James Acton Books in Order
Part ofJ Robert Kennedy Books in OrderThis page shows the James Acton books in order by J Robert Kennedy, with quick summaries, series background, and tips on where to start.
Last updated: July 1, 2026
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).
Publication Order
42 books
The Protocol
by J Robert Kennedy
2010
Archaeology professor James Acton uncovers an artifact tied to the secretive Triarii and becomes prey to both Delta Force and a hidden power network. Students die, allies disappear, and history turns deadly fast.
Brass Monkey
by J Robert Kennedy
2011
When Laura Palmer is caught up in trouble at an Egyptian dig, James Acton races to help and finds a far bigger crisis waiting. A lost weapon and rising sectarian tension threaten to ignite catastrophe.
Broken Dove
by J Robert Kennedy
2012
An ancient Church secret resurfaces, pulling James Acton and Laura Palmer into a chase built on faith, murder, and buried history. The deeper they dig, the more dangerous the truth becomes.
The Templar’s Relic
by J Robert Kennedy
2012
A relic linked to the fall of the Templars sends James Acton into another globe-spanning hunt. If the past really can strike back, the modern Church may be its next target.
Flags of Sin
by J Robert Kennedy
2013
James Acton is swept into a crisis that could tip China into chaos. Ancient history and present-day power struggles collide in a fast-moving international thriller.
The Arab Fall
by J Robert Kennedy
2013
A discovery on the scale of Tutankhamun's tomb should change history, not vanish in violence. James Acton and Laura Palmer are thrust into a deadly fight over who gets to control the past.
The Circle of Eight
by J Robert Kennedy
2013
As a global threat spirals out of control, Delta Force's Bravo Team is cut loose and left to fend for itself. To save their families and maybe humanity, they have to survive without the government behind them.
Amazon Burning
by J Robert Kennedy
2014
Deep in the Amazon, one of James Acton's own disappears and the rescue turns brutal fast. Jungle danger, ancient secrets, and relentless pursuers make every step a fight.
Pompeii's Ghosts
by J Robert Kennedy
2014
The ghosts of Pompeii are not done killing. James Acton and Laura Palmer chase a mystery born in volcanic ruin and discover that buried history can still claim fresh victims.
The Riddle
by J Robert Kennedy
2014
The assassination of Russia's prime minister puts the world on the edge of war. James Acton is caught in a deadly puzzle where solving the past may be the only way to stop the present.
The Venice Code
by J Robert Kennedy
2014
A centuries-old mystery hidden in Venice draws James Acton into another race against ruthless enemies. The answer could change what people think they know, if anyone lives long enough to reveal it.
Blood Relics
by J Robert Kennedy
2015
A desperate son and a dying father send James Acton into a search where faith and history become painfully personal. What looks like a miracle may trigger another blood-soaked scramble for power.
Saint Peter's Soldiers
by J Robert Kennedy
2015
A missing da Vinci and a frightening genetic breakthrough put James Acton in the middle of a collision between old genius and new science. The result could change far more than art history.
Sins of the Titanic
by J Robert Kennedy
2015
More than a century after the Titanic sank, its last victims may still be waiting. James Acton follows the wreck's lingering secrets into a modern conspiracy with deadly consequences.
Raging Sun
by J Robert Kennedy
2016
A decades-old debt of honor threatens to spark a modern war. James Acton is pulled into a crisis where old loyalties still have the power to kill.
The Thirteenth Legion
by J Robert Kennedy
2016
A destiny buried for two thousand years begins to close in on James Acton and Laura Palmer. To stop it, they have to untangle a Roman legacy that was never truly lost.
Wages of Sin
by J Robert Kennedy
2016
When protecting a nation's legacy comes at an unbearable cost, James Acton has to decide how much history is worth. The answer may demand far more blood than anyone expected.
The Nazi's Engineer
by J Robert Kennedy
2017
James Acton goes after one of the Second World War's most stubborn mysteries and quickly learns why it stayed buried. The closer he gets, the higher the human cost becomes.
The Templar's Revenge
by J Robert Kennedy
2017
Centuries of Templar duty and vengeance come roaring into the present. James Acton faces enemies who believe history has left a debt that must finally be paid.
Wrath of the Gods
by J Robert Kennedy
2017
A discovery with the power to rewrite a thousand years of history puts James Acton back in the crosshairs. Every side wants the truth, but not for the same reason.
Atlantis Lost
by J Robert Kennedy
2018
The search for Atlantis turns into a race to keep the greatest discovery in history from vanishing again. James Acton and Laura Palmer have to reach the truth before greed and violence do.
The Cylon Curse
by J Robert Kennedy
2018
A plot born in the ancient world reaches into the present with fresh victims in its wake. James Acton must piece together a democratic origin story someone has been trying to erase for centuries.
The Viking Deception
by J Robert Kennedy
2018
A forgotten link between Viking history and the Islamic world sparks modern violence. James Acton and Laura Palmer chase the truth before another cycle of bloodshed begins.
Keepers of the Lost Ark
by J Robert Kennedy
2019
The Ark of the Covenant may have been found, but keeping it intact could be the worst possible outcome. James Acton is thrown into a desperate mission where destruction might be the only way to save lives.
The Manila Deception
by J Robert Kennedy
2019
A village massacre is only the first sign that something much larger has been hidden for years. James Acton follows the trail into a conspiracy built on fear, silence, and ruthless violence.
The Tomb of Genghis Khan
by J Robert Kennedy
2019
The resting place of Genghis Khan should have stayed hidden forever. When its secret breaks open, James Acton is swept into another lethal race between history and greed.
Armageddon
by J Robert Kennedy
2020
Volcanic disaster, old prophecy, and an isolated people collide in a thriller that feels apocalyptic in every sense. James Acton has to move before a new eruption wipes out far more than ruins.
Embassy of the Empire
by J Robert Kennedy
2020
An incident at sea pushes the United States and China toward war, with Acton's archaeological team stuck in the middle. To survive, they must understand why history suddenly matters to two modern powers.
The Fourth Bible
by J Robert Kennedy
2020
A priceless discovery explodes into chaos and leaves James and Laura blamed for the carnage. Clearing their names means uncovering why someone fears this ancient text so much.
No Good Deed
by J Robert Kennedy
2021
A good impulse turns into a fresh nightmare for James Acton and Laura Palmer. Helping the wrong people puts them in the path of enemies who make charity look dangerously naive.
The Last Soviet
by J Robert Kennedy
2021
Someone wants to rewrite Cold War history, and the fallout could be global. James Acton is pulled into a struggle where the past is not over and the future depends on who controls its story.
Fatal Reunion
by J Robert Kennedy
2022
A long-lost mask resurfaces and turns everyone connected to it into a target. James Acton and Laura Palmer race from clue to clue while killers close in on the prize.
Lake of Bones
by J Robert Kennedy
2022
A legend about a peaceful eastern refuge leads James Acton toward a mystery rooted in flight, faith, and sacrifice. The promised haven may be real, but reaching it could cost everything.
No More Secrets
by J Robert Kennedy
2022
Some secrets do not stay buried because they are powerful, but because they hurt too much to face. James Acton and Laura Palmer uncover one of those truths, and the fallout turns personal.
The Antarctica Incident
by J Robert Kennedy
2022
A brutal pirate legacy leads James Acton to the edge of the world. Antarctica becomes the stage for a cold, violent hunt through family betrayal and buried treasure.
The Ghosts of Paris
by J Robert Kennedy
2022
Tommy and Mai's Paris vacation becomes a nightmare when an illegal catacombs party turns out to hide something far darker. James and Laura plunge into the city's underworld to find them before they vanish among the abandoned.
The Resurrection Tablet
by J Robert Kennedy
2022
An explosive tablet challenges one of history's central beliefs and immediately becomes worth killing for. James Acton must separate truth from manipulation before the find tears lives apart.
The Curse of Imhotep
by J Robert Kennedy
2023
James Acton locates the tomb of Imhotep, but the old curse attached to it starts looking alarmingly real. Every step toward the find brings another death and another reason to walk away.
The Sword of Doom
by J Robert Kennedy
2023
A legendary sword with a murderous history disappears, and James Acton is blamed. To clear his name, he has to chase a relic people have died trying to possess.
The Heretics Bible
by J Robert Kennedy
2024
An ancient text thought never to have existed comes to light, and powerful people immediately want it destroyed. James Acton and Laura Palmer are caught between revelation and annihilation.
The Hunt for the Holy Grail
by J Robert Kennedy
2024
The Grail may finally have been found, but the scramble around it is anything but sacred. James Acton faces greed, obsession, and violence wrapped in the language of faith.
Crypt of the Gladiator
by J Robert Kennedy
2025
A Roman crypt discovery draws James Acton into a hunt for treasure hidden as the empire was falling apart. Ancient clues, kidnappings, and a ruthless modern enemy keep the pressure high.
Series background & context
The James Acton books are built around a simple idea, what if an archaeological discovery did not stay in the lab or museum, but immediately got people killed? James Acton is a professor of archaeology, Laura Palmer is an archaeologist every bit as capable, and together they keep stumbling into finds that powerful people would rather control, bury, or destroy.
In these books, history fights back.
The setup is usually part treasure hunt, part conspiracy thriller. A dig, relic, manuscript, tomb, or old legend sends the team across cities, deserts, catacombs, islands, and war zones. Secret societies, church politics, intelligence services, terrorists, smugglers, and governments all have reasons to care, which means the academic puzzle never stays academic for long. One book may lean into Roman history, another into biblical controversy, another into lost civilizations, but the engine is the same, a discovery opens a door, and somebody dangerous is already on the other side.
What makes the series work is that James is not written as an untouchable action hero. He is smart, stubborn, frightened at the right times, and usually in way over his head. Laura is not there to stand in the background either. She is often the calmer brain in the room, and the partnership between them gives the books a steadier emotional center than the body count might suggest. Their relationship is part of the appeal. These are adventure novels, but they are also books about two people repeatedly choosing trust under ridiculous pressure.
As the series grows, so does the world around it. Delta Force operators, CIA officers, police investigators, and later allies like Tommy and Mai widen the cast, which is why these books connect so naturally to the Dylan Kane and Delta Force novels. You can read a single Acton book on its own, but reading in order lets you watch the friendships, marriages, and crossover threads build.
The tone is fast, cinematic, and not especially interested in slowing down. Kennedy likes short chapters, sudden reversals, global stakes, and that classic question of whether a legendary object or lost piece of history could actually be real. If you want a quiet archaeological procedural, this is not that.
If you want globe-hopping adventure with ancient mysteries, modern firepower, and a couple at the center who keep choosing each other even when the world is coming apart, this series delivers. The Protocol is the obvious starting point, and from there the map just keeps getting bigger.
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.



























































Comments
Did we miss something? Have feedback?
Help us improve this page by sharing your thoughts