Nearly 30 Years On, Jack Reacher’s Old-Fashioned Instincts Still Matter, Lee Child Officially Explains Why They Never Change | Exclusive

A murder leads to EEF

Chain Reaction begins with the murder of John James Bisley, an investigator examining suspicious activity around five enormous data centers in Summertown, Colorado. His investigation threatened to expose a criminal operation, and going to the facilities himself ultimately cost him his life.

Technology hides a crime

The startup’s apparent technological breakthroughs conceal a lucrative criminal operation. The case puts Reacher up against artificial intelligence and data centers, subjects he has little interest in understanding.

The Child brothers told Collider they discussed the novel’s major twists and the motivations of its villains. The story places Reacher’s traditional approach beside a conspiracy built around technology.

Reacher’s instincts endure

The novel’s central contrast is between the technological nature of the conspiracy and Reacher’s old-fashioned instincts. Those instincts remain his greatest advantage, even as the investigation leads into unfamiliar territory.

Andrew Child described Bisley’s reasoning as a process of ruling out possibilities. “Once all the wrong answers are eliminated,” the remaining answer must be accepted, he said, even if it seems improbable.