James Ryker Books in Order
Part ofRob Sinclair Books in OrderSee 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
14 books
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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

The Red Cobra
by Rob Sinclair
2017James Ryker, Book 1
The Black Hornet
by Rob Sinclair
2017James Ryker, Book 2
The Silver Wolf
by Rob Sinclair
2017James Ryker, Book 3
The Green Viper
by Rob Sinclair
2018James Ryker, Book 4
The White Scorpion
by Rob Sinclair
2019James Ryker, Book 5
Renegade
by Rob Sinclair
2021Ryker Returns, Book 1
Assassins
by Rob Sinclair
2021Ryker Returns, Book 2
Outsider
by Rob Sinclair
2021Ryker Returns, Book 3
Vigilante
by Rob Sinclair
2022Ryker Returns, Book 4
Protector
by Rob Sinclair
2022James Ryker, Book 10
Deception
by Rob Sinclair
2023James Ryker, Book 11
Angel of Death
by Rob Sinclair
2024James Ryker, Book 12
The Enemy Within
by Rob Sinclair
2025James Ryker, Book 13
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
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