Best Thriller Series: Our 15 Picks
Our editorial picks of 15 thriller series with book counts, years and a link to each full reading order. Action and spy series from Jason Bourne to Jack Ryan.
How we picked
These are our own picks, not a ranking of quality. Each series has at least 3 books, a full reading order on this site checked against two sources, and a place in our reviewed genre group. They are listed by how often people search for their reading order where we have that number, then by number of books.
1.Jason Bourne
By Robert Ludlum: 22 books, published 1980–2026.
2.James Reece
By Jack Carr: 8 books, published 2018–2025.
Prime Video's The Terminal List (2022), starring Chris Pratt, adapts book 1. Season 2, titled True Believer after book 2, premiered on 21 October 2026.
3.Gabriel Allon
By Daniel Silva: 26 books, published 2000–2026.
4.Scot Harvath
By Brad Thor: 25 books, published 2002–2026.
5.Mitch Rapp
By Vince Flynn: 25 books, published 1999–2026.
American Assassin (2017), starring Dylan O'Brien as Mitch Rapp, is a film based on the 2010 prequel novel.
6.Jack Ryan
By Tom Clancy: 46 books, published 1984–2026.
7.Dirk Pitt
By Clive Cussler: 27 books, published 1973–2023.
8.Orphan X
By Gregg Hurwitz: 16 books, published 2016–2026.
9.Gray Man
By Mark Greaney: 15 books, published 2009–2026.
Netflix's The Gray Man (2022), starring Ryan Gosling, is based on the first book.
10.Cotton Malone
By Steve Berry: 20 books, published 2006–2026.
11.Pike Logan
By Brad Taylor: 20 books, published 2011–2026.
12.Jack Reacher
By Lee Child: 31 books, published 1997–2026.
13.The NUMA Files
By Clive Cussler: 22 books, published 1999–2026.
14.The Oregon Files
By Clive Cussler: 19 books, published 2003–2025.
15.The Camel Club
By David Baldacci: 5 books, published 2005–2010.