I do like reading about the lives of writers. Anything about their experience fascinates me - their life before becoming an author, the inspiration behind their work, the publishing journey, the craft of writing itself. And this book has it all. What's more, the superstar, bestselling author Lee Child is so down-to-earth! 

This is the first book where Lee Child has written about the inspiration and the process for his hugely successful Reacher series of novels. It's a compilation of essays, charting the story behind each of the books.

Each short chapter reveals something of the author and his life, how he found the idea for that particular novel, and how the book was received. There are details about the names of characters (many of them selected through charity auctions but always with a story to tell), the effects of success on his writing process (from a pencil and paper on the dining table when he started out, to the latest model of laptop and a dedicated office), and how he came up with each plotline prompted by conversations or events in the news.

Having met Lee Child last year for an article published in 'Suffolk' magazine, and having read the biography by Heather Martin, I feel I'm fairly familiar with his story now but this was another entertaining, enlightening and enabling encounter with the man who makes writing a bestselling phenomenon seem very straightforward!

I loved this book. So easy and quick to read, but so many things to take on board, not least how you can take a bad situation (he was made redundant from his tv career), take back control and turn your life around. Very inspiring!