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AP Bateman Books in Order

Browse A P Bateman books in order, with Alex King and Rob Stone guides, short summaries, series background, and clear tips on where to start.

Last updated: 17 new books added

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AP Bateman books in publication order

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35 books

The Ares Virus

by AP Bateman

2015

A military research project has produced a terrifying virus, and the people behind it are willing to cash in on catastrophe. Secret Service agent Rob Stone joins a fleeing scientist to stop the plot before a first-strike weapon is unleashed.

The Contract Man

by AP Bateman

2015

When MI6 discovers one of its own has kept records as insurance against betrayal, Alex King becomes a problem to be erased. Sent into deadly operations from Iraq to Indonesia, he starts to see just how expendable he really is.

Lies and Retribution

by AP Bateman

2016

Trying to leave MI6 behind, Alex King is pulled into a plot involving a radical imam and a Russian sleeper cell. The deeper he digs, the clearer it becomes that both threats are linked to something even darker.

The Island

by AP Bateman

2016

Rob Stone wakes naked and alone on a deserted island with no memory of how he got there. As his past returns in fragments, he realizes survival is only the first problem, because someone is hunting him.

The Town

by AP Bateman

2016

While climbing in Oregon, Rob Stone steps in when he sees a man being humiliated, and instantly makes enemies who control the town. Digging deeper, he finds something far worse than local thuggery and decides the people running Abandon need stopping.

Hell's Mouth

by AP Bateman

2017

Recovering in Cornwall after a terrorist attack, DCI Ross O'Bryan uncovers a crime someone powerful wants buried. As he digs into corruption and organised crime, his own secrets make him dangerously exposed.

Shadows of Good Friday

by AP Bateman

2017

Days before the Good Friday Agreement, an IRA splinter cell sets a violent plan in motion on the British mainland. In this prequel, a younger Alex King enters the world of covert work and learns how murky his new job can be.

Reaper

by AP Bateman

2018

A ruthless criminal mastermind kidnaps the woman Alex King loves and forces him into a savage bargain. To save her, he must take on mafias, cross Europe, and find a way to turn the hunt back on his captor.

Stormbound

by AP Bateman

2018

In the far north where Finland, Russia, and Norway meet, Alex King races to reach a defector carrying a deadly secret. Mercenaries, old ghosts, and a brutal Arctic storm close in, turning one remote hotel into a trap.

The Five

by AP Bateman

2018

A new extremist group announces it will kill the world's richest people unless wealth is handed away. When a British billionaire is shot, Alex King is brought in, and soon finds corruption, misdirection, and a sniper skilled enough to threaten him too.

Breakout

by AP Bateman

2019

A former KGB general hidden in an American black site knows enough to threaten the West. To get him out, Alex King must first get himself thrown inside, then survive a prison break with the clock running down.

From the Shadows

by AP Bateman

2019

After an off-the-books clash with the CIA, members of Alex King's team start dying. He has to pull his scattered allies back together and face a campaign of revenge that may lead all the way to the top of American power.

Rogue

by AP Bateman

2019

When politics kills his mission and costs a teammate, Alex King goes off the leash in Washington. Hunted as a rogue operative, he follows a trail to remote Alaska while trying to settle the score before an assassin reaches him first.

Last Man Standing

by AP Bateman

2020

When enemies from Alex King's past strike at the life he was trying to build, the fight turns personal fast. What follows is a hard, bitter hunt for revenge, with King refusing to stop until the people behind it are broken.

The Asset

by AP Bateman

2020

A botched covert mission leaves MI5 operatives missing inside a dirty war between Russian and Albanian crime groups. Alex King wants out of the game, but rescuing a crucial informer may be the only way to find his friend and get answers.

Hunter Killer

by AP Bateman

2021

A lost British submarine, a contaminated bio-weapon, and a salvage operation in the Barents Sea pull Alex King into a brutal race against foreign agents. The mission is about far more than wreckage, because what lies onboard could kill again.

Stone Cold

by AP Bateman

2021

Rob Stone heads to Alaska to disappear and clear his name, using the wilderness as cover from the FBI and his past. Then a chance encounter drags him into fresh trouble, and hiding stops being an option.

The Congo Contract

by AP Bateman

2021

A hostage crisis on the Angola-Congo border sends a young Alex King in with a small mercenary team. On one of his earliest missions, he has to prove himself while navigating tribal violence, shaky politics, and a rescue plan that could turn into an assassination contract.

Dead Man Walking

by AP Bateman

2022

A killer who knows Alex King’s former identity targets people from his past while British intelligence faces a cyberattack. Investigating the connection draws King toward a government mole and a plot that could ignite a wider war.

Sovereign Power

by AP Bateman

2022

King targets a scheme using forged sovereigns and seized Nazi gold to undermine Britain’s economy. Meanwhile, Caroline pursues the assassin who attacked her family, and competing intelligence interests threaten to derail both operations.

Kingmaker

by AP Bateman

2023

Alex King helps overthrow an African dictator and install a replacement, confronting enemies determined to shape the outcome. Amid corruption and violence, he must question his own role and whether another change of ruler can improve people’s lives.

Taken

by AP Bateman

2023

After an undercover mistake costs a contact her life, DCI Grant accepts a posting to Cornwall. Expecting routine work, he instead confronts a young girl’s disappearance and an investigation that forces him toward an almost unimaginable crime.

The Enemy

by AP Bateman

2023

King and his team pursue a man connecting them to Iron Fist, an international network of spies and saboteurs. With governments infiltrated and MI5 already damaged, finding him may be their only route to uncovering the organization.

Untouchable

by AP Bateman

2023

After a breach compromises British intelligence, MI5’s special operations team is disbanded and scattered. King and his colleagues must regroup against Iron Fist, a five-country alliance using infiltration and artificial intelligence to attack Western institutions.

Vice

by AP Bateman

2023

While recovering from an injury at a colleague’s holiday home, detective Grant hopes Cornwall will provide distance from his work. Instead, his stay draws him into a dangerous local world of murder, corruption, and organized vice.

All the King's Men

by AP Bateman

2024

Iron Fist demonstrates its reach by corrupting airliners and air traffic control systems with deadly results. As King’s team investigates, information obtained during interrogation raises the possibility of an even greater threat behind the attacks.

Die Trying

by AP Bateman

2024

Free heroin floods Europe, leaving authorities unable to identify its source or purpose. While a contract places King himself in danger, his team follows Russian agents and criminal networks toward an effort to undermine European society.

The Cartel

by AP Bateman

2024

Giving a lift to a fleeing woman makes fugitive Rob Stone an enemy of a drug cartel. With American law enforcement closing in, he takes the fight across the Mexican border, where his opponents control the terrain.

The Eagle's Talon

by AP Bateman

2024

A target’s final words alert King to Operation Eagle’s Talon, a Russian secret weapon that could transform a battlefield. What begins as a straightforward assassination becomes a mission to uncover and destroy a threat he barely understands.

The Most Dangerous Game

by AP Bateman

2024

Six guests arrive at a new South African game reserve, each connected to its enigmatic owner. Their visit becomes a deadly contest, forcing them to discover why they were invited and how to survive a weekend designed for one survivor.

1600

by AP Bateman

2025

Framed former presidential bodyguard Rob Stone confronts the president he once protected. As an FBI agent and a writer uncover evidence that could clear him, corrupt officials deploy killers to keep the truth from reaching the public.

Backlash

by AP Bateman

2025

An operation in Prague drives King into hiding in Rome, where an old enemy and new threats revive doubts about his life. With his teammates occupied infiltrating a terrorist group, he must confront the danger largely alone.

Old Scores

by AP Bateman

2025

King knows he cannot stop looking over his shoulder until former MI6 assassin Richard Collins is dead. Their third encounter becomes a personal confrontation with a ruthless operative trained by King’s own mentor and eager for the hunt.

New

Crossfire

by AP Bateman

2026

Twenty years earlier, King joins a mission to remove a Central African puppet government. A teammate’s rogue actions ignite further violence, forcing King and Peter Stewart to sever British connections and track the operative responsible.

New

Shockwave

by AP Bateman

2026

An investigation into a celebrated technology billionaire reveals concealed Russian mineral supplies and suspicious Chinese technology links. King and his team face hostile agents protecting the company’s secrets, while their inquiry becomes a fight to stay alive.

Where to start with AP Bateman

For the full Alex King run: The Contract Man → Lies and Retribution → The Five
If you want King's early days first: Shadows of Good Friday → The Contract Man → Lies and Retribution
For later, bigger set pieces: Stormbound → Breakout → From the Shadows → Rogue
If you want the Rob Stone books: The Ares Virus → The Town → The Island → Stone Cold

Alex King books in order

Explore this series
  1. Book cover for "The Contract Man"

    The Contract Man

    by AP Bateman

    2015Alex King, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "Lies and Retribution"

    Lies and Retribution

    by AP Bateman

    2016Alex King, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "Shadows of Good Friday"

    Shadows of Good Friday

    by AP Bateman

    2017Alex King, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "Reaper"

    Reaper

    by AP Bateman

    2018Alex King, Book 5
  5. Book cover for "Stormbound"

    Stormbound

    by AP Bateman

    2018Alex King, Book 6
  6. Book cover for "The Five"

    The Five

    by AP Bateman

    2018Alex King, Book 4
  7. Book cover for "Breakout"

    Breakout

    by AP Bateman

    2019Alex King, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "From the Shadows"

    From the Shadows

    by AP Bateman

    2019Alex King, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Rogue"

    Rogue

    by AP Bateman

    2019Alex King, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "Last Man Standing"

    Last Man Standing

    by AP Bateman

    2020Alex King, Book 11
  11. Book cover for "The Asset"

    The Asset

    by AP Bateman

    2020Alex King, Book 10
  12. Book cover for "Hunter Killer"

    Hunter Killer

    by AP Bateman

    2021Alex King, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "The Congo Contract"

    The Congo Contract

    by AP Bateman

    2021Alex King, Book 13
  14. Book cover for "Dead Man Walking"

    Dead Man Walking

    by AP Bateman

    2022
  15. Book cover for "Sovereign Power"

    Sovereign Power

    by AP Bateman

    2022
  16. Book cover for "Kingmaker"

    Kingmaker

    by AP Bateman

    2023
  17. Book cover for "The Enemy"

    The Enemy

    by AP Bateman

    2023
  18. Book cover for "Untouchable"

    Untouchable

    by AP Bateman

    2023
  19. Book cover for "All the King's Men"

    All the King's Men

    by AP Bateman

    2024
  20. Book cover for "Die Trying"

    Die Trying

    by AP Bateman

    2024
  21. Book cover for "The Eagle's Talon"

    The Eagle's Talon

    by AP Bateman

    2024
  22. Book cover for "Backlash"

    Backlash

    by AP Bateman

    2025
  23. Book cover for "Old Scores"

    Old Scores

    by AP Bateman

    2025
  24. Book cover for "Crossfire"

    Crossfire

    by AP Bateman

    2026
  25. Book cover for "Shockwave"

    Shockwave

    by AP Bateman

    2026

Alex King books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "The Contract Man"

    The Contract Man

    by AP Bateman

    2015Alex King, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "Lies and Retribution"

    Lies and Retribution

    by AP Bateman

    2016Alex King, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "Shadows of Good Friday"

    Shadows of Good Friday

    by AP Bateman

    2017Alex King, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "The Five"

    The Five

    by AP Bateman

    2018Alex King, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "Reaper"

    Reaper

    by AP Bateman

    2018Alex King, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "Stormbound"

    Stormbound

    by AP Bateman

    2018Alex King, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "Breakout"

    Breakout

    by AP Bateman

    2019Alex King, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "From the Shadows"

    From the Shadows

    by AP Bateman

    2019Alex King, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Rogue"

    Rogue

    by AP Bateman

    2019Alex King, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "The Asset"

    The Asset

    by AP Bateman

    2020Alex King, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "Last Man Standing"

    Last Man Standing

    by AP Bateman

    2020Alex King, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "Hunter Killer"

    Hunter Killer

    by AP Bateman

    2021Alex King, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "The Congo Contract"

    The Congo Contract

    by AP Bateman

    2021Alex King, Book 13

DI Grant books in order

Explore this series
  1. Book cover for "Taken"

    Taken

    by AP Bateman

    2023
  2. Book cover for "Vice"

    Vice

    by AP Bateman

    2023

Rob Stone books in order

Explore this series
  1. Book cover for "The Ares Virus"

    The Ares Virus

    by AP Bateman

    2015Rob Stone, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "The Island"

    The Island

    by AP Bateman

    2016Rob Stone, Book 3
  3. Book cover for "The Town"

    The Town

    by AP Bateman

    2016Rob Stone, Book 2
  4. Book cover for "Stone Cold"

    Stone Cold

    by AP Bateman

    2021Rob Stone, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "The Cartel"

    The Cartel

    by AP Bateman

    2024
  6. Book cover for "1600"

    1600

    by AP Bateman

    2025

Rob Stone books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "The Ares Virus"

    The Ares Virus

    by AP Bateman

    2015Rob Stone, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "The Town"

    The Town

    by AP Bateman

    2016Rob Stone, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "The Island"

    The Island

    by AP Bateman

    2016Rob Stone, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "Stone Cold"

    Stone Cold

    by AP Bateman

    2021Rob Stone, Book 4

Standalone AP Bateman books

  1. Book cover for "Hell's Mouth"

    Hell's Mouth

    by AP Bateman

    2017
  2. Book cover for "The Most Dangerous Game"

    The Most Dangerous Game

    by AP Bateman

    2024

Author bio

A P Bateman was born in Cornwall and grew up at Watergate Bay. He writes under initials for a very practical reason, Anthony Bateman was already taken. Cornwall seems to sit at the heart of how he sees the world, outdoorsy, rough-edged, and full of atmosphere.

As a child he had sea, woods, moors, and rivers close by. When he was eleven, the family moved and he started at an all-boys private school, which he has described as a tough place where you learned to fight or run. His father was a gun dealer for a time, and Bateman became a keen marksman early on.

He learned early that danger, landscape, and pressure can all shape a person.

Long before the books took off, he worked in close protection and private investigations. He trained with security companies run by former military, police, and special forces staff, completed advanced evasive driving courses, trained on weapons ranges in New Jersey, and practiced martial arts for years. That practical background is a big part of why the action in his novels feels so grounded.

Writing did not move in a straight line for him. He finished a first novel in 1999, hit publishing setbacks, and by 2004 had stopped writing altogether. In 2015, at his wife's suggestion, he pulled his old manuscripts out of the attic and started again. The book that got him moving was The Ares Virus, and it reopened a career he had nearly left behind.

Sometimes the second start is the real one.

He has said the spark for his writing career really came from stories he heard while training in close protection. Those anecdotes eventually helped shape Shadows of Good Friday, a novel he worked on for 19 years before publishing it as an Alex King prequel. You can also feel that lived-in detail in The Contract Man, where betrayal inside MI6 sends King into brutal, deniable missions, and in The Island, where Rob Stone has to survive with almost nothing while being hunted.

Readers who click with Bateman tend to come back for the same reasons. The books move. The stakes are personal. The heroes can handle themselves, but they are not untouchable. In later Alex King novels like Hunter Killer and The Congo Contract, he mixes espionage, military action, and political pressure. In the Rob Stone books, he leans into wilderness survival, conspiracies, and the stubborn appeal of a lone man who keeps stepping toward trouble instead of away from it.

Place matters in his fiction. He has said that, aside from Northern Iraq in The Contract Man, he had visited every country he had used in his novels at the time of that interview. He likes real settings, real travel, and the feel of a place, and he has even slipped family holiday locations into his stories so the memory stays on the page.

He still sounds rooted in Cornwall. He has described it as a place of beaches, woods, moors, and rivers, ideal if you like being outside. That lines up with the rest of the picture too, travel, swimming, shooting, archery, martial arts, water sports, food, and a clear fondness for getting out into the world rather than just imagining it from a desk.

His official author page now describes him as the writer of more than thirty action thrillers. That feels right. Not because the number is large, but because the books come from someone who spent years circling back to the work until it finally stuck. There is stubbornness in that, and a lot of energy. Both show up on the page.

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 shape MRB and its growth.

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