10 Authors Like Tom Wood to Keep You On The Edge of Your Seat

If you can’t get enough of the Victor series, discover our guide and check out these ten authors like Tom Wood.

British thriller author Tom Wood is known for page-turning thriller novels, especially those featuring fan-favorite protagonist Victor the Assassin. His first novel, The Hunter, introduced readers to Victor, and his most recent novella,Gone by Dawn*, is the 13th story in the series.

Table of Contents

Must-Read Authors Like Tom Wood

1. Mark Greaney, 1967-

[Burner](https://amazon.com/dp/B0B1XYZ4TH? tag=work089-20) is Mark Greaney’s 12th book in the wildly-popularGray Manseries. In addition to writing his thriller novels, Greaney is also known for working with Tom Clancy to finish his final books as he went through heart problems near the end of his life. Greaney has since continued writing novels starring the ever-popular Clancy character Jack Ryan. Greaney worked on novels in his spare time for several years and finally made it big after pitching to Scott Miller, the agent of Ralph Peters, Greaney’s favorite author.The Gray Manseries was a massive hit and was optioned for a Netflix film starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans.

“In the counterintelligence realm, it’s known as ‘irregular lines of movement.’ The men were moving perpendicular to both incoming and outgoing passengers, adjusting their trajectory in unpredictable patterns.”

Mark Greaney, Burner

2. Jack Slater

Dark State is one of the many novels beloved by Jack Slater fans, often compared to Tom Clancy for his fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat writing style. Slater was always a writer but only considered leaping to the crime fiction genre once his editor suggested that he do so after adoring how Slater managed a secondary storyline in one of his novels. Readers love theDS Peter Gayleseries, which takes readers effortlessly from one book to another. An important note: reading theJack Slaterseries novels as standalone books is not a good idea, as the information builds throughout the stories.

“One of the key character traits required in a job like that is complete conviction in a chosen course of action. But when the facts change, so must you.”

Jack Slater, Dark State

3. Kyle Mills, 1966 -

[Code Red](https://amazon.com/dp/B0BTZTZHW4? tag=work089-20) is the 22nd book in Kyle Mills’Mitch Rappseries, which is quickly ending. Mills announced in February of 2023 that this would end the series, and fellow author Don Bentley will be taking over, moving the story forward. The passing of the torch with the series has been unusual, as Mills took over the series following the death of fellow writer Vince Flynn. TheNew York Timesbestselling author has written over a dozen popular thriller novels and is known for standalone books, including 2011’s*The Immortalists**.

“The liberty that the free world had enjoyed over the last century was nothing more than an anomaly. A momentary pause between the priests and nobles of antiquity and the politicians and billionaires of the new age. A momentary pause that was coming to its end.”

Kyle Mills, Oath of Loyalty

4. David Archer

Odin is the kickoff novel to David Archer’s increasingly popularAlex Masonseries. Fans of Archer also love his other novel series, including Chance Reddick,Sam Prichard*,Cassie McGraw*, and*Noah Wolf**. Taking readers on adventures that follow government secrets, the author expertly creates real worlds, integrating stay-cool characters who can carry out seemingly impossible missions to protect the people and places most important to them. Readers love Archer’s ability to paint pictures of fictional scenarios that closely parallel events in the real world and enjoy reading to see whether the good guys will triumph throughout each series.

“Thucydides, in his analysis of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, observed that said the war had been inevitable because an established power will always want to clip the wings of an emerging one.”

David Archer, Odin

5. Gregg Andrew Hurwitz

[Prodigal Son](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250252288? tag=work089-20) is the sixth novel in Gregg Hurwitz’sOrphan Xseries, which follows protagonist Evan Smoak. He was enrolled in the government’s “orphan program” at the age of 12, in which he was trained to work as a government assassin. After the program shuts down decades later, Smoak decides to take his career into his own hands and begins to work as an assassin in the name of vigilante justice. Hurwitz is currently working on writing the screenplay (either for TV or film–that has yet to be determined) for theOrphan Xseries, which Perfect Storm Entertainment has optioned.

“Every time I consider myself an adult, I think back five years to when I also thought of myself as an adult. And I’m aghast at how staggeringly blind I was. Maybe what I hold to be true right now will seem just as ignorant when I reflect back on it years from now.”

Gregg Andrew Hurwitz, Prodigal Son

6. Noah Boyd

Former FBI agent Noah Boyd is known for working on some of the most challenging cases in the country in the last few decades, including the Highland Park Strangler case and the Green River Killer case. Boyd uses his on-the-job experience to inform his writing, including The Bricklayer: A Novel – which has been compared to Lee Childs’Jack Reacherseries. Boyd’s insider knowledge of government workings allows his characters to shine, creating realistic portrayals of what it looks like to solve a seemingly impossible crime. Fans of Boyd love that he writes at a fast pace, without fluff, constantly adding new surprises to the story.

“We are men who find chess fascinating. Did you expect our lives to be secretly interesting?”

Noah Boyd, Agent X

7. Andrew Klavan

[A Strange Habit of Mind](https://amazon.com/dp/B09V3KTGGJ? tag=work089-20) is the latest release by two-time Edgar Award winner Andrew Klavan. He’s also known for his conservative political commentary and podcast,The Andrew Klavan Show*. The author sometimes writes under Keith Peterson, under which he wrote the*John Wells series. Several of Klnavan’s books have been made into movies, including True Crime, Don’t Say a Word, andWhite of the Eye**.

The author has also written screenplays for feature films, including Shock to the System,One Missed Call, andGosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer**. In addition to his fiction works, Klavan wrote a non-fiction memoir detailing his spiritual journey,The Great Good Thing: A Secular Jew Comes to Faith in Christ.

“Good things might happen in your life or bad things might happen, sometimes terrible things, but no matter what happens, your soul is your own. And no one and nothing can stop you.”

Andrew Klavan, If We Survive

8. Ward Larsen

Four-time Florida book award winner Ward Larsen’s fans are currently loving*Deep Fake, Larsen’s latest David Slaton novel, and are awaiting the next installment in the series. The fans of Slaton love how he keeps stories moving at a breakneck pace and deem him the next thriller superstar. The author’s first book,The Perfect Assassin*, is being made into a feature film by Amber Entertainment. Larsen’s military background as a fighter pilot in the Air Force allows him to pull on personal experience in his books.

“He remembered tracking an Israeli assassin across Sweden to the village of Oxelösund, followed by a harrowing passage in Janna Magnussen’s crate of an airplane. Stepping onto the dock in Sassnitz, Germany, and then … and then nothing. Sanderson couldn’t recall anything more, not even how he’d ended up in this room.”

Ward Larsen, Assassin’s Game

9. Brad Taylor

Author Brad Taylor’s latest work, [The Devil’s Ransom](https://amazon.com/dp/B09YRQ5N6F? tag=work089-20), follows protagonist Pike Logan as he works to stop a hack into programs that could reveal America’s most treasured secrets. Taylor is known for using his past as a Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army and for thorough research to create realistic scenes that keep readers turning pages. Fans of Taylor appreciate that they don’t have to sit through chapters of backstory, the author keeps readers engaged from start to finish and is popular with military veterans and civilians alike.

“The flotsam and jetsam accumulated in life that seemed like trash but took on a special meaning when the person they were attached to never returned.”

Brad Taylor, The Forgotten Soldier

10. Patrick Lee, 1976 -

Patrick Lee is known for his six thriller novels, including Dark Site: A Sam Dryden Novel, the final installment in hisTravis Chase series. TheChaseseries follows an ex-convict working to protect the Earth from alien technology. Lee’s follow-up books, theSam Drydenseries, focus on a soldier who works to stop high-tech issues facing the United States -issues that tend to lean toward the supernatural. The author started writing screenplays before leaping novels and has seen success ever since his first release,*Ghost Country, *in 2009.

“There were sectional concrete barriers along each side of the chasm, plastered with orange warning signs for those who didn’t grasp the concept of gravity.”

Patrick Lee, Deep Sky