Sumith Prasad
Based on Lee Child’s ‘Jack Reacher’ novel series, Amazon Prime Video’s thriller series ‘Reacher’ centers around the eponymous character, who gets involved in a chain of murders while visiting the rural Georgia town of Margrave. Reacher and Margrave Chief Detective Finley’s individual investigations concerning the murders interconnect when they both encounter the indirect involvement of Kliner Industries.
As Reacher and Finely seek the truth behind the mysteries that revolve around Mr. Kliner and his industrial empire, the viewers must be pondering whether the establishment is based on a real company. If you’re curious about the same, we have got your back. Here’s everything you need to know! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Is Kliner Industries a Real Company?
Kliner Industries is not based on a real company. The fictional company is created by Lee Child for his novel ‘Killing Floor,’ the first novel in the ‘Jack Reacher’ series and the source material of the show’s first season. Kliner Industries is presented as the most influential company in Margrave in the show. The modern Margrave is built by the cash inflow of Mr. Kliner Sr., the head of Kilner Industries, who arrived at the town from St. Louis five years before Reacher’s arrival. The businessman set up his company with the help of town mayor Grover Teale.
Kliner Industries is a big player in the town’s real estate affairs. The company also produces chemicals and machine parts, trading the products all over the United States. However, Kliner and his company’s presence in the murder investigations, the disappearance of Paul Hubble, and the death of Spivey do indicate that the company is more than an industrial unit in the town of Margrave. Since Spivey’s last contacts before his death are to the industry, the company definitely plays a part in the larger picture of the town’s crimes.
Joe’s suspicions and investigations before his death also make it evident that the changes Kliner Industries brought to the town aren’t for the good of the town alone. In the source novel ‘Killing Floor,’ Kliner Industries is a front to the international counterfeit currency dealings that happens in the town. Kliner also uses his company’s production trade system to transport money for his counterfeiting ring. The truck driver that gets murdered in Margrave was an essential part of Kliner’s operations and dealings with his associates from Venezuela.
Although Kliner Industries is fictional, companies as fronts to illegal and criminal activities aren’t uncommon in the US or any country in the world. According to reports, several companies – also known as shell companies – operate as a front or hideout for drug dealers, mobsters, and money launderers. Lee Child might be inspired by such companies to conceive Kliner Industries. Like Margrave in the show, several small towns require less transparency and taxations to start a company, which is nothing but an advantage for the existence of shell companies like Kliner Industries in the real world.
Read More: Where is Reacher Filmed?
