Summary

  • Chain Reaction is the thirty-first Reacher novel.
  • Susan Turner returns after her role in Never Go Back.
  • Bantam lists the US hardcover for October 20, 2026.

A familiar character returns

Men’s Journal published a first-chapter excerpt from Chain Reaction on October 13, a week before the new Jack Reacher novel’s scheduled release. The book by Lee Child and Andrew Child brings Susan Turner back into the series. The outlet identifies it as the thirty-first Reacher novel and presents the preview as an introduction to a new, self-contained mystery. [1]

Turner first appeared as a voice on the telephone in 61 Hours and played a prominent role in Never Go Back, according to Men’s Journal. In the new book she is a general leading Reacher’s former military unit. Her return gives longtime readers a connection to earlier stories while providing the reason Reacher becomes involved in this adventure. [1]

The premise of the novel

Penguin Random House’s description says Turner needs outside help after a member of her team is murdered while on covert duty. The publisher places her inside the Pentagon and says she cannot trust the people around her. That is the fictional setup of the thriller, rather than a report of an actual crime. [2]

The publisher’s synopsis sends Reacher to Summertown, Colorado, a remote settlement defined by a diner, motel, large data centers and solar farms. The combination places the new story in a setting with modern infrastructure and an unusually small population. The synopsis establishes the starting premise without supplying the resolution of the mystery. [2]

Release details

Penguin Random House lists the Bantam US hardcover for October 20, 2026, at 416 pages. Its product page credits both Child brothers and lists an audiobook narrated by Scott Brick. These are publication and format details; the excerpt’s appearance does not mean the full novel has already reached its scheduled release date. [2]

In Men’s Journal’s interview, Andrew Child explains that Turner’s involvement gives the writers a direct way to draw Reacher into the plot, rather than relying on his arrival in a troubled town by coincidence. The preview therefore highlights both a returning relationship and a change in how this particular adventure begins. [1]

Reporting sources

  1. Men’s Journal · Susan Turner Hunts Down Jack Reacher in Exclusive Chain Reaction Excerpt ↗October 13, 2026
  2. Penguin Random House · Chain Reaction by Lee Child and Andrew Child ↗Catalog; release October 20, 2026