Harry Jones Books in Order

The Harry Jones thrillers take Michael Dobbs’s feel for politics and bolt it onto a more overtly action driven series hero. Harry is a former soldier and current MP who is brave, stubborn and often out of his depth, which is exactly why people keep turning to him when things go wrong.

The series begins with The Lords' Day, set during the State Opening of Parliament. A terrorist group takes the Queen, the Cabinet and the most powerful figures in the country hostage inside the House of Lords. Harry is already having the worst day of his life before the attack begins, and then finds himself one of the few people able to move, think and act on the inside.

The Edge of Madness widens the canvas to cyber warfare. A failure at an old Russian nuclear plant and a crippling blackout on the east coast of the United States signal a coordinated attack on the systems that keep modern life running. As presidents and prime ministers gather in a remote Scottish castle to plan a response, Harry has to work out who is really pulling the strings and how far they are willing to push.

In The Reluctant Hero he travels to a fictional Central Asian state to rescue an old friend, only to end up in a brutal prison and entangled in a web of local strongmen, Russian influence and competing intelligence services. Old Enemies drags him into a kidnapping that begins in the Swiss Alps and leads back to unfinished business from Ireland and his own love life.

A Sentimental Traitor opens with a passenger jet destroyed over London, killing dozens of children and triggering panic across Europe. Harry’s hunt for those behind the attack leads from Russia to Brussels and the Middle East, and forces him up against a driven British politician with her own plans for reshaping the continent.

A Ghost at the Door turns inward as Harry is pushed to uncover the truth about his father, Johnnie Jones. The investigation sends him from Bermuda to Greece and back to London’s churches and colleges, peeling away family myths while he discovers that he has once again been positioned at the heart of someone else’s long running scheme.

Throughout the series Dobbs mixes big geopolitical threats with personal loyalties, old grudges and the compromises of public life. The books move quickly but still spend time on Harry’s doubts and mistakes, making him feel less like an invincible super agent and more like a battered survivor who keeps getting back up.