My preference is to read about a man’s life in the order he lived it; thus, I prefer reading the Reacher novels and shorter fiction in chronological order. We see the story of his life unfold in correct sequence, with each new novel adding a little more information. We can then look back and see the spectrum of his life, from start to finish.
Here, then, is what to read if you want to get a sense of time’s passage in the Reacher novels.
The Enemy (#8)
The Affair (#16)
Killing Floor (#1)
Die Trying (#2)
Tripwire (#3)
Running Blind (#4), published in the UK as The Visitor
Echo Burning (#5)
Without Fail (#6)
Persuader (#7)
One Shot (#9)
The Hard Way (#10)
Bad Luck and Trouble (#11)
Nothing to Lose (#12)
Gone Tomorrow (#13)
61 Hours (#14)
Worth Dying For (#15)
A Wanted Man (#17)
Never Go Back (#18)
Personal (#19)
Make Me (#20)