Back in December 2025, I stumbled across a post on the r/reacher and r/JackReacher subreddits about a charity auction benefiting Habitat for Humanity. The prize? A chance to become a named character in the next Jack Reacher novel! As a devoted fan of the Reacher books, movies, and Amazon Prime Video series, I couldn’t resist throwing my hat and money into the ring. And guess what? I won!
After winning the auction, I sent the organizers some biographical information about myself, including my career in software development, my interest in filmmaking, and my penchant for traveling like Reacher, with nothing but the clothes on my back. They forwarded the information to Andrew Child, but I have no idea whether he’ll incorporate any of it into my fictional counterpart or simply use my name.
I’ve kept a low profile since winning, but with the book’s October 20, 2026 release just a week away, it’s time to openly wonder: What role will “Adam Tow” have in Chain Reaction?
From the book’s description:
Jack Reacher is hard to find. It’s not easy to track him down. And he likes it that way. But General Susan Turner, based deep inside the Pentagon, has the means and the motive. She needs his help. A member of her team has been brutally murdered on covert duty. She can’t trust anyone she works with, not even her deputy. She needs someone from the outside. Someone who solves problems and disappears without a trace.
Will I be a lowly henchman to the big bad? The big bad himself? Will I be General Turner’s subordinate who is “brutally murdered” at the beginning of the novel? Or her deputy that she can’t trust? Could I be an ally to Reacher who survives to the end and could become a recurring character like Neagley? Or just some random person who briefly crosses paths with Reacher, never to be seen again? Early reviews of the book hint at a trip to Silicon Valley where I live; maybe I’m an Uber or Lyft driver with a colorful story to share with Reacher as he goes up and down the peninsula. Then again, with no phone, how would Reacher even pay for a ride-share?
While I’ve been waiting to discover my fictional fate, quite a lot has happened in the real world. Cancer in the family threw much of my 2026 into chaos. Yet, I was able to bring two apps into existence, Action Phrase and C1B, with a third, SwitchEffect, on the way. I attended conferences in Chicago and Las Vegas and vacationed with my family at the Grand Canyon in Arizona, all while traveling Reacher-style without a single bag.
Meanwhile, Lee Child and Andrew Child have been busy bringing Chain Reaction into the world. The enjoyable Season 4 of Reacher on Amazon just came out, along with the excellent first season of Neagley. Finally, the fifth season of Reacher, based on Make Me, is currently filming. The Reacher universe is in full bloom with no signs of slowing down.
If they ever bring Chain Reaction to the screen, I know exactly who they can cast to play my role!
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