Max Fend Books in Order

The Max Fend series starts with Glidepath, and its hook is a good one. Max is the son of Charles Fend, a billionaire aerospace chief who is about to launch the world's first autonomous commercial airliner. Then a cyberattack hits, federal investigators close in, and Max finds himself pulled into a mess involving family secrets, espionage, and a CIA file nobody wants to explain.

What makes these books work is that Max does not begin as a polished super-agent. He is smart and resourceful, but he is also learning on the move. That gives the series a different feel from Andrew Watts's more military books. Max spends a lot of time reacting, improvising, and trying to figure out who is lying to him, which makes the danger feel close and personal. His partner Renee becomes a big part of that energy. Together, they have to think fast, travel light, and stay ahead of people with much better funding and far worse intentions.

Aviation is not just wallpaper here. It is the heart of the series. Fend Aerospace, autonomous flight technology, private aircraft, air shows, and competitive flying all shape the action. In The Oshkosh Connection, the trail runs from the Pacific coast of Mexico to the huge air show in Wisconsin. In Air Race, Max and Renee are thrown into a lavish international race that crosses Europe, Africa, and the Middle East while a contract killer stalks the field. The planes matter. The routes matter. The weather matters. That is a big part of the fun.

These books like speed.

Underneath the motion, there is an ongoing story about power and access. Max keeps landing near the fault line between private industry and covert government work. His father's company is building technology that can change travel and shift global leverage. That means the threats come from more than one direction: criminal networks, political interests, hostile intelligence players, and people from Charles Fend's past who know exactly where the weak points are. The series never lets Max forget that family money can open doors, but it can also paint a target on your back.

The tone is sleek, globe-trotting, and lighter on chain-of-command detail than The War Planners. You still get suspense, tradecraft, and real-world detail, but the mood is closer to an aviation thriller crossed with an espionage chase. The books also make good use of spectacle, but they never forget that sabotage hurts real people. If you like stories where the hero has to clear his name, outfly the problem, and keep up with a fast-changing conspiracy, Max Fend is a strong place to start. Read the books in order if you can. Max grows into the role, and the series is more satisfying when you watch him make that jump.