Description: CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 13: Alan Ritchson attends the red carpet and fan screening for Prime Video's Reacher Season Two at Culver Theater on December 13, 2023 in Culver City, California. (Photo by Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for Prime Video)
With book-to-screen adaptations being a dime a dozen, Prime Video’s Reacher stands out. The series is based on Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series that at this point has 30+ books. And on February 20, 2025, it will be debuting it’s third season with Alan Ritchson as the titular character. This time around the veteran military police investigator turned nomad will be hurtling into the dark heart of a vast criminal enterprise to rescue an undercover DEA informatnt whose time is running out.
For fans of action thrillers, Reacher stands out because he’s physically imposing, a wanderer, and someone who is uncomfortable with material possessions but values the relationships he has with the select few he cares about. But he also stands out because, like Frances Neagley says in the season 3 trailer for Reacher, “You hate the big, the powerful who think they can get away with things. So you make sure they don’t.”
Remezcla had an opportunity to interview Ritchson himself when attending CCXP24 in Brazil. And we asked him why he thought that people from all generations and communities enjoyed a show like Reacher. And for him, it didn’t come down to the action, solving murders, taking on mysteries, or the thriller of it all. It came down to people seeing themselves in Jack Reacher as a person.
“Everybody sees themselves in Reacher. Women, men, either side of the political aisle. It doesn’t matter. Everyone sees themselves in the way that Reacher handles situations,” Ritchson told us. “It’s a pretty wild phenomenon. If you talk to somebody about who Reacher is, it becomes their world view” and when you talk to someone with a completely different life, they also see themselves “no matter the demographic.” Because it’s about how he thrives, survives, and take step after step to do the right thing no matter what he’s going through.
To celebrate the release of Reacher season 3, we’ve put together a list of 5 books by Latine authors that hit at similar themes to Lee Child’s series and the TV adaptation. In the mix we have a couple series if you’re interested in investing in a character across multiple books. But if you want to dive into some thrillers or mysteries for a novel or two, there’s something there for you as well.
Reacher season 3 premieres February 20th on Prime Video.
1
Silent City: A Pete Fernandez Mystery by Alex Segura
Credit: Polis Books
Credit: Polis Books
Alex Segura is a Cuban-American author of the Pete Fernandez Mystery series. So far the series has five books, with the last being published in 2020. The series tells the story of Pete Fernandez, a man fired from his job and recently dumped by his fiancee. The sudden death of his father leads him back to Miami, and on a wake-up call that is much needed but that has deadly consequences. And the book series covers themes of redemption, survival, and murder.
2
Lay Your Sleeping Head: A Henry Rios Novel by Michael Nava
Credit: Persigo Press
Credit: Persigo Press
Michael Nava is a Mexican-American attorney and author of the Henry Rios mystery series. So far the series has eight books, with the last being published in 2021. The series tells the story of gay Latino criminal defense lawyer Henry Rios. Driven by professional failure and personal demons, the murder of a lover leads him to uncover dark secrets in San Francisco. From there he starts picking up his life and exploring themes of class disparities, the LGBTQ+ experience, and of course solving murders.
3
The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes
Credit: Dutton
Credit: Dutton
Ana Reyes is a second generation Latina with Guatemalan heritage and the author of The House of the Pines. Even though this book isn’t part of a series, Reyes’ book is a thriller that explores themes of trauma, confronting your past, and solving a mystery. It tells the story of Maya, a woman who becomes obsessed with the death of a young woman because of the eerie similarities to how her own friend died when they were in high school.
4
The Cipher by Isabella Maldonado
Credit: Thomas & Mercer
Credit: Thomas & Mercer
Isabella Maldonado is an author, graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, and the first Latina to attain the rank of captain in her police department. She uses her law enforcement background to write crime novels, which include the Agent Nina Guerrera series. The series has 3 books so far, with the last published in 2022. And it tells the story of FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera, who uses her past trauma to take down monsters who prey on the vulnerable.
Maldonado also has a couple other series to check out; the FBI Special Agent Daniela Vega series, the Sanchez & Heron series, and the Detective Veranda Cruz series.
5
A Spy in the Struggle by Aya de León
Credit: Dafina
Credit: Dafina
Aya de León is an author of Puerto Rican, African American and West Indian heritage. Like Ana Reyes she doesn’t have a mystery series. But her suspense books hit on themes like corruption, spying, high-stakes, and corporate justice. A Spy in the Struggle in particular tells the story of Yolanda Vance, a successful lawyer who has to decide how far she’s willing to go to right the wrongs in her community.
