Before Jack Reacher became the seminal, nomadic hero he is today and No. 1 New York Times bestselling writer Lee Child reached his current iconic literary stature, there was James Penney, who we meet in this intense Thriller Short. Originally published in THRILLER: Stories to Keep You Up All Night, edited by James Patterson, in 2006.

Penney was originally envisioned as a character in Child’s second Jack Reacher tale, Die Trying. Though an interesting character, Penney was ultimately excised during the editing process and readers didn’t have the pleasure of meeting him.

Now he’s been resurrected in a tale that features a brief glimpse of Jack Reacher’s early career. Don’t miss this heart-pumping tale of suspense!