David Kazzie Books in Order

Where to Start Reading David Kazzie

If you are new to David Kazzie, your starting point depends on which genre appeals to you most. For fans of post-apocalyptic survival fiction, the absolute best place to start is with his signature trilogy, The Immune Series. Beginning with the first book (commonly published as either The Immune or Unraveling), this series plunges readers into a terrifyingly realistic world where a pandemic has wiped out the vast majority of the global population. It showcases Kazzie's strength in writing high-stakes, character-driven survival stories with deep moral dilemmas.

If you prefer grounded, fast-paced suspense and legal intrigue, you should start with his debut novel, The Jackpot. Drawing heavily from his real-world career as a Virginia-based attorney, this standalone thriller delivers a sharp, witty, and suspenseful heist story revolving around a stolen lottery ticket. It is an excellent introduction to his meticulous plotting, legal realism, and flawed, relatable protagonists.

Publication Order vs. Chronological Order

Fortunately for readers, David Kazzie’s books are straightforward to navigate. Both The Immune series and the American Midnight trilogy were written and published in chronological order. There are no prequels or complicated timeline jumps that require you to read the books out of order. Reading in publication order matches the chronological timeline perfectly. For those who want to read his entire catalog in the exact order it was released, here is the complete publication timeline:

1. The Jackpot (2011) - Standalone Legal Thriller
2. The Immune / Unraveling (2015) - The Immune Book 1
3. The Living (2019) - The Immune Book 2
4. Anomaly (2018) - Standalone Sci-Fi Mystery
5. The Nothing Men (2019) - Standalone Post-Apocalyptic Thriller
6. Shadows (2020) - American Midnight Book 1
7. Nightfall (2020) - American Midnight Book 2
8. Daybreak (2021) - American Midnight Book 3
9. Good as Gone (2022) - Charlie Dallas Suspense Novel
10. The Rising (2025) - The Immune Book 3

The Immune Series (Post-Apocalyptic Trilogy)

This is David Kazzie's most popular and expansive work. The series centers on the aftermath of the devastating "Medusa virus," which eradicates 99% of the human population. It follows survivors—including Dr. Adam Fisher—as they struggle to rebuild society while fighting off external threats and internal betrayals. For this series, it is highly recommended to follow the publication and chronological order, as the events build directly upon each other.

• Book 1: The Immune / Unraveling (2015) – The story begins with the sudden outbreak of the Medusa virus. In some listings, this first volume is titled Unraveling or was originally serialized in four parts (including Void and Evergreen). The omnibus or consolidated version is widely known as The Immune. It introduces Dr. Adam Fisher, a physician who is among the few genetically immune survivors, as he attempts to navigate a collapsing world and protect those he cares about.
• Book 2: The Living (2019) – Set after the initial devastation, the survivors attempt to build a new community. However, they soon discover that the virus is not the only threat they face, as new human factions emerge with dark, authoritarian motivations. The narrative escalates the tension and explores the ethical limits of survival in a lawless world.
• Book 3: The Rising (2025) – The epic conclusion to the trilogy is set fifteen years after the initial pandemic. The story shifts focus to Rachel Fisher. Although the Medusa virus continues to claim the lives of newborns, Rachel discovers a hidden vaccine cache that could save humanity's future, sparking a desperate race against a mysterious antagonist who wants the serum for dark purposes.

American Midnight Series (EMP Survival Thrillers)

Following the success of his first post-apocalyptic series, Kazzie returned to the survival genre with the American Midnight trilogy. Instead of a virus, this series explores a sudden Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack that shuts down the United States' power grid, instantly plunging the nation into darkness. The trilogy should be read in order to follow the continuous storyline of the survivors fighting for resources in a lawless landscape.

• Shadows (2020) – The first book introduces the immediate chaos following the EMP blackout. As society quickly unravels, ordinary citizens must make difficult choices to survive the first cold nights without electricity, food, or communication.
• Nightfall (2020) – The struggle intensifies as communities begin to splinter. Survival is no longer just about finding food; it becomes a tactical war against organized marauders and desperate neighbors.
• Daybreak (2021) – The final installment deals with the long-term aftermath of the blackout. The characters must decide whether they can rebuild a cooperative society or if the damage to humanity's moral fabric is permanent.

Charlie Dallas Novels

Kazzie has also introduced recurring characters into his suspense writing. The most notable is Charlie Dallas, who serves as the central figure in a high-stakes search-and-rescue thriller.

• Good as Gone (2022) – This novel of suspense opens with a cold case: a violent bank robbery in Richmond, Virginia, in 1973. Decades later, Charlie Dallas is on his honeymoon in Florida when his new wife, Susanna, is suddenly kidnapped. To get her back, Charlie is forced to return to Richmond and confront a web of secrets stemming from the decades-old heist, eventually becoming a fugitive himself.

David Kazzie's Standalone Novels

For readers who want complete stories without committing to a series, Kazzie offers several standalones that span different subgenres of thriller and science fiction.

• The Jackpot (2011) – Kazzie's debut novel is a legal thriller centering on Samantha Khouri, a struggling attorney who discovers her boss has stolen a $415 million lottery ticket from a client. Samantha tries to retrieve the ticket to do the right thing, but finds herself hunted by a ruthless mercenary and tempted by the unimaginable wealth.
• Anomaly (2018) – A science fiction mystery that follows Claire Hamilton, an astrobiology professor. Claire is recruited by NASA to join a secret expedition to a remote island where her husband disappeared twelve years earlier while investigating a fallen meteor. She discovers that the object is an alien spacecraft that exhibits bizarre, time-bending anomalies.
• The Nothing Men (2019) – A post-apocalyptic thriller set after the outbreak of the "Orchid virus," which turned its victims into violent predators known as "Redeyes." Ben Sullivan, a cured former Redeye trying to rebuild his life in a government-monitored community, uncovers a conspiracy that the Department of Reconstruction & Recovery wants to keep hidden at all costs.

What to Know Before You Start

David Kazzie's books are characterized by their intense pacing, realistic character flaws, and moral gray areas. Because Kazzie works as a practicing attorney in Virginia, his thrillers feature highly accurate legal procedures and bureaucratic realism, which grounds even his wildest sci-fi and post-apocalyptic premises. His post-apocalyptic novels focus heavily on the psychological toll of survival rather than just action set-pieces, making them ideal for fans of authors like Justin Cronin or Emily St. John Mandel. Additionally, Kazzie's humor and sharp dialogue—elements also seen in his viral animated YouTube videos—prevent his stories from becoming overly bleak.