Dean Poling Book Reviews: “Reacher” and “The Viper”
Published 10:46 am Friday, January 30, 2026
Reacher: Lee Child
Lee Child created the character Jack Reacher about 30 years ago.
Since, the character has starred in as many books, two Tom Cruise feature films, three seasons of an Amazon Prime television series and a few spin-off series by other authors.
In “Reacher: The Stories Behind the Stories,” Child tells tales about creating the Reacher novels, spinning a new Reacher tale each year, experiencing a rising level of success with the bestselling series, etc.
Several years ago, The Mysterious Press published collector editions of each Reacher novel. Child originally penned these short essays to preface each collector edition. The Mysterious Press collected these introductory essays into this small volume.
It is a must-read for Reacher fans but unfortunately it may not be as enlightening as fans hope. Child spends little time providing insights into the dynamics of creating Reacher or the plots of each book; in some cases, fans may have to stretch their memories to piece together the plot of the featured title.
Child spends the majority of these pages writing about where the previous book is in the publishing cycle as he writes the featured title, and he chronicles where he was living or in the process of moving as he wrote each Reacher novel.
Serious Reacher fans will likely find these tidbits fascinating. Or maybe not.
The real catch of seeking out this book is the inclusion of a Reacher short story penned by Lee Child.
“Reacher: The Stories Behind the Stories” covers only the Reacher novels written solely by Lee Child. For the past half-dozen years/titles, Lee Child has been joined by a co-author, younger brother Andrew Child. With all of these titles, it has felt like Andrew Child has handled most of the writing chores. Reportedly, with the next Reacher novel, Andrew Child will be the sole author.
So, reading a new story – even a story of only a couple dozen pages – written by Lee Child is a treat for Reacher fans who have read all of the novels. The short story, “A Better Place,” will also scratch that itch of what is different between the Lee Child novels and the Lee Child-Andrew Child novels. It’s a subtle but undeniable difference that this short story emphasizes.
Lee Child has a way of penning Reacher that keeps the character human while simultaneously an indomitable force. Reacher has layers in Lee Child’s hands; the world seems real; and both co-exist with ease.
“A Better Place” is the real reason to buy this book.
The Viper: Brad Meltzer
Brad Meltzer is a dedicated writer but don’t try pinning him down to a specific category or genre.
He’s written memorable comic book story arcs, such as DC Comics’ “Identity Crisis.”
He’s penned non-fiction works such as the presidential “Conspiracy” series of history books.
He’s the writer behind numerous fictional thrillers, such as the Culper Ring series and the Zig & Nola series.
“The Viper” is the latest book in the Zig & Nola series.
When a man nicknamed “Fetch” is killed within an hour after planning his funeral arrangements, “Zig” Zigarowski is enlisted into an extra-curricular investigation by Roddy LaPointe, a cop working outside of his jurisdiction. Roddy’s interest in the case isn’t professional but personal.
Fetch’s death is related to the decades-old murder of Roddy’s mother.
Which attracts Nola Brown, Roddy’s “enigmatic and volatile” twin sister, to the case.
The Zig & Nola series feels like it comes into its own with “The Viper.” The book answers more questions about Nola’s mysterious past but opens new doors to possible adventures in the future. Readers should be able to jump aboard this series without having read the previous Zig & Nola books: “The Escape Artist” and “The Lightning Rod.”
The only problem for new readers and for old readers is remembering the personalities and details about these characters. “The Escape Artist” was released in 2018, “The Lightning Rod” in 2022. “The Viper” was published in late 2025. It may be a while before the next one is released.
After all, Brad Meltzer is a busy writer with many interests.
