Editorial Content for Reacher Said Nothing: Lee Child and the Making of Make Me
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
When I first heard of REACHER SAID NOTHING, I had two thoughts, both of which were wrong.
The first was my immediate supposition that it was written by an Andy Martin I know (if he had written it, such would have sent shockwaves through the publishing industry; there are probably jokes being bandied about even as I type these words). No, it is written by Andy Martin, a professor of French at the University of Cambridge who writes scholarly tomes on heavy topics. That’s not to say that REACHER SAID NOTHING doesn’t meet both of those qualifications, but it’s also quite entertaining, which can’t always be said about treatises.
"What is great about REACHER SAID NOTHING is that you can read it from beginning to end, as intended, or open it to any page and quickly find something that is interesting as all get-out."
My second thought was that REACHER SAID NOTHING wouldn’t work. I was wrong again. This is a fun book, even if you’ve never read one of Child’s Jack Reacher novels. It’s also instructional, informative and inspirational without being a how-to book. You won’t be able to write like Child, or even necessarily pen a bestseller of any sort, simply by reading it, but you’ll get an idea of what’s involved in doing so --- the good, the difficult and the occasionally ugly. And if you’re interested only in reading, perhaps you’ll walk away from the book with some appreciation for the effort that went into writing your latest favorite novel.
Martin was given unprecedented access to Child as he was about to start writing MAKE ME, the 20th Reacher novel, and as the promotion for PERSONAL was gearing up. Child goes through the same process, more or less, for each of these books, and I’m not going to spill the beans that Martin ever so carefully gathered over the course of several months of dogging Child’s footsteps, exchanging emails and the like, and then churning it all out into an immensely readable work.
What is great about REACHER SAID NOTHING is that you can read it from beginning to end, as intended, or open it to any page and quickly find something that is interesting as all get-out. Examples include the first thing that Child did when he decided to write what became KILLING FLOOR, the opening installment of the series; what works for Child --- from moment to moment, page to page --- and what doesn’t; biographical tidbits about Child, which are scattered here and there like breadcrumbs to follow throughout the book; philosophical meanderings, which you’ll either agree with or not; and much more.
I know I’ve been long on generalities and short on specifics. The specifics are in the book, which you’ll need to buy and read to find out. Know these things, though, about REACHER SAID NOTHING: it’s fun to read, it’s informative, and it has a happy ending. And know that, as you are reading these words, Child undoubtedly is working on the next Reacher novel, and he only makes it look easy.
Teaser
Fans of Lee Child know well that the muscular star of his bestselling novels, Jack Reacher, is a man of few words --- and a lot of action. In REACHER SAID NOTHING, Andy Martin shadows Child like a literary private eye in a yearlong investigation of what it takes to make fiction’s hottest hero hit the page running. The result is an up-close-and-personal look into the world and ways of an expert storyteller’s creative process as he undertakes the writing of the much-anticipated 20th Jack Reacher novel, MAKE ME.
Promo
Fans of Lee Child know well that the muscular star of his bestselling novels, Jack Reacher, is a man of few words --- and a lot of action. In REACHER SAID NOTHING, Andy Martin shadows Child like a literary private eye in a yearlong investigation of what it takes to make fiction’s hottest hero hit the page running. The result is an up-close-and-personal look into the world and ways of an expert storyteller’s creative process as he undertakes the writing of the much-anticipated 20th Jack Reacher novel, MAKE ME.
About the Book
Fans of Lee Child know well that the muscular star of his bestselling novels, Jack Reacher, is a man of few words --- and a lot of action. In REACHER SAID NOTHING, Andy Martin shadows Child like a literary private eye in a yearlong investigation of what it takes to make fiction’s hottest hero hit the page running. The result is a fascinating, up-close-and-personal look into the world and ways of an expert storyteller’s creative process as he undertakes the writing of the much anticipated twentieth Jack Reacher novel,MAKE ME.
Fueled by copious mugs of black coffee, Lee Child squares off against the blank page (or, rather, computer screen), eager to follow his wandering imagination in search of a plot worthy of the rough and ready Reacher. While working in fits and starts, fine-tuning sentences, characters, twists and turns, Child plies Martin with anecdotes and insights about the life and times that shaped the man and his methods: from schoolyard scraps and dismal factory jobs to a successful TV production career and the life-changing decision to put pencil to paper. Then there’s the chance encounter that transformed aspiring author James Grant into household name “Lee Child.” And between bouts at the keyboard in an office high above Manhattan, there are jaunts to writers’ conventions, book signings, publishing powwows, chat shows, the Prado in Madrid, American diners and English pubs.
“Can I --- the storyteller --- get away with this?” Lee Child ponders, as he hones and hammers his latest nail-biter into fighting trim. Numerous bestsellers and near worldwide fame say he can. Jack Reacher may be a man of few words, but REACHER SAID NOTHING says it all about a certain tall man with a talent for coming out on top.
