The John Puller novels by David Baldacci are an American thriller series. Filled with twists and turns, they know how to keep readers captivated. These books follow the titular protagonist, John Puller, an investigator in the US Army’s Criminal Investigative Division. John Puller is dedicated to his career as he is living in his father’s shadow. Puller’s brother was convicted of military treason and condemned to life in prison. This inner conflict pushes John Puller, a former combat veteran, to pursue the truth. He needs to solve every investigation, no matter how complicated it may appear. The series is composed of 4 books.
Zero Day, the first book sets the setting and establishes the tone for the rest of the series. In the coal-mining region of West Virginia, John Puller finds himself in an odd setting. The tight-knit neighborhood is disgusted to find an entire family brutally murdered, even though it isn’t a typical hub for criminal activity. Puller is forced to work closely with the region’s chief detective. Things get complicated as the difficult detective deals with her troubles during the investigation.
In every novel, Puller tries to get to the bottom of the crime. He does this by piecing together complicated secrets to discover the truth. Regardless of how dangerous it gets, he never stops.
See also: David Baldacci’s Will Robie Books in Order.
John Puller Books in order
Similar authors
- Lee Child’s Jack Reacher features Reacher, an ex-military policeman, who roams the United States. He takes odd jobs and investigates suspicious and dangerous situations.
- The Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly follows a war veteran and LAPD detective. He’s had a hard life and a tough career, but he always does the right thing no matter what.
See also: Jeffrey Archer’s Clifton Chronicles Books in Order.
Most recommended books of the series
- The Escape (John Puller, #3) (4.19 Goodreads score)
- No Man’s Land (John Puller, #4) (4.19 Goodreads score)
- The Forgotten (John Puller, #2) (4.12 Goodreads score)
- Zero Day (John Puller, #1) (4.04 Goodreads score)
Latest releases in the series
The series finished with 4 books, the most recent novel, No Man’s Land, was released in November 2016.
Book summaries
Zero Day (2011)
And Zero Day is where it all begins….John Puller is a combat veteran and the best military investigator in the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigation Division. His father was an Army fighting legend, and his brother is serving a life sentence for treason in a federal military prison. Puller has an indomitable spirit and an unstoppable drive to find the truth.Now, Puller is called out on a case in a remote, rural area in West Virginia coal country far from any military outpost. Someone has stumbled onto a brutal crime scene, a family slaughtered. The local homicide detective, a headstrong woman with personal demons of her own, joins forces with Puller in the investigation. As Puller digs through deception after deception, he realizes that absolutely nothing he’s seen in this small town, and no one in it, are what they seem. Facing a potential conspiracy that reaches far beyond the hills of West Virginia, he is one man on the hunt for justice against an overwhelming force.
The Forgotten (2012)
In Paradise, nothing is what it seems…The Forgotten Army Special Agent John Puller is the best there is. A combat veteran, Puller is the man the U.S. Army relies on to investigate the toughest crimes facing the nation. Now he has a new case-but this time, the crime is personal: His aunt has been found dead in Paradise, Florida.A picture-perfect town on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Paradise thrives on the wealthy tourists and retirees drawn to its gorgeous weather and beaches. The local police have ruled his aunt’s death an unfortunate, tragic accident. But just before she died, she mailed a letter to Puller’s father, telling him that beneath its beautiful veneer, Paradise is not all it seems to be.What Puller finds convinces him that his aunt’s death was no accident . . . and that the palm trees and sandy beaches of Paradise may hide a conspiracy so shocking that some will go to unthinkable lengths to make sure the truth is never revealed.
The Escape (2014)
It’s a prison unlike any other. Military discipline rules. Its security systems are unmatched. None of its prisoners dream of escaping. They know it’s impossible…until now.John Puller’s older brother, Robert, was convicted of treason. His inexplicable escape from prison makes him the most wanted criminal in the country. Some in the government believe that John Puller represents their best chance at capturing Robert alive, and so Puller must bring in his brother to face justice.But Puller quickly discovers that his brother is pursued by others who don’t want him to survive. Puller is in turn pushed into an uneasy, fraught partnership with another agent, who may have an agenda of her own.They dig more deeply into the case together, and Puller finds that not only are her allegiances unclear, but there are troubling details about his brother’s conviction…and someone out there doesn’t want the truth to ever come to light. As the nationwide manhunt for Robert grows more urgent, Puller’s masterful skills as an investigator and strengths as a fighter may not be enough to save his brother–or himself.
No Man’s Land (2016)
Two men. Thirty years.John Puller’s mother, Jackie, vanished thirty years ago from Fort Monroe, Virginia, when Puller was just a boy. Paul Rogers has been in prison for ten years. But twenty years before that, he was at Fort Monroe. One night three decades ago, Puller’s and Rogers’ worlds collided with devastating results, and the truth has been buried ever since.Until now.Military investigators, armed with a letter from a friend of Jackie’s, arrive in the hospital room of Puller’s father-a legendary three-star now sinking into dementia-and reveal that Puller Sr. has been accused of murdering his wife.Aided by his brother Robert Puller, an Air Force major, and Veronica Knox, who works for a shadowy U.S. intelligence organization, Puller begins a journey that will take him into his own past, to find the truth about his mother.Paul Rogers’ time is running out. With the clock ticking, he begins his own journey, one that will take him across the country to the place where all his troubles began: a mysterious building on the grounds of Fort Monroe. There, thirty years ago, the man Rogers had once been vanished too, and was replaced with a monster. And now the monster wants revenge. And the only person standing in his way is John Puller.
