David Leadbeater Books in Order

Where to Start Reading David Leadbeater

David Leadbeater has built an expansive, action-packed universe filled with ancient mysteries, international conspiracies, and elite teams. For the absolute best experience, readers should start with The Bones of Odin, the first novel in the Matt Drake series. This book serves as the gateway to Leadbeater's shared universe, introducing the core concepts, tone, and character dynamics that ripple across multiple spin-off series.

If you prefer religious thrillers with a slightly different flavor, his publisher-backed Joe Mason series starts with The Vatican Secret. This series stands completely independent of his self-published universe and makes a fantastic entry point for readers who enjoy high-stakes conspiracies centered around historical relics.

The Shared Universe Chronological Reading Order

While you can read each of Leadbeater's series independently, many of his books share the same literary universe and cross paths. Reading them in an integrated chronological order ensures you see characters cross over, references land correctly, and events build on each other. The core crossover point is the ninth Matt Drake novel, The Plagues of Pandora, which unites characters from the main series, The Disavowed, and the Alicia Myles books.

Here is the recommended integrated order for the shared universe:

1. The Bones of Odin (Matt Drake Book 1)
2. The Blood King Conspiracy (Matt Drake Book 2)
3. The Gates of Hell (Matt Drake Book 3)
4. The Tomb of the Gods (Matt Drake Book 4)
5. Brother's In Arms (Matt Drake Book 5)
6. The Swords of Babylon (Matt Drake Book 6)
7. Blood Vengeance (Matt Drake Book 7)
8. The Razor's Edge (The Disavowed Book 1)
9. In Harm's Way (The Disavowed Book 2)
10. Threat Level (The Disavowed Book 3)
11. Last Man Standing (Matt Drake Book 8)
12. Aztec Gold (Alicia Myles Book 1)
13. The Plagues of Pandora (Matt Drake Book 9 - Crossover Novel)
14. The Lost Kingdom (Matt Drake Book 10)
15. Crusader's Gold (Alicia Myles Book 2)
16. The Ghost Ships of Arizona (Matt Drake Book 11)
17. The Last Bazaar (Matt Drake Book 12)
18. The Edge of Armageddon (Matt Drake Book 13)
19. The Treasures of Saint Germain (Matt Drake Book 14)
20. Caribbean Gold (Alicia Myles Book 3)
21. Inca Kings (Matt Drake Book 15)
22. The Four Corners of the Earth (Matt Drake Book 16)
23. The Relic Hunters (The Relic Hunters Book 1)
24. The Seven Seals of Egypt (Matt Drake Book 17)
25. Weapons of the Gods (Matt Drake Book 18)
26. The Atlantis Cipher (The Relic Hunters Book 2)
27. Chasing Gold (Alicia Myles Book 4)
28. The Blood King Legacy (Matt Drake Book 19)

The Matt Drake Series in Publication Order

For readers who wish to follow Matt Drake, a retired SAS officer leading the SPEAR team, without jumping between spin-offs, following the straight publication order is the most straightforward route. The series relies heavily on character development, continuing storylines, and recurring villains, so reading them in order is essential.

• The Bones of Odin (2011)
• The Blood King Conspiracy (2012)
• The Gates of Hell (2012)
• The Tomb of the Gods (2013)
• Brother's In Arms (2013)
• The Swords of Babylon (2013)
• Blood Vengeance (2014)
• Last Man Standing (2014)
• The Plagues of Pandora (2015)
• The Lost Kingdom (2015)
• The Ghost Ships of Arizona (2015)
• The Last Bazaar (2016)
• The Edge of Armageddon (2016)
• The Treasures of Saint Germain (2016)
• Inca Kings (2016)
• The Four Corners of the Earth (2017)
• The Seven Seals of Egypt (2017)
• Weapons of the Gods (2018)
• The Blood King Legacy (2018)
• Devil's Island (2019)
• The Faberge Heist (2019)
• Four Sacred Treasures (2019)
• The Sea Rats (2019)
• The Blood King Takedown (2020)
• Devil's Junction (2020)
• Voodoo Soldiers (2020)
• The Carnival of Curiosities (2020)
• Theatre of War (2021)
• Shattered Spear (2021)
• Ghost Squadron (2022)
• A Cold Day in Hell (2022)
• The Winged Dagger (2022)
• Two Minutes to Midnight (2023)
• The Devil's Reaper (2023)
• The Dark Tsar (2024)

The Joe Mason Series

The Joe Mason series is David Leadbeater's mainstream thriller series published by HarperCollins. It focuses on ex-soldier Joe Mason as he investigates ancient secrets, rogue factions, and Vatican mysteries. This series is independent of the Matt Drake universe and should be read in publication order:

1. The Vatican Secret (2022)
2. The Demon Code (2023)
3. The Midnight Conspiracy (2023)
4. The Babylon Plot (2023)
5. The Traitor’s Gold (2024)

The Relic Hunters Series

Winner of the Amazon Kindle Storyteller Award in 2017, this series follows an archaeological team hunting historical treasures and battling competitive relic hunters under high-pressure conditions. It exists in the same universe as Matt Drake and can be read independently or integrated.

1. The Relic Hunters (2017)
2. The Atlantis Cipher (2018)
3. The Amber Secret (2019)
4. The Hostage Diamond (2020)
5. The Rocks of Albion (2020)
6. The Illuminati Sanctum (2021)
7. The Illuminati Endgame (2021)
8. The Atlantis Heist (2022)
9. The City of a Thousand Ghosts (2023)
10. Hierarchy of Madness (2023)
11. The Contest (2024)

Alicia Myles Series

Alicia Myles is a treasure hunter who stars in her own spin-off series, offering a lighter, fast-paced companion to the main Matt Drake books. Read them in the following order:

1. Aztec Gold (2014)
2. Crusader's Gold (2015)
3. Caribbean Gold (2016)
4. Chasing Gold (2018)
5. Galleon's Gold (2019)
6. Hawaiian Gold (2023)

Other Standalones and Minor Series

The Disavowed

A black-ops spy thriller trilogy detailing the exploits of a rogue intelligence team. Read these books consecutively as they form a single cohesive arc: The Razor's Edge (2013), In Harm's Way (2014), and Threat Level (2014).

The Chosen Few

A supernatural action-thriller series featuring warriors protecting the world from demonic threats: Chosen (2011), Guardians (2014), and Heroes (2019).

Ghost Stories Novellas

A collection of eerie, short paranormal tales: Walking with Ghosts (2012) and A Whispering of Ghosts (2013).

Other Projects

Leadbeater has written individual standalone books and spin-offs, including the thriller Stand Your Ground (2016) under the Torsten Dahl series banner, the standalone thriller ROGUE (2019), and his standalone action novel Blood Requiem (2024).

What to Know Before You Start

David Leadbeater's books read like fast-paced, blockbuster action movies. The core theme across most of his work is camaraderie and teamwork, whether it's Matt Drake's SPEAR team, the Relic Hunters crew, or the spies in The Disavowed. While you do not need to read the spin-off series to understand the main Matt Drake story, doing so adds depth to the crossovers. The characters are highly aware of one another, and minor figures from one series frequently pop up as supporting characters in others.