If you plan on reading all Jack Carr books in order, you’ve come to the right page. In this article, you’ll find all you need to know about the author’s Terminal List series and how to read it in the correct order!
Jack Carr is an author who has written a total of 6 books in his Terminal List series. The books focus on an ex-navy seal named James Reece who feels like his life is over after the death of his team. However, after he learns who is behind the deaths, it pushes him to seek revenge.
The first book in this series, The Terminal List, came out in 2018, with the most recent one coming out in 2023. It made the New York Times best-seller list and has been the finalist for several awards over the past few years. What is even more impressive is that Jack Carr’s first novel was made into a show on Amazon Prime that stared Chris Pratt and Constance Wu. While it got mixed reviews, it has been renewed for a second season.
This book series has something in common with the author Jack Carr. Jack, like the main character in his book, is also a former Navy Seal. He is no longer one but served many years. Now Jack Carr is focused on writing his remarkably successful thriller novels.
So, let’s see the best order to read the Terminal List series, also known as the James Reece series, and discover what made it one of the best thriller series of all time!
All Jack Carr Books in Order of Release Date:
Here’s the list featuring all of Jack Carr’s books according to their release dates:
- The Terminal List (2018)
- True Believer (2019)
- Savage Son (2020)
- The Devil’s Hand (2021)
- In The Blood (2022)
- Only The Dead (2023)
Although all the books by Jack Carr listed above can be read as standalone novels, it is recommended that you read them in the publication order as they all focus on the former Navy Seal named James Reece.
So, while not necessary, reading Jack Carr’s books in the order of their release will be better to understand the chronology of events and not being confused by the story.
How to Read Jack Carr’s Terminal List Series in Order?
1. The Terminal List (2018)
The Terminal List, released in 2018, is the first heart-pounding and pulse-racing book by Jack Carr, featuring James Reece. Before losing his team, James Reece was an outstanding and decorated Navy Seal. However, he is devastated when a mission goes wrong, kills everyone on his entire team, and leaves him as the only survivor.
He is unsure of what to do with himself and wonders why he was left alive out of everyone. When Reece discovers that the one behind the attack was the Government, he decides to get revenge on them. For someone as well-trained as him, there is no doubt that James Reece will be able to avenge everyone on his team that had been unfairly killed.
This book is an excellent start to what has proven to be a successful and thrilling series. Once you finish this first book, you’ll be dying for more, and you’ll soon start reading the second book too!
2. True Believer (2019)
True Believer is Jack Carr’s second book in the series featuring James Reece. When we last left James Reece, he had been determined to get revenge for his entire team, who had been killed in a mission gone wrong.
In this novel, James Reece has finally managed to let everyone he has lost rest peacefully. He went into hiding and was helped by people he thought had written him off.
Now, all Reece wants is to be left alone. One thing he wants nothing to do with is the United States Government, but this changes after an Iraqi commando is found to be behind numerous terrorist attacks. The United States Government seeks Reece out, knowing that if anyone can find this Iraqi commando who has vanished in Europe, it’s James Reece.
James only agrees to do it because the government offers to pardon him and his friends. Now he finds himself working for the very people he wanted nothing to do with ever again.
3. Savage Son (2020)
Next up is Savage Son, the third novel in the Jack Carr books in order list featuring James Reece, a former Navy Seal who saw his entire team killed before seeking revenge. He avenged their deaths and then worked with the United States government to help take down terrorists. In exchange, he got himself and his friend’s immunity.
Despite a target no longer being on his back, James Reece can’t rest. He is in the middle of recovering from a profoundly severe surgery. Thankfully, he is not alone, as he has two people, Katie Buranek and Raife Hastings, by his side to make sure he recovers. However, after a CIA officer betrays the US government and becomes an ally of the Russian Mafia, he is at the top of the list.
He has to try to avoid being killed by the Russian Mafia after having just gotten brain surgery. It’s certainly not going to be easy, but James Reece has no choice. Reece hasn’t gone through all these near-death experiences just to die now.
4. The Devil’s Hand (2021)
In The Devil’s Hand, we are again brought into the fast-paced and thrilling world that Jack Carr has effortlessly set up. This fourth entry in Jack Carr’s book series reminds the readers that 9/11 happened two decades ago, and the war resulting from that attack was a disaster. With a new President taking the reins of the American Government, only time will tell what will happen.
Like with the United States, things are also going wrong across the ocean. A person known as the Supreme Leader has decided they have had enough, and it’s time to get revenge against the United States in particular. The animosity this person has for them cannot be rivaled.
To make matters even worse, a graduate student has gained knowledge of the existence of bioweapons. This would not be a problem if he had not been picked to destroy what had become his second home.
If you add all these three things together, you know things will get really tough, and James Reece will get busy once again!
5. In the Blood (2022)
The fifth book in the Terminal List series, aka the James Reece series, is titled In the Blood. With such a spine-chilling title, one can accurately guess that things will get serious for not only the world but also for James Reece. He’s already been through a lot during his time on Earth.
Not only did James Reece violently lose his team, but he also had his life on the line several times, much to his dismay.
When James Reece learns that a plane that was boarded in Burkina Faso has been shot down, he is shaken. After seeing the pictures of the victims, he recognizes one of them in particular. She is a woman whom he remembered had ties to not only the CIA but also Mossad at the same time.
He had thought of the woman over the years and truly never expected to see her again. Now he is determined to find out who killed her. With the help of his friends, Reece will stop at nothing to avenge her death.
6. Only The Dead (2023)
Only the Dead is the sixth entry in Jack Carr’s book series, and it is as thrilling and pulse-inducing as previous novels in the James Reece series.
The United States is not having a particularly good time right now. They are facing threats from every which direction and, as the years pass, find themselves not being the superpower they once were. A secret group that wants to control the world is thrilled that this is happening. This will give them a chance to do whatever is needed to get the control they so desire.
While this is happening, James Reece finds him in solitary confinement, so as far as everyone is concerned, he has nothing to worry about. James Reece seems to be in an impossible situation, but if anyone can get themselves out of such a challenging situation, it will be James Reece.
Once he does, he is determined to take down anyone else who has wronged him. The odds might be stacked against him, but James is still determined.
Who is Jack Carr, the Author of the Terminal List Series?
The author of these popular books goes by the name of Jack Carr. Before he was an author, he was in the Navy Seals and served his country as a proud member of this faction.
He served over twenty years in the Seals, where he went from working in special naval warfare and worked as a seal sniper and junior officer leading teams in Iran and Afghanistan. His career even brought him to the Philippines.
Throughout his career, he worked extremely hard and continues to do so as a bestselling author of the Terminal List series, also known as the James Reece series, after the name of the main character of the books. He started writing in 2018, and when he is not writing, he can be found in Park City, Utah, where he lives with his wife and children.
What makes Jack Carr a very interesting author is that he has drawn inspiration from his real life and created a fictional character. Many authors draw inspiration from their real life, so this is nothing new. However, it still makes it very impressive that Jack Carr has been able to do this, given how difficult and traumatizing it can be to serve in the army.
FAQs:
How Many Jack Carr Books Are There?
There are a total of 6 Jack Carr books out there – The Terminal List, True Believer, Savage Son, The Devil’s Hand, In The Blood, and Only The Dead!
Do You Need to Read Jack Carr’s Books in Order?
While most of the books in the series are standalone, it is recommended that Jack Carr’s books are read in order of publication as they all focus on one particular character.
When Does the Next Jack Carr Book Come Out?
The latest Jack Carr book, Only The Dead, came out very recently, on May 16th, 2023. So, there’s no news if Jack Carr is working on another book or when it will come out. However, looking at the trajectory of the book releases in the James Reece series, we can be sure that if Jack Carr writes another book, it will come out next year, i.e., in 2024!
Conclusion
While there are only six books in the Terminal List series, also known as the James Reece series, so far, it’s safe to say that they have made a significant impact on the literary community.
Now, if you have not read anything in this series yet, it is time to pick it up, as all books in the series are available, and you don’t have to wait for a new release. So, if you are a fan of thriller novels, start reading all Jack Carr books in order and share them with your friends who also love this particular genre!
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