SUMMARY

Reacher season 4 may adapt the 19th book, Personal, due to its plot connections with season 3’s source novel, Persuader.
Personal offers an international setting and a non-romantic mentor/mentee relationship, which could freshen up the Reacher series formula.
Adapting Personal would also allow the showrunners to explore elements from One Shot, the book used for the 2012 Tom Cruise movie Jack Reacher.

With some detective work, I think I can predict which book Amazon’s Reacher season 4 will cover. I had such a good time with the first season of Amazon’s adaptation that I sought out some of Lee Child’s books. Seeing as Reacher season 1 adapted the first novel Killing Floor, that’s where I began too. Child’s work is a pulpy fusion of traditional detective novels with ’80s action movies, with Jack Reacher himself feeling like a fusion of Jessica Fletcher’s deductive brain and Dolph Lundgren’s body.

Just like the Amazon series, I’m jumping around when it comes to the order of Child’s Jack Reacher novels. For instance, I followed Killing Floor with Past Tense, the 23rd book in the series. The benefit to Child’s work is they can be read in basically any order, though there are easter eggs for longtime readers. The upcoming Reacher season 3 will adapt novel seven, Persuader, where the title avenger goes undercover for the DEA. A big chunk of the story is a cat-and-mouse game, where Reacher has to think on his feet to keep his shaky cover intact.

Reacher Season 3 Covering Persuader Makes Me Think Personal Will Be Adapted Next

Jack Reacher’s 19th novel would be the logical follow-up to Persuader

Kohl’s death and the impact it left on the title character makes me think Reacher season 4 will adapt Personal next, which is the 19th book.

Reacher isn’t undertaking Persuader’s mission out of the goodness of his heart. Instead, he’s seeking revenge on a man he thought he’d killed a decade before named Quinn, who mutilated and murdered an Army colleague of Reacher’s named Kohl. Her death has haunted Jack since, and he believes this operation will lead him right to Quinn. Of the Reacher books I’ve read so far, Persuader is my favorite, as Child takes a simple story and milks every drop of tension from it.

Kohl’s death and the impact it left on the title character makes me think Reacher season 4 will adapt Personal next, which is the 19th book. This sees the Army calling out to Reacher for help bringing down a sniper targeting the President of France. Personal isn’t necessarily the highest-rated novel, but it’s well-regarded among the fanbase and I found it an addictive read. Personal reveals Kohl’s death still lingers with Reacher, especially as his new partner Casey Nice reminds him of her.

Amazon’s show is a little more interconnected than Child’s books, as seen by Finlay’s unexpected cameo during Reacher season 2. Personal isn’t a direct sequel to Persuader, but I felt that evoking the memory of Kohl gave the 19th novel more weight and resonance. That’s why Personal would be a solid choice for season 4, as it can continue some of the themes explored in Reacher’s third season while focusing on a new story.

Despite not appearing in the Persuader book, Reacher’s pal Neagley (Maria Sten) will return for season 3.

Personal Would Give Amazon’s Show The Chance To Do Its Take On Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher

Fans shouldn’t expect a One Shot re-adaptation anytime soon

The controversy over Tom Cruise’s casting as Jack Reacher in the 2012 movie still rages in certain sections of the fanbase. Still, time has been kind to the Christopher McQuarrie film, which felt like a modern take on the 1970s thrillers the likes of Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson used to front. The movie used Child’s ninth novel One Shot as its source, and I was delighted by the Reacher season 2 easter egg that implied the events of One Shot happened offscreen between series.

Personal is similar to One Shot in several ways, with both involving Reacher investigating a case involving a military sniper he has a history with. I very much doubt Reacher would ever re-adapt One Shot since that’s a no-win situation.

It would reignite the Cruise controversy again while comparing his Jack Reacher to Ritchson’s take. However, adapting Personal would let the showrunners do their version of One Shot. They could even combine elements from the two stories, possibly making One Shot’s James Barr into Personal’s villain.

Personal Would Shake Up Reacher’s Formula In Two Big Ways

Reacher could use a holiday

Most of the Reacher books keep the character on American soil, but Personal is an international outing, where Reacher flies to both Paris and London during his hunt.

I found the London chapters the highlight since they put Reacher completely out of his comfort zone. It freshened up Child’s formula, and it would be wise for Reacher season 4 to keep audiences on their toes. Another nice touch is that Reacher’s relationship with Casey is purely platonic.

Most of the Jack Reacher novels feature some kind of love interest for the main character – Persuader included – but it’s nice that Personal didn’t need to force one.

It’s more of a mentor/mentee relationship, with the two forming an oddly touching friendship. I doubt Reacher would have even thought of Casey in romantic terms either, due to her resemblance to Kohl.

Most of the Jack Reacher novels feature some kind of love interest for the main character – Persuader included – but it’s nice that Personal didn’t need to force one. I wouldn’t put money on Reacher season 4 adapting Personal – but I wouldn’t advise anyone against that bet either.