE IN TROUBLEEvan Smoak was an orphan raised in a secret government programme. When he lost faith in it, he got out and now uses his training to help the desperate and deserving who've nowhere left to run - if you can find him.But no one can escape their past for ever. Someone is on Evan's trail. Someone with the same skills and training.And who knows the weaknesses of the boy who became Orphan X . . .__________'A Masterpiece of suspense and thrills' Daily Mail'Pure nail-biting stay-up-all-night suspense' Harlan Coben
Lee Child
Writer
“Outstanding in every way.” -LC
Books from Lee Child

Last to Die

'Suspense doesn't get much smarter than this' Lee ChildMurder. That's what they all have in common.A high-security boarding school has been set up to provide a place of sanctuary for children whohave lost their families in violent circumstances. But even locked gates and acres of forestcannot keep out a gathering threat.Detective Jane Rizzoli and Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles find themselves locked inside the school along with the students. They are told it's for their own safety.But does the threat come from outside...or from within?'Crime-writing at its unputdownable, nerve-tingling best' Harlan CobenThe latest Rizzoli and Isles thriller by Tess Gerritsen, LISTEN TO ME, is out now.
Lee Child
Writer
“Suspense doesn’t get much smarter than this.” -LC
Books from Lee Child

Girl On Fire

ALMOST HOME. BUT NOWHERE TO HIDE. From the number one bestselling crime-writer comes a brilliant, page-turning new DC Max Wolfe thriller.'Remarkably moving' The TimesWhen terrorists use a drone to bring down a plane on one of London's busiest shopping centres, it ignites a chain of events that will draw in the innocent and guilty alike.DC Max Wolfe finds himself caught in the crossfire in a city that seems increasingly dangerous and hostile.But does the danger come from the murderous criminals that Max is tracking down? Or the people he's trying to protect?Or does the real threat to Max lie closer to home?'Tony Parsons puts you right there in every scene he writes. I love that kind of storytelling and I’m a D.C. Max Wolfe fan.' James Patterson 'A relentless plot, evocative prose and compelling characters conspire to make this a must-read.' Jeffery Deaver'I've long been a fan of Tony Parsons' writing, and this is brilliant stuff.' Peter James‘Spectacular! Tense and human, fast and authentic’ Lee Child 'Great plotting, great characters and at least two eye-widening twists I didn't see coming’ Sophie Hannah'Simply superb plot and characters’ Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Lee Child
Writer
“Spectacular! Tense and human, fast and authentic.” -LC
Books from Lee Child

The Deep Blue Good-by

From a beloved master of crime fiction, The Deep Blue Good-by is one of many classic novels featuring Travis McGee, the hard-boiled detective who lives on a houseboat. Travis McGee is a self-described beach bum who won his houseboat in a card game. He’s also a knight-errant who’s wary of credit cards, retirement benefits, political parties, mortgages, and television. He only works when his cash runs out, and his rule is simple: He’ll help you find whatever was taken from you, as long as he can keep half. “John D. MacDonald was the great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller.”—Stephen King McGee isn’t particularly strapped for cash, but how can anyone say no to Cathy, a sweet backwoods girl who’s been tortured repeatedly by her manipulative ex-boyfriend Junior Allen? What Travis isn’t anticipating is just how many women Junior has torn apart and left in his wake. Enter Junior’s latest victim, Lois Atkinson. Frail and broken, Lois can barely get out of bed when Travis finds her, let alone keep herself alive. But Travis turns into Mother McGee, giving Lois new life as he looks for the ruthless man who steals women’s spirits and livelihoods. But he can’t guess how violent his quest is soon to become. He’ll learn the hard way that there must be casualties in this game of cat and mouse. Features a new Introduction by Lee Child
Lee Child
Writer
“MacDonald had a huge influence on me… Reacher is like a fully detached version of Travis McGee.” -LC
Books from Lee Child

Panic Room

‘Is this his best yet?...Full of sinister menace and propulsive pace with twisty plotting’ Lee ChildWHAT REALLY LIES WITHIN?High on a Cornish cliff sits a vast uninhabited mansion. Uninhabited except for Blake, a young woman of mysterious background, currently acting as housesitter. The house has a panic room. Cunningly concealed, steel lined, impregnable – and apparently closed from within. Even Blake doesn’t know it’s there. She’s too busy being on the run from life, from a story she thinks she’s escaped. But her remote existence is going to be threatened when people come looking for the house’s owner, rogue pharma entrepreneur, Jack Harkness. Soon people with questionable motives will be asking Blake the sort of questions she can’t – or won’t - want to answer.WILL THE PANIC ROOM EVER GIVE UP ITS SECRETS?
Lee Child
Writer
“Is this his best yet?… Full of sinister menace and propulsive pace with twisty plotting.” -LC
Books from Lee Child

The House Swap

‘I read The House Swap in one breathless sitting. Dark, smart, sexy, gripping, totally brilliant.’ Erin Kelly, author of He Said She Said'Sinister and compelling' Woman & Home'You'll be whipping through the pages' Stylist**********‘No one lives this way unless they want to hide something.’When Caroline and Francis receive an offer to house swap, they jump at the chance for a week away from home. After the difficulties of the past few years, they’ve worked hard to rebuild their marriage for their son’s sake; now they want to reconnect as a couple.On arrival, they find a house that is stark and sinister in its emptiness – it’s hard to imagine what kind of person lives here. Then, gradually, Caroline begins to uncover some signs of life – signs of her life. The flowers in the bathroom or the music in the CD player might seem innocent to her husband but to her they are anything but. It seems the person they have swapped with is someone she used to know; someone she’s desperate to leave in her past.But that person is now in her home – and they want to make sure she’ll never forget . . .**********‘This is very much a heart-thumping, read-in-one-sitting story, and absolutely delivers on its smart and original hook’ Heat‘A fantastic thriller – dead-on domestic noir, full of tension and surprises. I loved it.’ Lee Child‘An enthralling thriller that lives up to its chilling premise.’ Renee Knight, author of Disclaimer‘Rebecca Fleet has created a perfectly contained cast of credible characters in a story so intriguing that you will be guessing right up to the last page. And it’s beautifully written too. I loved this book.’ Liz Nugent, author of Lying in Wait
Lee Child
Writer
“A fantastic thriller – dead-on domestic noir, full of tension and surprises. I loved it.” -LC
Books from Lee Child

Star of the North

“A thrilling tale of abduction and escape in North Korea....highly entertaining." —The Washington PostA propulsive and ambitious thriller about a woman trying to rescue her twin sister from captivity in North Korea, and the North Korean citizens with whom she forms an unlikely allianceStar of the North opens in 1998, when a Korean American teenager is kidnapped from a South Korean beach by North Korean operatives. Twelve years later, her brilliant twin sister, Jenna, is still searching for her, and ends up on the radar of the CIA. When evidence that her sister may still be alive in North Korea comes to light, Jenna will do anything possible to rescue her--including undertaking a daring mission into the heart of the regime. Her story is masterfully braided together with two other narrative threads. In one, a North Korean peasant woman finds a forbidden international aid balloon and uses the valuables inside to launch a dangerously lucrative black-market business. In the other, a high-ranking North Korean official discovers, to his horror, that he may be descended from a traitor, a fact that could mean his death if it is revealed. As the novel progresses, these narrative strands converge and connect in surprising ways, ultimately building to an explosive and unforgettable climax.
Lee Child
Writer
“Extraordinary… smart, sophisticated, suspenseful – and important. If you try one new thing this year, make it Star of the North.” -LC
Books from Lee Child

The Chalk Man

“Want to read something good?. . . If you like my stuff, you’ll like this.”—Stephen King • WINNER OF THE ITW THRILLER AWARD • WINNER OF THE STRAND MAGAZINE AWARD FOR BEST DEBUT NOVELA riveting psychological suspense debut that weaves a mystery about a childhood game gone dangerously awry, and will keep readers guessing right up to the shocking endingIn 1986, Eddie and his friends are on the verge of adolescence, spending their days biking in search of adventure. The chalk men are their secret code, stick figures they draw for one another as hidden messages. But one morning the friends find a chalk man leading them to the woods. They follow the message, only to find the dead body of a teenage girl. In 2016, Eddie is nursing a drinking problem and trying to forget his past, until one day he gets a letter containing a chalk man—the same one he and his friends saw when they found the body. Soon he learns that all his old friends received the same note. When one of them is killed, Eddie realizes that saving himself means figuring out what happened all those years ago. But digging into the past proves more dangerous than he could have known. Because in this town, everyone has secrets, no one is innocent, and some will do anything to bury the truth.Praise for The Chalk Man“Wonderfully creepy—like a cold blade on the back of your neck.”—Lee Child“An assured debut that alternates between 1986 and 2016 with unpredictable twists. The Chalk Man fits well with other stories about troubled childhoods such as Stephen King’s novella Stand by Me. . . . Tudor never misses a beat in showing each character as both a child and an adult while also exploring the foreboding environs of a small town.”—Associated Press“Utterly hypnotic. The Chalk Man is a dream novel, a book of nightmares: haunted and haunting, shot through with shadow and light—a story to quicken the pulse and freeze the blood. A dark star is born.”—A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window“If you can’t get enough of psychological thrillers with sharp twists and turns, you need to read The Chalk Man”—Hello Giggles “I haven’t had a sleepless night due to a book for a long time. The Chalk Man changed that.”—Fiona Barton, New York Times bestselling author of The Widow
Lee Child
Writer
“Wonderfully creepy – like a cold blade on the back of your neck.” -LC
Books from Lee Child

Need To Know

‘Heart-poundingly suspenseful and heart-wrenchingly insightful’ J.P. Delaney, author of The Girl Before Married for ten years. Four children. She thought she knew her husband better than anyone.She was wrong. You get to work. Make a coffee. Turn on your computer.Your task: break into a Russian criminal's laptop and find proof that he's concealing five deep-cover agents - seemingly normal people living in plain sight.You’re in. Five faces stare back at you.One of them is your husband.__________PRAISE FOR KAREN CLEVELAND:‘This compulsive, clever thriller will have you reading long into the night’ Red‘An immensely satisfying story with serpentine twists and turns’ Daily Mail'You won't be able to put it down until the final, stunning page' Shari Lapena, author of THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR'If you read chapter two, you'll miss dinner, stay up far too late, and feel tired at work tomorrow. This is that kind of book. Superb.' Lee Child
Lee Child
Writer
“Superb.” -LC
Books from Lee Child

The President Is Missing

"Ambitious and wildly readable... Clinton and Patterson's fictional commander in chief brims with humanity, character and stoicism."—New York Times Book Review
Lee Child
Writer
“The dream team delivers big time… Clinton’s insider secrets and Patterson’s storytelling genius make this the political thriller of the decade.” -LC
Books from Lee Child

You Don't Know Me

Only one question matters . . . Did he do it? THE GRIPPING COURTROOM THRILLER NOW A MAJOR BBC DRAMA'A daring concept executed to perfection' LEE CHILD'Utterly compelling' DAILY MAIL'I was utterly gripped' GILLIAN MCALLISTER'Superb character-driven fiction. Masterful' GUARDIAN**AS SEEN ON NETFLIX**________ A young man stands accused of murder. The evidence is overwhelming. But at his trial, this man tells an extraordinary story. It is about the woman he loves, who got into trouble. It's about how he risked everything to save her. He swears he's innocent. But in the end, all that matters is this:Do you believe him?________ADAPTED FOR THE SCREEN BY THE TEAM BEHIND VIGIL, STARRING BAFTA-NOMINATED SAMUEL ADEWUNMI'Searing and heart-breaking, genre-bending . . . triumphantly reconfigures the traditional whodunnit into something remarkable' RUTH WARE'Bold and original . . . A thrilling new voice in crime fiction' TIM WEAVER'A startlingly confident and deft debut' TANA FRENCH'Superb character-driven fiction. Masterful' GUARDIAN**Longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger****Longlisted for the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year**A BBC adaptation, now available on Netflix:'A propulsive thriller'TELEGRAPH'A clever courtroom drama'INDEPENDENT'A compelling, well-executed piece of telly'RADIO TIMES
Lee Child
Writer
“A daring concept executed to perfection.” -LC
Books from Lee Child

The Child

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, AND RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK'Clever and compelling. You'll love THE CHILD' Clare Mackintosh, author of LET ME LIE********When a paragraph in an evening newspaper reveals a decades-old tragedy, most readers barely give it a glance. But for three strangers it's impossible to ignore.For one woman, it's a reminder of the worst thing that ever happened to her.For another, it reveals the dangerous possibility that her darkest secret is about to be discovered.And for the third, a journalist, it's the first clue in a hunt to uncover the truth.The Child's story will be told.********'An engrossing, irresistible story about the coming to light of a long-buried secret. An absolutely fabulous read - I loved it!' Shari Lapena, author of THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR'Tense, tantalising and ultimately very satisfying . . . definitely one of the year's must-reads' Lee ChildRead Fiona Barton's other tantalising thrillers: THE WIDOW and THE SUSPECT - out now. New for 2022: tense, compelling standout thriller LOCAL GONE MISSING ***Available to pre-order***
Lee Child
Writer
“Tense, tantalising and ultimately very satisfying… definitely one of the year’s must-reads.” -LC
Books recommended by Lee Child
9 books

Lee Child Book Recommendations 2020 - 9 Reads

Check out 9 new books Lee Child recommended in 2020. We've collected some of his favorite works so far with quotes from author himself!
Lee Child
Writer
Check out 9 new books Lee Child recommended in 2020. We've collected some of his favorite works so far with quotes from author himself!
Books from Lee Child

Exit Strategy

In the stunning follow-up to the New York Times bestseller The Second Life of Nick Mason, the remarkable hero fights to take back control from the crime lord who owns his life, as he races to complete a daring and dangerous new mission... Nick Mason has been given a true mission impossible: Infiltrate WITSEC, the top-secret federal witness-protection program that has never been compromised, locate the three men who put his boss Darius Cole behind bars for life, and kill them. But first he has to find them—they’re ghost prisoners locked down around the clock in classified “deep black” locations by an battalion of heavily armed U.S. marshals charged with protecting them—and the clock is ticking. Cole is appealing his conviction, and these witnesses are either his ticket to freedom or the final nail in his coffin. If they testify, Darius Cole will never step foot in the outside world again. If they are killed, he will walk out a free man. As he risks everything to complete his mission, Mason finds himself being hunted by the very man he replaced, the ruthless assassin who once served, then betrayed, Darius Cole. Rather than waiting to be Mason's next victim, he has escaped witness protection to hunt down and kill Mason himself. In an action-packed journey that leads from a high-security military installation in the Appalachian Mountains to a secret underground bunker hidden far below the streets of New York City, Nick Mason will have to become, more than ever before, the lethal weapon that Darius Cole created.
Lee Child
Writer
Lee Child and Booklist agree: "Readers will be utterly powerless to close the book...STUNNING."
Books from Lee Child

Invisible

An Army veteran and intelligence agent goes undercover as a janitor at a federal courthouse to pursue his own brand of justice in a thriller that’s part John Grisham, part Robert Crais.“Propulsive and engaging from the very first page.”—C. J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Joe Pickett series As a young man, Paul McGrath rebelled against his pacifist father by becoming a standout Army recruit and the star of his military intelligence unit. But lingering regrets about their relationship make him return home, only to find his father dead, seemingly murdered. When the case ends in a mistrial—after a key piece of evidence disappears—something doesn’t smell right to McGrath. So he puts his arsenal of skills to work to find out just how corrupt the legal system is. And to keep digging, he gets a job at the courthouse. But not as a lawyer or a clerk. . . . Now McGrath is a janitor. The perfect cover, it gives him security clearance and access to the entire building. No one notices him, but he notices everyone. He notices when witnesses suddenly change their stories. When jury members reverse their votes during deliberation. When armies of corporate attorneys grind down their small-time adversaries with endless tactical shenanigans. While McGrath knows that nothing he discovers can undo his past wrongs or save his father, he finds his new calling brings him something else: the chance to right current wrongs and save others. And by doing so—just maybe—to redeem himself . . . if the powerful and corrupt don’t kill him first.Praise for Invisible “The masterful Andrew Grant outdoes himself with this deliciously twisty, magnetic thriller. Fiercely redemptive, with its clever, profoundly moving, and altogether captivating David and Goliath hook, Invisible is a winner.”—Sara Blaedel, #1 internationally bestselling author of The Forgotten Girls“[A] superior thriller . . . Grant capably combines a riveting plot and depth of character. His best outing to date, this standalone marks Grant as a rising genre star.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Another solid and entertaining thriller.”—Kirkus Reviews“Paul McGrath is not just a janitor—he’s a terrific new hero in what promises to be a fantastic and original series by Grant. Paul may be invisible . . . but his results are not in this intense mystery thriller that will leave you wanting more. In a word? Awesome.”—Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author of Too Far Gone
Lee Child
Writer
My smarter brother @Andrew_Grant releases his new book today - “Invisible” - and it’s really, really good.