Good Reading

Updated: June 2025

This is a list of some books I’ve read. I can’t seem to keep track without this. NR means not yet read.

Jack Arbor – protagonist former KGB assassin aligned with various intelligence agencies

  • Cat & Mouse (Max Austin #0.5)
  • The Russian Assassin (Max Austin #1)
  • The Pursuit (Max Austin #2)
  • The Attack (Max Austin #3)
  • The Hunt (Max Austin #4)
  • The Abyss (Max Austin #5)
  • Endgame (Max Austin #6) published 2023

David Archer – protagonist: wounded, retired NYC Detective turned Private Investigator. Lowest third in quality of reading.

  • The Grave Man (Sam Prichard #1)
  • Another 8 in this series, but I can’t recommend NR

Only read below series if you have nothing else. Protagonist: emotionless leader of covert USA hit squad

  • Code Name: Camelot (Noah Wolf #1)
  • Lone Wolf (Noah Wolf #2)
  • In Sheep’s Clothing (Noah Wolf #3)
  • Hit For Hire (Noah Wolf #4)
  • The Wolf’s Bite (Noah Wolf #5) NR
  • etc, etc, etc.
  • In the Grip of Darkness (Noah Wolf #24) NR November 2024

David Baldacci. Superior writer, recommend all series.

  • The Innocent (Will Robie #1) – protagonist: CIA contract assassin
  • The Hit (Will Robie #2)
  • Bullseye (Will Robie #2.5)
  • The Target (Will Robie #3)
  • The Guilty (Will Robie #4)
  • End Game (Will Robie #5) published 2017
  • The Camel Club (Camel Club #1) – protagonist: retired CIA operative
  • The Collectors (Camel Club #2)
  • Stone Cold (Camel Club #3)
  • Divine Justice (Camel Club #4)
  • Hell’s Corner (Camel Club #5) published 2010
  • Bullseye – an Original Will Robie / The Camel Club Short Story pub. 2014
  • Split Second (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell #1) – protagonists: two ex-Secret Service agents
  • Hour Game (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell #2)
  • Simple Genius (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell #3)
  • First Family (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell #4)
  • The Sixth Man (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell #5)
  • King and Maxwell (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell #6) published 2013
  • Memory Man (Amos Decker #1) – protagonist: head injury causes him to not be able to forget anything. Ex homicide cop now works to solve crimes with special FBI taskforce. I prefer other series of author, but this is still better than average of other authors.
  • The Last Mile (Amos Decker #2)
  • The Fix (Amos Decker #3)
  • The Fallen (Amos Decker #4)
  • Redemption (Amos Decker #5)
  • Walk the Wire (Amos Decker #6)
  • Long Shadows (Amos Decker #7) published 2022

Brett Battles – protagonist: freelance operative for body disposal. Top third in quality of reading.

  • The Cleaner (Jonathan Quinn #1)
  • The Deceived (Jonathan Quinn #2)
  • Shadow of Betrayal (Jonathan Quinn #3)
  • The Silenced (Jonathan Quinn #4)
  • The Destroyed (Jonathan Quinn #5)
  • The Collected (Jonathan Quinn #6)
  • The Enraged (Jonathan Quinn #7)
  • The Discarded (Jonathan Quinn #8)
  • The Buried (Jonathan Quinn #9)
  • The Unleashed (Jonathan Quinn #10)
  • The Aggrieved (Jonathan Quinn #11)
  • The Fractured (Jonathan Quinn #12)
  • The Damaged (Jonathan Quinn #13)
  • The Unknown (Jonathan Quinn #14) 
  • The Vanished (Jonathan Quinn #15)
  • The Taken (Jonathan Quinn #16) published 2023
  • The Excoms (The Excoms #1) (spinoff from Quinn)
  • Town at the Edge of Darkness (The Excoms #2)
  • City of Nope (The Excoms #3) NR published 2018

Alex Berenson – protagonist: undercover CIA. Top third in quality of reading.

  • The Faithful Spy (John Wells #1)
  • The Ghost War (John Wells #2)
  • The Silent Man (John Wells #3)
  • The Midnight House (John Wells #4)
  • The Secret Soldier (John Wells #5)
  • The Shadow Patrol (John Wells #6)
  • The Night Ranger (John Wells #7)
  • The Counterfeit Agent (John Wells #8)
  • Twelve Days (John Wells #9)
  • The Wolves (John Wells #10)
  • The Prisoner (John Wells #11)
  • The Deceivers (John Wells #12) published 2018

Matthew Betley – protagonist: former Force Recon Marine consultant. Lowest third in quality of reading.

  • Overwatch (Logan West #1)
  • Oath of Honor (Logan West #2)
  • Field of Valor (Logan West #3) NR
  • Rules of War (Logan West #4) NR published 2019

Russell Blake has written 10 series. The protagonist in the series below was Mossad’s most lethal operative before faking her own death and thinking she left that world behind. Short books that should be read in order. OK reading, falls about in the middle for quality in this genre.

  • Jet (Jet #1)
  • Betrayal (Jet #2)
  • Vengeance (Jet #3)
  • Reckoning (Jet #4)
  • Legacy (Jet #5)
  • Justice (Jet #6)
  • Sanctuary (Jet #7)
  • Survival (Jet #8)
  • Escape (Jet #9)
  • Incarceration (Jet #10)
  • Forsaken (Jet #11)
  • Rogue State (Jet #12)
  • Renegade (Jet #13)
  • Dark Web (Jet #14)
  • Sahara (Jet #15)
  • Flight (Jet #16) NR
  • Body Double (Jet #17) NR
  • Ignition (Jet #18) NR
  • Mayhem (Jet #19) NR published 2023

Andrew Britton – protagonist: contract operative for CIA. Top of second third in quality of reading.

  • The American (Ryan Kealey #1)
  • The Assassin (Ryan Kealey #2)
  • The Invisible (Ryan Kealey #3)
  • The Exile (Ryan Kealey #4)
  • The Operative (Ryan Kealey #5)
  • The Courier (Ryan Kealey #6)
  • Threatcon Delta (Ryan Kealey #7) published 2014

Tom Cain – protagonist: contract assassin. Top third in quality of reading.

  • The Accident Man (Samuel Carver #1)
  • No Survivors (Samuel Carver #2)
  • Assassin (Samuel Carver #3)
  • Dictator (Samuel Carver #4)
  • Carver (Samuel Carver #5)
  • Revenger (Samuel Carver #6) published 2012

Marc Cameron – protagonist: leader of global task force. Top third in quality of reading. Currently writing the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan series.

  • National Security (Jericho Quinn #1)
  • Act Of Terror (Jericho Quinn #2)
  • State of Emergency (Jericho Quinn #3)
  • Time of Attack (Jericho Quinn #4)
  • Day Zero (Jericho Quinn #5)
  • Brute Force (Jericho Quinn #6)
  • Field of Fire (Jericho Quinn #7)
  • Dead Drop (Jericho Quinn #7.5)
  • The Triple Frontier (Jericho Quinn #7.6)
  • Active Measures (Jericho Quinn #8) published 2019

Rawlin Cash – protagonist best ex-CIA black op guy reluctantly back at work

  • Headshot: CIA Assassin (Jack Hunter #1)
  • Super Sniper: CIA Assassin (Jack Hunter #2)
  • Hollow Point: CIA Assassin (Jack Hunter #3)
  • Defector: CIA Assassin (Jack Hunter #4)
  • Prequel Novella: Jack Hunter Origin Story
  • Prequel Novella: First Blood: Jack Hunter Origin Story
  • Edge of Darkness (Jack Hunter #5) NR published 2023 No longer available Amazon

Tom Clancy – Like Vince Flynn who died in 2013 and the ongoing Mitch Rapp series he started; Clancy died in 2013 with a great ongoing Jack Ryan series. In both cases, superb authors stepped in and continued the series. For the Clancy series, Mark Greaney (The Gray Man series fame) wrote through #16, since then it has been Marc Cameron (Jericho Quinn series fame). The protagonist started as a CIA analyst and continued up the chain during his exploits. Numbering is mine. Example: Amazon listed my #37 as their #23.

  • The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan #1)
  • Patriot Games (Jack Ryan #2)
  • The Cardinal of the Kremlin (Jack Ryan #3)
  • Clear and Present Danger (Jack Ryan #4)
  • The Sum of All Fears (Jack Ryan #5)
  • Debt of Honor (Jack Ryan #6) NR
  • Without Remorse (Jack Ryan #7) NR
  • Executive Orders (Jack Ryan #8) NR
  • Rainbow Six (Jack Ryan #9) NR
  • The Bear and the Dragon (Jack Ryan #10) NR
  • Red Rabbit (Jack Ryan #11) NR
  • The Teeth of the Tiger (Jack Ryan #12) NR
  • Dead or Alive (Jack Ryan #13) with Grant Blackwood
  • Locked On (Jack Ryan #14) with Mark Greaney
  • Threat Vector (Jack Ryan #15) with Mark Greaney
  • Command Authority (Jack Ryan #16) with Mark Greaney
  • Support and Defend (Jack Ryan #17) Mark Greaney
  • Full Force and Effect (Jack Ryan #18) Mark Greaney
  • Under Fire (Jack Ryan #19) Grant Blackwood
  • Commander in Chief (Jack Ryan #20) Mark Greaney
  • Duty and Honor (Jack Ryan #21) Grant Blackwood
  • True Faith and Allegiance (Jack Ryan #22) Mark Greaney
  • Point of Contact (Jack Ryan #23) NR Mike Maden
  • Power and Empire (Jack Ryan #24) NR Marc Cameron
  • Line of Sight (Jack Ryan #25) NR Mike Maden
  • Oath of Office (Jack Ryan #26) NR Marc Cameron
  • Enemy Contact (Jack Ryan #27) NR Mike Maden
  • Code of Honor (Jack Ryan #28) NR Marc Cameron
  • Firing Point (Jack Ryan #29) NR Mike Maden
  • Shadow of the Dragon (Jack Ryan #30) NR Marc Cameron
  • Target Acquired (Jack Ryan #31) NR Don Bentley
  • Chain of Command (Jack Ryan #32) NR Marc Cameron
  • Zero Hour (Jack Ryan #33) NR Don Bentley
  • Red Winter (Jack Ryan #34) NR Marc Cameron
  • Flash Point (Jack Ryan #35) NR Don Bentley
  • Weapons Grade (Jack Ryan #36) NR Don Bentley
  • Command and Control (Jack Ryan #37) NR Marc Cameron
  • Act of Defiance (Jack Ryan #38) Andrews & Wilson
  • Shadow State (Jack Ryan #39) NR M.P. Woodward published 2024
  • Defense Protocol (Jack Ryan #40) NR Andrews & Wilson upcoming in 2024
  • Line of Demarcation (Jack Ryan #41) NR M.P. Woodward sometime in 2025

Ben Coes – protagonist: former Ranger and Delta, covertly assists USA. Top third in quality of reading.

  • Power Down (Dewey Andreas #1)
  • Coup D’état (Dewey Andreas #2)
  • The Last Refuge (Dewey Andreas #3)
  • Eye for an Eye (Dewey Andreas #4)
  • Independence Day (Dewey Andreas #5)
  • First Strike (Dewey Andreas #6)
  • Trap the Devil (Dewey Andreas #7)
  • Bloody Sunday (Dewey Andreas #8)
  • The Island (Dewey Andreas #9) published 2021
  • The Russian (Rob Tacoma #1) (spin off from Andreas) published 2019

C.G. Cooper – protagonist former decorated Marine Staff Sergeant runs clandestine black ops business. Mid-range quality reading.

  • Back to War (Corps Justice #1)
  • Council of Patriots (Corps Justice #2)
  • Prime Asset (Corps Justice #3)
  • Presidential Shift (Corps Justice #4)
  • National Burden (Corps Justice #5)
  • Lethal Misconduct (Corps Justice #6)
  • Moral Imperative (Corps Justice #7)
  • Disavowed (Corps Justice #8) NR
  • etc., etc., etc.
  • Kill Chain (Corps Justice #22) NR as of October 2024

Mark Dawson – John Milton (series of 23) is the man the government sends after you when everything else has failed. I got through #1. It is just ok reading to fill time.

Nelson DeMille – protagonist: wisecracking ex-NYPD homicide detective member of the elite Anti-Terrorist Task Force. These were really fun reading because the wisecracks and banter were new and not clichés.

  • Plum Island (John Corey #1) – published 1997
  • The Lion’s Game (John Corey #2)
  • Night Fall (John Corey #3)
  • Wild Fire (John Corey #4)
  • The Lion (John Corey #5)
  • The Panther (John Corey #6)
  • Radiant Angel (John Corey #7)
  • The Maze (John Corey #8) published 2022

Army Criminal Investigation Division duo, Scott Brodie & Maggie Taylor, investigate stuff.

  • The Deserter (#1)
  • Blood Lines (#2) published 2023

Matthew Dunn – Spycatcher in top third of quality of reading.

  • Spycatcher (Spycatcher #1) – protagonist: CIA’s and MI6’s most prized one-of-a-kind asset
  • Sentinel (Spycatcher #2)
  • Slingshot (Spycatcher #3)
  • Dark Spies (Spycatcher #4)
  • The Spy House (Spycatcher #5)
  • A Soldier’s Revenge (Spycatcher #6)
  • Act of Betrayal (Spycatcher #7) published 2017
  • The Spy Whisperer (Ben Sign #1) NR – protagonist former high-ranking MI6 officer
  • The Fifth Man (Ben Sign #2) NR
  • The Russian Doll (Ben Sign #3) NR
  • The Kill House (Ben Sign #4) NR
  • The Spy Thief (Ben Sign #5) NR
  • The Private Spy (Ben Sign #6) NR published 2022

Barry Eisler (book names changed with new editions) – protagonist: contract assassin. Top third in quality of reading.

  • A Clean Kill in Tokyo (Rain Fall) (John Rain #1)
  • A Lonely Resurrection (Hard Rain) (John Rain #2)
  • Winner Take All (Rain Storm) (John Rain #3)
  • Redemption Games (Killing Rain) (John Rain #4)
  • Extremis (Last Assassin) (John Rain #5)
  • The Killer Ascendant (Requiem for an Assassin) (John Rain #6)
  • Fault Line (Ben Treven #1)
  • Inside Out (Ben Treven #2)
  • The Detachment (John Rain #7, Treven #3)
  • Graveyard of Memories (John Rain #8)
  • Zero Sum (John Rain #9)
  • The Killer Collective (John Rain #10), Treven #4)
  • The Chaos Kind (John Rain #11) published 2021
  • Amok (Dox #1) (Rain’s friend) NR published 2022
  • The God’s Eye View (not Rain)

Ken Follett – story of escalating global tensions

  • Never

Vince Flynn – protagonist: CIA black ops. In top five authors! Flynn died in 2013 and Kyle Mills picked up the series. I did not notice any drop in quality. First Don Bentley book had a lot of rehash in it. It is still super reading.

  • American Assassin (Mitch Rapp #1) (2010 prequel)
  • Kill Shot (Mitch Rapp #2) (2012 prequel)
  • Transfer of Power (Mitch Rapp #3)
  • The Third Option (Mitch Rapp #4)
  • Separation of Power (Mitch Rapp #5)
  • Executive Power (Mitch Rapp #6)
  • Memorial Day (Mitch Rapp #7)
  • Consent to Kill (Mitch Rap, #8)
  • Act of Treason (Mitch Rapp #9)
  • Protect and Defend (Mitch Rapp #10)
  • Extreme Measures (Mitch Rapp #11)
  • Pursuit of Honor (Mitch Rapp #12)
  • The Last Man (Mitch Rapp #13)
  • The Survivor (Mitch Rapp #14) by Kyle Mills
  • Order to Kill (Mitch Rapp #15) by Kyle Mills
  • Enemy of the State (Mitch Rapp #16) by Kyle Mills
  • Red War (Mitch Rapp #17) by Kyle Mills
  • Lethal Agent (Mitch Rapp #18) by Kyle Mills
  • Total Power (Mitch Rapp #19) by Kyle Mills
  • Enemy at the Gates (Mitch Rapp #20) by Kyle Mills
  • Oath of Loyalty (Mitch Rapp #21) by Kyle Mills
  • Code Red (Mitch Rapp #22) by Kyle Mills
  • Capture or Kill (Mitch Rapp #23) by Don Bentley
  • Denied Access (Mitch Rapp #23) by Don Bentley NR 30 Sept 2025

John Gilstrap – protagonist: covert rescue specialist. Top third in quality of reading.

  • No Mercy (Jonathan Grave #1)
  • Hostage Zero (Jonathan Grave #2)
  • Threat Warning (Jonathan Grave #3)
  • Damage Control (Jonathan Grave #4)
  • High Treason (Johnathan Grave #5)
  • End Game (Jonathan Grave #6)
  • Against All Enemies (Jonathan Grave #7)
  • Friendly Fire (Jonathan Grave #8)
  • Final Target (Jonathan Grave #9)
  • Scorpion Strike (Jonathan Grave #10)
  • Total Mayhem (Jonathan Grave #11)
  • Hellfire (Jonathan Grave #12)
  • Stealth Attack (Jonathan Grave #13)
  • Lethal Game (Jonathan Grave #14)
  • Harm’s Way (Jonathan Grave #15)
  • Zero Sum (Jonathan Grave #16) published 2024

Surviving after total nuclear war. Prepper Congresswoman and family survive and help others.

  • Crimson Phoenix (Victoria Emerson #1)
  • Blue Fire (Victoria Emerson #2)
  • White Smoke (Victoria Emerson #3) published 2023

Newt Gingrich w/ Pete Earley – protagonist: unlikely Marine Captain steps up

  • Duplicity (Brooke Grant #1)
  • Treason (Brooke Grant #2)
  • Vengeance (Brooke Grant #3) published 2017

Thomas H. Goodfellow – protagonists two of the greatest special operations forces soldiers who have ever lived, plus 17-year-old sidekick. I had to stop part way into #2, this series is just not good enough.

  • The Insurmountable Edge (Book #1)
  • The Insurmountable Edge (Book #2) NR
  • The Insurmountable Edge (Book #3) NR

Mark Greaney – protagonist: contract black-ops guy for CIA. Top third in quality of reading.

  • The Gray Man (Gray Man #1)
  • On Target (Gray Man #2)
  • Ballistic (Gray Man #3)
  • Dead Eye (Gray Man #4)
  • Back Blast (Gray Man #5)
  • Gunmetal Gray (Gray Man #6)
  • Agent in Place (Gray Man #7)
  • Mission Critical (Gray Man #8)
  • One Minute Out (Gray Man #9)
  • Relentless (Gray Man #10)
  • Sierra Six (Gray Man #11)
  • Burner (Gray Man #12)
  • The Chaos Agent (Gray Man #13)
  • Midnight Black (Gray Man #14) published 2025
  • Red Metal – Russia tries to take over Rare Earth mine, global conflict, pub 2022

Derek Hass – protagonist: contract assassin

  • The Silver Bear (Silver Bear #1)
  • Columbus (Silver Bear #2)
  • Dark Men (Silver Bear #3) published 2011
  • The Right Hand
  • A Different Lie

Terry Hayes – you should read Pilgrim!

  • I Am Pilgrim – protagonist: retired CIA operative reactivated, published 2013
  • The Year of the Locust – new top secret submarine NR

Saul Herzog – protagonist retired best-of-the-best CIA asset reluctantly agrees to go back at it for CIA. Mid-range quality but with enough action to keep you reading. #7 disappointed, I’m thinking #6 wasn’t that good either. I am not reading this series anymore.

  • The Asset (Lance Spector #1)
  • The Russian (Lance Spector #2)
  • The Target (Lance Spector #3)
  • The Sleeper (Lance Spector #4)
  • The Splinter (Lance Spector #5)
  • The Fixer (Lance Spector #6)
  • The Contractor (Lance Spector #7) published 2023 (stopped reading series)

Joshua Hood – protagonist just like Jason Bourne in Treadstone Program, but with memory and conscience. Lowest third in quality.

  • The Treadstone Resurrection (Treadstone #1)
  • The Treadstone Exile (Treadstone #2) NR published 2021 

Gregg Hurwitz – protagonist: ex-member secret assassin program for US Government. Series taken as a whole finds its way into the top third of quality.

  • Orphan X (Orphan X #1)
  • The Nowhere Man (Orphan X #2)
  • Hellbent (Orphan X #3)
  • Out of the Dark (Orphan X #4)
  • Into the Fire (Orphan X #5)
  • Prodigal Son (Orphan X #6)
  • Dark Horse (Orphan X #7)
  • The Last Orphan (Orphan X #8)
  • Lone Wolf (Orphan X #9)
  • The Recital (Short Story with X in it)
  • Nemesis (Orphan X #10) published 2025

David Ignatius – protagonists: vary throughout, mostly about CIA operations

  • Agents of Innocence 1987 NR
  • Siro 1991 NR
  • The Bank of Fear 1994 NR
  • A Firing Offense 1997 NR
  • The Sun King 1999 NR
  • Body of Lies 2007
  • The Increment 2009
  • Bloodmoney 2011
  • The Director 2014
  • The Quantum Spy 2017
  • The Paladin 2020
  • Phantom Orbit published 2024

Remington Kane – protagonist: contract assassin always on the run. Lowest third in reading quality.

  • Inevitable I (Tanner #1)
  • Kill In Plain Sight (Tanner #2)
  • Making A Killing on Wall Street (Tanner #3)
  • The First One to Die Loses (Tanner #4)
  • The Life & Death of Cody Parker (Tanner #5)
  • War (Tanner #6)
  • Suicide or Death (Tanner #7)
  • Two For the Kill (Tanner #8)
  • Ballet Of Death (Tanner #9)
  • More Dangerous Than Man (Tanner #10)
  • Tanner Times Two (Tanner #11)
  • Occupation: Death (Tanner #12)
  • Hell For Hire (Tanner #13)
  • A Home to Die For (Tanner #14)
  • Knight Time (Tanner #29) NR 
  • Etc……. Up to #59 as of August 2024

Jason Kasper – protagonist: hired gun for covert underworld. Just OK quality and should be read in order, confusing if not.

  • Greatest Enemy (David Rivers #1)
  • Offer of Revenge (David Rivers #2)
  • Dark Redemption (David Rivers #3)
  • Vengeance Calling (David Rivers #4)
  • The Suicide Cartel (David Rivers #5)
  • Terminal Objective (David Rivers #6)
  • The Enemies of My Country (David Rivers Shadow Strike #1) NR
  • etc, etc.
  • Beast Three Six (David Rivers Shadow Strike #5) NR published 2023

Auston King – Ex-CIA assassin on the run, helping save the world. Bottom third in quality writing.

  • The Assassin’s Betrayal: CIA Assassin (Jason Drake #1) published 2020
  • 6 more follow if you have nothing better to do.

Steven Konkoly – protagonist: best of the Department of Defense’s experimental Black Flag program, now deep black with CIA

  • Inception (Introduction to protagonist)
  • Alpha (Black Flagged #1)
  • Redux (Black Flagged #2)
  • Apex (Black Flagged #3)
  • Vektor (Black Flagged #4)
  • Covenant (Black Flagged #4.5)
  • Omega (Black Flagged #5)
  • Vindicta (Black Flagged #6) published 2022

Ward Larsen – protagonist: Mossad Kidon. One of my favorite series.

  • The Perfect Assassin (David Slaton #1)
  • Assassin’s Game (David Slaton #2)
  • Assassin’s Silence (David Slaton #3)
  • Assassin’s Code (David Slaton #4)
  • Assassin’s Run (David Slaton #5)
  • Assassin’s Revenge (David Slaton #6)
  • Assassin’s Strike (David Slaton #7)
  • Assassin’s Dawn (David Slaton #8)
  • Assassin’s Edge (David Slaton #9)
  • Assassin’s Mark (David Slaton #10)
  • Dark Vector: A David Slaton and Tru Miller Novel published 2025
  • Cutting Edge published 2018

Stieg Larsson – Brillian Swedish punker hacker teams with journalist to solve heinous crimes (starting #4 written by David Lagercrantz, #5 Sucks)

  • The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium #1)
  • The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium #2)
  • The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Millennium #3) published 2007
  • The Girl in the Spider’s Web (Millennium #4)
  • The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye (Millennium #5)
  • The Girl Who Lived Twice (Millennium #6) NR published 2019

Robert Ludlum – protagonist: deep cover CIA operative. You might want to stop at #2. #3 not that good and new author for the next 11.

  • The Bourne Identity (Jason Bourne #1)
  • The Bourne Supremacy (Jason Bourne #2)
  • The Bourne Ultimatum (Jason Bourne #3) published 1990
  • The Prometheus Deception published 2000
  • Etc……

Jason Matthews – Trilogy: CIA agent’s handler and handled vs. Russia. Superior reading, in my top five series.

  • Red Sparrow (Dominika Egorova & Nathaniel Nash #1)
  • Palace of Treason (Dominika Egorova & Nathaniel Nash #2)
  • Kremlin’s Candidate (Dominika Egorova & Nathaniel Nash #3) published 2018

P.J. Mercedsen and Quentin Rodriguez – protagonists: old & young mafia hitmen, and cleaner. Lowest third in quality for reading.

  • The Assassins series, Part 1 of 2 (Face Off & The Cleaner)
  • The Assassins series, Part 2 of 2 (The Target, Killing Floor, Thin Line)
  • Death for Sale (The Assassins #1)
  • The Cleaner (The Assassins #2)
  • The Target (The Assassins #3)
  • Killing Floor (The Assassins #4)
  • Thin Line (The Assassins #5) NR published 2015

Vince Milam – protagonist: former Delta Force operator (with DF pals) investigates seemingly innocuous cases and finds global problems involved. These are fun and clever, and creep into top third in quality.

  • The Suriname Job (Case Lee #1)
  • The New Guinea Job (Case Lee #2)
  • The Caribbean Job (Case Lee #3)
  • The Amazon Job (Case Lee #4)
  • The Hawaii Job (Case Lee #5)
  • The Orcas Island Job (Case Lee #6)
  • The Nevada Job (Case Lee #7)
  • The DC Job (Case Lee #8)
  • The Texas Job (Case Lee #9)
  • The Sawtooth Job (Case Lee #10)
  • The Rhine River Job (Case Lee #11)
  • The Alaska Job (Case Lee #12)
  • The Cairo Job (Case Lee #13) published 2024

Andrew Peterson – protagonist: ex-covert ops CIA specialist. OK stuff.

  • First to Kill (Nathan McBride #1)
  • Forced to Kill (Nathan McBride #2)
  • Option to Kill (Nathan McBride #3)
  • Ready to Kill (Nathan McBride #4)
  • Contract to Kill (Nathan McBride #5) NR
  • Right to Kill (Nathan McBride #6) NR
  • Hired to Kill (Nathan McBride #7) NR published 2018

Nick Petrie – protagonist: Marine veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Drifts around and trouble finds him similar to Child’s Jack Reacher.

  • The Drifter (Peter Ash #1)
  • Burning Bright (Peter Ash #2)
  • Light It Up (Peter Ash #3)
  • Tear It Down (Peter Ash #4)
  • The Wild One (Peter Ash #5)
  • The Breaker (Peter Ash #6)
  • The Runaway (Peter Ash #7)
  • The Price You Pay (Peter Ash #8) published 2024

Matt Rogers – Only read if you have nothing else. Protagonist: Ex-U.S. black ops operative. Lowest third in quality of reading.

  • Isolated (Jason King #1)
  • Imprisoned (Jason King #2) NR
  • Reloaded (Jason King #3) NR
  • Betrayed (Jason King #4) NR
  • Corrupted (Jason King #5) NR
  • Hunted (Jason King #6) NR published 2017

Mike Ryan – Silencer, Cain, and CIA Ghost series
I list this author only to save you some time and money. I read the first in the CIA Ghost Series and found it to be the worst book listed in this entire post. I suspect the rest of his stuff is similar.

L.T. Ryan – protagonist: ex-marine doing service for CIA, if you run out of other books this is somewhat readable. Lowest third in quality of reading.

  • Noble Beginnings (Jack Noble #1)
  • A Deadly Distance (Jack Noble #2)
  • Thin Line (Jack Noble #3)
  • Noble Intentions: Season 1 (Jack Noble #4)
  • When Dead in Greece (Jack Noble #5)
  • Noble Intentions: Season 2 (Episodes 6-10; Jack Noble #6)
  • Noble Intentions: Season 3 (Episodes #11-15; Jack Noble #7) (Noble Betrayal)
  • Never Go Home (Jack Noble #8)
  • Noble Intentions: Season Four (Episodes #16-21; Jack Noble #9) (Noble Judgement)
  • Never Cry Mercy (Jack Noble #10)
  • Deadline (Jack Noble #11)
  • End Game (Jack Noble #12) NR
  • These are continuing, up to #16 as of August 2024
  • Ripple Effect (Bear Logan #1) NR (Bear is Noble’s huge partner from that series)
  • Blowback (Bear Logan #2) NR
  • Take Down (Bear Logan #3) NR
  • Deep State (Bear Logan #4) NR published 2020

Daniel Silva – protagonist: Mossad Kidon. Top third in quality of reading.

  • The Kill Artist (Gabriel Allon #1)
  • The English Assassin (Gabriel Allon #2)
  • The Confessor (Gabriel Allon #3)
  • A Death in Vienna (Gabriel Allon #4)
  • Prince Of Fire (Gabriel Allon #5)
  • The Messenger (Gabriel Allon #6)
  • The Secret Servant (Gabriel Allon #7)
  • Moscow Rules (Gabriel Allon #8)
  • The Defector (Gabriel Allon #9)
  • The Rembrandt Affair (Gabriel Allon #10)
  • Portrait of a Spy (Gabriel Allon #11)
  • The Fallen Angel (Gabriel Allon #12)
  • The English Girl (Gabriel Allon #13)
  • The Heist (Gabriel Allon #14)
  • The English Spy (Gabriel Allon #15)
  • The Black Widow (Gabriel Allon #16)
  • House of Spies (Gabriel Allon #17)
  • The Other Woman (Gabriel Allon #18)
  • The New Girl (Gabriel Allon #19)
  • The Order (Gabriel Allon #20)
  • The Cellist (Gabriel Allon #21)
  • Portrait of an Unknown Woman (Gabriel Allon #22)
  • The Collector (Gabriel Allon #23)
  • A Death in Cornwall (Gabriel Allon #24)
  • An Inside Job (Gabriel Allon #25) NR 15 July 2025 ON HOLD
  • The Mark of the Assassin (Michael Osbourne #1)
  • The Marching Season (Michael Osbourne #2) published 1999

Rob Sinclair – mediocre writer uses ton of clichés. Lowest third in quality of reading.

  • Dance with the Enemy (The Enemy #1) protagonist Joint Intelligence Agency black ops guy
  • Rise of the Enemy (The Enemy #2)
  • Hunt for the Enemy (The Enemy #3) published 2016
  • The Red Cobra (James Ryker #1) NR – protagonist retired Joint Intelligence Agency guy
  • The Black Hornet (James Ryker #2) NR
  • The Silver Wolf (James Ryker #3) NR
  • The Green Viper (James Ryker #4) NR published 2018

Jack Slater – protagonist: CIA’s most feared assassin (retired), reluctantly saving the country and world. Average reading with plots that stretch the imagination, at least for first two books.

  • Dark State (Jason Trapp #1)
  • False Flag (Jason Trapp #2)
  • Flash Point (Jason Trapp #3)
  • Depth Charge (Jason Trapp #4)
  • The Apparatus (Jason Trapp #5)
  • Black Eagle (Jason Trapp #6)
  • Valley of Death (Jason Trapp #7) NR
  • Hand of God (Jason Trapp #8) NR
  • Dust Storm (Jason Trapp #9) NR
  • Eyes Only (Jason Trapp #10) NR
  • Shock Wave (Jason Trapp #11) NR June 2025

DC Stansfield – protagonists: retired geriatric black ops

  • The Assassin the Grey Man and the Surgeon (Book #1)
  • To Kill a Grey Man (Book #2)
  • Wicked Profit (Book #3)
  • The Russians and the Beast (#4) NR published 2018
  • Tom Revilo
  • An Assassin for the New Templars published 2017

Mark T. Sullivan – protagonist: ex-CIA black ops operative

  • Rogue (Robin Monarch #1)
  • Outlaw (Robin Monarch #2)
  • Thief (Robin Monarch #3) published 2014

A.J. Tata – protagonist: CIA paramilitary operative (and others). Top third in quality of reading.

  • Sudden Threat (Threat #1)
  • Rogue Threat (Threat #2)
  • Hidden Threat (Threat #3)
  • Mortal Threat (Threat #4)
  • Foreign and Domestic (Jake Mahegan #1)
  • Three Minutes to Midnight (Jake Mahegan #2)
  • Besieged (Jake Mahegan #3)
  • Direct Fire (Jake Mahegan #4)
  • Dark Winter (Jake Mahegan #5)
  • Double Crossfire (Jake Mahegan #6) published 2019

Brad Taylor – protagonist: black ops. Top of mid-range quality reading.

  • One Rough Man (Pike Logan #1)
  • All Necessary Force (Pike Logan #2)
  • Enemy of Mine (Pike Logan #3)
  • The Widow’s Strike (Pike Logan #4)
  • The Polaris Protocol (Pike Logan #5)
  • Days of Rage (Pike Logan #6)
  • No Fortunate Son (Pike Logan #7)
  • The Insider Threat (Pike Logan #8)
  • The Forgotten Soldier (Pike Logan #9)
  • Ghosts of War (Pike Logan #10)
  • Ring of Fire (Pike Logan #11)
  • Operator Down (Pike Logan #12)
  • Daughter of War (Pike Logan #13)
  • Hunter Killer (Pike Logan #14)
  • American Traitor (Pike Logan #15)
  • End of Days (Pike Logan #16)
  • The Devil’s Ransom (Pike Logan #17)
  • The Honeymoon Heist (Pike Logan Short Story)
  • Dead Man’s Hand (Pike Logan #18)
  • Into the Gray Zone (Pike Logan #19) published 2025

Brad Thor – protagonist: ex-SEAL, ex-Secret Service, black ops for president. Top third in reading quality.

  • The Lions of Lucerne (Scot Harvath #1)
  • Path of the Assassin (Scot Harvath #2)
  • State of the Union (Scot Harvath #3)
  • Blowback (Scot Harvath #4)
  • Takedown (Scot Harvath #5)
  • The First Commandment (Scot Harvath #6)
  • The Last Patriot (Scot Harvath #7)
  • The Apostle (Scot Harvath #8)
  • Foreign Influence (Scot Harvath #9)
  • The Athena Project (Scot Harvath #?)
  • Full Black (Scot Harvath #10)
  • Black List (Scot Harvath #11)
  • Hidden Order (Scot Harvath #12)
  • Act of War (Scot Harvath #13)
  • Code of Conduct (Scot Harvath #14)
  • Foreign Agent (Scot Harvath #15)
  • Use of Force (Scot Harvath #16)
  • Spymaster (Scot Harvath #17)
  • Backlash (Scot Harvath #18)
  • Near Dark (Scot Harvath #19)
  • Black Ice (Scot Harvath #20)
  • Rising Tiger (Scot Harvath #21)
  • Dead Fall (Scot Harvath #22)
  • Shadow of Doubt (Scot Harvath #23)
  • Edge of Honor (Scot Harvath #24) 1 July 2025 ON HOLD

Tim Tigner – protagonist: former Olympic biathlete sometimes helps CIA

  • Chasing Ivan (Kyle Achilles #0.5)
  • Pushing Brilliance (Kyle Achilles #1)
  • The Lies of Spies (Kyle Achilles #2)
  • Falling Stars (Kyle Achilles #3)
  • Twist and Turn (Kyle Achilles #4)
  • Boundless Ambition (Kyle Achilles #5) published 2020
  • Coercion NR
  • Betrayal NR
  • Flash NR published 2013

J.B. Turner – protagonist: ex-Delta Force black-ops specialist for US Government

  • Hard Road (Jon Reznick #1)
  • Hard Kill (Jon Reznick #2)
  • Hard Wired (Jon Reznick #3)
  • Gone Bad (Jon Reznick #3.5)
  • Hard Way (Jon Reznick #4)
  • Hard Fall (Jon Reznick #5)
  • Hard Hit (Jon Reznick #6)
  • Hard Shot (Jon Reznick #7)
  • Hard Target (Jon Reznick #8)
  • Hard Vengeance (Jon Reznick #9)
  • Hard Fire (Jon Reznick #10)
  • Hard Exit (Jon Reznick #11)
  • Hard Power (Jon Reznick #12)
  • Hard Duty (Jon Reznick #13) published 2024

Adrian Wills – protagonist: ex-black ops, now MI5

  • Deep Sleepers (Tom Blake #1)
  • The Armageddon Virus (Tom Blake #2) published 2015

Tom Wood – protagonist: contract assassin. Top third in quality of reading.

  • The Hunter (The Killer) (Victor the Assassin #1)
  • The Enemy (Victor the Assassin #2)
  • The Game (Victor the Assassin #3)
  • Better Off Dead (No Tomorrow) (Victor the Assassin #4)
  • The Darkest Day (Victor the Assassin #5)
  • A Time to Die (Victor the Assassin #6)
  • The Final Hour (Victor the Assassin #7)
  • Kill for Me (Victor the Assassin #8)
  • A Quiet Man (Victor the Assassin #9)
  • Traitor (Victor the Assassin #10)
  • Blood Debt (Victor the Assassin #11)
  • Fire Fight (Victor the Assassin #12) published 2024

Bradley Wright – This is a five-book series starring an indestructible, best of the best of the best legendary soldier who is fabulously rich and great looking, Alexander King. I hacked my way through Book #1. Too bad the author has limited skills. Don’t waste your time with this series.

***Below starts a slightly different genre, more about police, military, law enforcement. A little SciFi.***

Craig Alanson – OK science fiction

  • Columbus Day (Expeditionary Force #1)
  • SpecOps (Expeditionary Force #2)

C.J. Box – protagonist: game warden in desolate part of Idaho. Some books get mentioned briefly in best seller list. This is not my thing. Read a few of them but it didn’t take. Writing is good, subject matter isn’t me. Most people love these books.

  • Open Season (Joe Pickett #1)
  • Etc, etc, etc
  • Battle Mountain (Joe Pickett #25) NR February 2025

A good stand-alone book by Box

  • Blue Heaven

Dale Brown (part military/part kick-butt hi-tech)

  • Flight of the Old Dog (Patrick McLanahan #1)
  • Night of the Hawk (Patrick McLanahan #2)
  • Sky Masters (Patrick McLanahan #3)
  • Day of the Cheetah (Patrick McLanahan #4)
  • Shadows of Steel (Patrick McLanahan #5)
  • Fatal Terrain (Patrick McLanahan #6)
  • The Tin Man (Patrick McLanahan #7)
  • Battle Born (Patrick McLanahan #8)
  • Warrior Class (Patrick McLanahan #9)
  • Wings of Fire (Patrick McLanahan #10)
  • Air Battle Force (Patrick McLanahan #11)
  • Plan of Attack (Patrick McLanahan #12)
  • Strike Force (Patrick McLanahan #13)
  • Shadow Command (Patrick McLanahan #14)
  • Rogue Forces (Patrick McLanahan #15)
  • Executive Intent (Patrick McLanahan #16)
  • A Time for Patriots (Patrick McLanahan #17)
  • Tiger’s Claw (Patrick McLanahan #18)
  • Starfire (Patrick McLanahan #19)
  • Iron Wolf (Patrick McLanahan #20)
  • Price of Duty (Patrick McLanahan #21)
  • The Moscow Offensive (Patrick McLanahan #22)
  • The Kremlin Strike (Patrick McLanahan #23) NR
  • The Eagle Station (Patrick McLanahan #24) NR published 2020

Jeff Carson – protagonist: Ex-Ranger Sherriff for Colorado county in the mountains

  • Foreign Deceit (David Wolf #1)
  • The Silversmith (David Wolf #2)
  • Alive and Killing (David Wolf #3)
  • Deadly Conditions (David Wolf #4)
  • Cold Lake (David Wolf #5)
  • Smoked Out (David Wolf #6)
  • To the Bone (David Wolf #7)
  • Dire (David Wolf #8)
  • Signature (David Wolf #9)
  • Dark Mountain (David Wolf #10)
  • Rain (David Wolf #11)
  • Drifted (David Wolf #12)
  • Divided Sky (David Wolf #13)
  • In the Ground (David Wolf #14)
  • High Road (David Wolf #15)
  • Dead Canyon (David Wolf #16)
  • Echoes Fade (David Wolf #17) published 2023. I am going to stop tracking this series. Seems like the author has run out of good ideas and the writing is just OK at this point.

Michael Crichton/James Patterson – poor effort, expected much better

  • Eruption (Thriller about an eruption of Mauna Loa on the Island of Hawaii) pub 2023

Greg Iles – protagonist: former prosecutor and Mayor of Natchez, Mississippi

  • The Quiet Game (Penn Cage #1) NR
  • Turning Angel (Penn Cage #2) NR
  • The Devil’s Punchbowl (Penn Cage #3) NR
  • Natchez Burning (Penn Cage #4)
  • The Bone Tree (Penn Cage #5)
  • Mississippi Blood (Penn Cage #6) published 2017

William Kent Krueger – protagonist: Former sheriff in very northern Minnesota

  • Iron Lake (Cork O’Connor #1)
  • Boundary Waters (Cork O’Connor #2)
  • Purgatory Ridge (Cork O’Connor, #3)
  • Blood Hollow (Cork O’Connor #4)
  • Mercy Falls (Cork O’Connor #5)
  • Copper River (Cork O’Connor #6)
  • Thunder Bay (Cork O’Connor #7)
  • Red Knife (Cork O’Connor #8)
  • Heaven’s Keep (Cork O’Connor #9)
  • Vermilion Drift (Cork O’Connor #10)
  • Northwest Angle (Cork O’Connor #11)
  • Trickster’s Point (Cork O’Connor #12)
  • Tamarack County (Cork O’Connor #13)
  • Windigo Island (Cork O’Connor #14)
  • Manitou Canyon (Cork O’Connor #15)
  • Sulfur Springs (Cork O’Connor #16)
  • Desolation Mountain (Cork O’Connor #17)
  • Lightning Strike (Cork O’Connor #18)
  • Fox Creek (Cork O’Connor #19)
  • Spirit Crossing (Cork O’Connor #20) although a best seller, this one was weak published 2024

John Sandford – protagonist St Paul MN detective, Virgil works for/with Lucas. This guy writes books that are good. You will hate to put them down because of good characters, good story lines, there is very little fluff, and he keeps things moving. Don’t blame me for staying up until 3AM reading.

  • Rules of Prey (Lucas Davenport #1)
  • Shadow Prey (Lucas Davenport #2)
  • Eyes of Prey (Lucas Davenport #3)
  • Silent Prey (Lucas Davenport #4)
  • Winter Prey (Lucas Davenport #5)
  • Night Prey (Lucas Davenport #6)
  • Mind Prey (Lucas Davenport #7)
  • Sudden Prey (Lucas Davenport #8)
  • Secret Prey (Lucas Davenport #9)
  • Certain Prey (Lucas Davenport #10)
  • Easy Prey (Lucas Davenport #11)
  • Chosen Prey (Lucas Davenport #12)
  • Mortal Prey (Lucas Davenport #13)
  • Naked Prey (Lucas Davenport #14)
  • Hidden Prey (Lucas Davenport #15)
  • Broken Prey (Lucas Davenport #16)
  • Invisible Prey (Lucas Davenport #17)
  • Phantom Prey (Lucas Davenport #18)
  • Wicked Prey (Lucas Davenport #19)
  • Storm Prey (Lucas Davenport #20)
  • Buried Prey (Lucas Davenport #21)
  • Stolen Prey (Lucas Davenport #22)
  • Silken Prey (Lucas Davenport #23)
  • Field of Prey (Lucas Davenport #24)
  • Gathering Prey (Lucas Davenport #25)
  • Extreme Prey (Lucas Davenport #26)
  • Golden Prey (Lucas Davenport #27)
  • Twisted Prey (Lucas Davenport #28)
  • Neon Prey (Lucas Davenport #29)
  • Masked Prey (Lucas Davenport #30)
  • Ocean Prey (Lucas Davenport #31)
  • Righteous Prey (Lucas Davenport #32)
  • Judgement Prey (Lucas Davenport #33)
  • Toxic Prey (Lucas Davenport #34)
  • Lethal Prey (Lucas Davenport #35) published 2025
  • Dark of the Moon (Virgil Flowers #1)
  • Heat Lightning (Virgil Flowers #2)
  • Rough Country (Virgil Flowers #3)
  • Bad Blood (Virgil Flowers #4)
  • Shock Wave (Virgil Flowers #5)
  • Mad River (Virgil Flowers #6)
  • Storm Front (Virgil Flowers #7)
  • Deadline (Virgil Flowers #8)
  • Escape Clause (Virgil Flowers #9)
  • Deep Freeze (Virgil Flowers #10)
  • Holy Ghost (Virgil Flowers #11)
  • Bloody Genius (Virgil Flowers #12) published 2019

Letty Davenport Series – Lucas’ brilliant, adopted daughter

  • The Investigator (Letty Davenport #1)
  • Dark Angel (Letty Davenport #2) published 2023
  • Saturn Run – science fiction that Sandford branched into

Martha Wells – Protagonist is self-aware android without programming that allows him to disobey humans and gets into various adventures to help various groups of humans. Solid and easy reading for those that like Science Fiction. Some books have won awards.

  • All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries #1)
  • Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diaries #2)
  • Rogue Protocol (Murderbot Diaries #3)
  • Exit Strategy (Murderbot Diaries #4)
  • Network Effect (Murderbot Diaries #5)
  • Fugitive Telemetry (Murderbot Diaries #6)
  • System Collapse (Murderbot Diaries #7) published 2023