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James Ryker Books in Order

Part ofRob Sinclair Books in Order

See the James Ryker books by Rob Sinclair in order, with quick summaries, series background, and where to start with these hard-driving espionage thrillers.

Last updated: July 12, 2026

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James Ryker books in publication order

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14 books

1

The Black Hornet

by Rob Sinclair

2017

Still searching for the truth about Lisa's disappearance, Ryker follows a trail to Mexico. There he is framed for murder and thrown into a jail controlled by a feared cartel boss known as the Black Hornet.

2

The Red Cobra

by Rob Sinclair

2017

Living under the name James Ryker, Carl Logan wants a quiet life at last. That ends when a murdered woman may be tied to the legendary assassin known as the Red Cobra, and a cyberattack exposes old JIA secrets.

3

The Silver Wolf

by Rob Sinclair

2017

Ryker's hunt for answers and revenge takes him from Mexico back to England. A terrorist strike against the JIA suggests that one shadowy figure, the Silver Wolf, may be behind far more than he first thought.

4

The Green Viper

by Rob Sinclair

2018

A coded plea from a dead former boss draws James Ryker to New York without backup. There he lands between the FBI and rival underworld powers, in a mission where loyalty may matter more than truth.

5

The White Scorpion

by Rob Sinclair

2019

Ryker is sent into the fictional African state of Chabon to infiltrate a presidential security team. With the country on the edge of civil war, he finds a mission where every side claims to be the right one.

6

Assassins

by Rob Sinclair

2021

A man Ryker thought his team killed in Qatar turns up dead in rural England, or maybe not dead enough. Chasing the truth across continents, Ryker finds his old team under threat from a ruthless female assassin.

7

Outsider

by Rob Sinclair

2021

Driving through northern Norway, Ryker nearly hits a teenage moped rider and then stumbles into a small town that wants no questions asked. What begins as curiosity turns into a bloody local conspiracy.

8

Renegade

by Rob Sinclair

2021

A surveillance mission collapses when a key target is kidnapped in central London. As James Ryker investigates what went wrong and a close friend disappears, the job turns personal fast.

9

Protector

by Rob Sinclair

2022

Ryker and his young ally Henrik Svenson head to an Alpine town after a wealthy family is slaughtered and its teenage survivor disappears. Their search opens onto a wider scheme involving mobsters, corruption, and money.

10

Vigilante

by Rob Sinclair

2022

Ryker thinks he left the violence in Norway behind, until a murdered teenager in Crete may be tied to Henrik Svenson. His search takes him to Athens, into a murder frame-up, and toward a dangerous criminal network.

11

Deception

by Rob Sinclair

2023

A notorious assassin appears at Ryker's door asking him to protect a man she claims is more important than he knows. Then the shooting starts, and Ryker is left to untangle who is lying and why.

12

Angel of Death

by Rob Sinclair

2024

James Ryker goes after terrorist Ismail Karaman, convinced powerful people are protecting him. He soon collides with a former agent called the Angel of Death, who wants the same target for her own reasons.

13

Burning State

by Rob Sinclair

2025

Sent to Atlanta to find a missing governor's daughter, Ryker uncovers a far larger plot. An ex-special ops man with a taste for revenge is trying to push the United States toward chaos from within.

14

The Enemy Within

by Rob Sinclair

2025

In France, two strangers ask Ryker to find Gregor Rebrov, an escaped fugitive with ties to a powerful Ukrainian arms family. The search forces him back toward old guilt, old violence, and questions much closer to home.

James Ryker books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "The Red Cobra"

    The Red Cobra

    by Rob Sinclair

    2017James Ryker, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "The Black Hornet"

    The Black Hornet

    by Rob Sinclair

    2017James Ryker, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "The Silver Wolf"

    The Silver Wolf

    by Rob Sinclair

    2017James Ryker, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "The Green Viper"

    The Green Viper

    by Rob Sinclair

    2018James Ryker, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "The White Scorpion"

    The White Scorpion

    by Rob Sinclair

    2019James Ryker, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "Renegade"

    Renegade

    by Rob Sinclair

    2021Ryker Returns, Book 1
  7. Book cover for "Assassins"

    Assassins

    by Rob Sinclair

    2021Ryker Returns, Book 2
  8. Book cover for "Outsider"

    Outsider

    by Rob Sinclair

    2021Ryker Returns, Book 3
  9. Book cover for "Vigilante"

    Vigilante

    by Rob Sinclair

    2022Ryker Returns, Book 4
  10. Book cover for "Protector"

    Protector

    by Rob Sinclair

    2022James Ryker, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "Deception"

    Deception

    by Rob Sinclair

    2023James Ryker, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "Angel of Death"

    Angel of Death

    by Rob Sinclair

    2024James Ryker, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "The Enemy Within"

    The Enemy Within

    by Rob Sinclair

    2025James Ryker, Book 13
  14. Book cover for "Burning State"

    Burning State

    by Rob Sinclair

    2025James Ryker, Book 14

Series background & context

James Ryker is the name Carl Logan takes after the events of the Enemy books, and that shift tells you a lot about the series. He is an ex-intelligence man trying to disappear, live quietly, and stop carrying the weight of everything he has done. In The Red Cobra, that hope lasts about five minutes. Old enemies, old colleagues, and old secrets drag him back into the world he thought he had escaped.

He never stays out for long.

The early Ryker books, from The Red Cobra through The White Scorpion, mix personal stakes with big international threats. A dead woman may be connected to a legendary assassin. Ryker goes to Mexico while searching for answers about Lisa's disappearance. He crosses paths with cartels, terrorists, underworld fixers, and intelligence people whose loyalties are never simple. The plots move fast, but the thing tying them together is Ryker himself, stubborn, watchful, and usually one bad decision away from a bloodbath.

The setting matters a lot here. These books move from Spain and Mexico to England, New York, and the fictional African state of Chabon. Sinclair likes to throw Ryker into places where the official story and the real story are very different, and Ryker is the kind of man who keeps digging once he sees the gap. That gives the series its forward drive. It is espionage fiction, but it often feels closer to a manhunt, a revenge story, or a survival thriller.

Loyalty is always the problem.

Ryker used to belong to the Joint Intelligence Agency, and even after he steps away, he is never fully free of it. Former bosses still know how to find him. Former allies still need things from him. Books like The Green Viper and The White Scorpion lean hard into that tension, showing Ryker caught between what the state wants, what the mission demands, and what his own conscience will let him live with. He is not a tidy hero. He breaks rules, distrusts bureaucracy, and tends to do the right thing in the most destructive way possible.

That is the appeal of the series. The books are quick, tough, and globe-trotting, but they are also built around a lead who has already paid a price before page one. If you like espionage thrillers with one bruised central character, recurring allies and enemies, and enough continuity to reward reading in order, this is a strong place to start with Rob Sinclair.

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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