Posted by Season 2 of Reacher shows us the great affinity between Jack Reacher and Frances Neagley: do they ever kiss or get together in the books?
Jack Reacher has a unique character: he moves from one place to another with just a toothbrush and focuses on his missions; he can’t ignore injustice and doesn’t easily get close to anyone. On the other hand, Frances Neagley… well, she’s pretty much the same. Perhaps with something more than a toothbrush, but don’t try to touch her, or involve her in some chit-chat.
In other words, the elements of affinity between Reacher and Neagley are apparent. Indeed, they emerge quite evidently in Reacher Season 2, released on Amazon Prime Video in December 2023. Even Karla Dixon, the former 110th Special Investigator Unit member who had a mutual attraction with him while working together, admits it in one of the first episodes: nobody will ever be closer to Reacher than Neagley. That’s why those who watch the TV series have progressively developed this question: do Reacher and Neagley ever get together or kiss in the books written by Lee Child?
There is a meaningful scene in Season 2 Episode 4, where Reacher, Neagley, Dixon, and O’Donnell dress up elegantly for a night at the opera. Neagley emerges from the fitting room in a unique dress that highlights her peculiar beauty. After her, Dixon appears, and the situation implies that the latter is the one who’s supposed to gather all attention. Nevertheless, we cannot deny that Neagley is a pretty girl, too, and whoever conceived that scene surely wanted to make us think that Reacher could be attracted by Neagley. There would have been many ways to make Dixon and Neagley’s looks drastically differ, but they don’t. Why should they, after all? Is there any reason that should prevent Reacher from feeling attracted by her long-time partner, Neagley?
In the books written by Lee Child, Neagley is a main character only in four novels: Without Fail (2002), Bad Luck and Trouble (2007, the book that Season 2 is based on), The Affair (2011), and Night School (2016). Only four books out of 28. She wasn’t even in Killing Floor, the book that inspired Reacher Season 1. Nevertheless, the series’ creators decided to involve Neagley in both seasons, turning her into a recurrent character and showing her unique relationship with Jack Reacher.
To answer the initial question: no, Frances Neagley and Jack Reacher never kiss or get together in the books. Neagley is often presented as Reacher’s female counterpart, a character who matches and completes him when they work together and even when they talk. Lee Child would confirm: Neagley is really the closest person Reacher has. And there is nothing that would prevent them from getting even more intimate, entering some weird form of a romantic relationship that can fit with both their characters: no obvious differences in the way they see life or act in front of duty, no relevant contrasts, no significant obstacles. Still, that never happened in the books so far.
We can’t know if something will happen in the future, of course. Lee Child never stopped publishing Reacher books, maintaining the pace of one book per year, and a new novel, In Too Deep, will be released in 2024. We will be here, watching Reacher’s actions, especially when he’s around Neagley: if something happens, you’ll know from us.
