Jack Noble
thriller
Series · thriller
John Milton
The John Milton series by Mark Dawson has 28 known books (28 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Cleaner (2013). The next announced book, Dope, is due 17 December 2026.
- Books
- 28 known books (27 novels + 1 novella)
- Published
- 28
- First published
- 2013
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Thriller
- Last checked
Start here: The Cleaner (2013) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Cleaner
"The Cleaner" is book 1 in the John Milton series, published in 2013, and runs 348 pages. It's the book Mark Dawson self-published in 2013, after an earlier career as a lawyer, to launch the series. Like the rest of Mark Dawson's series, it follows John Milton, a former Group Fifteen assassin trying to atone through a strict personal code, as his past keeps dragging him back into violence in a new city.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cleaner - Book 2:
Saint Death
Published in 2013, "Saint Death" is the 2nd John Milton novel, and spans 322 pages. As with the rest of the series, it drops Milton into a new innocent's crisis -- cartels, trafficking, corrupt police, or Group Fifteen's own politics -- while a slow-burn thread about his sobriety and redemption runs underneath.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Saint Death - Book 3:
1,000 Yards
"1,000 Yards" is a novella in the John Milton series, and published in 2014. It's a short prequel novella set during Milton's active-service years -- readable early, though not required to follow the main sequence. It carries forward the series' globe-trotting, high-body-count style, closer to a men's-adventure paperback tradition updated for the ebook era than to a literary thriller.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 1,000 Yards - Book 4:
The Driver
"The Driver" is book 3 in the John Milton series, published in 2014, and is 361 pages long. Like its neighbors in the series, it's largely self-contained even as Milton's backstory and his history with Group Fifteen's handlers keep accumulating across the books.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Driver - Book 5:
Ghosts
Published in 2014, "Ghosts" is the 4th John Milton novel, and comes in at 272 pages. Like the rest of Mark Dawson's series, it follows John Milton, a former Group Fifteen assassin trying to atone through a strict personal code, as his past keeps dragging him back into violence in a new city.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ghosts - Book 6:
The Sword of God
"The Sword of God" (2014) continues the series at number 5, and is 422 pages long. As with the rest of the series, it drops Milton into a new innocent's crisis -- cartels, trafficking, corrupt police, or Group Fifteen's own politics -- while a slow-burn thread about his sobriety and redemption runs underneath.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Sword of God - Book 7:
Tarantula
"Tarantula" is book 6 in the John Milton series, and published in 2014. It carries forward the series' globe-trotting, high-body-count style, closer to a men's-adventure paperback tradition updated for the ebook era than to a literary thriller.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Tarantula - Book 8:
Salvation Row
Published in 2014, "Salvation Row" is the 7th John Milton novel, and runs 386 pages. Like its neighbors in the series, it's largely self-contained even as Milton's backstory and his history with Group Fifteen's handlers keep accumulating across the books.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Salvation Row - Book 9:
Headhunters
"Headhunters" (2015) continues the series at number 8, and spans 392 pages. Like the rest of Mark Dawson's series, it follows John Milton, a former Group Fifteen assassin trying to atone through a strict personal code, as his past keeps dragging him back into violence in a new city.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Headhunters - Book 10:
The Ninth Step
"The Ninth Step" is book 9 in the John Milton series, published in 2016, and comes in at 386 pages. As with the rest of the series, it drops Milton into a new innocent's crisis -- cartels, trafficking, corrupt police, or Group Fifteen's own politics -- while a slow-burn thread about his sobriety and redemption runs underneath.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Ninth Step - Book 11:
The Jungle
Published in 2016, "The Jungle" is the 10th John Milton novel, and is 324 pages long. It carries forward the series' globe-trotting, high-body-count style, closer to a men's-adventure paperback tradition updated for the ebook era than to a literary thriller.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Jungle - Book 12:
Blackout
"Blackout" (2017) continues the series at number 11, and comes in at 396 pages. Like its neighbors in the series, it's largely self-contained even as Milton's backstory and his history with Group Fifteen's handlers keep accumulating across the books.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Blackout - Book 13:
The Alamo
"The Alamo" is book 12 in the John Milton series, published in 2017, and runs 548 pages. Like the rest of Mark Dawson's series, it follows John Milton, a former Group Fifteen assassin trying to atone through a strict personal code, as his past keeps dragging him back into violence in a new city.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Alamo - Book 14:
Redeemer
Published in 2018, "Redeemer" is the 13th John Milton novel, and spans 434 pages. As with the rest of the series, it drops Milton into a new innocent's crisis -- cartels, trafficking, corrupt police, or Group Fifteen's own politics -- while a slow-burn thread about his sobriety and redemption runs underneath.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Redeemer - Book 15:
Sleepers
"Sleepers" (2018) continues the series at number 14, and runs 404 pages. It carries forward the series' globe-trotting, high-body-count style, closer to a men's-adventure paperback tradition updated for the ebook era than to a literary thriller.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Sleepers - Book 16:
Twelve Days
"Twelve Days" is book 15 in the John Milton series, published in 2018, and is 274 pages long. Like its neighbors in the series, it's largely self-contained even as Milton's backstory and his history with Group Fifteen's handlers keep accumulating across the books.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Twelve Days - Book 17:
Bright Lights
Published in 2019, "Bright Lights" is the 16th John Milton novel, and comes in at 366 pages. Like the rest of Mark Dawson's series, it follows John Milton, a former Group Fifteen assassin trying to atone through a strict personal code, as his past keeps dragging him back into violence in a new city.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Bright Lights - Book 18:
The Man Who Never Was
"The Man Who Never Was" (2020) continues the series at number 17, and is 488 pages long. As with the rest of the series, it drops Milton into a new innocent's crisis -- cartels, trafficking, corrupt police, or Group Fifteen's own politics -- while a slow-burn thread about his sobriety and redemption runs underneath.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Man Who Never Was - Book 19:
Killa City
"Killa City" is book 18 in the John Milton series, published in 2020, and spans 508 pages. It carries forward the series' globe-trotting, high-body-count style, closer to a men's-adventure paperback tradition updated for the ebook era than to a literary thriller.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Killa City - Book 20:
Ronin
Published in 2020, "Ronin" is the 19th John Milton novel, and runs 520 pages. Like its neighbors in the series, it's largely self-contained even as Milton's backstory and his history with Group Fifteen's handlers keep accumulating across the books.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ronin - Book 21:
Never Let Me Down Again
"Never Let Me Down Again" (2021) continues the series at number 20, and spans 457 pages. Like the rest of Mark Dawson's series, it follows John Milton, a former Group Fifteen assassin trying to atone through a strict personal code, as his past keeps dragging him back into violence in a new city.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Never Let Me Down Again - Book 22:
Bulletproof
"Bulletproof" is book 21 in the John Milton series, published in 2021, and comes in at 368 pages. As with the rest of the series, it drops Milton into a new innocent's crisis -- cartels, trafficking, corrupt police, or Group Fifteen's own politics -- while a slow-burn thread about his sobriety and redemption runs underneath.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Bulletproof - Book 23:
The Sandman
Published in 2022, "The Sandman" is the 22nd John Milton novel, and is 449 pages long. It carries forward the series' globe-trotting, high-body-count style, closer to a men's-adventure paperback tradition updated for the ebook era than to a literary thriller.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Sandman - Book 24:
Uppercut
"Uppercut" (2023) continues the series at number 23, and comes in at 469 pages. Like its neighbors in the series, it's largely self-contained even as Milton's backstory and his history with Group Fifteen's handlers keep accumulating across the books.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Uppercut - Book 25:
Bloodlands
"Bloodlands" is book 24 in the John Milton series, published in 2024, and runs 466 pages. Like the rest of Mark Dawson's series, it follows John Milton, a former Group Fifteen assassin trying to atone through a strict personal code, as his past keeps dragging him back into violence in a new city.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Bloodlands - Book 26:
Vultures
Published in 2025, "Vultures" is the 25th John Milton novel, and spans 378 pages. As with the rest of the series, it drops Milton into a new innocent's crisis -- cartels, trafficking, corrupt police, or Group Fifteen's own politics -- while a slow-burn thread about his sobriety and redemption runs underneath.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Vultures - Book 27:
The Hanging Tree
"The Hanging Tree" (2025) continues the series at number 26. It carries forward the series' globe-trotting, high-body-count style, closer to a men's-adventure paperback tradition updated for the ebook era than to a literary thriller.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Hanging Tree - Book 28:
Clearwater
"Clearwater" is book 27 in the John Milton series, published in 2025, and is 454 pages long. Like its neighbors in the series, it's largely self-contained even as Milton's backstory and his history with Group Fifteen's handlers keep accumulating across the books.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Clearwater
About the John Milton series
John Milton was Special Forces before he became Number One -- the lead assassin of Group Fifteen, a deniable British government kill squad -- until a job in Manila broke something in him and he walked away. Mark Dawson's series, launched independently in 2013 with The Cleaner, follows Milton as he tries to atone through a strict personal code (help someone in genuine trouble, then move on before he's found) while his old employers, and the enemies his past has made, keep dragging him back into violence. Each book drops him into a new city and a new innocent's crisis -- Mexican cartels, human trafficking rings, corrupt police, Group Fifteen's own internal politics -- while a slow-burn thread about his attempts at sobriety and redemption runs underneath.
Dawson self-published The Cleaner in 2013 after a first career as a lawyer, and built John Milton into one of the best-selling independent thriller series in the UK, with the character eventually crossing over into three more Dawson series (Beatrix Rose, Isabella Rose, and the Group Fifteen Files) set in the same universe. The books lean hard into globe-trotting, high-body-count action -- closer to a men's-adventure paperback tradition updated for the ebook era than to a literary thriller -- and Dawson has kept up a rapid release pace, publishing well over two books a year across most of the 2010s and 2020s.
Frequently asked questions
How many John Milton books are there?
28 have been published as of this curation (August 2026), including the prequel novella 1,000 Yards; a further title, Dope, is scheduled for December 2026.
What order should I read the John Milton series in?
Publication order, starting with The Cleaner (2013). Most cases are self-contained, but Milton's backstory and relationships build cumulatively.
Is John Milton connected to Mark Dawson's other series?
Yes -- Beatrix Rose, Isabella Rose, and the Group Fifteen Files are set in the same fictional world and share Group Fifteen as a common thread, though each is tracked as its own series in this catalogue.
Are The Hanging Tree and The Butcher the same book?
Yes -- The Butcher was an earlier working title for the 2025 novel published as The Hanging Tree.
If you like the John Milton series
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