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Adam Drake Books in Order

Part ofScott Matthews Books in Order

See the Adam Drake series by Scott Matthews in order, with quick book summaries, series background, and simple guidance on where to start reading.

Last updated: July 1, 2026

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Adam Drake books in publication order

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15 books

1

The Assassin's List

by Scott Matthews

2012

A terror mastermind is recruiting prison converts and training them as assassins for high-value American targets. Adam Drake stumbles onto the plot during a murder case and has to act when the FBI refuses to listen.

2

Oath to Defend

by Scott Matthews

2013

Radiation turns up in San Diego just as the trail of a major terrorist runs cold in Tijuana. Adam Drake is convinced the two are linked, and he races to find the nuclear device before it reaches its target.

3

Dark Trojan

by Scott Matthews

2014

A malware attack aimed at America's power grid threatens to black out the country. When Adam Drake learns the sabotage is already moving into place, he has to find the people behind it before the lights go out.

4

Call It Treason

by Scott Matthews

2015

After a terror strike rattles commercial air travel, Washington rushes toward war. Adam Drake follows the money instead and uncovers foreign influence, corruption, and terror camps operating on American soil.

5

Special Counsel

by Scott Matthews

2016

A planned EMP strike could cripple the United States in a single blow. Adam Drake has to untangle an alliance of hostile powers and proxies before the country is plunged into chaos, looting, and the collapse of everyday order.

6

Soft Target

by Scott Matthews

2017

Adam Drake is used to being the hunter, not the hunted. When a skilled killer comes after him, he realizes the attack may be part of something bigger, and staying alive long enough to identify the real enemy becomes the whole fight.

7

Sacred Target

by Scott Matthews

2018

Portland churchgoers are told to convert to Islam or die, and the FBI dismisses the threat as a hoax. Adam Drake is brought in to assess the danger, then has to find the truth before the deadline turns deadly.

8

Tipping Point

by Scott Matthews

2018

Violent unrest is spreading, and Adam Drake is sent to find the money and strategy behind it. What looks like street chaos points to a larger political game, with foreign influence and powerful insiders in the mix.

9

Coverup

by Scott Matthews

2019

Adam Drake believes someone inside the U.S. intelligence world is hiding a deadly secret. With an ally already dead and powerful enemies closing ranks, he pushes deeper into a conspiracy built to destroy anyone who gets too close.

10

The Deterrent

by Scott Matthews

2020

When kidnappers demand a live H7N9 virus sample in exchange for a researcher's daughter, Adam Drake takes the case without waiting on the FBI. He has to save the girl and recover the virus before it becomes a bioweapon.

11

The Skysage Affair

by Scott Matthews

2021

A Chinese spy ring wants America's most advanced space weapon, and Adam Drake ends up squarely in its path. To stop a catastrophic intelligence breach, he has to survive the hunt and expose the larger operation.

12

Black Dragon

by Scott Matthews

2022

What begins as a honeymoon detour becomes a brutal chase through a Chinese plot built around weaponized drugs. Adam Drake must track the supply chain, identify the mastermind, and stop a strategy meant to weaken America from within.

13

False Target

by Scott Matthews

2023

A trafficked girl, a teenager dead from toxic drugs, and pressure building around Taiwan pull Adam Drake into a dark, layered case. Helping an old army chaplain, he finds murder, espionage, and deception tangled together.

14

Conspiracy to Spy

by Scott Matthews

2025

In Las Vegas, Adam Drake looks into threats against a young staffer working on a sensitive intelligence report. The case pulls him into a web of escorts, corrupt officials, and a conspiracy aimed at the heart of American democracy.

15
New

Silent Coup

by Scott Matthews

2026

A hidden campaign of cognitive warfare and social media manipulation puts Adam Drake in the crosshairs of powerful billionaires. With a bounty on his head and key evidence locked behind cartel violence, he has to outrun both killers and disinformation.

Adam Drake books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "The Assassin's List"

    The Assassin's List

    by Scott Matthews

    2012Adam Drake, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "Oath to Defend"

    Oath to Defend

    by Scott Matthews

    2013Adam Drake, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "Dark Trojan"

    Dark Trojan

    by Scott Matthews

    2014Adam Drake, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "Call It Treason"

    Call It Treason

    by Scott Matthews

    2015Adam Drake, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "Special Counsel"

    Special Counsel

    by Scott Matthews

    2016Adam Drake, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "Soft Target"

    Soft Target

    by Scott Matthews

    2017Adam Drake, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "Sacred Target"

    Sacred Target

    by Scott Matthews

    2018Adam Drake, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "Tipping Point"

    Tipping Point

    by Scott Matthews

    2018Adam Drake, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Coverup"

    Coverup

    by Scott Matthews

    2019Adam Drake, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "The Deterrent"

    The Deterrent

    by Scott Matthews

    2020Adam Drake, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "The Skysage Affair"

    The Skysage Affair

    by Scott Matthews

    2021Adam Drake, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "Black Dragon"

    Black Dragon

    by Scott Matthews

    2022Adam Drake, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "False Target"

    False Target

    by Scott Matthews

    2023Adam Drake, Book 13
  14. Book cover for "Conspiracy to Spy"

    Conspiracy to Spy

    by Scott Matthews

    2025Adam Drake, Book 14
  15. Book cover for "Silent Coup"

    Silent Coup

    by Scott Matthews

    2026Adam Drake, Book 15

Series background & context

The Adam Drake books are political thrillers built around a protagonist who sits in an interesting middle ground. Adam Drake is an Oregon attorney, but he is also a former elite Army operator with the training to chase threats most civilians never even see coming. That combination is the hook from the start. He can read a legal problem, spot a lie, and, when the story turns violent, do a lot more than call for help.

These are big-stakes books.

The series opens with The Assassin's List, where Drake uncovers a terror plot while working a murder case. From there the threats widen quickly: a nuclear device in Oath to Defend, power-grid sabotage in Dark Trojan, political corruption in Call It Treason, and a looming EMP disaster in Special Counsel. Later entries add threats against Portland churchgoers, organized unrest, bioweapons, Chinese espionage, trafficking networks, and conspiracies that reach deep into the intelligence world. Books like The Deterrent, The Skysage Affair, Black Dragon, and False Target show how the series keeps moving from one national-security nightmare to another without losing its core identity.

The setting often starts in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, and that matters more than it might in a lot of globe-hopping thrillers. Drake is not a generic action figure dropped into random danger. He is tied to Portland, to local institutions, and to a circle of allies in law, security, and public life. Even when the story jumps to Mexico, Las Vegas, Australia, or farther afield, the books still feel anchored by that home base.

One thing that gives the series its shape is Drake's position on the edge of the system. He is not a full-time government operative with unlimited backup and endless authority. He often has to work around official hesitation, political interference, or simple disbelief, which gives many of the plots their tension. That outsider angle matters. Drake usually sees the danger before the bureaucracy is ready to admit it.

There is also an ongoing personal thread running under the action. Loss, loyalty, friendship, and later relationships matter, and the supporting cast becomes more important as the series goes on. You can pick up an individual title and follow the main plot, but the books work better in order because the personal stakes and alliances build from one novel to the next.

In tone, Adam Drake is direct, fast, and very headline-driven. The question is usually not who committed the crime, but whether Drake can stop the next disaster before it lands. If you like thrillers that mix law, counterterrorism, espionage, and political intrigue without slowing down too much, this series is built for that lane.

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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