Jon Land Books in Order

Jon Land is an American thriller author and New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 65 books, best known for the award-winning Caitlin Strong series featuring a fifth-generation Texas Ranger. He has also continued two long-running mystery series after their original authors’ deaths: the Murder, She Wrote books following Donald Bain, and the Capital Crimes series created by Margaret Truman.

This page lists all Jon Land books in order, including his series, standalone novels, short stories, and non-fiction books, along with the series written under the alias A.J. Landau.

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Blaine McCracken Series (Books in Order)

The Blaine McCracken series follows disgraced CIA agent Blaine McCracken, who often breaks the rules, who is called back to handle missions that are too risky or sensitive for the official government. The action-packed series involving big geopolitical threats takes place mostly during the Cold War and after. It can be read in any order, but reading them in the order they were published gives you a better understanding of McCracken’s story.

Reading Order

1. The Omega Command, 1986
2. The Alpha Deception, 1987
3. The Gamma Option, 1989
4. The Omicron Legion, 1991
5. The Vengeance of the Tau, 1993
6. Day of the Delphi, 1993
7. Kingdom of the Seven, 1994
8. The Fires of Midnight, 1995
9. Dead Simple, 1998
10. Pandora’s Temple, 2012
11. The Tenth Circle, 2013

Jared Kimberlain Series (Books in Order)

The Jared Kimberlain series follows retired government agent Jared Kimberlain, who, based on his history of tracking down serial killers, is pulled back into action when a dangerous escaped criminal and a mass murderer begin killing across the country. The two-book series is a dark thriller involving a morally complex character who is only called back when conventional law enforcement cannot handle.

Reading Order

1. The Eighth Trumpet, 1989
2. The Ninth Dominion, 1991

Ben Kamal and Danielle Barnea Series (Books in Order)

The Ben Kamal and Danielle Barnea series follows Palestinian-American detective Ben Kamal and Israeli police chief inspector Danielle Barnea, who are forced to put their differences aside and work together on cases in the Middle East and beyond. Set during the the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the seven-book series is a mix of crime-solving and political thriller with two main leads whose partnership gradually develops from a strictly professional one into a personal relationship over time.

Reading Order

1. The Walls of Jericho, 1997
2. The Pillars of Solomon, 1999
3. A Walk in the Darkness, 2000
4. Keepers of the Gate, 2001
5. Blood Diamonds, 2002
6. The Blue Widows, 2003
7. The Last Prophecy, 2004

The Tyrant Series (Books in Order)

The Tyrant series follows follows Michael Tiranno, a Las Vegas casino owner connected to the Sicilian mob, who becomes a target of enemies to want to destroy everything he has built. The two-book series combines organized crime thriller elements with a Las Vegas setting.

Reading Order

1. The Seven Sins: The Tyrant Ascending, 2007
2. Black Scorpion: The Tyrant Reborn, 2015

Caitlin Strong Series (Books in Order)

The Caitlin Strong series follows fifth-generation Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong, based in San Antonio, who deals with threats that range from drug cartels and cult leaders to domestic terrorists and international organizations.

Reading Order

1. Strong Enough to Die , 2009
2. Strong Justice, 2010
3. Strong at the Break, 2011
4. Strong Vengeance, 2012
5. Strong Rain Falling, 2013
6. Strong Darkness, 2014
7. Strong Light of Day, 2015
8. Strong Cold Dead, 2016
9. Strong to the Bone, 2017
10. Strong as Steel, 2018

Rising Series (Books in Order)

The Rising series is a YA science fiction thriller following football star Alex Chin and NASA intern Samantha Dixon, two high school students who discover a secret about Alex’s background that puts them in danger. The two-book series, part action, part sci-fi, with a developing romance between the two, was developed with NASA and Tor Books as part of a project to promote science to young readers.

Co-authored with Heather Graham

Reading Order

• The Rising, 2017
• Blood Moon, 2022

Murder She Wrote Series (Books in Order)

The Murder, She Wrote series follows mystery writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher, based in Cabot Cove, Maine. Jon Land took over the series from Donald Bain following his death in 2017, and has continued the adventures of his character from the original TV show. So far, Jon Land has written six books, each of which be read on its own, but knowing more about the character from the TV show or earlier books gives more context.

Reading Order

1. A Date with Murder, 2018
2. Manuscript for Murder, 2018
3. Murder in Red, 2019
4. A Time for Murder, 2019
5. The Murder of Twelve, 2020
6. Murder in Season, 2020

Capital Crimes Series (Books in Order)

The Capital Crimes series is a long-running mystery series set in Washington, DC started by Margaret Truman, focusing on murders around the city’s famous places. Jon Land picked up the series from book 31, introducing private investigator Robert Brixton as the main character. The two books continue the tradition of involving Washington insiders getting involved in the conspiracy stories.

Reading Order

1. Murder on the Metro, 2021
2. Murder at the CDC, 2022

National Parks Thriller Series (Books in Order)

The National Parks Thriller series follows National Park Service investigator Michael Walker, who handles crimes and threats across America’s national parks system.

Writing as A.J. Landau, co-authored with Jeff Ayers.

Reading Order

• Leave No Trace, 2024
• Cold Burn, 2025
• Pressure Point, 2026

Standalone Novels

• The Doomsday Spiral, 1983
• The Lucifer Directive, 1984
• Vortex, 1984
• Labyrinth, 1985
• The Council of Ten, 1987
• The Valhalla Testament, 1990
• Hope Mountain, 1998
• Dolphin Key, 1999
• The Copper Bracelet, 2010 (Harold Middleton book 2)
• Dark Light: Dawn, 2017
• Icefall: The Rise of the Nine, 2026 (with Michael Newman)

Short Stories

• Killing Time, 2018
• Last Shot, 2018

Short Story Collections and Anthologies

• Thriller 2, 2010 (edited by Clive Cussler)
• The Best American Mystery Stories 2010, 2010
• Suspense Magazine January 2012, 2012
• Love is Murder, 2012 (edited by Sandra Brown)
• Suspense Magazine July 2012, 2012
• Suspense Magazine August 2013, 2013
• Nothing Good Happens After Midnight, 2020
• Blood on the Bayou, 2025

Non-Fiction Books

• Betrayal, 2012 (with Robert Fitzpatrick)
• Takedown, 2016 (with Jeff Buck)
• Guardian, 2019 (with Thomas Pecora)
• The Living Room, 2021 (with Bonnie J Addario)
• Walking in Mud, 2021  (with Steve Giblin)
• No Surrender, 2022 (with Patrick Bisher)
• White Robes and Broken Badges, 2024 (with Joe Moore)
• Justice Never Rests, 2025 (with William Kolibash)
• The Myth of Aging, 2026  (with Arnold Gilberg MD)

Jon Land Biography

Jon Land is an American thriller author who wrote more than 65 books across multiple series, standalone novels, and non-fiction. He has published under his own name and, for the National Parks Thriller series, under the pen name A.J. Landau with co-author Jeff Ayers.

Jon Land was born in 1957 in Rhode Island, grew up in Barrington, and has lived in Providence most of his life. He attended Brown University from where he graduated in 1979 Phi Beta Kappa and Magna cum Laude. During his senior year, he wrote a thriller as part of his Senior Honors Thesis, which was not published. His first published work was an article in People Magazine in 1978, followed by assignments for The Saturday Evening Post.

His debut novel, Doomsday Spiral, was published in 1983 as a standalone novel, and his first major series, Blaine McCracken action thrillers, launched in 1986 during the last years of the Cold War. The Ben Kamal and Danielle Barnea series followed in 1998, and the Caitlin Strong books, which is his best known fiction work, have won over a dozen awards and were included in the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. In 2019, he received the 2019 Rhode Island Authors Legacy Award for his lifetime of work.

In addition to novels, Jon Land has written non-fiction books like Betrayal, which he co-wrote with FBI agent Robert Fitzpatrick and became a bestseller in the Boston Globe, and White Robes and Broken Badges, which won the 2025 International Book Award for both General Nonfiction and Narrative Nonfiction. John Land is a former board member of the International Thriller Writers and has been actively involved in marketing for the group.

Besides writing, he is also a screenwriter. His very first film, Dirty Deeds, was a teen comedy released in 2005, followed by the screenplay for Chalk, Stranded, and Lucky Dog.

Jon Land Awards and Nominations

Jon Land has won several awards in different categories, mostly for his Caitlin Strong series. The list below shows his major wins and some of the nominations he has received.

Major Awards and Honors

• Strong Rain Falling – USA Best Book Award, Mystery/Suspense (2013)
• Strong Rain Falling – International Book Award (2014)
• Strong Darkness – USA Books Best Book Award, Thriller (2014)
• Strong Darkness – International Book Award, Thriller (2015)
• Strong Light of Day – Books and Author Award, Best Mystery Thriller (2015)
• Strong Light of Day – International Book Award, Best Thriller-Adventure (2016)
• Strong Cold Dead – International Book Award, Best Thriller (2017)
• Rhode Island Authors Legacy Award (2019)
• Strong as Steel – International Book Award, Best Thriller (2019)

H3: Awards (Full List)

Nominations and Shortlists

• Pandora’s Temple – ITW Thriller Award, Best E-Book Original Novel (2012)
• Strong to the Bone – ITW Thriller Award, Best Hardcover Novel (2018)

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