Book reviews by
Shalini

Which Order Should You Read The Jack Carr Books In?

Have you seen the ‘The Terminal List’ TV show, the one starring Chris Pratt on Amazon Prime? Did you love it? If so, you may have the itch to read the series which it is actually based upon. 

Which Order Should You Read The Jack Carr Books In [Our Ultimate Guide!]

It was actually based on the Jack Carr books, which is a full series. If you felt a void in your life after the show ended, you may need to fill the James Reece void the show left in your life, and the books can fill that for you. 

We could put Jack Carr’s books into the hands of fans of other authors such as Stephen Coonts, Michael Crichton, Tom Clancy, Larry Bond, and Brad Thor.

Jack Carr is probably one of the most awesome rising thriller authors, his books are filled with espionage, mystery, and military fiction. 

Jack Carr decided to become a writer in 2018 after he retired from his military career.

He started off his debut writing career with Terminal List, which shot to number one on the New York Times bestselling book list, as well as USA Today’s bestseller list. 

Since this happened, he published another three books, and there’s more to come in this same saga. 

So, if you are wondering how you should read Jack Carr’s books, you are in the right place. However, if you are also looking for a summary to find out if they are for you, we will be providing this also! 

The Jack Carr Books In Order

Jack Carr is still a pretty young writer in terms of his time writing, so his list is not wildly long, but it does not need to be a long list to show he is a good writer.

He is extremely popular and once you pick up one of his books you are sure to understand just why. 

Here are the books we know of from Jack Carr: 

The Terminal List (published: 2018).

True Believer (published 2019). 

Savage Son (published 2020).

The Devil’s Hand (published 2021). 

In The Blood (published 2022). 

Only The Dead (publication expected 2023). 

As is often seen with a great deal of mystery thriller (If you like mystery and thriller books, you might also like An Eye For An Eye By Carol Wyer. Check out this book review on it!) books, you could also read Carr’s books as standalone books.

This is possible as each book has its own story and mystery arc which resolves by the end of the book, meaning that you are not missing anything if you do not read another book beforehand. You can just read it as it is. 

That being said, we do still recommend that you read the Jack Carr books in the order that they were published.

Luckily their publication order and chronological order are the same. If you read the books in order then you get an experience, and understand the world these books are based in, as the author intended you to. 

Reading them in order also allows you to better witness the character development of our protagonist – James Reece. 

Let us not forget to mention that Carr’s books actually also contain redacted sentences. This is so because since he used to be a US Navy SEAL, he has to (by law) submit his manuscripts to the US Department of Defense before they can be published. 

If anything in his manuscripts contains any classified information that could result in a public security threat, then it is not viable to go to print. 

Jack Carr does actually choose to keep these sections in his books, but instead, he covers them with black bars, much like in an official document. This is part of the magic added to this series. It makes it more unique. 

Considering The Terminal List Adaptation

We cannot mention Jack Carr and his books without mentioning the TV adaptation of his debut novel, known as The Terminal List.

Amazon Prime decided to do an adaptation of this, and if anything, it was so riveting it helped Jack Carr’s author career. 

It stars Chris Pratt as the protagonist, who also handled the job of being the executive producer as well. Antione Fuqua directed the show and was the executive producer for the pilot episode.

Then there was David Digilio who was executive producer for the show and wrote the script. 

What added extra realism to the TV show was that half of the writing staff would either be a veteran or the relative of a veteran. This helped to keep the show feeling as realistic as possible. 

The first season is available on Amazon Prime for viewing. 

Who Exactly Is Jack Carr?

If you look up the author of this awesome bestselling series you will often find list after list of his roles and position in his career (20 years long) as a US Navy SEAL. You will often see the following: 

  • SEAL sniper.
  • Assault team leader.
  • Sniper team leader. 
  • Troop commander.
  • Task unit commander.
  • Platoon commander.

And so on. 

Jack Carr lost his grandfather in the Second World War, and from an early age, Carr knew he would follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and enlist to protect and serve. 

When he discovered the SEALs at seven years of age, he knew he would end up joining them. 

Jack Carr loved reading action thriller author’s work, authors such as Nelson Demille, David Morell, and Tom Clancy fuelled his passion for writing.

However, these writers and their stories also taught him the importance and the art of telling stories. 

He began his new work as an author when he retired from the military in 2016.

He managed to achieve a great amount of success in the writing of his first book and managed to create a unique personal branding which you can see around social media. 

Now you will see his personal branding all over social media, as he creates a lot of content around weaponry, success storytelling, and so on. 

What is more, Carr actually managed to succeed whereas many others fail when it comes to transitioning from a life in the military to having a civilian life. 

Jack Carr supports a multitude of groups that help veterans who suffer from mental health such as depression PTSD, or otherwise.

These are issues that often plague veterans and lead to an increasing rate of suicides among veterans in the United States. 

Today, you can find Carr living in Park City Utah, living with his wife and children. He will often take on interviews and do activities around his book releases. 

He is also working on the next book in his series, as we write this, titled In The Blood.

James Reece, the protagonist in the series, has a comparable military background to Carr, which helps the series have a more realistic sense and feel to the story in a high-pressure environment and top-secret operations.

Enhancing the overall enjoyment for readers. 

The Order Of The Jack Carr Books 

So, as we have already said, the way in which you should read these books is the same whether you choose to read them by publication date or by chronological order. 

Instead of telling you ways in which you COULD read it, we will go over how to read it and give you a little insight into the series and what it is about.

The Terminal List

The Terminal List is the first in the series. 

After a Navy SEAL notices that the US government is secretly behind the deaths of his crew, he has little left to live for and simply wants death as we enter this political thriller novel. 

Lieutenant Commander James Reece’s entire squad was murdered in an extremely heart-wrenching ambush on his most recent deployment.

The ambush had also managed to take the lives of the aircrew who had come in to rescue them from potential calamity.

However, when those who are closest to him are assassinated when he returns, he realizes that the calamity that befell him was not influenced by a foreign adversary.

But, instead, it was a government broad conspiracy

Reece ends up using the skills he gained from the last decade of relentless battling to avenge the deaths of his loved ones. Now he has literally nothing to lose and is a rogue wolf, he has nothing to lose and everything to gain in revenge. 

He ends up aggressively attacking his opponents in the top tiers of power, and with a loss of pacing and tension he disregards all the laws of battle he learned and all the laws of government. 

Jack Carr True Believer
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True Believer

The succeeding book to the infamous first bestseller was True Believer. 

When a bomb goes off at a supposedly enjoyable London Christmas market, the death toll is beyond belief, and the economy of the entire country slips into a spiral of chaos. 

It turns out that this insane event is actually the beginning of some organized and vicious strikes against the entire Western world. 

The US ends up going on the offensive as the chaos deepens and grows, taking down country after country.

But, who is organizing all of this, and why? But the biggest question of all is how these attacks come to an end before the calamity and gore collapse the United States and their closest allies to destruction. 

There is only one person who can answer these questions.

You know it, Former Navy SEAL Reece. He is the most important person to face this as he holds the most important link to a previous Iraqi commando who might just have the answers the CIA needs. 

It is possible that the only real chance they may have left is Reece. However, he is also considered to be the most wanted domestic terrorist on US soil. 

But, in order to keep things in check, a deal is made, and Reece becomes an unwilling tool to the US government.

He ends up traversing the world to track down these terrorists. A geopolitical intrigue that involved CIA operative treachery and a plan for assassination comes to light. 

There is always another ‘True Believer’ who will be ready to die for their faith.

Savage Son

A CIA operative, Borne, treacherously took up a homestead with the Russian Mafia, and they had a goal of assassinating a very specific former Navy SEAL sniper, Guess who?

Reece is half a world away and is in the midst of recovering from brain surgery in the wilderness of Montana. Learning to live again with the support of an investigative journalist and a lifelong friend and fellow SEAL. 

However, the Russian mafia intelligence has their sights on eliminating a player before he can return to the battle, with Reece as their target. 

He must now take on a squad of ex-commandos to deliver his own form of retribution to the Mafia, on their home ground.

However, hunters turn to prey when an unknown group in the US government gets taken over by Russian intelligence and Reece stands above the fray as the go-to operator in a wild new conflict

Get taken away into the behind-the-scenes journey of a special operations soldier. He dispenses an ancient form of justice in the geopolitical landscape of today.

Bringing in a combination of his experience and feelings of real-world experience in this political thriller story. 

Jack Carr cements his place as the new leading writer of political thrillers with this book as he takes readers through the darker side of mankind.

Showing humanity through the eyes of a fighter who has seen not only the power of the human spirit but also the unbridled depravity behind conflict and violence. 

Hard cover the devil's hand by Jack Carr
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The Devil’s Hand

20 years hence from the terrorist attacks of 11th September 2001, 2 years since the US was assaulted on their own turf and were plunged into a twenty-year battle.

Adjusting, learning, and patience have been the worst enemy. 

But, the adversary is ready to attack again. 

However, a new president brings about optimism to a country that has been wrought with violence. A visionary, youthful and well known, self-made, beloved by the people, but carrying a secret as dark as the night. 

In a country whose most ancient religion brought about a group of assassins without mercy, there is contention with sanctions that have been imposed by the Great Satan and European allies halfway across the globe. 

There is much internal strife and many extrajudicial targeted executions made by Israel and the United States. But, the Supreme Leader comes up with a way to dethrone the world’s most powerful country. 

In the meantime, a younger Ph.D. student has access to an insane level of bioweapons which were only once known to a small amount of the authorities, in a facility hidden away five stories underground. 

This is a compelling thriller that will make you obsessed to find out what happens next.

Hardcover In the blood
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In The Blood

A woman gets onto an aircraft in Burkina Faso, after completing a killing for the Israeli governing body. But, only mere minutes after her plane is obliterated. 

James Reece, 5,500 miles away from this, is watching the fatality count on the news, but one face reminds him of a Mossad operator who worked for the CIA years ago.

But a woman who had links to both countries’ intelligence organizations triggered something in him, he did not think he would see her again.

Reece takes on the help of friends worldwide to find the killer of this woman, unknowingly stepping into a trap.

Only The Dead

Back in 1980, a freshman congressman was shot down, the event shook Washington, and the repercussions still hit 4 decades hence. 

With the world on the edge of a cataclysm, the weak United States faces political division, unstoppable inflation, and unfathomable assassinations, with a secret group of global elites all ready to take over. 

The world’s most dangerous man is locked up in solitary, and the conspiring bodies think their final obstacle is eliminated, but they could not be more wrong. 

From Wall Street to DC, and even Moscow, secrets from a past thought lost can rise up to the surface. 

Odds may be stacked against Reece, but he is on a mission that has been brewing for years, his enemies are not so concerned with the odds he faces. But Reece has had enough, he takes up his sniper rifle and tomahawk and no one is safe.

What We Think

So, there you have it, all you need to know about the Jack Carr books. He is still a pretty new author and has plenty of room to grow, but this series is a riveting one for readers hooked on political thrillers. 

Its touch of realism inspired by the past of this author makes it even more enticing and enrapturing as we get transported into a world where we feel a little closer to the lives of those who protect and serve.

The publication order and chronological order and one and the same, so pick them up in order and get reading!

Shalini (1)
My name is Shalini and I love reading a lot. On this blog I review most of the books I have read. Hope you enjoy.
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