Rob Walker

Rob Walker is the Special Forces protagonist of John Etterlee's military thriller series, carrying out missions from cartel rescues to overseas combat operations.

Rob Walker is a Special Forces operator created by John Etterlee, a veteran who draws on his own combat experience to write military fiction. The series begins with The Messenger (2021), where Rob comes home from Afghanistan to learn his sister has been taken by a cartel. That rescue mission sets up everything that follows: Rob does not wait for orders when people he cares about are in trouble, and each book makes the danger more personal.

The four books send Rob around the world. Retribution (2022) puts him in Africa, where a botched operation kills half his team and exposes a government conspiracy. Blood Red (2023) moves to Ukraine, with Rob fighting alongside resistance forces in guerrilla warfare against a Russian invasion. An Imminent Threat (2024) brings the fight back to American soil, where a terrorist plot threatens the homeland. Each mission raises the personal cost, and Rob has to weigh duty against survival.

Rob is a soldier first, defined more by what he does than what he says. He is loyal to the people around him and willing to take on missions that most operators would walk away from. The series reads fast and does not pull punches on the violence of modern warfare.

Reading Order

See the complete Rob Walker reading order for all books in the series.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Rob Walker?

Rob Walker is a U.S. Special Forces operator and the main character of John Etterlee’s four-book military thriller series. His missions take him across the globe, from cartel country to Africa to the battlefields of Ukraine.

What happens in the first Rob Walker book?

In The Messenger (2021), Rob Walker returns from Afghanistan to find that his sister has been kidnapped by a cartel. He goes after her using his military training, and the story escalates from there.

What order should I read the Rob Walker books?

Read the Rob Walker books in publication order: The Messenger (2021), Retribution (2022), Blood Red (2023), and An Imminent Threat (2024). Each book builds on the previous one, with Rob’s missions growing in scope.

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