Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nine Lives | 2012 | Tom Barber | Buy |
| 2 | The Getaway | 2012 | Tom Barber | Buy |
| 3 | Blackout | 2012 | Tom Barber | Buy |
| 4 | Silent Night | 2012 | Tom Barber | Buy |
| 5 | One Way | 2013 | Tom Barber | Buy |
| 6 | Return Fire | 2013 | Tom Barber | Buy |
| 7 | Green Light | 2014 | Tom Barber | Buy |
| 8 | Last Breath | 2015 | Tom Barber | Buy |
| 9 | Close Calls: A Sam Archer Series Story Collection | 2016 | Tom Barber | Buy |
| 10 | Jump Seat | 2017 | Tom Barber | Buy |
| 11 | Cleared Hot | 2018 | Tom Barber | Buy |
| 12 | Trick Turn | 2019 | Tom Barber | Buy |
| 13 | Hand Off | 2020 | Tom Barber | Buy |
| 14 | Night Sun | 2021 | Tom Barber | Buy |
| 15 | Into Focus | 2022 | Tom Barber | Buy |
| 16 | Exit Point | 2024 | Tom Barber | Buy |
The Sam Archer series is a 16-book run of counter-terrorism action thrillers by Tom Barber, starting with Nine Lives in 2012. The books follow Sam Archer, a young officer in the Metropolitan Police Armed Response Unit, as he deals with bomb threats, hostage crises, and high-profile terrorist operations across London and beyond. Four books came out in the first year alone, with Barber maintaining a roughly annual release schedule after that.
The series gained a loyal following among readers who like their thrillers lean and fast. Barber keeps chapters short and the action constant, with each book built around a contained crisis that Archer has to solve under extreme time pressure. Close Calls (2016) collects shorter stories from the series, while the main novels continue through to Exit Point (2024). The books are best read in order, since Archer’s personal life and professional relationships develop over the course of the series.