Episode · How I Write · 2026-07-29
Books mentioned on Jack Carr: Bestselling Author Shares His Entire Writing Process | How I Write
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David Perell discussed The Terminal List by Jack Carr and In the Blood by Jack Carr. Jack Carr recommended Once An Eagle by Anton Myrer, and discussed The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy, First Blood by David Morrell, Savage Son by Jack Carr, The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, The Devil's Hand by Jack Carr, On Writing by Stephen King, The Successful Novelist by David Morrell, The brotherhood of the rose by David Morrell, The fraternity of the stone by David Morrell, The League of Night and Fog by David Morrell, Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré, Term Limits by Vince Flynn, Cry Havoc by Jack Carr, and Red Sky Mourning by Jack Carr.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Terminal List
The Terminal List by Jack Carr is a gripping thriller following a Navy SEAL seeking vengeance after his team is ambushed, drawing heavily from the author's real-world combat experiences.
Discussed“And also, Amazon Prime took his book The Terminal List and turned it into an original series with Chris Pratt as the star.”
Where to get it
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The Hunt for Red October
The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy is a classic techno-thriller novel centered around a rogue Soviet submarine commander and Cold War military strategy.
Discussed“That's the year that Hunt for Red October came out, and certainly by sixth grade, age 11, then I am reading all those kind of books.”
Where to get it
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First Blood
First Blood by David Morrell is a classic thriller novel published in 1972 that introduced the iconic character John Rambo and significantly altered the landscape of modern action fiction.
Discussed“So, Tom Clancy and Nelson DeMille and AJ Cronin and Jack Higgins, all like a Mark Olden and David Morrell, who created Rambo in 1970 in 1972's First Blood.”
Where to get it
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Savage Son
Savage Son is a gritty thriller novel by Jack Carr that follows former Navy SEAL James Reece as he confronts international conspiracies and personal survival trials.
Discussed“And there was one I wanted to start with and that's Savage Son, my third novel.”
Where to get it
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The Most Dangerous Game
The Most Dangerous Game is a classic 1920s short story by Richard Connell that explores the dark psychological themes of hunting and human survival.
Discussed“And that's because in the sixth grade I read Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, which is a short story from the 1920s.”
Where to get it
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Gates of Fire
Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield is a historical novel detailing the heroic Spartan stand at the Battle of Thermopylae.
Discussed“So, I took that and then I heard Steven Pressfield and I I Gates of Fire, Hero of Gates of Fire, Legend of Bagger Vance, has a series of books on creativity that starts with The War of Art.”
Where to get it
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The War of Art
Steven Pressfield's The War of Art serves as a profound guide for creatives, entrepreneurs, and thinkers seeking to understand and conquer the psychological barriers that hinder productivity and inspiration.
Discussed“So, I took that and then I heard Steven Pressfield and I I Gates of Fire, Hero of Gates of Fire, Legend of Bagger Vance, has a series of books on creativity that starts with The War of Art.”
Where to get it
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The Devil's Hand
The Devil's Hand is a thriller novel by Jack Carr that continues the intense adventures of his recurring protagonist, James Reece.
Discussed“My fourth book, The Devil's Hand, I started doing an author's note at the end because I was getting so many questions about, hey what of out of this book that I just read, what was real, what wasn't”
Where to get it
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Once An Eagle
Once An Eagle by Anton Myrer is a sweeping epic military novel that contrasts two contrasting archetypes of leadership and military philosophy through the lives of career soldiers across decades of service.
Recommended“There are people who think of it as a career. And if you've read Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer, that is a fantastic book that that talks about that a little bit in there.”
Where to get it
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On Writing
Stephen King's On Writing is a celebrated hybrid of memoir and practical manual that chronicles the author's formative struggles and recovery while offering direct, invaluable advice for aspiring writers on craft, discipline, and the mechanics of prose.
Discussed“And so I did read um on writing by Stephen King.”
Where to get it
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The Successful Novelist
David Morrell's The Successful Novelist is an instructional guide by the co-creator of Rambo that offers valuable insights into the craft of writing and the publishing industry.
Discussed“I did read The Successful Novelist by David Morrell.”
Where to get it
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The brotherhood of the rose
The Brotherhood of the Rose by David Morrell is a landmark 1980s spy thriller that redefined the conventions of espionage fiction by blending high-stakes action with complex emotional and psychological stakes.
Discussed“His books. Brotherhood of the Rose, Fraternity of the Stone, League of Night and Fog where he takes the back in the '80s took the best of US spy fiction...”
Where to get it
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The fraternity of the stone
The Fraternity of the Stone is a gripping 1980s spy thriller novel by David Morrell that delves into the shadowy world of clandestine operations and espionage.
Discussed“His books. Brotherhood of the Rose, Fraternity of the Stone, League of Night and Fog where he takes the back in the '80s took the best of US spy fiction...”
Where to get it
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The League of Night and Fog
The League of Night and Fog is a classic 1980s thriller novel by David Morrell that weaves intricate plots of espionage, historical secrets, and high-stakes action.
Discussed“His books. Brotherhood of the Rose, Fraternity of the Stone, League of Night and Fog where he takes the back in the '80s took the best of US spy fiction...”
Where to get it
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Rogue Male
Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household is a classic 1939 thriller that follows an English hunter who attempts to assassinate an unnamed dictator, only to be captured, tortured, and forced to go on the run.
Discussed“There is Rogue Male written on the eve of World War II, 1939. Another classic that moved the genre forward.”
Where to get it
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The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré is a renowned espionage novel that explores the gritty, bleak, and morally ambiguous realities of Cold War intelligence work.
Discussed“The Spy Who Came in from the Cold moves the genre forward.”
Where to get it
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In the Blood
In the Blood by Jack Carr is a high-octane thriller following the continuing exploits of former Navy SEAL James Reece.
Discussed“So what I did is I printed out the beginning of chapter three of In the Blood.”
Where to get it
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Cry Havoc
Discussed“they found The Terminal List or they found Cry Havoc or they found Targeted Beirut and now they fell in love with reading for the first time in their life”
Where to get it
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Red Sky Mourning
Discussed“And my seventh novel is called Red Sky Morning. So it's my 007th novel and that is a nod to to Fleming and his creation, James Bond.”
Where to get it
