A new Jack Reacher story is coming and it's inspired by AC/DC's You Shook Me All Night Long

Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, with a portrait of AC/DC playing live Photoshopped onto the wall behind him
(Image credit: Tom Cruise: Moviestore Collection Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo | AC/DC: Michael Putland)

In news we weren't expecting to be reporting today, a new anthology of murder/mystery stories is to be published this summer, and the 10 stories contained within are inspired by the 10 songs on AC/DC's monster Back In Black album

Back in Black: An Anthology of New Mystery Short Stories will be published on July 16, and features tales from an array of bestselling crime authors including Reed Farrel Coleman, Heather Graham, Tori Eldridge, Ward Larsen, Rick Bleiweiss and Andrew Child, who began the process of taking over the Jack Reacher series of novels from older brother Lee Child in 2020. Andrew will be contributing a new Jack Reacher story to the anthology, based on the lyrics to You Shook Me All Night Long.  

The collection is compiled by Don Bruns, a former touring musician who's performed with the likes of Ricky Nelson, the Four Seasons and Ray Charles. 

"Anthologies are great for a number of reasons," Bruns told CrimeReads in 2022.  "There’s a lot of action and suspense that keeps the read tight. You can read a story in one sitting and not have to worry about keeping the plot lines and characters in your head between sessions. 

"On the rare chance that you find one of the stories a little boring, or you don’t care for the plot or character, you don’t just put the book down or force yourself to finish it. You just forget it and move to the next story. It’s that simple."

Back in Black: An Anthology of New Mystery Short Stories is published by Blackstone Publishing and will be available in hardback, paperback, and as an audio CD. The book is the third in the Blackstone's Music and Murder Mystery Series. Previous anthologies have been inspired by Michael Jackson's Thriller and the Eagles' Hotel California

Last month AC/DC announced a 21-date European tour. The run of shows will celebrate the band's return to the road after an eight-year break, and also mark the return to full-time action of frontman Brian Johnson, who was forced to abandon AC/DC's Rock Or Bust trek after developing hearing problems. Since the tour's announcement, three more dates in Seville, Hannover and Dresden have been confirmed. Full dates below. 

Back in Black: An Anthology of New Mystery Short Stories front cover

(Image credit: Blackstone Publishing)

AC/DC: Power Up tour dates

May 07: Gelsenkirchen Veltins Arena, Germany
May 21: Gelsenkirchen Veltins Arena, Germany
May 25: Reggio Emilia RCF Arena, Italy
May 29: Seville La Cartuja Stadium, Spain
Jun 01: Seville La Cartuja Stadium, Spain
Jun 05: Amsterdam Johan Cruyff Arena, The Netherlands
Jun 09: Munich Olympic Stadium, Germany
Jun 12: Munich Olympic Stadium, Germany
Jun 16: Dresden Messe, Germany
Jun 19: Dresden Messe, Germany
Jun 23: Vienna Ernst Happel Stadium, Austria
Jun 26: Vienna Ernst Happel Stadium, Austria
Jun 29: Zurich Letzigrund Stadium, Switzerland
Jul 03: London Wembley Stadium, UK
Jul 07: London Wembley Stadium, UK
Jul 13: Hockenheim Ring, Germany
Jul 17: Stuttgart Wasen, Germany
Jul 21: Bratislava Old Airport, Slovakia
Jul 27: Nuremberg Zeppelinfeld, Germany
Jul 31: Hannover Messe, Germany
Aug 04: Hannover Messe, Germany
Aug 09: Dessel Festivalpark Stenehei, Belgium  
Aug 13: Paris Hippodrome, France
Aug 17: Dublin Croke Park, Ireland

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Fraser Lewry

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 38 years in music industry, online for 25. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.