John Gilstrap

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About John Gilstrap

When John Gilstrap's first novel, Nathan's Run, hit the market in 1996, it set the literary world on fire. Publication rights sold in 23 countries, the movie rights were scooped up at auction by Warner Brothers, and John changed professions. A safety engineer by training and education, he specialized in explosives and hazardous materials, and also served 15 years in the fire and rescue service, rising to the rank of lieutenant.

That "first" book was really his fourth, and that one call from an agent (after logging 27 rejections) changed the trajectory of his life. Twenty books and seven movie projects later, it's been a good run, and it's still running. But his career track looks more like a sine curve than a rocket ship. There were lots of setbacks along the way. At one point, his writing career appeared to be dead. Then came the comeback.

John's presentation, "Dare to Dream", tells the story of triumph, disappointment, despair and finally some long-lasting success.

John has spoken at events across the country, most recently at the Pike's Peak Writers Conference in Colorado Springs, and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers in Denver. In February, he will be the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the California Association of Teachers of English in Los Angeles. His YouTube channel, "A Writer's View of Writing and Publishing" has over 1,700 subscribers and more are coming aboard every day.

Outside of his writing life, John is a renowned safety expert with extensive knowledge of explosives, hazardous materials, and fire behavior. John lives in Fairfax, VA.

Please visit John's website, www.johngilstrap.com for more information.

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Books By John Gilstrap

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Crimson Phoenix: An Action-Packed & Thrilling Novel (A Victoria Emerson Thriller Book 1) Feb 23, 2021

by John Gilstrap

( 81 )

$12.99

Brad Taylor meets The Stand in a riveting novel of suspense kicking off a brand new series perfect for fans of the page-turning novels of A.G. Riddle, Mark Greaney, and Matthew Mather.

“One of the most singular and compelling heroines to come along in years.”
—Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author

“Snaps with action from the very first page.”
—Marc Cameron, New York Times bestselling author of Stone Cross and of Tom Clancy’s Code of Honor

From John Gilstrap, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Jonathan Grave novels, comes Crimson Phoenix—first in the new Victoria Emerson Thriller series. With America brought to the brink of destruction, one woman becomes the last hope of a nation and its people . . .

Victoria Emerson is a congressional member of the U. S. House of Representatives for the state of West Virginia. Her aspirations have always been to help her community and to avoid the ambitious power plays of her peers in Washington D. C. Then Major Joseph McCrea appears on her doorstep and uses the code phrase Crimson Phoenix, meaning this is not a drill. The United States is on the verge of nuclear war. Victoria must accompany McCrea to a secure bunker. She cannot bring her family.

A single mother, Victoria refuses to abandon her three teenage sons. Denied entry to the bunker, they nonetheless survive the nuclear onslaught that devastates the country. The land is nearly uninhabitable. Electronics have been rendered useless. Food is scarce. Millions of scared and ailing people await aid from a government that is unable to regroup, much less organize a rescue from the chaos.

Victoria devotes herself to reestablishing order—only to encounter the harsh realities required of a leader dealing with desperate people . . .

“Just the thing for readers who feel oppressed by the pandemic lockdown.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“A gripping page-turner.”
—Taylor Stevens, New York Times bestselling author

“An explosive story that keeps your mind churning and pulse racing . . . Don't miss this powerful new series from a master thriller writer.”
—Jamie Freveletti, international bestselling and award-winning author

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Hardcover , Mass Market Paperback

No Mercy (A Jonathan Grave Thriller Book 1) Jul 30, 2014

by John Gilstrap

( 803 )

$7.99

When those inside the corridors of power need help outside the law, they know who to call. Jonathan Grave, covert rescue specialist, always gets results. No names. No feds. No trace evidence.

When an Indiana college student is abducted, Jonathan and his team of ace operatives unravel a deadly scheme the government wants ignored. Someone wants to control a devastating secret. Someone rich, powerful, and willing to kill anyone to get it. Even the people Jonathan loves most.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback , Mass Market Paperback , MP3 CD

Stealth Attack (A Jonathan Grave Thriller Book 13) Jun 29, 2021

by John Gilstrap

$7.99

Jonathan Grave pursues two missing teens south of the border—where vengeance awaits . . .

El Paso, Texas, is a battleground. It’s an open market for Mexican drug cartels to sell their wares. It’s also a destination for teens looking for fun. Venice Alexander’s fourteen-year-old son Roman was there on a school trip. Now, he and a fellow student have vanished without a trace.

Assuming the kidnapping is retaliation for his past incursions against Mexico’s underworld, Jonathan Grave leads his covert operatives to rescue their teammate’s son. But the trail Jonathan follows leads him down unexpected paths where he ends up in the crossfire of a deadly vendetta . . .

“[Gilstrap’s] greatest strength is the ability to blend breathtaking action with deep emotion regarding the characters.”
—Jeffery Deaver

“Gilstrap pushes every thriller button.”
—San Francisco Chronicle

"A great hero, a really exciting series."
—Joseph Finder

Other Formats: Mass Market Paperback , Audio CD

Hostage Zero (A Jonathan Grave Thriller Book 2) Apr 24, 2012

by John Gilstrap

( 546 )

$5.99

A mysterious kidnapping kicks off ”a roller-coaster ride of adrenaline-inducing plot twists” in this thriller by the New York Times bestselling author (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

With his elite team of agents at Security Solutions, hostage rescue expert Jonathan Grave goes where the government can't. Now he’s been called in to locate two teenage boys who have been kidnapped from a residential high school in Virginia. But tracking them down is just the beginning.

To keep them and his covert team alive, Grave plunges into the heart of an ugly secret whose insidious path reaches from one of the world's most remote places into the highest corridors of power. And he must defeat enemies who are willing to kill to keep the truth from being revealed.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Mass Market Paperback , MP3 CD

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Hellfire (A Jonathan Grave Thriller Book 12) Jun 30, 2020

by John Gilstrap

( 535 )

$6.16

“A great hero, a really exciting series.” —Joseph Finder

For hostage rescue specialist Jonathan Grave, every mission is a matter of life or death. But he faces his most personal challenge yet when two boys are abducted while being driven to Resurrection House, the school Jonathan founded as a sanctuary for children of incarcerated parents. The boys were entrusted to Jonathan’s care. Now they’re missing. It’s time to fight fire with fire . . .

The boys’ mom, Connie Kendall, is awaiting trial on drug smuggling charges. Prosecutors want her to testify against the brutal Cortez Cartel to help bring down their ruthless operations. If she cooperates, she’ll get an easier sentence. But with her kids in the grip of the cartel, her lips are sealed.

As Jonathan and his team of skilled operatives close in on the kidnappers, they realize that their enemies aren’t just hell-bent on selling drugs. Rival factions have even deadlier agendas. The clock is ticking on an attack that could kill thousands in a single breath. And it’s almost zero
hour . . .

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Mass Market Paperback , Audio CD

Against All Enemies (A Jonathan Grave Thriller Book 7) Jul 1, 2015

by John Gilstrap

( 389 )

$7.99

In this award-winning thriller by the New York Times bestselling author, a rescue specialist out to save a fellow vet uncovers an explosive conspiracy.

Hostage rescue specialist Jonathan Grave doesn’t surprise easily. But he finds it hard to believe that a fellow combat vet has gone rogue, killing American agents and leaking sensitive intel to hostile foreign interests. With black ops assassins on the trail of his old friend, Grave sets out to get to him first…and finds far more than he bargained for.

Catching up with the wily operative puts Grave on the trail of a dangerous and far-reaching conspiracy. Worst of all, the unthinkable tragedy at its center is in-motion. Now Grave and his elite team of specialists must expose a deadly high-level secret —and do it in time to avert a catastrophe of historic proportions.

An International Thriller Writers Award Winner

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Mass Market Paperback , MP3 CD

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Friendly Fire (A Jonathan Grave Thriller Book 8) Jul 1, 2016

by John Gilstrap

( 417 )

$7.11

It begins with a shocking act of vengeance. Barista Ethan Falk chases a customer into the parking lot and kills him. He tells police that years ago the older man abducted and tortured him. Then Ethan's story takes an even stranger turn: he says he was rescued by a guy named Scorpion. Of course, there is no record of either the kidnapping or the rescue, because Scorpion--Jonathan Grave--operates outside the law and leaves no evidence.

As Grave struggles to find a way to defend his former precious cargo without blowing his cover, he learns the dead man has secrets that trace to an ongoing terrorist plot against the heart of America. It's up to Grave and his team to stop it. But first they must rescue Ethan Falk--a second time.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Mass Market Paperback , MP3 CD

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

High Treason (A Jonathan Grave Thriller Book 5) Aug 1, 2013

by John Gilstrap

( 383 )

$7.99

When the First Lady is kidnapped, a rescue specialist discovers her secrets—and a deadly conspiracy—in a thriller by the New York Times bestselling author.

First Lady Anna Darmond’s penchant for late night parties in South East D.C. is a harmless open secret—until she’s kidnapped out from under the noses of her Secret Service agents in a bloody gunfight. It's an unthinkable crime that, if revealed, could cause public panic. That’s why hostage rescue specialist Jonathan Grave and his team must operate in absolute secrecy.

But Grave soon realizes that, extraordinary as it is, the mission is not all it seems. There are shadows in Mrs. Darmond's past, cracks in the presidential marriage—and leaks in the country's critical shields of security. As Grave tracks the missing First Lady through a labyrinth of lies and murder, he confronts a traitor at the highest level of Washington power—and a devastating scheme to bring a nation to its knees.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Mass Market Paperback , MP3 CD

Total Mayhem (A Jonathan Grave Thriller Book 11) Jun 25, 2019

by John Gilstrap

( 315 )

$6.04

In bestselling author John Gilstrap’s ticking time bomb of a thriller, freelance operative Jonathan Grave penetrates a terrorist cell to stop the detonation of total mayhem on home ground . . .

America is under fire. One by one, simultaneous terror attacks have left the country reeling. The perpetrators are former Special Forces operatives working for ISIS. Jonathan Grave and his team are called to go undercover and eliminate the traitors. No need to collect intel. No need for arrest. Wipe them out—and get out.

The assaults are rehearsals for extreme disaster. A plot codenamed Retribution. One terrorist is willing to talk—for a price. Grave’s only resort is to slip into a dark web where everything can be exposed. Where the rules of engagement do not hold. The bombs have been set and Grave is the one being hunted. Unless he can save himself first, a terrorist plot of unimaginable scope will become history’s deadliest disaster . . .

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Mass Market Paperback , Audio CD

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Damage Control (A Jonathan Grave Thriller Book 4) Oct 24, 2011

by John Gilstrap

( 388 )

$7.99

A hostage crisis in Mexico turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse in this international thriller by the New York Times bestselling author.

They were on a mission trip to Mexico to help with earthquake recovery. But in Ciudad Juarez, the busload of well-meaning adults and teenagers became hostages. The ransom demands of their captors are explicit: deliver three million dollars--with zero involvement from law enforcement--or all captives will be executed. But rescue specialist Jonathan Grave doesn't believe in ultimatums.

For Grave and his elite team at Security Solutions, it's all about protecting the innocent. When the delicate situation explodes in violence, he must flee with the survivors. Now Grave must face the chilling possibility that someone within the U.S. government has a deadly secret to protect--one that could jeopardize national security like never before. . .

“The action is nonstop. Gilstrap knows his technology and weaponry. Damage Control will blow you away.”—Suspense Magazine

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback , Mass Market Paperback , MP3 CD

Threat Warning (A Jonathan Grave Thriller Book 3) Jan 28, 2011

by John Gilstrap

( 458 )

$5.99

A hostage rescue specialist is on the trail of a homegrown terrorist organization in this thriller by the New York Times bestselling author.

When a cult-like paramilitary group decides to make its deadly presence known, the first victims are random. Ordinary citizens going about their lives in Washington, D.C., are suddenly fired upon at rush hour by unseen assassins. Caught in the crossfire of one of the attacks, rescue specialist Jonathan Grave spies a gunman getting away—with a mother and her young son as hostages.

To free them, Grave and his Security Solutions team must enter the dark heart of a nationwide conspiracy. But their search goes beyond the frenzied schemes of a madman's deadly ambitions. This time, it reaches all the way to the highest levels of power…

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback , Mass Market Paperback , MP3 CD

Final Target (A Jonathan Grave Thriller Book 9) Jun 27, 2017

by John Gilstrap

( 323 )

$7.99

A mission to infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel leaves a rescue specialist stranded among the enemy in a thriller by the New York Times bestselling author.

Jonathan Grave and his partner Boxers have just been given the kind of suicide mission they specialize in. Dropping into the Mexican jungle, they must infiltrate a drug cartel’s compound and extract a kidnapped DEA agent. But when Grave and Boxers retrieve the hostage and return to the exfil point, all hell breaks loose.

Ambushed, abandoned, and attacked on all sides, their only hope of survival lies inside a remote orphanage where innocent children have been targeted for death. Even if Grave can lead the others to safety across a hundred miles of treacherous, enemy-filled jungle, he can’t shake the feeling that something bigger is at play. A vast conspiracy of international power players who take no prisoners—and leave no survivors.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Hardcover , Mass Market Paperback , MP3 CD

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

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