Why did Lee choose to make Reacher an ex-MP?
Lee wanted Reacher to be 1) suddenly downsized from something; 2) suddenly adrift in a world he wasn’t familiar with; 3) accustomed to doing things in a rough-and-ready and very non-civilian way. So a previous career in the Army made sense, because it would explain all of the above. He made him an ex-MP because 1) he needed some forensic and detective-type skills; and 2) the Navy Seal or Special Forces thing had already been done. He made him an officer purely because he felt that although an Army-insider might see an NCO or Warrant Officer type as a more realistic choice, a higher rank might give Reacher better networking capabilities when calling on old buddies for help.
