Author

Matthew Quirk

Q: What should I read first by Matthew Quirk?

Start with the Mike Ford series, since it is the first on file, then read it in publication order.

Matthew Quirk has 9 known credited books (9 published) across 2 series. Start with Mike Ford.

Matthew Quirk is an American thriller writer who studied history and literature at Harvard College before spending five years as a staff writer for The Atlantic, reporting on crime, private military contractors, the opium trade, terrorism prosecutions and international gangs -- reporting that gave him the institutional and security-world detail he has drawn on across his fiction since. His 2012 debut, The 500, introduced Mike Ford, a reformed con artist turned Washington lobbyist, and launched a two-book series followed by a second series centered on former Marine Special Operations officer John Hayes.

Since 2019 Quirk has written mainly standalone thrillers, each built around a protagonist working inside a high-security American institution -- the FBI, the Secret Service -- who is forced to use insider knowledge against a threat from within. The best known of these, The Night Agent (2019), became a Netflix series in 2023 and brought Quirk his widest audience to date; he has continued with Hour of the Assassin, Red Warning, Inside Threat, and the 2026 novel The Method.

Quirk lives in San Diego, California.

Series: 2
Credited books: 9
Published: 9
Latest published book: The Method 20 January 2026
Active: 2012–present
Best known for: Mike Ford

Key facts about Matthew Quirk

Matthew Quirk has 9 books on our list. 4 of them belong to a series, while 5 stand alone. Since all 9 are out now, every book here is ready to read. Their series sit on our thriller shelf.

Matthew Quirk has 2 series on file. Mike Ford has 2 books, while John Hayes has 2 books. In particular, John Hayes is the longest series on file. Mike Ford starts with The 500, while John Hayes starts with Cold Barrel Zero.

Since Mike Ford is the first series on file, it is the place to start. Their first published book on file came out in 2012. Meanwhile, The Method is the latest published book, out on 20 January 2026.

There are also 5 standalone books. You can read them in any order, since each one stands alone. The newest one that is out is The Method, from 2026. The oldest on file is The Night Agent, from 2019.