How to Read Jack Carr Books in Order [Ultimate Guide]

Did you love The Terminal List TV show starring Chris Pratt on Amazon Prime? As is often the case with adaptations, there are differences between the books and the production, but you will not regret reading the source material. So, here is a complete list of the Jack Carr books in order to fill the James Reece-sized void in your life.

If you enjoy books from authors like Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton, Brad Thor, Stephen Coonts, or Larry Bond, it is no coincidence you got here. Jack Carr is one of the most prominent rising stars in action thrillers. His books have just the right amount of mystery, espionage, and military fiction. 

After retiring from his military career, Jack Carr debuted as a writer in 2018 with The Terminal List, which quickly became #1 New York Times and USA Today’s bestselling book.

There are currently six Jack Carr books in order to read with a seventh fiction book planned and his first nonfiction book scheduled for release in October 2024.

Who is Jack Carr?

Wherever you find information about Jack Carr, you’ll find a bunch of positions and roles fulfilled in his 20-year-long career as a US Navy SEAL. For example, SEAL sniper, sniper team leader, assault team leader, platoon commander, troop commander, and task unit commander are just some of them.

His grandfather was killed in World War II. Therefore, it was from an early age that Carr knew he was going to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps by enlisting. At the age of seven, he discovered the SEALs and he knew clearly he was going to become one of them.

Carr also started reading action thrillers from authors like David Morell, Nelson DeMille, and Tom Clancy to fuel his passion. But these thrillers also taught him the art of storytelling.

Jack Carr began a new profession in the field of book writing after retiring from the military in 2016. He achieved great success with his first book. He then started a personal brand and you can find him across social media, creating content about success, weaponry, storytelling, and more.

Carr is also a supporter of various groups that assist veterans suffering from PTSD, depression, or other unseen wounds that contribute to the rising rate of veteran suicides in the United States.

As of today, Carr lives in Park City, Utah with his beloved wife and 3 children. He often takes interviews and activities around book releases.

Carr and James Reece, the protagonist of the series, have comparable military history and characteristics. This helps lend a realistic sense of the high-pressure environment of top-secret operations for readers. However, The Terminal List books remain a work of fiction.

Jack Carr Books in Order

The Terminal List Books

Jack Carr is still relatively new to the publishing world. Therefore, this list of Jack Carr books in order isn’t long. But once you read the first book, I guarantee you’ll be dying for more.

Jack Carr introduced his main character of James Reece in The Terminal List and the five direct sequels since then have continued to expand upon his character and the world.

  1. The Terminal List (2018)
  2. True Believer (2019)
  3. Savage Son (2020)
  4. The Devil’s Hand (2021)
  5. In The Blood (2022)
  6. Only the Dead (2023)
  7. Red Sky Mourning (Expected: May 14, 2024)

As with many thriller mystery novels, it is possible to read Carr’s books as standalones. This is because each book contains its own mystery and story arc.

However, the best reading order for the Terminal List by Jack Carr books is to follow the order of publication, which is also the chronological order. Reading the books in this order will allow you to experience the world-building as the author intended. This will also help you best understand the character development of James Reece.

Another note on Carr’s books is that they contain redacted sentences. This is because, as a former US Navy SEAL, Carr must submit his manuscripts to the US Department of Defense before publication. If anything contains classified information that may cause a threat to national security, it cannot go to print; however, Carr chooses to keep these sections in his books, but covers them with black bars, just like in official documents.

Non-Fiction Books

Following the success of his novels, Jack Carr is moving into the world of nonfiction. In early 2023 Carr announced a new nonfiction series which will see its first book published in the fall of 2024. The series is being written in collaboration with James M. Scott, who is a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

The series, Targeted, will look at terrorist attacks that changed the course of US history. The first book looks at the 1983 Beirut bombing through recently declassified documents.

  1. Targeted: The 1983 Beirut Barracks Bombing (Expected: September 24, 2024)

The Terminal List TV Show Adaptation

As previously mentioned, there is an adaptation of Jack Carr’s books. Chris Pratt spearheaded the endeavor to adapt Carr’s debut novel, The Terminal List, with the Amazon Prime show of the same name.

Pratt also has a close connection to the source material. In 2013 while preparing for his role in Zero Dark Thirty, Pratt shadowed Jared Shaw, a former Navy SEAL who helped kill Osama Bin Laden. Pratt and Shaw became best friends, and it was Shaw who introduced Pratt to the Jack Carr books in order.

In addition to being an executive producer on the show, Pratt also stars in the leading role as James Reece. Alongside him are Riley Keough as Lauren Reece, Taylor Kitsch as Ben Edwards, Constance Wu as Katie Buranek, Jeanne Tripplehorn as Secretary Lorraine Hartley, and more.

But Pratt also wanted the show to have a layer of authenticity that could only come from involving military personnel. There are former members of the U.S. military both in front of and behind the cameras.

More than 25 veterans had on-screen roles in the show, including in the combat scene in the first episode, and the writers’ room had seven military veterans.

There are differences in the show from the books. Certain book characters are merged or cut and new characters are created for the show. There are also some scenes in the show which are different from the books in order to create a more cinematic experience.

This always happens with adaptations, but the Amazon Prime show keeps the essence of James Reece and The Terminal List in its adaptation.

Will there be a second season of The Terminal List?

The first season premiered in July 2022 to high ratings. It was then renewed for a second season in February 2023 and a prequel spinoff received the green light.

The prequel does not have a title yet, but it will be the origin story of Ben Edwards. Kitsch, who plays Edwards in the original adaptation, will also be an executive producer on the project alongside Pratt. The series will follow Edwards on his path from Navy SEAL to CIA paramilitary operator and is described as an elevated espionage thriller.

It is believed that book characters who did not appear in The Terminal List will play a role in the prequel. It is also believed that James Reece will feature in the prequel, alongside Raife Hastings from the books.

There is no word yet on a timeline for the second season or the prequel, but neither project has begun shooting as of October 2023. So, it’s not likely these projects will premiere any time soon.

However, the showrunner and a producer for The Terminal List, David DiGilio, has said that the second season will be adapting Jack Carr’s second book: True Believer. Carr is also an executive producer on both projects.

Summary of Jack Carr Books in Order

Jack Carr takes readers on a behind-the-scenes journey into the mind of a modern-day special operations soldier. In his writing he dispenses an ancient form of justice in today’s modern geopolitical landscape. Carr brings his experience and emotions of real-world combat to the pages of his political thrillers.

While a newer author, Jack Carr cements his place as the new leader in these political thrillers which explore the dark side of man. He does so with the knowledge of the depravity of combat and the power of the human spirit.

Below you will find the summaries for each of his Terminal List books.


The Terminal List Jack Carr Books in Order

1. The Terminal List

After discovering that the American government is behind the killings of his crew, James Reece has nothing to lose and a thirst for vengeance.

The Navy SEAL’s whole squad died in a devastating ambush on his last combat deployment. The ambush also claimed the lives of the aircrew brought in to rescue them.

Then, when his family and those closest to him are assassinated when he returns home, Reece realizes it is a government-wide conspiracy.

Reece employs his skills from years of relentless battle to avenge these brutal murders. Now that he has no family and is no longer under the military’s command system he has nothing to lose.


True Believer James Reece

2. True Believer

When a bomb goes off at a Christmas market in London, the death toll is horrifying, and the country’s economy slips into a spiral. This, it turns out, is merely the start of a series of organized and violent strikes against the Western world as a whole. 

The United States goes on the offensive as the scale of the chaos expands, engulfing country after country. There is only one individual they can turn to for help.

Former Navy SEAL James Reece is the single and most important link to a mysterious former Iraqi commando who might have key clues for the CIA. America’s final chance might be Reece. Unfortunately, he is also the most sought domestic terrorist in the United States. 

To keep him in check, a deal is forged, and Reece becomes an unwilling tool of the US government. He traverses the world to track down terrorist leaders. While unraveling a geopolitical intrigue involving a treacherous CIA operative and a dark assassination plan with global ramifications.


Savage Son Jack Carr

3. Savage Son

A treacherous CIA operative has taken up residence with the Russian Mafia. They have the goal of assassinating a former Navy SEAL sniper.

James Reece, half a globe away in Montana, has just underwent brain surgery. He is learning to live again with support from Katie Buranek, an investigative journalist, and Raife Hastings, a lifelong friend and fellow SEAL member.

But the Russian intelligence-mafia collaboration has set its sights on eliminating Reece. So, Reece must enlist a squad of former commandos to deliver his own brand of retribution to the Russian Mafia on their home territory.

But the hunters turn into the prey, when an unknown organization within the US government gets infiltrated by Russian intelligence. James Reece stands head and shoulders above the fray as the go-to covert operator in a new conflict.


The Devil’s Hand James Reece

4. The Devil’s Hand

It’s been twenty years since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. Patience, learning, and adjusting have been the adversaries during this time. And the adversary is ready to attack once more.

A new president brings optimism to a country that has been wracked by violence. He’s a visionary who’s youthful, popular, and self-made… However, he is carrying a dark secret.

A country whose ancient religion generated a gang of merciless assassins contends with sanctions imposed by the Great Satan and her European allies halfway across the world. Faced with internal strife and extrajudicial targeted executions by the US and Israel, the Supreme Leader devises a strategy to dethrone the world’s most powerful country.

Meanwhile, a young PhD student now has access to a level of bioweapons previously only known to a small number of authorities in a clandestine facility five storeys underground. He’s a second-generation spy who now must bring his adopted nation to its knees.


In The Blood Jack Carr

5. In The Blood 

After she completes her kill, hired by the Israeli government, the assassin gets on a plane in Burkina Faso. Then, shortly after take off, her plane explodes.

James Reece is watching the death toll climb on the news. The former Navy SEAL is miles away, but he sees one face amidst the casualties that he recognizes. A woman who worked for the CIA years ago. A woman was also a member of Mossad working in Iraq.

This sets Reece on a worldwide journey to track down her killer. But as he takes help wherever he can get it, he doesn’t realize that someone may be pulling strings to orchestrate this whole affair.


Only the Dead Jack Carr

6. Only the Dead 

More than four decades ago, a congressman was shot in Rhode Island. The murder shocked Washington, and its effects are still being felt.

Except now the world teeters on the edge of war. Inflation is rampant, politics have divided many, and assassinations have become all too common. So, a secret group has decided it’s time for them to take control.

They think that they are on the brink of complete control since the world’s most dangerous man has been locked away. But they’re wrong.

That’s because when the odds are against him, James Reece performs best. He is on a warpath, and no one is out of his sniper rifle’s range.


Final thoughts on Jack Carr books in order

So there you have the Jack Carr books in order. As Carr is still a relatively new author, reading his books in order is pretty straight forward. His fiction series only has six books, and the chronological order of his books is the same as the publication order.

The story advances with the chronological order of publication and this is the best way to read the series.

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6 thoughts on “How to Read Jack Carr Books in Order [Ultimate Guide]

  1. Finished The Terminal List and now reading True Believer. Jack Carr has truly nailed a great fiction character James Reece, or is he fiction…… I would choose to think we have all have Jack Carr’s and James Reeves and many more protecting our lives everyday. Thank you Mr Carr for your service!🇺🇲

  2. Thank you so much Mr Carr for James Reece. Your books are brilliant reads and I and my family look always look forward to the next chapter of Reece’s missions. It is a joy to read an author who has had “boots on the ground” as had Andy McNab and Chris Ryan. Thank you once again for the unable to put down books you recreate. With all best wishes, Elizabeth Branchflower

    1. It is not the same character. Reece in Terminal List is with a “c” and Reese in From Paris with Love is with an “s”

  3. Did you mean Taylor Kitsch as Ben Edwards, and not the other way around (when you were giving actor’s names in the roles)? The other references had the actor’ name first followed by the character name.

  4. Just watched Terminal List. Good movie but book so much better. I was hooked the first chapter. Loved the opening.

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