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James Acton Books in Order

Part ofJ Robert Kennedy Books in Order

This 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

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Publication Order

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42 books

1

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.

2

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.

3

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.

4

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.

5

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.

6

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.

7

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.

8

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.

9

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.

10

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.

11

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.

12

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.

13

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.

14

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.

15

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.

16

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.

17

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.

18

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.

19

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.

20

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.

21

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.

22

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.

23

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.

24

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.

25

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.

26

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.

27

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.

28

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.

29

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.

30

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.

31

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.

32

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.

33

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.

34

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.

35

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.

36

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.

37

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.

38

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.

39

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.

40

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.

41

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.

42

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

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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