The best fiction books about former special operations soldiers fighting evil enemies

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a former Green Beret and combat veteran of OIF (Iraq), OEF (Afghanistan), and OEF-TS (North Africa). These experiences have given me insights into things that most people never get to see or even hear about, as well as first-hand knowledge of the men who make up the Special Operations community and what drives them. After leaving Special Forces I have written three published Special Operations-focused books, both fiction and non-fiction, which has led to a life of studying everything there is to know about Special Operations, the intelligence behind wars, and the history of both.


I wrote...

The Pact

By Robert Patrick Lewis,

Book cover of The Pact

What is my book about?

Hailed as "Red Dawn with a modern Special Operations twist," "so realistic and plausible that it's terrifying," an "on the edge of your seat thriller that will have you looking in your rearview mirror for enemy troops," The Pact takes readers on a work of military fiction influenced by real world events seen lining up in the eyes of a former Green Beret combat veteran. If all of America’s enemies were to join forces to attack our homeland, what would a team of former Special Operations soldiers do in response? Read The Pact Trilogy to find out.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of I Am Pilgrim

Robert Patrick Lewis Why did I love this book?

As a military fiction author, I frequently look for other authors whose style speaks to me in terms of pacing, story progression, character & story arcs, drama vs action, and of course overall quality of the story. As a man who was raised on my dad’s Tom Clancy novels, who has lived to fight directly in the world of Special Operations combat, and who loves nothing more than a good hero story, I Am Pilgrim is to this day the best novel that I have ever read. Bar none.

This story is more of a spy novel than a direct combat-themed Special Operations novel, but it exists in the shadowy world of assassinations, spycraft, hunting down bad guys, covert international operations, and the hunt for global terrorists that lovers of the military fiction genre will appreciate. If you read one book this year, make it I Am Pilgrim. You will thank me.

By Terry Hayes,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked I Am Pilgrim as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The astonishing story of one man's breakneck race against time to save America from oblivion.
_______________
A FATHER PUBLICLY BEHEADED. Killed in the blistering heat of a Saudi Arabian public square.
A YOUNG WOMAN DISCOVERED. All of her identifying characteristics dissolved by acid.

A SYRIAN BIOTECH EXPERT FOUND EYELESS. Dumped in a Damascus junkyard.

SMOULDERING HUMAN REMAINS. Abandoned on a remote mountainside in Afghanistan.

PILGRIM. The codename for a man who doesn't exist. A man who must return from obscurity. The only man who can uncover a flawless plot to commit an appalling crime against humanity.
_____________

'The plot twists…


Book cover of Enemy of the State

Robert Patrick Lewis Why did I love this book?

In a book that was published before its time, Vince Flynn fictionalizes what some knew to be true many years ago: that the members of the Saudi royal family financed those who had a hand in the 9/11 attacks. Now that the curtains have been opened on these pieces of intelligence, this book is even more of a great read. Enemy of the State is written by perhaps one of the best spycraft authors of our time, and chronicles a former Special Operator who has been sent to Saudi Arabia to uncover the evidence of one of the greatest betrayals in history. Finding himself double-crossed and in a foreign land, he must fight and escape both the Saudi and American intelligence agencies & their networks to stay alive and bring the truth to the world.

By Kyle Mills,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Enemy of the State as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE NEW YORK TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR

The brilliant new Mitch Rapp thriller! The enduring mystery of just who really was behind the 9/11 attacks in America has never been solved - but now Mitch Rapp thinks he has the culprits in his sights and he's out for blood.

AMERICAN ASSASSIN, book one in the series, is now a MAJOR MOTION PICTURE starring Dylan O'Brien (Maze Runner), Taylor Kitsch (True Detective) and Michael Keaton.

Praise for the Mitch Rapp series
'Sizzles with inside information and CIA secrets' Dan Brown
'A cracking, uncompromising yarn that literally takes no prisoners' The…


Book cover of The Terminal List

Robert Patrick Lewis Why did I love this book?

Now popularized by the hit show on Amazon Prime, The Terminal List follows Navy SEAL commander James Reece on one of my favorite types of storylines: retribution. Special Operators are some of the most loving family men whom I have ever known, each a type of warrior-poet who can be the soft & gentle giant when with their loved ones, yet the most brutal and ruthless people on the planet when on mission hunting bad guys. The Terminal List showcases this reality beautifully, as Commander Reece hunts down those who are responsible for killing both his teammates and his own family.

By Jack Carr,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked The Terminal List as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

**SOON TO BE A TV SERIES STARRING CHRIS PRATT**

'With a particular line in authentic tradecraft, this fabulously unrelenting thrill-ride was a struggle to put down' Mark Dawson, bestselling author of The Cleaner

James Reece has nothing to live for and everything to kill for in the debut thriller from former Navy SEAL Jack Carr, perfect for fans of Lee Child and David Baldacci.

On deployment in Afghanistan, Lieutenant Commander James Reece's entire team is killed in a catastrophic ambush. But the deaths don't stop there, and Reece soon discovers that this was not an act of war by a…


Book cover of Patriot Games

Robert Patrick Lewis Why did I love this book?

In the fight against the War on Terror, many Americans have long forgotten the war that never stopped raging against an enemy that is better funded than many of our governmental organizations, is not bound by any laws or treaties, has a virtually unlimited supply of money, weapons, and soldiers, and is located just south of our borders. 

Patriot Games is an oldie but goody, a fictional novel that sheds light on the realistic way in which our War on Drugs encompasses Special Operations troops working hand in hand with intelligence agencies and law enforcement. I have friends who have fought directly in these drug wars, and who have told me the enemy had all of their names and personal information before they even landed south of the border for their deployments. The War on Drugs is savage and is still raging very close to home, yet we rarely hear about it.

By Tom Clancy,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Patriot Games as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Don't Miss the Original Series Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Starring John Krasinski!

Tom Clancy reveals Jack Ryan’s origins in this electrifying #1 New York Times bestselling thriller that pits the former Marine turned family man against a vicious group of international terrorists.

As an American in London on vacation with his family, Jack Ryan never imagined his quick thinking would prevent an assassination attempt on Britain’s royal family and earn him the gratitude of an entire nation—and the scorn of an ultra-left-wing faction of the IRA. Irish terrorist Sean Miller and his followers in the Ulster Liberation Army intend to…


Book cover of The Chemist

Robert Patrick Lewis Why did I love this book?

Easily one of the top 5 best books that I’ve ever read, The Chemist is an excellent novel that chronicles a female chemist used by intelligence agencies to devise brutal torture methods in her run from and eventually fight against her former employers. The heroine of this novel teams up with a former Special Operator and clandestine agent in her quest for retribution, as they join forces to fight back against those who tried to get them to kill each other so that they could bury the truth of their own misdeeds.

If you’re a fan of action-packed, spycraft-filled, and retribution-seeking hero tales, The Chemist is an excellent example of all of the above.

By Stephenie Meyer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Chemist as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this gripping page-turner, an ex-agent on the run from her former employers must take one more case to clear her name and save her life.

She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn't even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.

Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They've killed the only other person she…


You might also like...

A Theory of Expanded Love

By Caitlin Hicks,

Book cover of A Theory of Expanded Love

Caitlin Hicks Author Of A Theory of Expanded Love

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

My life and work have been profoundly affected by the central circumstance of my existence: I was born into a very large military Catholic family in the United States of America. As a child surrounded by many others in the 60s, I wrote, performed, and directed family plays with my numerous brothers and sisters. Although I fell in love with a Canadian and moved to Canada, my family of origin still exerts considerable personal influence. My central struggle, coming from that place of chaos, order, and conformity, is to have the courage to live an authentic life based on my own experience of connectedness and individuality, to speak and be heard. 

Caitlin's book list on coming-of-age books that explore belonging, identity, family, and beat with an emotional and/or humorous pulse

What is my book about?

Trapped in her enormous, devout Catholic family in 1963, Annie creates a hilarious campaign of lies when the pope dies and their family friend, Cardinal Stefanucci, is unexpectedly on the shortlist to be elected the first American pope.

Driven to elevate her family to the holiest of holy rollers in the parish, Annie is tortured by her own dishonesty. But when “The Hands” visits her in her bed and when her sister finds herself facing a scandal, Annie discovers her parents will do almost anything to uphold their reputation and keep their secrets safe. 

Questioning all she has believed and torn between her own gut instinct and years of Catholic guilt, Annie takes courageous risks to wrest salvation from the tragic sequence of events set in motion by her parents’ betrayal.

A Theory of Expanded Love

By Caitlin Hicks,


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in the CIA, September 11th, and political corruption?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about the CIA, September 11th, and political corruption.

The CIA Explore 123 books about the CIA
September 11th Explore 68 books about September 11th
Political Corruption Explore 39 books about political corruption