Action / Thriller authors: books in reading order

David Baldacci

71 books• 16 series

David Baldacci is an American novelist, born on 5 August 1960, who trained as an attorney and writes mostly suspense fiction and legal thrillers. The catalogue lists 72 Baldacci books, starting with Absolute Power (1996); All In appeared in 2026 and Boom Town is scheduled for 2027. Recurring leads include Amos Decker, Will Robie, John Puller, Atlee Pine and Aloysius Archer, alongside the Camel Club and the Sean King & Michelle Maxwell books. Baldacci novels have been published in more than 80 countries and 45 languages, with worldwide sales above 130 million copies.

Tom Clancy

72 books• 9 series

Tom Clancy, born Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. on April 12, 1947 and dead on October 1, 2013, was an American writer of techno-thrillers, a form that carries technical detail about espionage and military science. An insurance agent before publishing, Clancy debuted with The Hunt for Red October in 1984. The Ryanverse books follow Jack Ryan, an analyst with the Central Intelligence Agency. Subjects across the listing include terrorism, suspense and espionage. The catalogue carries 72 titles under the Clancy name dated 1984 to 2023, with Bill McCay, Grant Blackwood and Peter Telep credited on one or two each.

Jack Carr is the pen name of George Petersen, an American novelist born on 3 July 1975 who served as a Navy SEAL sniper and also works as a screenwriter, producer and podcaster. Carr writes the James Reece thrillers, which open with The Terminal List (2018); that novel became a television series starring Chris Pratt, with a second season and a spin-off starring Taylor Kitsch. Targeted: Beirut marks a move into non-fiction, and The Fourth Option is a thriller series co-written with M.P. Woodward. The catalogue lists 11 Carr books from 2018 to 2027, with State of Exile due in 2027.

Karin Slaughter

39 books• 10 series

American crime writer Karin Slaughter was born in 1971. Her debut, Blindsighted (2001), made the Crime Writers' Association shortlist for best thriller debut, and Cop Town won the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger in 2015. The catalogue carries 39 of her books through The Secrets We Hide (2026). Will Trent, Sara Linton and Jeffrey Tolliver are recurring figures, and her series listings include Andrea Oliver, North Falls Thriller, Pretty Girls and Good Daughter alongside standalone novels. Subjects cover police work, medical examiners, murder and the state of Georgia. Slaughter's books are published in 120 countries.

Lisa Gardner, born in 1972, is an American suspense novelist and a #1 New York Times bestseller. Gardner started out in romantic suspense under the name Alicia Scott, and three series here carry that pseudonym. The domestic thriller The Perfect Husband (1997) was the breakthrough. Gardner's series follow Detective D.D. Warren, Tessa Leoni and Frankie Elkin, and police investigations, missing persons and Boston recur in the subjects. The catalogue counts 48 books from Walking After Midnight (1992) to You'll Be Sorry (2026). Gardner's novels appear in more than 30 countries, and screen credits include At the Midnight House, The Survivors Club and Hide.

Clive Cussler

104 books• 9 series

Clive Cussler (July 15, 1931 – February 24, 2020) was an American adventure novelist and underwater explorer. Cussler founded and chaired the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA), which has located more than 60 shipwreck sites. Cussler's thrillers, many of them featuring Dirk Pitt, reached The New York Times fiction best-seller list more than 20 times. The catalogue lists 105 books under Cussler's name, beginning with The Mediterranean Caper (1973), with The Serpent's Eye due in 2027. Robin Burcell shares credit on 6 of them, Jack Du Brul on 5 and Grant Blackwood on 3. Series include Dirk Pitt, NUMA Files, Oregon Files and Sea Hunters.

Mark Greaney

25 books• 4 series

Mark Greaney, born July 11, 1967, is an American thriller writer. The Gray Man novels follow Court Gentry, an assassin and CIA operative, and began with The Gray Man in 2009. Greaney co-wrote the last works of Tom Clancy and carried the Jack Ryan books forward from 2013 to 2017. The catalogue counts 26 books through The Hard Line (2026), with Dark Union announced for 2027. A Joshua Duffy series and standalone novels complete the list.

Mick Herron

25 books• 5 series

Slough House, the series adapted for television as Slow Horses, is the work of Mick Herron, a British mystery and thriller novelist born Michael Herron on 11 July 1963. Herron's catalogue holds 25 books from Down Cemetery Road (2003) to Clown Town (2025), including the Zoe Boehm books, standalone novels and short fiction. Dead Lions won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger in 2013, and Herron received the Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement in 2025. MI5, the intelligence service, private investigators and England recur across the subjects.

James Rollins

48 books• 10 series

James Rollins is the pen name of James Paul Czajkowski, an American writer born August 20, 1961, who gave up a veterinary practice in Sacramento, California to write full time. Rollins writes action-adventure, mystery and techno-thriller novels, often set underground or underwater, drawing on experience as an amateur caver and certified scuba diver. The catalogue opens with Subterranean (1999) and Excavation (2000), counts 49 books through Trust No One (2026), and lists Into the Serpent's Nest for 2027. Series include Sigma Force, the Order of the Sanguines, Tucker Wayne and Jake Ransom. Under a second pen name, James Clemens, Czajkowski publishes fantasy.

Former attorney Steve Berry practised as a trial lawyer for three decades and served fourteen years in elected office. The American author was born on September 2, 1955, and lives in St. Augustine, Florida. The Amber Room (2003) and The Romanov Prophecy (2004) were his first works, and the catalogue now counts 44 books, with The Sorcerer's Veil announced and the list reaching 2027. Cotton Malone is the recurring character; other listings include Cassiopeia Vitt Adventure, Luke Daniels and standalone novels. Subjects include espionage, political thrillers, popes and booksellers.

Tess Gerritsen

38 books• 6 series

Tess Gerritsen, born Terry Tom on June 12, 1953, is an American novelist who worked as a general physician before retiring from medicine. Gerritsen's 39 catalogued books start with Adventure's Mistress (1985) and continue through The Shadow Friends (2026), with The Italian Affair listed for 2028. Rizzoli & Isles is the recurring pairing named on the page, and Detective Jane Rizzoli appears in the subject tags. Other series are the Martini Club and the Tavistock Family. Subjects range across suspense, thrillers, medical fiction, women forensic scientists and romantic suspense.

Pike Logan carries the thrillers of Brad Taylor, a run of 31 books that starts with One Rough Man (2011) and reaches Shadow Strike. Special forces work, terrorism and espionage supply the material, and a set of Taskforce novellas sits alongside the novels. Taylor publishes into 2027, when Omega Authority follows.

Allison Brennan, an American writer born in 1969, writes romantic thrillers; her first book was published in 2005. The catalogue lists 74 of her books through Make It Out Alive, with One Last Warning announced and the list reaching 2027. Lucy Kincaid and Max Revere are recurring figures. Series listings include the Predator Trilogy, Quinn & Costa Thriller, Angelhart Investigations, River City Mysteries, Regan Merritt and Moreno & Hart Mysteries. Subjects include the FBI, serial murders, women journalists and romantic suspense.

Iris Johansen writes crime fiction, suspense and romance, and was born on April 7, 1938, in St. Louis, Missouri. The catalogue lists 120 books from Stormy Vows (1983) to Wait and See (2026), with the 1980s as the busiest decade. Eve Duncan, Kendra Michaels and Catherine Ling are the recurring characters, and facial reconstruction and women sculptors appear among the subject headings. Johansen's series also include Sedikhan, Wind Dancer, Clanad and Delaneys.

Kendra Elliot writes romantic suspense and thrillers, and subjects tie the books to Oregon, the FBI, serial murders and missing persons. The catalogue holds 45 books from 2012 to 2027, starting with Hidden (2012). Elliot's series include Bone Secrets, Callahan & McLane, Mercy Kilpatrick, Widow's Island, Columbia River and Noelle Marshall. Until She Dies (2026) is the newest title, and Never To Return is set for 2027.

Marc Cameron, born 1961, is an American novelist of action adventure fiction. Cameron writes the Jericho Quinn and Arliss Cutter series and has written Jack Ryan novels set in the Ryanverse built on Tom Clancy's characters. The 26 catalogued books span 2005 to 2026. The earliest, Hard Road to Heaven (2005) and The Hell Riders (2006), appeared as Mark Henry. Later titles include National Security (2011) and Act of Terror (2012), and Backtrack (2026) is the newest.

Steve Cavanagh writes legal thrillers, and the subjects on the 17 catalogued books include criminal defense lawyers, murder trials, the Mafia, kidnapping and New York. Cavanagh's series are Eddie Flynn, a set of Eddie Flynn short stories and novellas, and standalone novels. The earliest entry is The Cross (2015), followed by The Defence (2015), The Plea (2016), The Liar (2017), Thirteen (2018), Twisted (2019) and Fifty-Fifty (2020). Two Kinds of Stranger appeared in 2025, and One of Us Is Guilty is scheduled for 2027.

Thrillers about vigilantes and assassins form the spine of Gregg Hurwitz's catalogue, which also takes in superhero graphic novels, among them Batman: The Dark Knight and Penguin: Pain and Prejudice. Evan Smoak, the figure behind the Orphan X books, heads Hurwitz's best known series, with Tim Rackley and Rains beside it. Sixty-one catalogued titles run from The Tower (1999) to The Damage Man, and Last Man Standing is scheduled for 2027.

Wilbur Smith was a British-South African novelist born in Northern Rhodesia. Smith's historical fiction covers four centuries of international involvement in Southern Africa. The catalogue lists 66 books, from When the Lion Feeds (1964) to Flashpoint (2026). Series include Courtney, Jack Courtney, Ancient Egypt, Hector Cross and Prey Zone. Recurring character listings include the Courtney family, Ballantyne and Hector Cross. David Churchill and Tom Harper each share the credit on 1 book. Subjects include Africa, Egypt, revenge, espionage and terrorism.

Robert Ludlum (May 25, 1927 to March 12, 2001) was an American thriller author who wrote 27 novels and created Jason Bourne. Between 300 million and 500 million copies of Ludlum's books are estimated to be in print, in 33 languages and 40 countries. The catalogue opens with The Scarlatti Inheritance (1971), followed by The Osterman Weekend (1972) and The Matlock Paper (1973). Ludlum also wrote as Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd. The catalogue also carries Covert-One and Paul Janson entries, plus titles dated after 2001 such as The Bourne Revenge (2026).

Phillip Margolin

35 books• 6 series

Legal thrillers built on murder trials are the work of Phillip Margolin. Gone, But Not Forgotten (1993) sits early in a catalogue of 35 books that reaches 2026, and Margolin's series follow the lawyers Robin Lockwood, Amanda Jaffe, Madison Kincaid, and Brad Miller with Dana Cutler. Courtroom suspense and criminal investigation carry the novels, which run to a median of 362 pages.

Legal thrillers make up most of Robin James's catalogue. Cass Leary and Mara Brent each head a legal thriller series, with the Mercy Gale and Mannings books alongside. James's 43 catalogued titles run from 2016, the year of The Lawyer and The Law Partners, to The Best Lawyer, and Edge of Justice is scheduled for 2027. The 2020s hold the largest share of the list.

Hostage rescue, kidnapping and fugitives drive John Gilstrap's thrillers. Jonathan Grave stands at the centre of the main series, with Victoria Emerson and Irene Rivers heading others and non-fiction alongside. Forty-one catalogued books run from Nathan's Run (1996) through Hostage Zero (2010) and High Treason (2013) to Scorched Earth in 2026.

Alex Berenson

24 books• 4 series

John Wells, an intelligence officer working undercover, leads Alex Berenson's espionage thrillers from The Faithful Spy (2006). Berenson's catalogue holds 24 books, opening with The Number (2003) and reaching The Fatherhood Manifesto in 2026, with the Unreported Truth titles and other non-fiction beside the novels. Terrorism, the CIA and undercover operations supply the material.

Caribbean adventure and thriller fiction makes up Wayne Stinnett's catalogue. Jesse McDermitt heads one line and Charity Styles another, with the Tropical Adventure and Caribbean Mystery series alongside. Fifty-six catalogued books start in 2013 with Fallen Out, Fallen Palm and Fallen Hunter, and reach Sleighed (2026). The median book runs 300 pages.

Naval aviation and espionage define Stephen Coonts's thrillers. Jake Grafton leads the series that opens with Flight of the Intruder (1986), Tommy Carmellini heads a later one, and the Saucer books and Deep Black sit alongside. Terrorism, conspiracies, undercover operations and the Vietnam War are recurring subjects. Thirty-eight books run to Dragon's Jaw in 2019, and nothing new has appeared since.

Ted Bell, born Theodore Augustus Bell III (July 3, 1946 – January 20, 2023), was an American suspense novelist. Bell's New York Times bestselling spy thrillers feature Lord Alexander Hawke and include Hawke (2003), Assassin (2004), Pirate (2005), Spy (2006), Warlord (2010) and Phantom (2012). Nick of Time (2000) is the first catalogued book and Warmonger (2026) the newest; Nick McIver Adventures Through Time is a second series, and time travel appears in the subjects. Before writing novels, Bell served as president and chief creative officer of the Leo Burnett Company in Chicago and later as vice chairman and worldwide creative director of Young & Rubicam.

Matthew Reilly is an Australian action thriller writer, born 2 July 1974, whose books sell internationally. The catalogue lists 41 titles, from Contest (1996) and Ice Station (1998) to The Detective (2025). Reilly's series are Jack West Jr., Shane Schofield, Hover Car Racer, Troll Mountain and Tournament, plus a set of short stories. Subject tags include antiquities, automobile racing, action and adventure, and children's fiction.

Mark Dawson is a British author of thrillers and mysteries, including the John Milton and Atticus Priest series. The catalogue holds 86 Dawson books, from Subpoena Colada and The Art of Falling Apart (both 2001) to Dope (2026), with The Cleaner (2013) and Saint Death (2013) among them. Beatrix Rose, Isabella Rose, Group Fifteen Files, Soho Noir and Charlie Cooper Thrillers are further series. Subjects include assassins, gangs, lawyers and England.

Diane Capri writes thrillers, among them the Hunt For Reacher series, whose subject tags name Jack Reacher as a fictional presence. Eighty-four titles run from Annabelle's Attack / Raw Justice (2011) to Shadow Jack, with No Way Jack dated 2027. Hunt For Justice, the Jess Kimball thrillers, Jordan Fox Mysteries, Michael Flint and the Park Hotel Mysteries are the other series. Private investigators, women journalists and missing persons fill the subject tags.

Kiersten Modglin is an American author of psychological thrillers, with 55 books catalogued from 2016 to 2026. The run opens with If It Walks Like a Killer and The List (both 2016) and includes The Cleaner, The Healer, The Liar and The Prisoner from 2018 and Becoming Mrs. Abbott (2019). People Like Us (2026) is the newest title. Modglin's series are Messes and Carolina Killer Files.

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child write thrillers together, and 16 of their joint books are catalogued here. Relic (1995) starts the collaboration and Angel of Vengeance (2024) is the most recent entry. Aloysius Pendergast, a government investigator, carries most of them through serial murder cases in New York. The pair keep publishing.

Blake Banner writes espionage and action thrillers. Series on the author page are Dead Cold Mysteries, Cobra / Harry Bauer Thriller, Omega, Verdugo and Detective Mike Roth. A cluster of titles dates from 2017, among them Dawn of the Hunter, Double Edged Blade, Garden of the Damned and The Sins of the Father. A Harvest of Blood and Fire From Heaven followed in 2018. Bad Blood (2026) is the newest listed title, and Extinction Event is scheduled for 2027.

Brett Battles

53 books• 12 series

Brett Battles has 54 books in the catalogue, from The Cleaner (2007) to Hostile Intent (2026), with Fool Proof listed for 2027. Jonathan Quinn and Logan Harper are recurring characters, and intelligence officers, conspiracies and organized crime appear among the subject headings. Other Battles series include Project Eden, Excoms, Rewinder, Night Man Chronicles, Alexandra Poe and the Trouble Family Chronicles. Battles is an American writer and computer engineer from Los Angeles.

Logan Ryles has 48 books catalogued under action and thriller, published from 2019 to 2026, with Edge of Night set for 2027. Ryles's series follow Reed Montgomery, Mason Sharpe, Wolfgang Pierce and Ian Hale, alongside Prosecution Force. Sandbox, a Reed Montgomery short story, appeared in 2019 with Hunt to Kill, Overwatch and Total War. Deep End (2026) is the most recent title.

Chase Fulton is the character behind Cap Daniels's espionage and action thrillers, and almost the whole catalogue sits inside his series and the wider Avenging Angel universe. The word Chase runs through the titles: The Opening Chase, The Broken Chase and The Unending Chase (2018), The Devil's Chase (2019), through to The Assassin's Chase in 2026. Fifty-six books have been catalogued since 2018.

Jason Kasper writes thrillers. The David Rivers books span two series, American Mercenary and Shadow Strike, and a further series carries the name Blair Morgan / The Spider Heist. The catalogue begins with Greatest Enemy / Jais (2016), and The Ranger Objective, Offer of Revenge and The Suicide Cartel appeared between 2017 and 2019. The Shadow Directive (2026) is the newest title, and The Paris Protocol is set for 2027.

Mike Lawson writes political thrillers built around government investigators. The catalogue lists 25 books, from The Inside Ring (2005) to The Asset (2026), in two named series: Joe DeMarco and Agent Kay Hamilton. Joe DeMarco is the recurring character. House Rules / Dead on Arrival (2008), House Secrets (2009) and House Justice (2010) appear early in the run, alongside the standalone title Rosarito Beach (2013). Undercover operations, drug trafficking and the US Drug Enforcement Administration appear among the subject headings.

Vatican thrillers make up most of Gary McAvoy's catalogue: the Vatican Secret Archive books, the Vatican Archaeology Thrillers and the Magdalene Chronicles, which begin at The Magdalene Deception (2020). Earlier titles fall outside that line, among them Harvest for Hope (2005) on food and organic farming and And Every Word Is True (2019). Twenty-two catalogued books reach The Borgia Vigil in 2026.

Tom Wood is the pseudonym of Tom Hinshelwood, a British thriller novelist. Studiocanal acquired the rights to The Hunter, the first Wood book published. The catalogue lists 16 books from 2010 to 2026, starting with The Hunter / The Killer and running to No Good Deed (2026). Victor the Assassin is the series on file, and subjects include assassins, the CIA, London and Europe. Other listed titles include The Enemy (2012), The Game (2013) and The Darkest Day (2015).

Charles Cumming writes espionage fiction. Three series carry it, Alec Milius, Thomas Kell and Box 88, with standalone novels including The Trinity Six (2011) beside them. Undercover operations, intelligence officers and journalists recur as subjects. The catalogue opens with A Spy by Nature (2001), reaches 13 books, and the newest title is Icarus 17 in 2026.

Sam Johnstone heads James Chandler's thrillers, which start with Misjudged (2020) and take their titles from the courtroom, False Evidence, Capital Justice, The Truthful Witness, Bodies of Proof. Eleven catalogued books reach Reasonable Suspicion in 2026, with Smith and Bauer as the second series, at a median 364 pages.

R.J. Patterson has 84 books catalogued since Better off Dead (2013), with The Shadow Signal (2026) the newest and The Last Asset due in 2027. Brady Hawk, Cal Murphy, Titus Black, James Flynn, Blake Barrett, Garrett Knox and the Phoenix Chronicles are among the series. Series names also include Ed Maddux Cold War Spy Thriller and J.D. Blunt Thriller. Early titles include Dead in the Water (2014) and Dead Man's Land (2015).

Steven Konkoly writes thrillers and post-collapse science fiction. The Jakarta Pandemic (2010) opens the catalogue, and the Black Flagged, Perseid Collapse, Ryan Decker, Devin Gray, Fractured State and Zulu Virus Chronicles series follow, along with a Practical Prepping non-fiction strand. Epidemics, influenza and New England appear among the subjects. Thirty-five books are catalogued, and A True Kill is the most recent.

Charles McCarry wrote espionage fiction around Paul Christopher, an American intelligence officer. The Miernik Dossier (1973) opens that sequence, followed by The Tears of Autumn, The Secret Lovers, The Better Angels and The Last Supper. Twenty-one catalogued books, non-fiction included, run to The Mulberry Bush in 2015.

Rita Herron writes romantic suspense, with subjects that include serial murders, police, twins, missing children and ranchers. Series include Detective Ellie Reeves, Nighthawk Island, Slaughter Creek, Cold Case, Badge Of Justice, Heroes Of Horseshoe Creek, Bucking Bronc Lodge, Demonborn and Manhunt. Fiction titles include Thief of Hearts (1997), Send Me a Hero (1998), Her Eyewitness (1999) and Forgotten Lullaby (2000). Midnight Ridge (2026) is the newest title.

J.A. Konrath writes crime thrillers, and the subject tags point to Chicago, policewomen and women sleuths, along with horror and women spies. Whiskey Sour (2004) is the first catalogued title, followed by Bloody Mary (2005), Rusty Nail (2006) and Dirty Martini (2007). Dark and Stormy (2026) is the most recent title. Jacqueline Daniels, known as Jack, is the character named in the subject tags. Series on the author page include Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels, Codename: Chandler, Timecaster, Phineas Troutt Mysteries, Harry McGlade Mystery and the Konrath/Kilborn Collective.

David Archer has 134 books in the catalogue, published between 2015 and 2026, from Drive By (2015) to Wolf in the Machine (2026). Espionage and political thrillers, action and adventure, the U.S. Army, post-traumatic stress disorder and private investigators recur in the subjects. Archer's series include Noah Wolf, Alex Mason, Peter Black, Sam and Indie, Jacob Hunter, Cassie McGraw, Chance Reddick and the Ben Carter Legal Thriller Series.