Thurber House Evenings with Authors presents bestselling author Lee Child at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 25, at the Columbus Performing Arts Center, 549 Franklin Ave.

Lee Child’s books sell globally at the rate of one every five seconds or nearly 6 million copies each year.

In his 14th and latest mystery, 61 Hours, former Army MP Jack Reacher is caught unprepared in the middle of a blizzard in South Dakota when the tour bus he is riding crashes. A slight detour, but it won’t stop Reacher who has a job to do - protecting a courageous witness from an assassin who is also making his way through the storm to try and make sure she doesn’t live long enough to testify.

Child was born and educated in England, winning a scholarship to the same high school that JRR Tolkien attended. He went to law school and then became interested in theater and joined Granada Television, beginning an 18-year career as a presentation director during British TV’s “golden age.” During his tenure, his company made Brideshead Revisited, The Jewel in the Crown, Prime Suspect and Cracker. At the age of 40, he decided to write a book, Killing Floor, the first Jack Reacher thriller. He lives outside New York City.

Following the reading, Child will take questions, chat with the audience about his writing and sign books that will be available for purchase.

Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 at the door. Discounts are available for students and seniors ($15, advance; $18, at door). For more information or to purchase tickets, call 614-464-1032 or visit www.thurberhouse.org.