The Peacemaker Books in Order

The Peacemaker books move Blair Howard out of Chattanooga and into full international thriller territory. These are fast, violent spy stories built around the worst kind of idea: a secret organization that claims to want peace, but is willing to cause mass death to get it. The name sounds noble. The methods absolutely do not.

At the center of the series are Albert Westwood, usually called Nero, and Cassandra Wu, also known as Casey. He is a former British SAS sniper. She is a former CIA assassin. Under normal circumstances they would be trying to kill each other, and sometimes that still feels like the easier option. What makes the series fun is that Howard does not pretend trust comes easily. Their partnership is forced, temporary, and always a little unstable, which gives the books a sharp, nervous energy.

They are a dangerous pair either way.

The plots go big, from attempts to start a world war to schemes that could collapse economies or unleash mass extinction. That scale is part of the appeal. These books are not quiet detective stories. They move across borders, involve intelligence services and deep-state operators, and usually give Nero and Wu just enough time to survive one disaster before the next one hits. Former MI6 director Jack O'Neal and other intelligence figures help widen the world, but the emotional center stays with the two reluctant allies.

Even with all the action, the series is easy to follow because the stakes are clear. Someone has a plan. The plan is monstrous. Nero and Wu have to stop it before their own history gets in the way. Howard writes these books with clean lines and a quick pace, so the international scope never turns muddy or overcomplicated.

If you like espionage thrillers where the heroes are not exactly clean, the villains think they are saving the world, and every alliance feels one bad choice away from collapse, The Peacemaker is the part of Howard's bibliography that scratches that itch.