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Action Thriller Books in Order

Part ofBernard Lee DeLeo Books in Order

Browse 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

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11 books

1

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.

2

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.

3

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.

4

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.

5

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.

6

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.

7

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.

8

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.

9

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.

10

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.

11

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

  1. Book cover for "Sotello"

    Sotello

    by Bernard Lee DeLeo

    2002Action Thriller, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "Peace"

    Peace

    by Bernard Lee DeLeo

    2005Action Thriller, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "American Survival"

    American Survival

    by Bernard Lee DeLeo

    2014Action Thriller, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "American Mutant"

    American Mutant

    by Bernard Lee DeLeo

    2014Action Thriller, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "Casserine"

    Casserine

    by Bernard Lee DeLeo

    2014Action Thriller, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "Layla"

    Layla

    by Bernard Lee DeLeo

    2015Action Thriller, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "Cold Mountain"

    Cold Mountain

    by Bernard Lee DeLeo

    2015Action Thriller, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "Blood Lust"

    Blood Lust

    by Bernard Lee DeLeo

    2016Action Thriller, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Blood Lust 2: Red Gold"

    Blood Lust 2: Red Gold

    by Bernard Lee DeLeo

    2021Action Thriller, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "Blood Lust 3: Darkness & Light"

    Blood Lust 3: Darkness & Light

    by Bernard Lee DeLeo

    2021Action Thriller, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "Blood Lust 4: Dhampir of Darkness"

    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

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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