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Quick answer: If you loved Brad Thor, read Brad Thor's The Lions of Lucerne, then Vince Flynn's Transfer of Power, American Assassin and Extreme Measures, then Mark Greaney's The Gray Man, and Jack Carr's The Terminal List and Lee Child's Killing Floor and Persuader. All are fast, high-stakes political and military thrillers.
Brad Thor's Scot Harvath series began with The Lions of Lucerne in 2002 and follows a former Navy SEAL turned counter-terror operative. The books move fast and favour global plots. These picks offer the same blend of action and politics.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Lions of Lucerne | Brad Thor | Adult | political action |
| Transfer of Power | Vince Flynn | Adult | political action |
| American Assassin | Vince Flynn | Adult | action thrillers |
| Extreme Measures | Vince Flynn | Adult | political action |
| The Gray Man | Mark Greaney | Adult | assassin on the run |
| The Terminal List | Jack Carr | Adult | revenge thrillers |
| Killing Floor | Lee Child | Adult | readers who like action |
| Persuader | Lee Child | Adult | Reacher undercover |
| The Hunt for Red October | Tom Clancy | Adult | readers who like military thrillers |
| Without Remorse | Tom Clancy | Adult | revenge thrillers |
| Rainbow Six | Tom Clancy | Adult | counter-terror thrillers |
| The Day of the Jackal | Frederick Forsyth | Adult | readers who want a classic |
| The Bourne Identity | Robert Ludlum | Adult | readers who like action |
| Rain Fall | Barry Eisler | Adult | Japanese assassin |
| The Faithful Spy | Alex Berenson | Adult | post-9/11 thrillers |
1. The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor
A Secret Service agent faces a conspiracy. Quick and high stakes.
Best for: political action.
2. Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn
A counterterrorism hero fights a siege in the White House. Fast and patriotic.
Best for: political action.
3. American Assassin by Vince Flynn
Mitch Rapp is recruited after a terrorist attack. Action-packed and fast.
Best for: action thrillers.
4. Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn
CIA counter-terror chief Mitch Rapp faces a political storm as he works to stop a new attack. Pacy Washington thriller.
Best for: political action.
5. The Gray Man by Mark Greaney
A rogue assassin is hunted by his former employers. Fast and relentless.
Best for: assassin on the run.
6. The Terminal List by Jack Carr
A Navy SEAL seeks revenge after his family is killed. Violent and direct.
Best for: revenge thrillers.
7. Killing Floor by Lee Child
Jack Reacher arrives in a Georgia town and is arrested for murder. The first Reacher novel and a model of the fast thriller.
Best for: readers who like action.
8. Persuader by Lee Child
Reacher goes undercover to take down a criminal. Tough and tense.
Best for: Reacher undercover.
9. The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
A Soviet submarine captain defects, and Jack Ryan must figure out why. Tense and technical.
Best for: readers who like military thrillers.
10. Without Remorse by Tom Clancy
A Navy SEAL seeks revenge for his family's murder. Origin story for John Clark.
Best for: revenge thrillers.
11. Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy
John Clark leads an international counter-terror team as a plot against the Olympics unfolds. Technical and fast-moving.
Best for: counter-terror thrillers.
12. The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
An assassin plans to kill French President de Gaulle, and detectives race to stop him. A classic of the genre.
Best for: readers who want a classic.
13. The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
A man with amnesia discovers he is a deadly agent. Fast, with great chases.
Best for: readers who like action.
14. Rain Fall by Barry Eisler
John Rain, a half-Japanese hitman, is hired in Tokyo. Stylish and well researched.
Best for: Japanese assassin.
15. The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson
A CIA agent infiltrates al-Qaeda. Fast and tense.
Best for: post-9/11 thrillers.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Brad Thor: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Brad Thor. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For the closest match, start with Vince Flynn's American Assassin or Transfer of Power. For espionage with more history, pick The Day of the Jackal or The Hunt for Red October. For tough solo operatives, try Killing Floor, The Gray Man or The Terminal List.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Brad Thor?
An American thriller novelist.
What is his best-known series?
The Scot Harvath books.
Where do I start?
With The Lions of Lucerne.
Is the series in order?
Yes, it is best read in order.
What is Harvath's background?
A former Navy SEAL working in counter-terrorism.
Is Vince Flynn similar?
Yes, his Mitch Rapp novels are a good match.
Which book here is best for post-9/11 thrillers?
Try The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson, which suits readers looking for post-9/11 thrillers.
Which book here is best for Japanese assassin?
Try Rain Fall by Barry Eisler, which suits readers looking for Japanese assassin.
Which book here is best for readers who like action?
Try The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum, which suits readers looking for readers who like action.
Which book here is best for readers who want a classic?
Try The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth, which suits readers looking for readers who want a classic.