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.