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Killing Floor (novel)

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Killing Floor
First UK edition
AuthorLee Child
LanguageEnglish
SeriesJack Reacher
Release number
1
GenreThriller novel
Publisher
Publication date
25 March 1997 (1997-03-25)
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback)
Pages522 (Paperback)
ISBN0-515-12344-7
OCLC35249487
Followed byDie Trying 

Killing Floor is the debut novel by Lee Child, first published in 1997 by Putnam. The book won the Anthony Award and Barry Award for best first novel. Set in 1997 in the fictional town of Margrave, Georgia it follows Jack Reacher in his first thriller book. It is written in the first person.

The novel has four prequels: The Enemy (set seven years before Killing Floor and published in 2004), The Secret, (set five years before Killing Floor and published in 2023), Night School (set one year before Killing Floor; published in 2016), The Affair (set six months before Killing Floor; published in 2011).[1]

Plot

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Jack Reacher gets off a Greyhound bus in the town of Margrave, Georgia, because he remembers his brother mentioning that a blues musician named Blind Blake had died there. Much to his surprise, shortly after his arrival, he is arrested in a local diner for murder on the orders of the sheriff, Morrison, who falsely claims he saw Reacher leave the scene of the crime.

While in custody, Reacher meets Finlay, the chief of detectives, and Roscoe, a female officer who believes him to be innocent. Reacher persuades Finlay to call a number on a piece of paper found in the victim's shoe; the number leads them to Paul Hubble, a retired banker who instantly confesses to the murder. Before Reacher can be released, he and Hubble are transferred to a state prison in Warburton, where Reacher manages to thwart an attempt on their lives by the Aryan Brotherhood. Suspecting that the assistant warden set them up, Reacher joins Finlay's investigation, while Hubble is presumed dead after vanishing from his house in the middle of the day.

Reacher learns that the murdered man is his brother Joe, who was an investigator with the Treasury Department and was running an investigation into a counterfeiting ring operated by the Kliner family under the protection of Morrison, several dirty cops, and corrupt mayor Grover Teale. A second body, belonging to truck driver Sherman Stoller, is found, and Morrison and his wife are brutally murdered shortly thereafter. Roscoe theorizes that the Kliners are using Margrave as a distribution hub for their counterfeit money, but this is apparently disproven when Reacher searches one of their trucks and finds it empty. He then realizes the Kliners have been hoarding the money in response to a Coast Guard operation cutting off their supply of bills from Venezuela, and plan to resume distribution once the operation is shut down as a cost-saving measure.

Sending Hubble's family into hiding to protect them from the Kliners, Reacher kills their son and three associates after luring them into an ambush. He then informs Finlay of the secret behind the Kliners' operation, which his brother had been trying to prove: in order to obtain the special paper required to make undetectable forgeries, the criminals had employed Hubble to collect hundreds of thousands of used $1 bills and send them to ports in Florida through Stoller and other drivers, whereupon they would be bleached in Venezuela to remove the ink and then used to make forged $100 bills. However, when Reacher and Finlay return to Margrave, they are taken captive by Kliner, Teale, and Finlay's FBI contact Picard, who reveals that he has been keeping track of their progress and has Roscoe and Hubble's family in his custody. Kliner reveals that Hubble isn't dead, but in hiding, and threatens to kill his hostages unless Reacher finds him.

En route, Reacher stages a distraction and kills Picard's escorts before ostensibly shooting him dead. He then locates Hubble in a nearby motel and brings him back to Margrave. Finding the criminals gone, they spring Finlay from captivity in the police station and set it on fire before locating the hostages at Kliner's warehouse. Reacher kills a dirty cop named Baker, shoots Teale and Kliner, and sets fire to the rest of their money. A wounded Picard arrives, and bests Reacher in a physical fight, but Reacher and Finlay kill him. The group then escapes as the warehouse explodes, and Reacher ends up spending the night with Roscoe. Realizing that his actions will attract a lot of unwanted attention from the authorities, Reacher decides to leave Georgia. Roscoe gives him one last gift: a picture of his brother retrieved from one of Kliner's victims.

Characters

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  • Jack Reacher: The main protagonist, a former military policeman, known for his resourcefulness and capacity for justice.
  • Sergeant Baker: Police officer with the Margrave Police Department. Was the lead officer in the arrest of Reacher at Eno's Diner.
  • Officer Dwight Stevenson: Margrave Police Officer, a friend of the Hubble family.
  • Chief Morrison: Chief of the Margrave Police Department at the time of Reacher's arrest.
  • Captain Finlay: Recently hired chief of detectives at the Margrave Police Department.
  • Mr. Kliner: The head of the Kliner family and benefactor of the Kliner Foundation.
  • The Kliner Kid: Son of Mr. Kliner.
  • Paul Hubble: A Banker living in Margrave, works for the Kliner Foundation.
  • Officer Roscoe Conklin: Officer in the Margrave Police Department, she is sympathetic with Reacher and believes him to be innocent.
  • Assistant Warden Spivey: Assistant Warden at the Warburton Correctional Facility where Reacher and Hubble are sent for the weekend.
  • Mrs. Kliner: Wife of Mr. Kliner.
  • Charlene Hubble: Wife of Paul Hubble, known as Charlie.
  • Ben Hubble: Paul and Charlie's son.
  • Lucy Hubble: Paul and Charlie's daughter.
  • Young Barber: Barber that cuts Reacher's hair
  • Old Barber: Barber that gives Reacher a shave.
  • Old Barber's Sister: Tells Reacher about Blind Blake
  • Medical Examiner: County Medical Examiner located in the county hospital in a small town called Yellow Springs
  • Mayor Teale: Mayor of Margrave.
  • Agent Picard: FBI agent and friend of Captain Finlay
  • Molly Beth Gordon: Agent for the U.S. Treasury. Worked with Joe Reacher.

Adaptation

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The book was developed into the first season of TV series Reacher, produced by Skydance Television, Paramount Television Studios, Blackjack Films and Amazon Studios for Amazon Prime Video. It premiered in February 2022. Lee Child makes a cameo appearance at the conclusion of the series. As Reacher enters a diner, Child walks past him and says, "Oh, excuse me. Sorry." The two exchange looks.

Awards and nominations

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References

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  1. ^ FAQ Archived 26 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Jack Reacher website.
  2. ^ "Anthony Awards winners and nominees". Bouchercon. Archived from the original on 25 September 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  3. ^ "1998 Barry Awards winners and nominees". Thrilling Detective. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  4. ^ "Dilys Award winners and nominees". Mystery Bookersellers. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  5. ^ "Macavity Awards winners and nominees". Mystery Readers. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  6. ^ "Japan Adventure Fiction Association Prizes winners (2000–2004)". Japan Adventure Fiction Association. Archived from the original on 19 June 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
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