Veterans book series in reading order

by Robyn Carr

by Max Allan Collins

by Nicholas Petrie

by Alex Kava

by Charles Todd

by Walter Mosley

Donald Eugene Pendleton (December 12, 1927 to October 23, 1995) was an American author of fiction and non-fiction who created Mack Bolan, a character with hundreds of millions of copies sold since a 1969 debut. From 1980, other authors wrote the Bolan books under the Pendleton name, at first with Pendleton's editorial guidance. Pendleton also wrote six Joe Copp, Private Eye novels and six Ashton Ford, Psychic Detective novels. Early titles include The Insatiables (1967), War Against the Mafia (1969) and Miami Massacre (1970).

Robyn Carr is the American author of the Virgin River books, and an executive producer on the television versions of Virgin River and Sullivan's Crossing. The catalogue records 70 Carr books, from Chelynne (1980) to The Friendship Club (2024). Thunder Point, Sullivan's Crossing and the Grace Valley Trilogy are Carr's other series. Several novels, The Hero among them, reached The New York Times Best Seller list. Subject tags on the books include contemporary romance, California, single mothers, veterans and city and town life.

Historical romance set in the Regency and the wider Georgian period is Mary Balogh's territory. Born Mary Jenkins in Swansea on 24 March 1944, Balogh moved to Canada in 1967, taught in Kipling, Saskatchewan, and became a school principal there before the first novel appeared in 1985. The catalogue runs to 106 books, from A Chance Encounter (1985) to A Waltz to Remember (2026). Series headings include Westcott, Bedwyn Family, Survivor's Club, Huxtable Quintet, Simply Quartet, Dark Angel and Ravenswood. Mary Balogh is still publishing.

Max Allan Collins

199 books• 34 series

Max Allan Collins, born March 3, 1948, is an American mystery writer who also works in comics, graphic novels and screenplays. Collins created the Ms. Tree and Road to Perdition comics, the second of which became a film, and the series characters Quarry, a hitman, Nolan, a thief, and private investigator Nate Heller. Collins wrote the Dick Tracy newspaper strip for years, and the Mystery Writers of America named Collins a Grand Master in 2017. Catalogue entries run from Bait Money (1973) to Quarry's Reunion (2026), with Eliot Ness, Mallory and Disaster among the other series.

Laura Kaye

39 books• 9 series

Laura Kaye is the name an American historian and author publishes romance under; historical fiction appears under the name Laura Croghan Kamoie. Forty-one books are catalogued as Kaye between 2011 and 2021, across series including Hard Ink, Raven Riders, Blasphemy, Hearts Of The Anemoi, Warrior Fight Club and Vampire Warrior Kings. Forever Freed and Hearts in Darkness opened the run in 2011, and Fighting the Fire (2021) closed it. Veterans, special forces, motorcyclists and gods recur as subjects.

Charles Todd writes historical mysteries set around the First World War. Inspector Ian Rutledge, a police detective, and Bess Crawford, a nurse, head the two main series in a catalogue of 50 titles that begins with A Test of Wills (1994). A Day of Judgment is the most recent book, and A Deadly Cost is dated 2027. Short stories and standalone novels round out the list.

Stephen Hunter, born March 25, 1946, is an American novelist, essayist and film critic. The 33 catalogued books run from The Master Sniper (1980) to The Gun Man Jackson Swagger (2025). Series include the Swaggerverse and Hunter's non-fiction. Recurring characters include Bob Lee Swagger, Earl Swagger and Ray Cruz. Subjects include snipers, veterans, thrillers, espionage and World War II. Other titles include Target (1985), Point of Impact (1993) and Dirty White Boys (1994).

Maggie O'Dell, a criminal profiler, and Ryder Creed, who works with search dogs, carry Alex Kava's two thriller series. A Perfect Evil (2000) opens the O'Dell run, and the catalogue reaches 27 books with Chasing Creed in 2026. Criminal profilers, women detectives, veterans and search dogs are the catalogued subjects, with Washington D.C. among the settings.

Janet Dailey

161 books• 16 series

Janet Anne Haradon Dailey (1944-2013) was an American author of romance novels, translated into nineteen languages and sold in the hundreds of millions of copies. The Dailey catalogue holds 161 books opening with No Quarter Asked (1974), followed by state-titled entries including Savage Land: Texas (1974), Darling Jenny: Wyoming (1975) and Dangerous Masquerade: Alabama (1976). Subjects cover contemporary and historical romance, western romance, ranch life, love stories, Christmas stories and the Calder family. Series listed include the Calder Saga, New Americana, Tylers of Texas, Bannon Brothers and Christmas Tree Ranch. The listing also carries titles dated after 2013, running to Kill for a Million (2026).

Gary Paulsen

181 books• 17 series

Survival and outdoor adventure run through Gary Paulsen's writing for young readers. The catalogue holds 181 books, from Some Birds Don't Fly (1968) to Northwind (2022), at a median length of 105 pages. Brian Robeson, Francis Tucket, Duncan Culpepper, Murphy and the World of Adventure books head the series lines, with non-fiction and picture books alongside. No new Paulsen title has appeared since 2022.

Dale Mayer's catalogue runs to 327 books across romantic suspense, military romance, paranormal fiction and mystery. The series include SEALs of Honor, Heroes for Hire, the K9 Files, Psychic Visions, Hathaway House, the Mavericks, Lovely Lethal Gardens and the Kate Morgan thrillers. Publication started in 2011 and continues to 2027, when Cruz Control follows.

Lori Wilde is the current pen name of Laurie Blalock Vanzura, a Texas-born American writer of contemporary romance who first published as Laura Anthony. The catalogue counts 156 books from Look Alike Bride (1997), issued as Laura Anthony, to A Perfect Christmas Night (2025). Twilight, Texas, Cupid, Texas, Kringle, Texas, Texas Rascals and Moonglow Cove are among the series. Small towns, Christmas, cowboys and Texas recur in the subject tags.

Peter Straub

39 books• 2 series

Horror and psychological crime define Peter Straub's work, with the Vietnam War and its veterans behind a good deal of it. Ghost Story (1979), Shadowland (1980) and Floating Dragon (1982) belong to the horror line, while the Blue Rose Trilogy brings in serial murder and Tom Pasmore. Thirty-nine catalogued titles run from Ishmael (1972) to The Process (is a Process All Its Own) in 2017.

Glen Erik Hamilton writes the Van Shaw crime series. The debut, Past Crimes (2015), won the Anthony, Macavity and Strand Critics awards for best first novel. Five more follow to Island of Thieves (2021): Hard Cold Winter (2016), Every Day Above Ground (2017), Mercy River (2019) and A Dangerous Breed (2020). Army rangers, veterans and murder are the recurring subjects. Hamilton, a native of Seattle, grew up aboard a sailboat in the Pacific Northwest.

Adrian Magson is a British novelist working in espionage and crime. Ten lines run through the catalogue, among them Inspector Lucas Rocco, Harry Tate, Riley Gavin & Frank Palmer, the Marc Portman books, Cruxys Solutions Investigations and Gonzales & Vaslik Investigations, along with non-fiction and short stories. Thirty-eight books are catalogued between The Lost Patrol (2002) and Lethal Target (2026). Journalists, veterans, intelligence work, missing persons and terrorism recur as subjects.

Nick Oldham writes police procedurals. Henry Christie is the recurring detective across a catalogue of 39 books published between 1996 and 2026, from A Time For Justice (1996) to Death at the Castle Gates (2026). Steve Flynn and Jessica Raker lead two further series, and standalone novels sit beside them. Murder investigation, crime, ex-police officers and English settings are the subject headings, and One Dead Witness (1998), The Last Big Job (1999), Backlash (2001) and Psycho Alley (2006) fall in the earlier stretch. The median book runs 224 pages.

James Patterson

510 books• 73 series

James Patterson, born on March 22, 1947, is an American writer whose catalogue here holds 514 books published from 1976 to 2027. The run opens with The Thomas Berryman Number (1976), and Along Came a Spider (1992) and Kiss the Girls (1995) follow later. Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Maximum Ride, Daniel X, Witch & Wizard, NYPD Red, Private, Middle School and the Women's Murder Club are among the Patterson series, alongside standalone thrillers, non-fiction and romance. Marshall Karp shares the credit on 5 of the books. Patterson's sales exceed 425 million copies, and Patterson was the first person to sell one million e-books. Forbes ranked Patterson the highest-paid author in 2016, for a third year running, and the National Book Foundation gave Patterson the Literarian Award in November 2015. 27 Stars is scheduled for 2027.

Elly Griffiths

49 books• 6 series

Elly Griffiths is the pen name of Domenica de Rosa, a British crime novelist born in 1963. Three series appear under the Griffiths name: the Ruth Galloway books, a series featuring Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens and Max Mephisto, and the Harbinder Kaur novels. The catalogue lists 49 books from 2001 to 2026, the earliest being The Little Book of Shakespeare and Food, credited as Domenica de Rosa. The Crossing Places (2009) and The Janus Stone (2010) come later, and the Justice Jones and Ali Dawson series are also listed. Subjects include women forensic anthropologists and archaeologists.

Paul Doiron is the author of the Mike Bowditch series of crime novels. Subjects attached to the books include game wardens, wilderness areas, Maine, missing persons and murder. The catalogue holds 26 books between 1998 and 2026; the earliest listed title is Eating Between The Lines (1998), and The Poacher's Son (2010), Trespasser (2011), Bad Little Falls (2012) and Massacre Pond (2013) follow. Storm Tide (2026) is the newest entry.

Jacqueline Winspear

23 books• 5 series

Jacqueline Winspear, a mystery writer born on 30 April 1955, is the author of Maisie Dobbs, a series examining the aftermath of World War I. Books in the series have won Winspear several mystery writing awards. The catalogue lists 24 Winspear books, starting with Maisie Dobbs (2003) and including Birds of a Feather (2004) and Pardonable Lies (2005). The Comfort of Ghosts (2024) is the newest published title, and Charlie Bright is scheduled for 2027. Subjects include women private investigators, both world wars and missing in action.

Irene Hannon, also known as Irene Hannon Gottlieb, is an American author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense who previously worked as a communications executive at Anheuser-Busch. The catalogue holds 73 Hannon books, starting with Portrait of Love (1985). Harbor Pointe (2026) is the newest title, and Suncatcher Island is due in 2027. Hannon series include Hope Harbor, Starfish Bay, Lighthouse Lane, Heroes of Quantico, Guardians of Justice, Private Justice and Code of Honor. Catalogue subjects include Christian romance, inspirational fiction and suspense.

Linda Howard is the pen name of Linda S. Howington, an American author of romance and suspense born on August 3, 1950, in Alabama. The catalogue counts 63 books between All That Glitters (1982) and After Sundown (2019). Series include the Mackenzie Family Saga, Rescues/Kell Sabin, CIA's Spies/John Medina, Blair Mallory and GO-Team, alongside standalone novels. Contemporary, historical and paranormal romance all appear in the subject tags, together with romantic suspense.

Sherryl Woods is an American writer of romance and mystery, born July 23, 1944, in Arlington, Virginia, who has also used the pen names Alexandra Kirk and Suzanne Sherrill. The Chesapeake Shores novels became a six-season Hallmark Channel series, and Netflix's Sweet Magnolias is based on Woods' books, with Woods as an executive producer. The catalogue lists 157 titles from Restoring Love (1982) to Starlit Secrets (2024). Other named series include Calamity Janes, Devaney Brothers and the Amanda Roberts and Molly DeWitt mysteries.

Kristen Proby writes contemporary romance, with 104 books in the catalogue from 2012 onward. Come Away with Me (2012) is the earliest title, followed by Fight with Me (2012), Play with Me (2013) and Rock with Me (2013). Vicious King (2026) is the newest release, and Love Me Anyway is scheduled for 2027. Proby series include With Me In Seattle, Boudreaux, Fusion, Love Under the Big Sky, Big Sky Royal, Heroes of Big Sky, Kings of Vegas, Huckleberry Bay and Wilds of Montana. Subjects include rock musicians, restaurateurs, ranchers, veterans and family life.