Action Thriller Books in Order
Part ofBernard Lee DeLeo Books in OrderBrowse the Action Thriller books by Bernard Lee DeLeo in order, with short summaries, background on each adventure, and suggestions for where to start.
Last updated: July 14, 2026
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Action Thriller books in publication order
11 books
Sotello
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2002
Former FBI and Secret Service agent Jim Sotello runs a detective agency in Oakland with his children. A dangerous caseload and an unexpected campaign for California governor put his family in the sights of powerful enemies.
Peace
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2005
Childhood friends Dan and Pauley take very different paths until war reunites them in an Iraqi prison. Inspired by Dan’s courage, Pauley becomes a Navy SEAL and a deadly defender shaped by duty, trauma, and loyalty.
American Mutant
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2014
After horrific personal tragedy, Thomas Connor develops his body and mind beyond normal limits. His new abilities bring power and purpose, but they also place him in a dangerous world that will not leave him alone.
American Survival
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2014
A family struggles to survive in an America pushed into crisis. The story focuses on pressure, preparedness, and the difficult choices ordinary people must make when the systems around them begin to fail.
Casserine
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2014
Marine Jake Matthews becomes something close to superhuman after a strange clash of human and alien biology. In a future of interstellar conflict, duty, love, and war push him toward command of an immense fighting force.
Cold Mountain
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2015
They need a monster to rescue a little girl, but the man they call is feared for good reason. A CIA assassin is pulled back into action for a rescue that demands the very brutality that once imprisoned him.
Layla
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2015
A humorous paranormal romance, Layla mixes supernatural complications with a lighter, more playful tone. The story follows characters whose unusual situation turns relationships, danger, and the strange side of life into an unpredictable adventure.
Blood Lust
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2016
Half human and half vampire, Jedidiah Israel Blake reaches adulthood with power, bloodlust, and a secret shared by Erin Constanza. When a covert government group wants to control him, Jed is ready to fight back.
Blood Lust 2: Red Gold
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2021
Jedidiah Israel Blake returns as a dhampir trying to protect his family while living with a dangerous hunger. New enemies and old supernatural problems force Jed and Erin into another violent, darkly funny battle for survival.
Blood Lust 3: Darkness & Light
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2021
Dhampir Jedidiah Israel Blake continues to defend his family while supernatural danger and human enemies close in. His powers are both a weapon and a burden, forcing Jed and Erin to face another violent, complicated fight.
Blood Lust 4: Dhampir of Darkness
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2022
Marine corporal Jedidiah Israel Blake returns to Pollock Pines with Erin and their dhampir daughter, Jillian. A vampire mistress, a serial killer, and a dangerous Panama assignment turn family life into another battle for survival.
Action Thriller books in chronological order

Sotello
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2002Action Thriller, Book 1
Peace
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2005Action Thriller, Book 2
American Survival
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2014Action Thriller, Book 3
American Mutant
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2014Action Thriller, Book 4
Casserine
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2014Action Thriller, Book 5
Layla
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2015Action Thriller, Book 6
Cold Mountain
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2015Action Thriller, Book 7
Blood Lust
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2016Action Thriller, Book 8
Blood Lust 2: Red Gold
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2021Action Thriller, Book 9
Blood Lust 3: Darkness & Light
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2021Action Thriller, Book 10
Blood Lust 4: Dhampir of Darkness
by Bernard Lee DeLeo
2022Action Thriller, Book 11
Series background & context
Bernard Lee DeLeo's Action Thriller books are a loose collection of standalone or lightly connected adventures. Instead of one continuing hero and one central storyline, the books shift among detectives, soldiers, survivors, vampires, and people caught in dangerous situations that demand immediate action.
That variety is the point. Sotello follows Jim Sotello, a former FBI and Secret Service agent who runs a detective agency in Oakland with help from his children. A case and an unexpected run for California governor bring political pressure, family danger, and terrorist threats into the same story. Peace takes a different path, following a friendship forged in childhood and tested by war, captivity, and Navy SEAL service.
The series also reaches into science fiction and survival fiction. In Casserine, Marine Jake Matthews navigates a future shaped by war, alien forces, and a personal mission. American Survival and American Mutant put ordinary survival and extraordinary abilities under pressure. These books share DeLeo's interest in duty, loyalty, family, and characters who respond to danger by moving toward it.
Several titles bring in the supernatural. Cold Mountain is a dark rescue story centered on a CIA assassin, while Layla takes a more humorous paranormal-romance route. The Blood Lust books introduce Jedidiah Israel Blake, a dhampir balancing his human life, his vampire nature, and enemies who want control of his power. Those later books form the closest thing here to a continuing subseries.
The tone varies, but the pace stays brisk. These are direct, pulp-influenced stories where action scenes, sharp talk, moral certainty, and unusual setups take priority. A reader can choose based on mood rather than feeling obliged to complete one long narrative.
There is no single required entry point.
Try Sotello for detective and political action, Peace for military fiction, Casserine for science-fiction combat, or Blood Lust for supernatural action. The books are generally approachable on their own, while the Blood Lust sequence should be read from the first volume onward.
Edited by
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