James Dover Grant CBE (born October 29, 1954) is a British author who writes thriller novels. He is best known by his pen name, Lee Child, and for his series of books featuring Jack Reacher. The stories follow Jack Reacher, a former American military policeman who travels across the United States. His first novel, Killing Floor (1997), received the Anthony Award and the 1998 Barry Award for Best First Novel.

Early life and education

Grant was born in Coventry, England. His father, who was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, was a tax inspector for the Inland Revenue. For a time, he lived in the same house where the singer Van Morrison was later born. His father served in World War II and was part of the armored group that arrived at Belsen to free the concentration camp in 1945. His mother began working for the Inland Revenue at age 19 but had to leave her job when she married Grant’s father.

Grant is the second of four sons. His younger brother, Andrew Grant, is also a thriller novelist. He has an older brother named Richard, whom he described as a "nuclear scientist."

Grant’s family moved to Handsworth Wood in Birmingham when he was four years old so that the boys could receive better education. He attended Cherry Orchard Primary School in Handsworth Wood until he was 11 years old. After that, he went to King Edward’s School in Birmingham.

In 1974, at age 20, Grant studied law at the University of Sheffield, even though he did not plan to become a lawyer. During his time as a student, he worked behind the scenes in a theater. After finishing his studies, he worked in commercial television. He earned a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Sheffield in 1977. In 2009, he returned to the university to receive an honorary Doctor of Letters (DLitt) degree.

Career

Grant began working at Granada Television, which is part of the UK's ITV Network, in Manchester as a presentation director. There, he worked on shows such as Brideshead Revisited, The Jewel in the Crown, Prime Suspect, and Cracker. He helped broadcast over 40,000 hours of TV programs for Granada, writing thousands of commercials and news stories. He worked at Granada from 1977 to 1995 and spent his final two years there as a trade union shop steward.

In August 1994, Grant learned his job would be eliminated during a company restructuring. He started writing a novel in September 1994, before being fired in June 1995. The first book was originally called Bad Luck and Trouble but was later renamed Killing Floor after his agent and publisher suggested changing the story’s focus from drug money to counterfeiting. Killing Floor was published in March 1997 and became very popular. Grant moved to the United States in the summer of 1998. He begins each new book in the series on the anniversary of starting the first one.

His pen name "Lee" comes from a mistake in pronouncing the name of a car, the Renault Le Car, as "Lee Car." His family began using "Lee" as a joke, such as calling his daughter "Lee child." This name helps his books appear alphabetically between works by famous crime writers Raymond Chandler and Agatha Christie.

Grant chose the name "Reacher" for the main character in his novels after his wife joked that he could work in a supermarket because of his height. He said, "Reacher – good name."

Some books in the Jack Reacher series are written from Reacher’s perspective, while others are written from an outside viewpoint. Grant described the books as stories about revenge, inspired by his anger over losing his job at Granada. Although he is English, he chose to write American-style thrillers. In 2007, he worked with 14 other writers to create a 17-part serial thriller called The Chopin Manuscript, narrated by Alfred Molina. It was released weekly on Audible.com from September 2007 to November 2007.

Grant worked as a visiting professor at the University of Sheffield from November 2008. In 2009, he funded 52 scholarships for students at the university named after the Jack Reacher series.

Grant was elected president of the Mystery Writers of America in 2009. He served as Programming Chair for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in 2018, part of the Harrogate International Festivals.

In 2019, it was announced that a new TV show called Lee Child: True Crime would be created. The show would dramatize real-life crime stories and focus on ordinary people who fight crime or seek justice.

In January 2020, Grant announced he would stop writing the Jack Reacher series and hand it to his brother, Andrew Grant, who would continue writing under the surname "Child." He planned to write a few more books with his brother before passing the series entirely to him.

Grant’s writing style is described as "hardboiled" and "commercial." In a 2012 interview, he explained that many choices in the Jack Reacher series, such as giving Reacher one French parent, were made to increase the series’ appeal in France and ensure its profitability. He said he did not apologize for the commercial nature of his work, calling novels the "purest form of entertainment."

Grant has listed John D. MacDonald, Alistair MacLean, and Robert B. Parker as influences on the Jack Reacher series.

In 2019, Grant collaborated with musicians Jennifer and Scott Smith of the group Naked Blue on an album exploring Jack Reacher through songs. He sang on the track "Reacher Said Nothing."

In 2020, Grant joined the Booker Prize judging panel, which included chair Margaret Busby, Sameer Rahim, Lemn Sissay, and Emily Wilson.

In December 2025, Grant appeared as a guest on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, with his favorite music choice being "So What" by Miles Davis.

Philanthropy

In January 2012, Grant gave £10,000 to buy a new vehicle for the Brecon Mountain Rescue Team in Wales. Grant supports ThrillerFest every year and was one of the first members when it started.

Personal life

Grant married Jane in 1975. They have one daughter. In 1998, they moved to New York state when Grant began his writing career. In 2025, he returned to the UK with his family.

Grant is a fan of Aston Villa Football Club. Sometimes, his books include the names of players from this club. In his first Jack Reacher novel, Killing Floor (1991), the mayor of Margrave, Grover Teale, was named after an Aston Villa player, Shaun Teale.

In 2013, Grant denied reports in the Daily Mail that claimed he wrote his books while using marijuana.

Works

Jack Reacher Series:
Note: To keep things the same, the ISBN listed is from the first hardcover edition published by Bantam Press in the UK.
by Lee Child and Andrew Child

Honours

In 2019, Grant was given the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours List. This honor recognized his contributions to the field of literature.