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Scot Harvath Reading Order.

Quick Answer

Start with The Lions of Lucerne (2002) and read in publication order. Each thriller has its own mission, but Harvath's career and relationships develop book to book.

The complete reading order for the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor. Below you'll find the authoritative guide on how to read the books in order, including publication dates and chronological timeline placements.

Where to start

Start with The Lions of Lucerne (2002) and read in publication order. Each thriller has its own mission, but Harvath's career and relationships develop book to book.

  • •The Athena Project (2010) is a separate series about a female counterterrorism unit; Harvath only has a cameo, so it is not listed here.
  • •Choke Point (2026) is the 25th Scot Harvath novel.

Complete Series Reading Order

Publication Reading Order25 Titles

Why Publication Order?We recommend reading in Publication Order (default). This follows the author's release schedule, ensuring you experience plot twists, character growth, and world-building exactly as intended without spoilers.
Best Start Here
1

The Lions of Lucerne

Pub: 2002

Brad Thor introduces Scot Harvath, an ex-Navy Seal turned Secret Service Agent, in this gripping thriller. Harvath is charged with protecting the President of the United States. When things go terribly wrong, the President is kidnapped, his protective detail is completely wiped out and Scot is thrust into a life or death situation as he tries to unravel the clues and recover the President.

2

Path of the Assassin

Pub: 2003

Plot details hidden until you finish "The Lions of Lucerne".

Seeking the people responsible for a plot to kidnap the president, Secret Service agent Scot Harvath follows clues that point to the world's most ruthless terrorist and enlists the aid of a hijacking survivor who knows what the terrorist looks like.

3

State of the Union

Pub: 2004

Plot details hidden until you finish "Path of the Assassin".

America’s worst nightmare has just become a brutal reality. The most unlikely terrorist enemy of all now holds a knife against the country’s throat. With both diplomatic and conventional military options swept from the table, the president of the United States calls upon America’s only hope, Navy SEAL turned Secret Service agent Scot Harvath. With the fragile peace between the world’s nations shattered, Harvath must unravel a brilliantly orchestrated, fiendishly timed conspiracy intent upon bringing the United States to its knees. Teamed with beautiful Russian Intelligence agent Alexandra Ivanova and a highly trained CIA paramilitary detachment, Harvath races from the corridors of power in Washington, D.C., to the streets of Berlin, the coast of Finland, and into the heart of Mother Russia herself before returning home for a final showdown with an enemy from America’s past more sinister and deadly than has ever been seen before.

4

Blowback

Pub: 2005

Plot details hidden until you finish "State of the Union".

A weapon designed to decimate the Roman Empire has just become the number one threat to the United States and it's up to Scot Harvath to secure it before it brings the United States and the rest of the world to its knees.

5

Takedown

Pub: 2006

Plot details hidden until you finish "Blowback".

6

The First Commandment

Pub: 2007

Plot details hidden until you finish "Takedown".

7

The Last Patriot

Pub: 2008

Plot details hidden until you finish "The First Commandment".

Navy SEAL turned covert Homeland Security operative Scot Harvath must race to locate an ancient secret that has the power to stop militant Islam dead in its tracks.

8

The Apostle

Pub: 2009

Plot details hidden until you finish "The Last Patriot".

9

Foreign Influence

Pub: 2010

Plot details hidden until you finish "The Apostle".

10

Full Black

Pub: 2011

Plot details hidden until you finish "Foreign Influence".

In the wake of a former U.S. President's appointment to the United Nations, counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath is wrongly implicated for a string of national emergencies and assassinations, a situation that forces him to race against time to uncover the real culprit.

11

Black List

Pub: 2012

Plot details hidden until you finish "Full Black".

When his name is added to a top-secret government list of individuals slated for assassination, counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath engages in a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game of survival while struggling to prevent a cataclysmic terrorist attack and learn who has framed him for treason.

12

Hidden Order

Pub: 2013

Plot details hidden until you finish "Black List".

When a string of high-profile kidnappings in Washington, D.C., escalate upon the discovery that the victims are being murdered, an eventual ransom demand triggers terror throughout the country and covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath is summoned to put an end to the crisis.

13

Act of War

Pub: 2014

Plot details hidden until you finish "Hidden Order".

After a CIA agent mysteriously dies overseas, his top asset surfaces with a startling and terrifying claim. There's just one problem -- no one knows if she can be trusted. But when six exchange students go missing, two airplane passengers trade places, and one political-asylum seeker is arrested, a deadly chain of events is set in motion. With the United States facing an imminent and devastating attack, America's new president must turn to covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath to help carry out two of the most dangerous operations in the country's history. Code-named "Gold Dust" and "Blackbird," they are shrouded in absolute secrecy as either of them, if discovered, will constitute an act of war.

14

Code of Conduct

Pub: 2015

Plot details hidden until you finish "Act of War".

Hidden deep within one of the world's most powerful organizations is a secret committee with a devastating agenda. Its members are afforded incredible protections -- considered elites, untouchables. But when four seconds of video is captured halfway around the world and anonymously transmitted to D.C., covert wheels are set in motion, and counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath is tapped to undertake the deadliest assignment of his career. What begins as a favor will evolve into a globe-spanning drama of highly personal stakes played out against a backdrop of stunning international intrigue, duplicitous political gamesmanship, and the darkest, most clandestine fears of the espionage world.

15

Foreign Agent

Pub: 2016

Plot details hidden until you finish "Code of Conduct".

In a safe house near the Syrian border, a clandestine American operations team readies to launch a dramatic mission months in the making. Their target: the director of social media for ISIS, Abu Muslim al-Naser. Multiple analysts, as well as a senior congresswoman, are in country to monitor the raid, but before the team can launch, the safe house is attacked. What unfolds in the bloody aftermath is a political and public relations nightmare. As horrific videos of the Americans are published on the Internet, the blame-storming back in Washington goes into full swing, focusing on how the intel for the raid was developed and how it might have leaked. As the search for answers mounts, half spy, half covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath quickly finds himself at the center of the storm. Working for a private intelligence agency contracted by both the CIA and the DoD, it was Harvath who pinpointed al-Naser. But how could ISIS have known the Americans were coming, much less where they would be staging? There has to be more to it; something everyone -- especially the politicians -- is missing.

16

Use of Force

Pub: 2017

Plot details hidden until you finish "Foreign Agent".

As a storm rages across the Mediterranean Sea, a terrifying distress call is made to the Italian Coast Guard. Days later, a body washes ashore. Identified as a high value terrorism suspect (who had disappeared three years prior), his name sends panic through the Central Intelligence Agency. Where was he headed? What was he planning? And could he be connected to the "spectacular attack" they have been fearing all summer? In a race against time, the CIA taps an unorthodox source to get answers: Navy SEAL turned covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath. Hired on a black contract, Harvath will provide the deniability the United States needs while he breaks every rule along the way.

17

Spymaster

Pub: 2018

Plot details hidden until you finish "Use of Force".

18

Backlash

Pub: 2019

Plot details hidden until you finish "Spymaster".

19

Near Dark

Pub: 2020

Plot details hidden until you finish "Backlash".

20

Black Ice

Pub: 2021

Plot details hidden until you finish "Near Dark".

from the publisher: INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “The undisputed master of blending geopolitics with spycraft…a thriller aficionado’s dream.” —The Providence Journal The new Cold War is about to go hot. The #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor is back with his most intense thriller yet. Scot Harvath is having his best summer ever. With a cottage on the fjord, a boat, and his beautiful girlfriend Sølvi, he’s got everything he could possibly want. But out of vacation days and long overdue back home, America’s top spy has a decision to make—return or submit his resignation. When his deadly past comes calling, though, he’ll be left with no choice at all. Leaving his favorite Oslo café, Harvath watches as a ghost climbs out of a taxi—a man he killed years ago, halfway around the world. How is he still alive? And what is he doing in Norway? In a race against time that will take him high above the Arctic Circle, Harvath is tested in ways he never could’ve imagined and pushed to a limit few human beings could ever endure. If he succeeds, he’ll walk away with everything. If he fails, the United States and its allies will be at the mercy of one of the world’s most dangerous actors.

21

Rising Tiger

Pub: 2022

Plot details hidden until you finish "Black Ice".

22

Dead Fall

Pub: 2023

Plot details hidden until you finish "Rising Tiger".

23

Shadow of Doubt

Pub: 2024

Plot details hidden until you finish "Dead Fall".

24

Edge of Honor

Pub: 2025

Plot details hidden until you finish "Shadow of Doubt".

25

Choke Point

Pub: 2026

Plot details hidden until you finish "Edge of Honor".

A devastating series of bombings tears through Bangkok. Scores of American citizens are dead. THe Attacks send shock waves throughout the world. As global assistance pours into Thailand - including the FBI's famed Evidence Response Team - the president of the United States quietly prepares a plan B: Scot Harvath, America's top spy, trained to operate outside the law and probe the dark corners other can't... or won't.  But the bomber Harvath isn't pursuing a terrorist. He's something far more dangerous - one of ours. Meanwhile, in Washington, a former United States Marine is being hunted - and he has no idea why. Desperate for answers, he turns to the one person he still trusts - his ex-fiancée, a rising star in the White House. The problem is, she isn't sure she. can trust him. As Harvath closes in on the bomber, a devastating truth begins to emerge. China has quietly deployed its most elite intelligence unit to Thailand. Their objective: to ignite chaos, trigger a military coup, and seize control of a narrow but critical piece of land, one that could give Beijing a decisive advantage. If the plan succeeds, Beijing will secure a key gateway between two oceans, eroding American naval dominance and tipping the balance in any war between the world's great powers. China will control the ultimate geopolitical choke point.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What order should I read Scot Harvath in?

Start with The Lions of Lucerne (2002) and read in publication order. Each thriller has its own mission, but Harvath's career and relationships develop book to book.

How many books are in Scot Harvath?

25 main books, published 2002–2026.

Can I read Scot Harvath out of order?

It's best not to. The books build on each other, so reading out of order spoils earlier twists.