Lee Child
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Lee Child (born 1954, Coventry, England) is a British thriller writer currently living in New York City with his wife Jane, daughter Ruth, and a dog named Jenny. His first novel, Killing Floor, won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel.
Each of Child's novels follows the adventures of a former American Military Policeman named Jack Reacher who is wandering the United States.
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[edit] Early life
Though Child was born in Coventry, his parents moved him and his four brothers to Handsworth Wood in Birmingham when he was four years old so they could get a better education.[1] Some of Lee's early influences include Enid Blyton, Captain WE Johns, and Alistair Maclean.
In 1974 at age 20, Child attended law school in Sheffield, England but took a job in commercial television after graduating instead of practicing law.[2]
[edit] Career in television and literature
He ended up joining Granada Television as presentation director in 1977. There he worked on shows like Brideshead Revisited, Jewel in the Crown, Prime Suspect, and Cracker. Lee was involved with over 40,000 hours of programming for Granada, writing thousands of commercials, news stories, and trailers.[3] Child stayed with Granada for almost 20 years.
After being fired because of corporate restructuring, he decided he wanted to start writing novels, stating they are "the purest form of entertainment."[4]
In 1997 his first novel, The Killing Floor, was published.
[edit] Novels and awards
- Killing Floor (1997)
- Anthony Award winner
- Barry Award winner
- Dilys Award nominee
- Macavity Award nominee
- Die Trying (1998)
- WH Smith Thumping Good Read Award winner
- Tripwire (1999)
- Running Blind (known as The Visitor in the UK) (2000)
- Echo Burning (2001)
- Without Fail (2002)
- Dilys Award nominee
- Persuader (2003)
- The Enemy (2004)
- Dilys Award nominee
- One Shot (2005)
- Macavity Award nominee
- The Hard Way (2006)
- Bad Luck and Trouble (2007, ISBN 0-385-34055-9)
[edit] Other awards
- 2005, The Bob Kellogg Good Citizen Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Internet Writing Community
[edit] Short stories
- "James Penney's New Identity" from Fresh Blood 3 (edited by Mike Ripley and Maxim Jakubowski)
- "The Snake Eater by the Numbers" from Like a Charm (edited by Karin Slaughter)
- "Ten Keys" from The Cocaine Chronicles (edited by Jervey Tervalon and Gary Phillips)
- "The Greatest Trick of All" from Greatest Hits (edited by Robert Randisi)
[edit] Film adaptations
A film based on Child's novel One Shot is currently in development.[5] Casting of the Jack Reacher character is currently unknown.
[edit] See also
| Jack Reacher books by Lee Child | |
| Killing Floor | Die Trying | Tripwire | Running Blind/The Visitor Echo Burning | Without Fail | Persuader | The Enemy One Shot | The Hard Way | Bad Luck and Trouble |
|
|---|---|
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Bob Cornwell. A Reacher Moment...or Two. twbooks.co.uk. Retrieved on February 18, 2007.
- ^ Claire White (2001-08-01). A Conversation with Lee Child. Writers Write.
- ^ Author's Publisher (2004-05-01). Lee Child Biography. BookBrowse.
- ^ Readers Digest. Select Editions. RD.com. Retrieved on February 18, 2007.
- ^ Hollywood.com. One Shot. Hollywood.com. Retrieved on February 20, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Lee Child's Official Web Site, featuring forum with postings by Lee Child
- Reacher Creatures Fan Site
- Dutch Book Covers
- Lee Child at the Internet Book List [1]
- Macavity Awards Site
[http://www.lannysreviewblog.blogspot.com Child Book Reviews
