A great recurring character in a series you love becomes an old friend. You learn about their strange quirks and their haunted pasts and root for them every time they face danger. But where do some of the most fascinating sleuths in the mystery and thriller world really come from? What was the real-life location that inspired Michael Connelly to make Harry Bosch a Vietnam vet tunnel rat? Why is Lee Child's Jack Reacher a drifter? How did a brief encounter in Botswana inspire Alexander McCall Smith to create Precious Ramotswe? In The Lineup, some of the top mystery writers in the world tell about the genesis of their most beloved characters-or, in some cases, let their creations do the talking. The following characters (and their creators) are featured in this collection:Jack Taylor by Ken BruenJack Reacher by Lee ChildHieronymus Bosch by Michael ConnellyCharlie Parker by John ConnollyElvis Cole and Joe Pike by Robert CraisLincoln Rhyme by Jeffery DeaverInspector Morse by Colin DexterCharlie Resnick by John HarveyBob Lee Swagger by Stephen HunterPeter Decker and Rina Lazarus by Faye KellermanAlex Delaware by Jonathan KellermanDismas Hardy by John LescroartTess Monaghan by Laura LippmanRambo by David MorrellMallory by Carol O'ConnellSpenser by Robert B. ParkerLou Boldt by Ridley PearsonCharlotte and Thomas Pitt by Anne PerryAloysius X. L. Pendergast by Douglas Preston and Lincoln ChildJohn Rebus by Ian RankinPrecious Ramotswe by Alexander McCall Smith