Stephen King quietly namedrops Jack Reacher in Under the Dome

Seventeen years ago Stephen King’s novel Under the Dome quietly connects to Lee Child’s Jack Reacher: the action hero is namedropped twice, confirming he exists in that particular fictional world. The references occur amid the town’s crisis, when a military officer, Colonel Cox, explains that Jackie Wettington helped bust an illegal drug ring in Würzburg and was "personally recommended by a man named Jack Reacher, the toughest goddamn Army cop that ever served, in my humble opinion." Later in the book Cox even tells Wettington, "Jack Reacher says hello." King’s lead, Dale "Barbie" Barbara, also resembles Reacher — a former Army man turned drifter who clashes with corrupt local police, becomes trapped near the Dome’s edge and is later chosen by the government to run Chester’s Mill.

Germany, Würzburg

stephen king, jack reacher, lee child, dale barbie, chester's mill, jackie wettington, colonel cox, würzburg, army cop, drifter