Books On Board

Charles D. Taylor Books in Order

  • 23 Books
  • 1980 – 2011 Published

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Reading order
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Where to Start with Charles D. Taylor

For readers looking to dive into the high-stakes world of military strategy and naval combat, Charles D. Taylor offers two distinct entry points. The first is through his iconic standalone submarine thriller Boomer (1990), widely considered his masterpiece and praised by authors like Nelson DeMille and Stephen Coonts. It serves as the perfect introduction to his style of suspense, technical precision, and psychological tension. The second path is the Bernie Ryng Series, starting with First Salvo (1985), which follows a recurring protagonist across several high-octane geopolitical conflicts.

The Bernie Ryng Series in Order

The Bernie Ryng novels follow a veteran Navy SEAL officer as he navigates escalating global crises, covert operations, and tactical battles on land and sea. While the core series is traditionally presented as a four-book block, a fifth novel, Shadow Wars, features the same protagonist in a post-Cold War setting and acts as a direct continuation of his story.

  • First Salvo (1985) – Under the guise of naval exercises, Soviet forces launch a covert attack to seize vital Caribbean oil pipelines and shipping lanes. Navy SEAL Bernie Ryng must lead the response before the conflict escalates into a full-scale world war.
  • Choke Point (1986) – The tension shifts to the Panama Canal. When a shadowy group threatens to shut down this critical global trade route, Ryng is sent back into the Caribbean theater to secure the choke point.
  • Counterstrike (1988) – Hostilities between U.S. and Soviet forces reach a boiling point. Ryng leads a daring offensive against enemy naval and ground forces to prevent a catastrophic geopolitical defeat.
  • Deep Sting (1991) – A high-stakes operation involving state-of-the-art submarine technology and deep-sea espionage. Ryng must stop a stealth threat before it compromises American coastal defenses.
  • Shadow Wars (1992) – Often categorized alongside the main series, this novel shifts to the aftermath of the Cold War. Ryng is forced to team up with his former archenemy, Spetsnaz Colonel Paul Voronov, to dismantle a secret army composed of former communist elites plotting a coup.

Charles D. Taylor's Standalone Technothrillers

Outside of the Bernie Ryng continuity, Taylor wrote several self-contained novels that captured the paranoia, technology, and tactical chess matches of the Cold War. These books can be read in any order, though reading them in publication order highlights how Taylor's grasp of tech-driven military plots evolved.

  • Show of Force (1981) – Taylor’s debut novel. In the Indian Ocean, a tense standoff develops between American and Soviet naval fleets near a strategic U.S. missile site. The story focuses on two opposing admirals, David Charles and Alex Kupinsky, who must balance their past friendship against their current duty to avoid starting World War III.
  • The Sunset Patriots (1982) – Also published under the title The Twilight Patriots. During a joint U.S.-Soviet naval celebration intended to ease tensions, Admiral Theodore Magnuson suspects a trap and initiates a covert counter-mission to prevent a surprise attack.
  • Silent Hunter (1987) – A classic submarine technothriller focusing on a silent duel beneath the waves between American and Soviet sub crews.
  • War Ship (1989) – Highlights modern naval warfare technology, focusing on the crew of a advanced, high-tech warship caught in a localized battle that threatens to spiral out of control.
  • Boomer (1990) – Wayne Newell is a brilliant American naval officer who is secretly a KGB sleeper agent. When he takes command of the nuclear attack submarine USS Pasadena, he tricks his crew into believing World War III has begun. Newell uses his ship to hunt and destroy American ballistic missile submarines, leaving U.S. Pacific Command scrambling to solve the mystery.
  • Sightings (1993) – A thriller that departs slightly from standard naval combat, introducing elements of mystery and unexplained phenomena at sea.
  • Summit (1996) – A high-stakes political thriller focusing on a diplomatic summit where the threat of military action looms in the background of intense negotiations.
  • Igniter (2002) – A later geopolitical thriller that deals with early 21st-century flashpoints and modern mercenary warfare.

Later Mysteries and Contemporary Fiction (2010–2015)

After a hiatus from the military thriller genre, Taylor returned in the 2010s with a series of contemporary mysteries, private investigator dramas, and character studies. These books are set in modern times, often in Florida, and represent a departure from his classic Cold War naval operations.

  • Mermaid Murder Case (2010) – Private Investigator Alex Brown is vacationing in Florida when he discovers the body of a murdered woman on the beach, dressed in a custom wetsuit that resembles a mermaid.
  • Reverend Adams (2011) – A contemporary drama focusing on a Presbyterian pastor who struggles with the moral contradictions of his own life, preaching virtue while engaging in secret affairs with members of his congregation.
  • Chilli Dawgg (2011) – Also published as Chilli Dawgg: Private Eye. A gritty Florida mystery where a private investigator is hired by a prostitute to identify a dismembered body found in barrels near Vero Beach.
  • Two Black Bears: Chief of Navajos (2011) – A historical fiction novel tracing the life of a Navajo protagonist from childhood to old age, focusing on Navajo culture and relations with white settlers.
  • Douglas (2011) – A character-driven drama focusing on family secrets and personal redemption.
  • Dry Ice Can Kill! (2011) – A suspense novel following Tracy, a detective whose routine investigation becomes a personal nightmare when he discovers his boss is having an affair with the victim's wife—who Tracy is also seeing.
  • Easier Than ABC and the Farm (2012) – A children's story focusing on rural life and educational themes.
  • Shadows of Vengeance (2014) – A suspense thriller following Larisa, a woman on the run after recognizing a former KGB traitor from her childhood, while a CIA agent named Morrison searches for her.
  • Mountains to Move (2015) – A theological study exploring the biblical themes of faith and overcoming major personal and spiritual obstacles.

What to Know Before You Start

Due to the time period in which they were written, Charles D. Taylor’s military thrillers are heavily rooted in the geopolitical landscape of the late Cold War. While some of the technology may feel dated compared to modern warfare, the tactical realism remains top-tier. Taylor served as a destroyer officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve, and this real-world experience shines through in his detailed descriptions of command structures, ship-to-ship communications, and submarine mechanics. If you enjoy the technical depth of authors like Tom Clancy, Joe Weber, or Richard P. Henrick, Taylor’s naval catalog is an essential addition to your reading list.

Frequently Asked

What is the recommended reading order for the Bernie Ryng series?

The core Bernie Ryng series should be read in publication order: First Salvo (1985), Choke Point (1986), Counterstrike (1988), and Deep Sting (1991). The 1992 novel Shadow Wars features Bernie Ryng as a central character and serves as a natural fifth book in the sequence.

Which Charles D. Taylor book is his most famous?

Boomer (1990) is widely considered his most famous and critically acclaimed work. The novel, about a KGB sleeper agent who becomes a U.S. Navy submarine captain and tricks his crew into starting a war, is highly praised for its psychological tension and technical accuracy.

Can Charles D. Taylor's standalone thrillers be read in any order?

Yes. Standalone novels like Show of Force, The Sunset Patriots, and Silent Hunter feature unique characters and self-contained conflicts. They do not share continuity and can be read in whatever order you prefer.

Did Charles D. Taylor have real military experience?

Yes, Charles D. Taylor served as a Naval Reserve destroyer officer in the Atlantic and Caribbean. This background provided the realistic naval procedures, tactical communication, and military terminology featured in his books.

What kind of books did Charles D. Taylor write in his later years?

From 2010 onward, Taylor transitioned away from naval technothrillers to write private investigator mysteries (like Mermaid Murder Case and Chilli Dawgg), character dramas, historical fiction (Two Black Bears), and even religious studies (Mountains to Move).