You Wouldn't Read About It

"Garber told me his top pick for the Kelham job wasn’t me. It was a newly minted MP Major named Duncan Munro." – Jack Reacher, The Affair

Every reader has their own motivation for picking up the latest blockbuster offering from a favourite writer. Mine is usually for a few hours of pure escapism.  To immerse myself in the pages and, for a short time, be transported to a world created by someone else's mind, shaped by their words but played out in my imagination.

Lee Child is one of those authors.  He writes about Jack Reacher, a former Military Police Major who leaves the army for a life free from responsibility or obligation. He lives hard and by his own rules, and frequently discovers people who need reminding that if they’re picking on the little guy and think they’re getting away with it, they're about to find out they’re wrong.

For the first fifteen novels of the series, Lee Child has drawn me in for the escape into the life of Jack Reacher. The difference with his 16th and latest offering, The Affair, is that this time I get to go along for the ride.

In The Affair, Lee includes a character named Major Duncan Munro.  He appears along with Reacher as he investigates the brutal murder of a beautiful woman in a small Mississippi town.  Carter's Crossing is near a U.S. military base and the base, the town and the investigation all draw intense scrutiny from Washington.

Throughout The Affair, Reacher is joined by a host of fascinating characters, some of whom Lee Child fans have met before.  Reacher remains determined to uncover the truth of the mystery in Carter's Crossing.  But who he can trust and where the truth will lead him are questions he needs to answer for justice to prevail. And Duncan Munro is an unanswered question.

But how did I go from factual fan to fictional character? For that, we need to go back to March 2010 and the release of the 14th Reacher novel 61 Hours.  In conjunction with Lee Child’s visit to launch his book, publishing company Random House Australia ran a competition to find 'Australia's Jack Reacher.'

I arrived at the Brisbane launch eager to hear Lee Child speak about Reacher and have him autograph a copy of 61 Hours.  Upon signing and with a good natured smirk, Lee looked to me and said, "Do you know about the competition to find Australia's Reacher? Have you entered? You should, because you're him."

That flattered me.

Consequently not too long after that, I submitted my ‘25 words or less’ description and a Reacher inspired photograph.  The judges selected my entry, and Duncan Munro was announced 'Australia's Jack Reacher.'
 

That surprised me.

Lee soon saw my entry and invited me to the 2010 Bouchercon Mystery Writer's Convention in San Francisco to compete in the International Jack Reacher Look-alike Competition.  Not only did Mr Child provide first class airfares and five star accommodation, but more importantly, the chance to meet him again.

That staggered me.

In San Francisco, before 1000 dedicated Reacher Creatures, the competition votes were cast and in his profile interview on CBS, broadcast across the USA, Lee announced "Duncan Munro is Jack Reacher."
 

That shocked me.

I then spent a further three weeks travelling the US in true Reacher style.  I had no luggage, no plan and seemingly no end to the adventure. My travels took me through 12 states and coincided with the release of the Reacher novel, "Worth Dying For."  It went to Number 1 on the New York Times Bestseller List the day it was released.

That thrilled me.

You'd think that would be enough for most fans. You'd think that would be enough generosity displayed by one writer for an avid reader. But you don’t know Lee Child. In his next novel, The Affair, Lee named a character after me.

That humbled me.

However, this Reacher story has another chapter.  For the Australian release of The Affairin October this year, I spent a week travelling between Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.  I attended book promotion events as Reacher and told new and existing Lee Child fans about how I came to be in the story they were about to read. While in the UK and US promoting the release of the book, Lee Child continued to offer best wishes to his Australian based fans.

I have had an extraordinary adventure from reading about Reacher, and meeting his creator, to pretending to be Reacher and recruiting new fans for Lee.  Fans sure to enjoy his adventures just as much as me...well, almost as much.

Fiction is escapism; opportunities to enter a different world and look at it through the eyes of a character someone else created and get taken along for a ride. It may all be make-believe, but what a ride. Thanks Random House and Thank You Lee Child.

Lee Child's 16th Reacher novel, The Affair, featuring Jack Reacher (and me) is published by Random House and is available now.

Duncan Munro was the winner of the Random House Australia 'Are you Jack Reacher' competition last year.