Lee Child has revealed how his bestselling character Jack Reacher was inspired by a trip to Asda
Lee Child, the renowned author, has revealed that his trip to Asda was the inspiration behind his bestselling character, Jack Reacher.
Before he struck gold with his crime thriller series, Child was a frequent customer at the Cumbria branch of the supermarket chain.
Standing tall at 6ft 4ins, Child often found himself assisting fellow shoppers by reaching for items on the top shelf. One such incident sparked the idea for the name of his now-famous series.
During an interview with BBC Breakfast, when asked about the authenticity of this story, he confirmed: “Yes, Asda in Kendal.”
He recalled: “I went with my wife shopping, I’d just lost my job and we were very nervous about what we were going to do and every time I go in a supermarket, there’s a little old lady that says ‘oh you’re a nice tall gentlemen, will you reach me that can?'”
His wife then made a light-hearted comment: “You know if the writing gig doesn’t work, you could be a Reacher in a supermarket” – and that was his eureka moment.
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After losing his job in TV production, Child turned to writing and has authored around 30 books so far.
Child, whose real name is Jim Grant, has since sold over 100 million copies of his Jack Reacher books, starting with Killing Floor, published in 1997. The series has been adapted for the screen, with Tom Cruise and more recently Alan Ritchson portraying Jack Reacher in an Amazon series.
In honour of this revelation, Asda Kendal has unveiled a ‘Green Plaque’, placed atop the shelves once reached by the ‘real’ Jack Reacher.
A spokesperson for Asda remarked: “Lee Child is one the UK’s finest writing exports and has been thrilling readers for decades.
“We’re honoured the inspiration for his most famous character came from one of our stores, and there’s always a green fleece with his name on it here if he ever fancies a shift.”