Colt Ryder Books in Order
Part ofJT Brannan Books in OrderSee the Colt Ryder books in order by JT Brannan, with quick summaries, series background, and tips on where to start this long-running action series.
Last updated: July 3, 2026
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Colt Ryder books in publication order
23 books
The Thousand Dollar Hunt
by JT Brannan
2015
A missing-person case leads Colt to a New Mexico safari park where rich men hunt more than animals. Soon, Colt becomes the prey in the reserve's deadliest game.
The Thousand Dollar Man
by JT Brannan
2015
Scarred by Iraq and Afghanistan and failed by the life he came home to, Colt Ryder becomes the Thousand Dollar Man, a drifter who helps the desperate for a flat fee. With Kane beside him, he turns survival into rough justice.
The Thousand Dollar Contract
by JT Brannan
2016
When a contract killing and a desperate client collide, Colt steps into a deadly job where every side is hiding something and walking away may be impossible.
The Thousand Dollar Escape
by JT Brannan
2016
A job that looks simple turns into a brutal fight for survival, with Colt and Kane trapped between desperate victims, armed enemies, and a scheme they were never meant to uncover.
The Thousand Dollar Breakout
by JT Brannan
2017
Inside San Quentin, Colt uncovers a savage underground fight club and a prison job gone wrong. To stop it, he has to survive the inmates, the guards, and the breakout itself.
The Thousand Dollar Murder
by JT Brannan
2017
A missing-person case leads Colt to a horrifying snuff-film operation. Exposing it means going deep into one of his darkest and most dangerous missions yet.
The Thousand Dollar Chase
by JT Brannan
2018
A pursuit across the American heartland pulls Colt into a case that keeps getting bigger. With Kane at his side, he has to stay one step ahead of killers and figure out who is really being hunted.
The Thousand Dollar Christmas
by JT Brannan
2018
The holiday season turns bloody when Colt takes on a winter job in a town full of fear and bad secrets. Christmas goodwill only lasts until the shooting starts.
The Thousand Dollar Team
by JT Brannan
2018
In a small Missouri town, Colt goes undercover at a chemical plant after a worker vanishes and his wife refuses to believe the official story. What he finds is bigger, dirtier, and deadlier than expected.
The Thousand Dollar Kidnap
by JT Brannan
2019
A kidnapping case drags Colt into a tense hunt where time matters and nobody can be trusted. Saving the victim means cutting through lies before the trail goes cold.
The Thousand Dollar Killers
by JT Brannan
2019
A trip to Las Vegas turns deadly when Colt and Kane are swept into a bloody mafia scheme. Sin City is the last place to relax when killers are closing in.
The Thousand Dollar Patriot
by JT Brannan
2020
A case touched by extremism and revenge forces Colt to ask what patriotism looks like when it turns violent. Helping the innocent means stepping into a national nightmare.
The Thousand Dollar Shot
by JT Brannan
2020
A shooting puts Colt on the trail of a dangerous enemy and a deeper conspiracy. With danger coming fast, he has to find the truth before the next shot lands.
The Thousand Dollar Triad
by JT Brannan
2020
When Colt crosses paths with a brutal Triad operation, he is pulled into a fight against organized crime with international reach. This time, the enemy is disciplined, ruthless, and very well connected.
The Thousand Dollar Feud
by JT Brannan
2021
A bitter feud is turning deadly, and the people caught in the middle have nowhere to turn but Colt. Old grudges and fresh blood make this one especially volatile.
The Thousand Dollar Heist
by JT Brannan
2021
What starts as a robbery story quickly becomes something messier and more violent. Colt has to untangle the setup before the heist claims more victims.
The Thousand Dollar Patient
by JT Brannan
2021
A hospital-linked mystery puts Colt up against people who are used to operating behind closed doors. To protect the vulnerable, he must expose the truth before one more patient disappears.
The Thousand Dollar Slave
by JT Brannan
2021
A plea for help leads Colt toward a modern slavery operation built on fear and silence. To bring anyone out alive, he has to hit the traffickers hard and fast.
The Thousand Dollar Target
by JT Brannan
2021
Someone is being hunted, and Colt arrives just in time to be caught in the crossfire. To keep his client alive, he has to find the hidden motive behind the target on their back.
The Thousand Dollar Touchdown
by JT Brannan
2021
Football money, local loyalties, and violence collide when Colt stumbles into a case tied to the game. Beneath the bright lights, someone is playing for keeps.
The Thousand Dollar Bullet
by JT Brannan
2022
A single bullet sets off a fast, dangerous investigation for Colt and Kane. To stop the next killing, Colt has to work out who pulled the trigger and why.
The Thousand Dollar Deal
by JT Brannan
2022
A shady deal with huge consequences draws Colt into another town's darkest business. The deeper he digs, the clearer it becomes that somebody will kill to protect it.
The Thousand Dollar Payback
by JT Brannan
2022
Revenge is in the air when Colt lands in the middle of a payback mission spiraling out of control. Justice and vengeance are not the same thing, and Colt has to prove it the hard way.
Colt Ryder books in chronological order

The Thousand Dollar Man
by JT Brannan
2015Colt Ryder, Book 1
The Thousand Dollar Hunt
by JT Brannan
2015Colt Ryder, Book 2
The Thousand Dollar Escape
by JT Brannan
2016Colt Ryder, Book 3
The Thousand Dollar Contract
by JT Brannan
2016Colt Ryder, Book 4
The Thousand Dollar Breakout
by JT Brannan
2017Colt Ryder, Book 5
The Thousand Dollar Murder
by JT Brannan
2017Colt Ryder, Book 6
The Thousand Dollar Team
by JT Brannan
2018Colt Ryder, Book 7
The Thousand Dollar Chase
by JT Brannan
2018Colt Ryder, Book 8
The Thousand Dollar Christmas
by JT Brannan
2018Colt Ryder, Book 9
The Thousand Dollar Killers
by JT Brannan
2019Colt Ryder, Book 10
The Thousand Dollar Kidnap
by JT Brannan
2019Colt Ryder, Book 11
The Thousand Dollar Shot
by JT Brannan
2020Colt Ryder, Book 12
The Thousand Dollar Triad
by JT Brannan
2020Colt Ryder, Book 13
The Thousand Dollar Patriot
by JT Brannan
2020Colt Ryder, Book 14
The Thousand Dollar Slave
by JT Brannan
2021Colt Ryder, Book 15
The Thousand Dollar Heist
by JT Brannan
2021Colt Ryder, Book 16
The Thousand Dollar Patient
by JT Brannan
2021Colt Ryder, Book 17
The Thousand Dollar Feud
by JT Brannan
2021Colt Ryder, Book 18
The Thousand Dollar Target
by JT Brannan
2021Colt Ryder, Book 19
The Thousand Dollar Touchdown
by JT Brannan
2021Colt Ryder, Book 20
The Thousand Dollar Bullet
by JT Brannan
2022Colt Ryder, Book 21
The Thousand Dollar Deal
by JT Brannan
2022Colt Ryder, Book 22
The Thousand Dollar Payback
by JT Brannan
2022Colt Ryder, Book 23
Series background & context
The Colt Ryder books are built around a simple idea that gives Brannan a lot of room to play. Somewhere out on the roads of America, there is a man people call the Thousand Dollar Man. If someone is desperate enough, and can scrape together a thousand dollars, he might show up and solve the problem nobody else will touch.
That man is Colt Ryder.
Colt is a former soldier, battered by war and by what came after it. He drifts from town to town with his dog, Kane, carrying little, staying light, and stepping into other people's trouble. He is not a cop, not a detective, and not exactly a hired gun either. What he offers is closer to rough justice. If the law is corrupt, if the local authorities are scared, or if the victim has simply been ignored, Colt becomes the last option.
That setup gives the series its shape. Most books drop him into a new corner of the United States, often a small town or overlooked place where something ugly is festering under the surface. Sometimes the problem is a missing person. Sometimes it is trafficking, organized crime, a corrupt business, a violent feud, or a case that looks smaller than it really is. Colt usually starts with one frightened client and one question. From there, things get messy fast.
Kane matters more than just as a sidekick. The dog gives the books warmth, instinct, and a bit of quiet companionship for a hero who spends most of his life on the move. Colt is a lone wanderer, but he is not entirely alone, and the bond between the two helps keep the series grounded even when the action turns wild.
The tone is direct and fast. These are action thrillers, but the stakes are often personal rather than abstract. The people Colt helps are usually ordinary people trapped in frightening situations, and that gives the violence a more immediate feel. He is not trying to save the world. He is trying to save one person, one family, or one town at a time. That smaller scale is part of what makes the series work.
At the same time, the books do not stay small for long. Colt has a habit of uncovering systems, not just bad individuals. A straightforward job can open into something much larger, and a quiet place can turn into a battlefield before the story is over. If you like wandering-hero thrillers, lots of momentum, and a lead character who answers injustice with action, this is very much that kind of series.
Start with The Thousand Dollar Man. It lays out who Colt is, why he lives this way, and what kind of promise the series is making to the reader.
Edited by
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