Action and adventure

Get ready to experience the pulse-pounding journeys of action and adventure books like never before. We publish the very best of high-octane thrill rides from bestsellers like Dan Brown, James Patterson, Anthony Horowitz and many more. Whether you’re looking to discover the next Da Vinci Code, a globe-trotting treasure hunt or an edge-of-your seat espionage novel, each of these stories will have you turning the pages well into the night.

Popular categories

War fiction

This week's bestsellers

Book cover of Exit Strategy by Lee Child, Andrew Child

Exit StrategyLee Child, Andrew Child

Book cover of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Project Hail MaryAndy Weir

Book cover of Evil in High Places by Rory Clements

Evil in High PlacesRory Clements

Book cover of Clive Cussler’s The Iron Storm by Jack du Brul

Clive Cussler’s The Iron StormJack du Brul

Book cover of Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Dungeon Crawler CarlMatt Dinniman

Blue MoonLee Child

AlchemisedSenLinYu

Our recommendations

Two Storm Wood

Philip Gray (Author)

'Immensely enjoyable' - Sir Trevor McDonald, BBC Two Between the Covers 1919. On the battlefields of northern France, the guns of the Great War are silent. Special battalions now face the task of gathering up the dead for mass burial. Amy Vanneck's fiancé is one soldier lost amongst many. She heads to France, determined to discover what became of the man she loved. Meanwhile, Captain Mackenzie cannot bring himself to go home until his fallen comrades are laid to rest. His task is upended when a gruesome discovery is made beneath the ruins of a German strongpoint. It soon becomes clear that what Mackenzie has uncovered is a war crime of inhuman savagery. As the dark truth leaches out, both he and Amy are drawn into the hunt for a psychopath, one for whom the atrocity at Two Storm Wood is not an end, but a beginning.

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The Last Orphan

Gregg Hurwitz (Author)

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER The electrifying new ORPHAN X adventure in the bestselling series - Evan Smoak returns with a mission which could cost him everything . . . 'A stellar series, and the stories get better with each instalment' DAILY MAIL '[A] witty, satisfying thriller' SUN __________ A heavily-armed counter-assault team, a convoy of tactical vehicles plus decoys, air support, a sedative more commonly used to knock out large animals, arm and leg restraints, a hood, mouthguard and a Secret Service Agent asking for a selfie. This was not your average invitation to meet with the President. But then Orphan X is not your average guest. The last survivor of the off-the-books programme that raised and trained him, Evan Smoak was sent around the world to do his government's dirty work. Until he escaped. Now once again in need of his particular skill-set, the President tracks him down and offers him a deal: kill a man she deems too dangerous or be executed himself. Evan must decide whether to accept. He's spent years trying to atone for his former life. But if by taking on the mission he must betray the very principles he now lives by, what is left? One thing becomes clear to the President soon enough: no one should ever try to force Evan's hand. Because putting Orphan X in an impossible spot only makes him more dangerous . . . __________ 'As a crafter of wham-bam action and suspense, leavened with a healthy dose of humour, Hurwitz's abilities are as fine-tuned as ever' DAILY EXPRESS Praise for the Orphan X series 'Feels like a missile launch' DAVID BALDACCI 'Outstanding in every way' LEE CHILD 'Weapons-grade thriller writing' GUARDIAN 'An immensely entertaining adventure' THE TIMES *The Last Orphan: On The Sunday Times bestseller list February 2023*

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With a Mind to Kill

Anthony Horowitz (Author)

A murder. A world in crisis. Britain's greatest spy . . . 'BRILLIANT' Richard Osman It is M's funeral. One man is missing from the graveside: the traitor who pulled the trigger and who is now in custody, accused of M's murder - James Bond. Behind the Iron Curtain, a group of former Smersh agents want to use Bond on a perilous mission that will change the balance of world power. He is smuggled into the lion's den - but whose orders is Bond following, and will he obey them when the moment to strike arrives? Discover the latest chapter in the world of 007, brought thrillingly to life by Sunday Times bestselling author Anthony Horowitz. PRAISE FOR ANTHONY HOROWITZ'S JAMES BOND TRILOGY: 'Daring, exciting . . . superbly plotted' Sunday Express 'Gripping . . . and with non-stop action' i 'Fast-paced, skilfully written . . . leaves you wanting more' The Times 'Ian Fleming would be proud' Guardian 'Horowitz excels at action sequences' Sunday Times 'Exciting high drama . . . Horowitz stays loyal to the fabulous Fleming formula' Daily Express Richard and Judy Book Club Pick, Spring 2023

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Go Tell the Bees that I am Gone

Diana Gabaldon (Author)

THE NINTH NOVEL IN THE BESTSELLING OUTLANDER SERIES. The past may seem the safest place to be. But it’s the most dangerous time to be alive America is on the edge of a bloody conflict, a country torn by war. Jamie and Claire survived Scotland and the Civil war that threatened its destruction. They must do the same now to protect themselves and their family. Roger and Brianna have fled the dangers of 1980s Scotland and Rob Cameron to return to Fraser’s Ridge in 1779 America. But the North Carolina backcountry is not untouched by the Revolution and tensions are at an all-time high. Claire is concerned not only for her family but for Jamie and the dangers he faces. She will not lose him again. The Fraser’s must use their collective knowledge of the future to keep themselves safe in the past. What the Fraser’s don’t know is that deadly forces from the future are reaching back to find them…

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Origin

Dan Brown (Author)

The global bestseller featuring symbologist Robert Langdon, from the author of THE DA VINCI CODE and 'master of the intellectual cliffhanger' (Wall Street Journal) Dan Brown. Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend the unveiling of an astonishing scientific breakthrough. The evening’s host is billionaire Edmond Kirsch, a futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a controversial figure around the world. But Langdon and several hundred guests are left reeling when the meticulously orchestrated evening is suddenly blown apart. There is a real danger that Kirsch’s precious discovery may be lost in the ensuing chaos. With his life under threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao, taking with him the museum’s director, Ambra Vidal. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret. To evade a devious enemy who is one step ahead of them at every turn, Langdon and Vidal must navigate the labyrinthine passageways of extreme religion and hidden history. On a trail marked only by enigmatic symbols and elusive modern art, Langdon and Vidal will come face-to-face with a breathtaking truth that has remained buried – until now.

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Clive Cussler’s Dark Vector

Graham Brown (Author)

In 1808, the infamous Chinese Pirate Queen Ching Shih's fleet is betrayed by a rogue captain and a ship of treasure sinks into the deep waters. Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala have been trailing the legendary hoard but their efforts are interrupted by the threat of the disappearance of a freighter carrying the most advanced computers mankind has seen thus far. The battle is on as cyber-war takes hold and Kurt and Joe's only allies are a crew of untrustworthy pirates and knowing who to trust could be the NUMA crew's most daunting mission yet . . .

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The Vaster Wilds

Lauren Groff (Author)

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'Exhilarating' GUARDIAN 'Her writing has a timeless quality' THE TIMES '[Has] a visionary quality' OBSERVER A profound and explosive novel about a spirited girl alone in the wilderness, trying to survive A servant girl escapes from a settlement. She carries nothing with her but her wits, a few possessions, and the spark of god that burns hot within her. What she finds is beyond the limits of her imagination and will bend her belief of everything that her own civilization has taught her. The Vaster Wilds is a work of raw and prophetic power that tells the story of America in miniature, through one girl at a hinge point in history, to ask how -and if - we can adapt quickly enough to save ourselves.

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I Am Pilgrim

Terry Hayes (Author)

'A big, breathless tale of nonstop suspense' The New York Times 'Simply one of the best suspense novels I've read in a long time' David Baldacci 'An all too plausible disaster for the world we live in. Great nail-biting stuff' Robert Goddard 'The plot twists and turns like a python in a sack... Visceral, gritty and cinematic' The Times _______________ The astonishing story of one man's breakneck race against time to save America from oblivion. A YOUNG WOMAN MURDERED. All of her identifying characteristics dissolved by acid. A FATHER PUBLICLY BEHEADED. Killed in the blistering heat of a Saudi Arabian public square. A SYRIAN BIOTECH EXPERT FOUND EYELESS. Dumped in a Damascus junkyard. SMOULDERING HUMAN REMAINS. Abandoned on a remote mountainside in Afghanistan. PILGRIM. The codename for a man who doesn't exist. A man who must return from obscurity. The only man who can uncover a flawless plot to commit an appalling crime against humanity. The much-anticipated, heart-racing new thriller from Terry Hayes, THE YEAR OF THE LOCUST, is available now. _______________ Praise for Terry Hayes 'Clever and compulsive' Sunday Mirror 'Huge ambition and even huger talent' Stav Sherez 'Compelling and wildly inventive storytelling' Chris Ewan 'Hayes brings well-refined storytelling chops to the enterprise' Kirkus

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Our spotlight authors

Dan Brown

James Patterson

Kotaro Isaka

Clive Cussler

Robert Harris

Dan Brown

James Patterson

Kotaro Isaka

Clive Cussler

Robert Harris

Tom Clancy

Explore the genre

Jurassic Park

Michael Crichton (Author)

On a remote jungle island, genetic engineers have created a dinosaur game park. Now one of mankind's most thrilling fantasies has come true. Creatures that have been extinct for millions of years roam Jurassic Park, and all the world can visit them - for a price. But when a catastrophe destroys the park's defence system, what was once a scientific dream becomes a living nightmare. . . Now scientists and tourists alike are left fighting for their lives.

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Munich

Robert Harris (Author)

'A brilliantly constructed spy novel' Observer 'Grips from start to finish ... Superb' Mail on Sunday MUNICH, SEPTEMBER 1938 Hitler is determined to start a war. Chamberlain is desperate to preserve the peace. They will meet in a city which forever afterwards will be notorious for what is about to take place. As Chamberlain's plane judders over the channel and the Fuhrer's train steams south, two young men travel with their leaders. Former friends from a more peaceful time, they are now on opposing sides. As Britain's darkest hour approaches, the fate of millions could depend on them - and the secrets they're hiding. Spying. Betrayal. Murder. Is any price too high for peace?

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Never Go Back

Lee Child (Author)

'FAST-PACED, TAUT AND PUNCHY' Sunday Times After an epic and interrupted journey all the way from the snows of South Dakota, Jack Reacher has finally made it to Virginia. His destination, the closest thing to a home he ever had: the headquarters of his old unit, the 110th Military Police. Why? He wants to meet the new commanding officer, Major Susan Turner. He liked her voice on the phone. But now he's arrived, she's disappeared, and things are getting weird. Accused of a sixteen-year-old homicide and co-opted back into the army, Reacher says nothing. But he's sure as hell thinking of a way out. 'One of Reacher's best...a must' Daily Express _________ Although the Jack Reacher novels can be read in any order, Never Go Back follows on directly from the end of A Wanted Man. And don’t miss Reacher's newest adventure, No.30, Exit Strategy! ***OUT NOW***

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The Da Vinci Code

Dan Brown (Author)

Robert Langdon returns in Dan Brown's brilliant new thriller, THE SECRET OF SECRETS, available now. Discover the bestselling thriller of all time from global phenomenon Dan Brown. Harvard professor Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call while on business in Paris: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been brutally murdered inside the museum. Alongside the body, police have found a series of baffling codes. As Langdon and a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, begin to sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to find a trail that leads to the works of Leonardo Da Vinci - and suggests the answer to a mystery that stretches deep into the vault of history. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine code and quickly assemble the pieces of the puzzle, a stunning historical truth will be lost forever...

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The Martian

Andy Weir (Author)

In the Young Readers Edition of The Martian: Classroom-appropriate language Discussion questions and activities Q&A with Andy Weir Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive – and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. Damaged machinery, the unforgiving environment, or plain old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit, he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

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Bullet Train

Kotaro Isaka (Author) , Sam Malissa (Translator)

Five killers. One train journey. But who will survive? The original and propulsive thriller from a massive Japanese bestseller. * NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE * Satoshi looks like an innocent schoolboy but he is really a viciously cunning psychopath. Kimura's young son is in a coma thanks to him, and Kimura has tracked him onto the bullet train heading from Tokyo to Morioka to exact his revenge. But Kimura soon discovers that they are not the only dangerous passengers onboard. Nanao, the self-proclaimed 'unluckiest assassin in the world', and the deadly partnership of Tangerine and Lemon are also travelling to Morioka. A suitcase full of money leads others to show their hands. Why are they all on the same train, and who will get off alive at the last station? 'A locked-room crime drama played out at 200mph' The Times 'A high-octane thriller... Thoroughly enjoyable' Guardian Readers can't stop reading Bullet Train! 'Original, quirky and highly entertaining' 'A dark-humoured, twisty thriller that's a lot of fun' 'One of the most addictive thrillers I've ever read... smart and cinematic' 'What an original novel! Exciting from beginning to end' 'A whole lot of darkly comic fun' 'A thrilling ride' Bullet Train was originally published in Japan with the title Maria Beetle.

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The Day of the Jackal

Frederick Forsyth (Author)

** NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES STARRING EDDIE REDMAYNE ** 'As gripping now as it was 50 years ago' THE TIMES 'Masterful suspense . . . The Day of the Jackal changed the shape of popular fiction from the moment it was finished' BEN MACINTYRE 'In a class by itself. Unputdownable' SUNDAY TIMES ________________ One of the most celebrated thrillers ever written, The Day of the Jackal is the exhilarating story of the struggle to catch a killer before it's too late. 1963. An anonymous Englishman is hired by the Operations Chief of French terrorist organisation O.A.S. to murder the French president, General Charles de Gaulle. A failed attempt in the previous year means the target will be nearly impossible to reach. Only one man could do the job: an assassin of legendary talent known only as The Jackal. This remorseless and deadly killer must be stopped. But he is a man without a name, without an identity; a lethal spectre. How can you stop an assassin nobody can identify? The task falls to the best detective in France - and the price of failure is unthinkable . . . ________________ Readers can't stop reading The Day of the Jackal . . . 'I loved, loved, loved this book which is in a category that I don't usually read.' 5-star reader review 'A very remarkable and memorable thriller – while the other novels of this sort are usually forgotten too soon this book has stuck in my head for good.' 5-star reader review 'This book is one of the best books in its genre. Haven't found a book which can be at par with The Day of the Jackal.' 5-star reader review 'This is, without question, the best thriller I have ever read.' 5-star reader review _______________ More love for The Day of the Jackal . . . 'Very clever and immensely entertaining' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'A perfect example of the adventure story . . . well written, entirely believable, with this intriguing, enigmatic character at its centre' ROBERT HARRIS 'A year-zero, game-changing thriller, one of the most significant of all time' LEE CHILD 'Wonderful and way ahead of its time' JAMES PATTERSON 'An extraordinary book' NICK ROBINSON, BBC RADIO 4 TODAY PROGRAMME 'A masterpiece' MARCUS SCRIVEN, MAIL ON SUNDAY 'I was spellbound . . . riveted by this chilling story' GUARDIAN

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Black Hawk Down

Mark Bowden (Author)

Already winning acclaim as one of the best accounts of combat ever written, Black Hawk Down is a minute-by-minute, heart-stopping account of the 1993 raid on Mogadishu, Somalia. Late in the afternoon of Sunday, October 3 1993, 140 elite US Soldiers abseiled from helicopters into a teeming market neighbourhood in the heart of the city. Their mission was to abduct two top lieutenants of a Somali warlord and return to base. It was supposed to take them about an hour. Instead, they were pinned down through a long and terrible night in a hostile city, fighting for their lives against thousands of heavily armed Somalis. Two of their high-tech helicopters were shot out of the sky. When the unit was rescued the following morning, eighteen American soldiers were dead and more than seventy badly injured. The Somali toll was far worse - more than five hundred killed and over a thousand injured. Authoritative, gripping, and insightful, Black Hawk Down is destined to become a classic of war reporting. It is already the most accurate, detailed account of modern combat ever written.