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Bryan Alexander, USA TODAYAugust 31, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Starting with 2018's "The Terminal List," former Navy SEAL and author Jack Carr has delivered seven thrillers in seven years that have fueled a powerhouse TV franchise starring Chris Pratt as embattled protagonist James Reece.
A series executive producer, screenwriter and adviser, Carr carries a combat load juggling his TV work with his prolific writing. But the host of the Jack Carr Book Club (one of three podcasts) always finds time to praise the authors and books that inspire him, including literary salutes within the spinoff prequel series "Terminal List: Dark Wolf" (now streaming on Prime Video).
"I like to weave literature into the pages of my novels, which we've adopted to the TV series," Carr tells USA TODAY. "You tip your hat to the authors who made you what you are."
Here's what to know about Carr's big book hits and literary love bombs.
Author Jack Carr on the set of "Dark Wolf."What is 'Once an Eagle' book in 'Dark Wolf'?
During a poignant "Dark Wolf" Episode 1 moment, Reece gifts SEAL Ben Edwards (Taylor Kitsch) with "Once an Eagle" by Anton Myrer — tellingly for the third time. Edwards still hasn't cracked the acclaimed 1968 novel that provides guidance by following two disparate officers — one honorable, the other a cunning political animal — from World War I through the Vietnam War.
"It's a book on leadership with the main lesson being: See to your character and your reputation will take care of itself," says Carr. "That's something I feel is lost in today's world of social media and all these distractions."
"Dark Wolf" Episode 3 features Mossad agent Eliza Perash (Rona-Lee Shimon) reading the preface of World War I author Wilfred Owen's book "Poems," which includes the famous line about the tragedy of war: "The poetry is in the pity."
Taylor Kitsch and Chris Pratt team up again in "The Terminal List" prequel "Dark Wolf."
Army Ranger Max Adams, an executive producer, introduced Carr to the English poet and author who died late in the war.
"To think about what Owen could have become if he wasn't taken on the field of battle so young," says Carr. "It's haunting"
Carr took his books into the battle zone
The son of a librarian, Carr was always a voracious reader of all types of books. Throughout his own book acknowledgments, Carr cites inspiring action legend like Tom Clancy, Nelson DeMille, AJ Quinnell and Stephen Hunter. "These were my professors in the art of storytelling," says Carr. "And these books often had protagonists with backgrounds I wanted to have in my life."
Serving with the SEALS in Iraq and Afghanistan for 20 years, the tablet-loathing Carr carried his bulky books with him. "I would bring many books on deployment. I had to have something in my hands," he says. "If I had been born two centuries earlier I would had huge crates of books moved on my campaigns."
Now the author combines his wartime experience and past education into "Terminal List."
"I remember what it was like to be a sniper in Ramadi, Iraq at the height of the war," says Carr. "I'm putting these very real feelings into a completely fictional narrative."
Carr's book world shot off with Chris Pratt rocket
Retiring after 20 years of Navy service in 2016, novice novelist Carr was about to have "Terminal List" published with no Hollywood attention. His SEAL comrade Jared Shaw called him in November 2017 and wanted to pass an early copy of the book his friend, "Guardians of the Galaxy" star Chris Pratt.
Pratt read the book in December, and called to option the TV rights in January 2018, long before the August release date.
"So there was interest, not from Hollywood in general, but from Chris Pratt," says Carr, who appreciates the "gamble" the Hollywood star, and Prime Video took bringing a completely untested author's work to TV. "I had zero audience, no social media, no podcast then. I was a complete unknown. It was a risk."
Shaw appears in both "Terminal List" and "Dark Wolf" and is a series executive producer. Carr's second novel "True Believer" is underway for production, with Pratt returning as Reece for the third series in the franchise.
What is Jack Carr's next book?
"Dark Wolf" is an original series based on characters from "The Terminal List." Carr is eager to write a novelization of the series.
"I want to bring novelizations back," says Carr. "I have a huge collection of novelizations from the '80s and '90s when they were so popular and essentially part of movie marketing."
But the author has been consumed with finishing his next book, "Cry Havoc" (Oct. 7, Simon & Schuster), which moves a generation away from the "Terminal List" world. The new novel follows Tom Reece, James' father, a Navy SEAL embroiled in Vietnam War military operations in 1968.
"I had to write every character and every line though the lens of 1968 without the benefit of 50 years of hindsight," says Carr. "That ended up taking a lot more time than I thought."
What is the order of Jack Carr's books?
"The Terminal List" (2018)
"True Believer" (2019)
"Savage Son" (2020)
"The Devil's Hand" (2021)
"In the Blood" (2022)
"Only the Dead" (2023)
"Red Sky Mourning" (2024)
"Cry Havoc" (2025)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jack Carr talks 'Terminal List' books, what's next
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