Mitch Kearns Combat Tracker Books in Order
Part ofJT Sawyer Books in OrderSee the Mitch Kearns Combat Tracker books by JT Sawyer in order, with summaries, series background, and easy reading order help.
Last updated: June 8, 2026
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).
Publication Order
12 books
Dead in Their Tracks
by JT Sawyer
2015
Mitch Kearns expects a quiet spell after teaching a tracking course, until his mentor's daughter shows up carrying secrets people will kill for. On the run through the desert, he has to keep her alive long enough to stop a terrorist plot.
Blindsided
by JT Sawyer
2016
Mitch and Dev are framed for a murder that threatens to destroy Gideon and upend Israeli politics. With enemies closing in on every side, the only way out is to follow a trail of secrets into the past.
Counter-Strike
by JT Sawyer
2016
Mitch Kearns and Dev Leitner chase a deadly pathogen from Sweden to Indonesia after it falls into the wrong hands. To stop a global catastrophe, they need to outmaneuver an enemy as slippery as they are.
The Kill List
by JT Sawyer
2016
A quiet visit to Colorado turns lethal when Mitch Kearns realizes a killer is hiding inside the group around him. Trapped in a storm-bound canyon, they have to unmask the traitor before night turns worse.
Borderlands
by JT Sawyer
2017
An abduction on the Arizona border pulls Mitch Kearns into a race against cartel gunmen and competing agendas. The captive holds access to the Southwest power grid, so failure could mean disaster far beyond the border.
Deadly Harvest
by JT Sawyer
2017
Years before the main series, Mitch Kearns is pushed to his limit on a wilderness survival course with his Special Forces unit. The training turns real when he tangles with two notorious bear poachers in Idaho.
Without Mercy
by JT Sawyer
2017
A trip to Thailand turns ugly when Mitch, Dev, and the Gideon team cross paths with human traffickers. To save the captives, they must take on pirates and fight through a mission where mercy is a luxury.
High-Risk
by JT Sawyer
2019
Mitch Kearns is sent into Belarus to snatch a condemned arms dealer and reach the Polish border on foot. The target is wanted by everyone, and a traitor nearby makes the escape even more dangerous.
Ballistic
by JT Sawyer
2020
Mitch Kearns is thrown into a sanctioned hunt for rogue mercenaries, where every lead comes with gunfire and shifting loyalties. As the mission gets more personal, his tracking skills become the only edge that matters.
Blood and Honor
by JT Sawyer
2020
Mitch Kearns and Dev Leitner head to the Philippines to protect a Japanese energy deal, only to find a Yakuza hit team already on the move. The chase runs from jungle ground to Tokyo, with lives and global markets both at stake.
Blood On The Mesa
by JT Sawyer
2020
Before the main series, FBI mantracker Mitch Kearns investigates the murder of an informant in the Arizona high desert. The case leads him into the black-market trade in prehistoric artifacts and a trail that could get him killed.
Manhunt
by JT Sawyer
2021
Another mission turns into a relentless pursuit as Mitch Kearns tracks dangerous prey through hostile ground and political pressure. The focus stays on fieldcraft, survival, and the moment hunters become the hunted.
Series background & context
Mitch Kearns is one of Sawyer's most natural leads because he brings together several things the author clearly enjoys writing: tracking, survival, black-ops history, and rough-country movement. Mitch is a former Special Forces soldier who now works as an FBI combat tracker, and that combination gives the series a different feel from a standard spy thriller. He notices terrain, signs, routes, and mistakes. He reads people the same way.
The series kicks off with Dead in Their Tracks, when Mitch is pulled into danger by Dev Leitner, the daughter of an old mentor, and from there the books widen into an ongoing mix of rescue work, covert missions, and international conspiracies. Dev becomes a major part of the series, and the partnership between the two of them gives the books their center.
A lot of these stories run through Gideon, the private hostage rescue world Dev is tied to, and that gives Sawyer room to move the action almost anywhere. One book can be about a biopathogen and a pursuit from Sweden to Indonesia. Another can trap the group in a Colorado canyon with a killer nearby. Later books head to Thailand, Belarus, the Philippines, Tokyo, and the Arizona border. The range is wide, but Mitch's skill set keeps the series feeling connected.
What sets the books apart is the tracking angle. Mitch is not just another tough guy with a rifle. He solves problems by reading ground, noticing patterns, and understanding how hunted people move when they are tired or desperate. That makes the chases feel a little more specific and a lot more physical.
The tone lands between action-adventure and espionage thriller. There are mercenaries, cartels, Yakuza crews, prison extractions, human traffickers, and old black-ops baggage, but the books still keep one boot in the dirt. Even when the stakes go global, Sawyer likes to make the characters earn their escape one mile at a time.
There is also a strong sense of code in these books. Mitch can be ruthless when he needs to be, but he is not reckless for the sake of looking cool. The series works best when it lets him balance duty, loyalty, and the cost of doing violent work for the right reasons.
If you like thrillers with travel, mantracking, practical fieldcraft, and a lead who feels shaped by the landscape as much as by his training, this is one of Sawyer's strongest series. Start with Dead in Their Tracks, then read forward. Even the later books that work as standalones land better once you know how Mitch and Dev got there.
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