Reacher Hints Another Lee Child Book Has Happened Offscreen
Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones.
You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep."
Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant.
With Reacher adapting Lee Child's series out of order, this could mean that the events in some books have already happened, and one key scene in Neagley hints that a fan favorite book took place offscreen. The Reacher TV series' departure from the books' chronological order has been a good move, as you can start watching Reacher with any season and will be able to understand the plot. That said, this may not always be the case, as season 4 of Reacher has changed the character for good, and more pivotal events are to come.
The Neagley spinoff adds even more context to Reacher's backstory and friendship with Frances Neagley, who has been one of Reacher's best supporting characters since she was first introduced. Few characters know Reacher as well as she does, but his love interest, Jodie Garber, is arguably even more essential to his story, even taking into account the way the show has expanded Neagley's role. Jodie is central to the book Tripwire, but the Reacher adaptation has not yet screened this book, and Neagley's finale suggests that its events may have already happened offscreen.
Does Alan Ritchson's Reacher Experience "Tripwire" Just Before Neagley?
In the final episode of Neagley, Reacher returns to offer her emotional support for a funeral, revealing that he tracked her down, yet had not been far away. He first tells her that he had been in Missouri, but then clarifies that he was in St. Louis, which is where the events of Tripwire take place. Few things in the Reacher TV series happen by chance, so the fact that this city was mentioned is likely to become significant to the story, either for Reacher or for Neagley if the spinoff gets more seasons.
Tripwire is the third book in the Jack Reacher series.
Now that this potential reference to Tripwire has been included, it would be difficult to continue Reacher without referencing it in some way in the near future, as the book is pivotal to Reacher's story. While most of the books in Lee Child's Jack Reacher series can be read out of order, including Tripwire, it is the book that has done the most to deepen Reacher's lore, which includes introducing his main multi-book love interest, Jodie Garber. General Leon Garber already appears in Reacher season 3 as his former Commanding Officer and mentor, and Jodie is his daughter.
If Jodie and Reacher already met and lived their multi-book storyline before the events of Neagley, this could have a lasting effect on Reacher as a character. It is his relationship with Jodie that cemented many of his traits that are familiar now, like his drifting tendencies and lack of possessions and long-term relationships. It would also mean that Reacher needs an unmissable scar on his chest as Tripwire is one of the few Reacher books that see him severely injured. Still, even if Tripwire happened off-camera, his most important love interest should appear onscreen at some point.
Reacher Should Still Introduce Jodie Garber In A Future Season
Most fans of Prime Video's adaptation have agreed that Roscoe Conklin is Reacher's best love interest in the TV show, with their connection happening organically, developing without overshadowing the main storyline, and Roscoe having a life and interests that do not revolve around her relationship with the titular character. That said, the relationship that book fans tend to discuss most is Reacher's connection with Jodie, which is both controversial and seemingly out of character, making it a potentially interesting plot for an upcoming season.
While the romantic relationship between Reacher and Jodie began long after the two were adults, Child's book made it clear that Reacher had been attracted to Jodie since she was 15 and he was 24. As the underage daughter of his commanding officer, this attraction and subsequent relationship do not show Reacher in a good light. Still, it would be easy for the TV show to correct this disturbing dynamic by making Jodie considerably older, and it is very likely that she will be introduced at some point.
As Reacher so often observes, "details matter." The fact that Reacher has already included scenes with Jodie's father and the character has now referenced St. Louis in Neagley is unlikely to be coincidental, and it is possible that Tripwire could be made as a prequel to another season, or Jodie could appear in a different context. To date, she is the only woman Reacher has come close to settling down with, and now that each season is introducing a new side to the titular character, it is time that his relationships are explored further.
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Reacher
8/10
- Release Date
- February 3, 2022
- Network
- Prime Video
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Jack Reacher
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Maria Sten
Frances Neagley
Without a phone and traveling light, former military police officer Jack Reacher drifts between American towns, embroiling himself in local crimes and bringing justice in his wake. Based on the series of novels by Lee Child, Reacher's journey offers him an intimate understanding of the nation he once served.
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Neagley
- Release Date
- September 16, 2026
- Network
- Prime Video
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Greyston Holt
Detective Hudson Riley
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Maria Sten
Frances Neagley
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.