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Quick answer: If you loved Zero Day, try The Forgotten, Memory Man, Killing Floor, The Terminal List, American Assassin and The Hunt for Red October. Each one is a fast-paced military or investigative thriller with a tough hero and a conspiracy to uncover.
David Baldacci's 2011 novel introduces John Puller, a combat veteran and special agent with the Army's Criminal Investigation Division. He is sent to a remote West Virginia coal town to investigate the murder of a family, one of them a military officer, and uncovers a far larger threat. Readers love Puller's toughness and the twisty plot. These books share its military heroes and its high stakes.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Heat level | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Forgotten | David Baldacci | Medium | readers who want the next Puller book |
| Memory Man | David Baldacci | Medium | readers who want another Baldacci hero |
| Killing Floor | Lee Child | Medium | readers who want Jack Reacher |
| The Terminal List | Jack Carr | High | readers who like Navy SEALs |
| American Assassin | Vince Flynn | High | readers who like counterterrorism |
| The Hunt for Red October | Tom Clancy | Medium | readers who like military techno-thrillers |
| The Gray Man | Mark Greaney | High | readers who like assassins |
| Orphan X | Gregg Hurwitz | High | readers who like secret operatives |
| The Bourne Identity | Robert Ludlum | Medium | readers who like amnesiac spies |
| Absolute Power | David Baldacci | Medium | readers who want Baldacci's first |
| First to Die | James Patterson | Medium | readers who like detective teams |
| Without Remorse | Tom Clancy | High | readers who like revenge |
| The Lincoln Lawyer | Michael Connelly | Medium | readers who like legal thrillers |
| Rogue Lawyer | John Grisham | Medium | readers who like antiheroes |
| The Night Manager | John le Carré | Medium | readers who like spies |
1. The Forgotten by David Baldacci
Puller investigates his aunt's death in Florida.
Best for: readers who want the next Puller book.
2. Memory Man by David Baldacci
A detective with perfect memory hunts a killer.
Best for: readers who want another Baldacci hero.
3. Killing Floor by Lee Child
A drifter is arrested in a small town.
Best for: readers who want Jack Reacher.
4. The Terminal List by Jack Carr
A SEAL seeks revenge after an ambush.
Best for: readers who like Navy SEALs.
5. American Assassin by Vince Flynn
Mitch Rapp's origin story.
Best for: readers who like counterterrorism.
6. The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
A Soviet captain defects with a submarine.
Best for: readers who like military techno-thrillers.
7. The Gray Man by Mark Greaney
A former CIA operative is hunted.
Best for: readers who like assassins.
8. Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz
A trained assassin helps people in need.
Best for: readers who like secret operatives.
9. The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
A man with no memory is hunted.
Best for: readers who like amnesiac spies.
10. Absolute Power by David Baldacci
A thief witnesses a president's crime.
Best for: readers who want Baldacci's first.
11. First to Die by James Patterson
Detectives hunt a wedding killer.
Best for: readers who like detective teams.
12. Without Remorse by Tom Clancy
John Clark's origin story.
Best for: readers who like revenge.
13. The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly
A lawyer works from his car.
Best for: readers who like legal thrillers.
14. Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham
A lawyer takes unpopular cases.
Best for: readers who like antiheroes.
15. The Night Manager by John le Carré
A hotel manager goes undercover.
Best for: readers who like spies.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Zero Day: 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 Zero Day. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
Continue the Puller series with The Forgotten. If you like tough investigators, Killing Floor is the obvious next read. For military action, The Terminal List and American Assassin are favorites. Memory Man is another strong Baldacci series starter.
Related: Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Zero Day about?
An Army investigator looks into a family's murder in a West Virginia town and finds a larger threat.
Who is John Puller?
A combat veteran and Army CID special agent.
Is Zero Day part of a series?
Yes. It is the first John Puller book.
What order are the Puller books?
Zero Day, The Forgotten, The Escape and No Man's Land, with Daylight as a crossover.
Is Zero Day like Jack Reacher?
Yes. Both feature tough, ex-military investigators.
Is it violent?
It has violence typical of thrillers.
What should I read next?
The Forgotten.
Where is Zero Day set?
Mostly in Drake, a fictional coal-mining town in West Virginia.
Does Puller have family in the books?
Yes. His brother Robert is a disgraced former Air Force officer, which drives later plots.