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Nicholas Linnear
The Nicholas Linnear series by Eric Van Lustbader has 8 known books (8 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Ninja (1980).
- Books
- 8 known books (8 novels)
- Published
- 8
- First published
- 1980
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Thriller
- Last checked
Start here: The Ninja (1980) — 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 Ninja
The Ninja is the novel that opens Nicholas Linnear, Eric Van Lustbader's series, first published in 1980. It's the natural place to begin, in a series that runs to 8 books in this catalogue and continues here with The Miko.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Ninja - Book 2:
The Miko
The Miko is the 2nd entry in Nicholas Linnear, by Eric Van Lustbader, published in 1984 at 560 pages. In the reading order it follows The Ninja and precedes White Ninja.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Miko - Book 3:
White Ninja
White Ninja is the 3rd book in Nicholas Linnear by Eric Van Lustbader, published in 1990 at 499 pages. In the reading order it follows The Miko and precedes The Kaisho.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of White Ninja - Book 4:
The Kaisho
The Kaisho is the 4th entry in Nicholas Linnear, by Eric Van Lustbader, published in 1993 at 469 pages. It follows White Ninja and precedes Floating City in this catalogue's reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Kaisho - Book 5:
Floating City
Floating City is the 5th book in Nicholas Linnear by Eric Van Lustbader, published in 1994 at 460 pages. In the reading order it follows The Kaisho and precedes Second Skin.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Floating City - Book 6:
Second Skin
Second Skin, the 6th book in Nicholas Linnear by Eric Van Lustbader, was published in 1995 at 454 pages. In the reading order it follows Floating City and precedes The Death and Life of Nicholas Linnear.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Second Skin - Book 7:
The Death and Life of Nicholas Linnear
The Death and Life of Nicholas Linnear is the 7th book in Nicholas Linnear by Eric Van Lustbader, published in 2014. It follows Second Skin and precedes The Oligarch's Daughter in this catalogue's reading order. Page count not consistently recorded across available editions; left null rather than guessed.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Death and Life of Nicholas Linnear - Book 8:
The Oligarch's Daughter
The Oligarch's Daughter, the 8th book in Nicholas Linnear by Eric Van Lustbader, was published in 2016. It follows The Death and Life of Nicholas Linnear in this catalogue's reading order. Page count not consistently recorded across available editions; left null rather than guessed.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Oligarch's Daughter
About the Nicholas Linnear series
Before he inherited Jason Bourne, Eric Van Lustbader created his own signature hero: Nicholas Linnear, half-English, half-Japanese, a master of ninjutsu operating in the corporate and criminal underworlds of New York and Tokyo. The Ninja (1980) was a genuine publishing phenomenon -- one of the books that introduced ninja mythology to a mass Western audience years before it became pop-culture shorthand -- pitting Linnear against a killer trained in the same deadly discipline he was. Van Lustbader builds the series on meticulous, sometimes lurid detail about Japanese martial arts, corporate zaibatsu politics and the yakuza, treating Linnear's dual heritage and divided loyalties as the emotional core beneath the violence.
The series runs to eight novels across nearly four decades: the original trilogy (The Ninja, The Miko, White Ninja) gives way to a middle run (The Kaisho, Floating City, Second Skin) that widens into international crime syndicates and Linnear's own shifting family and business empire, before two later novels -- The Death and Life of Nicholas Linnear (2014) and The Oligarch's Daughter (2016) -- brought the character back after a long gap, moving him into Russian oligarch intrigue and modern geopolitics. It's the series that made Van Lustbader's name before Robert Ludlum's estate ever came calling, and it remains the clearest entry point into his voice: dense, sensory, unapologetically maximalist thriller writing built around a genuinely distinctive hero.
Frequently asked questions
How many Nicholas Linnear books are there?
Eight novels, from The Ninja (1980) to The Oligarch's Daughter (2016).
What order should I read the Nicholas Linnear books in?
Publication order, starting with The Ninja. The original trilogy (The Ninja, The Miko, White Ninja) tells one continuous story, and later books build on Linnear's accumulated history.
Is this the same character Eric Van Lustbader wrote the Jason Bourne novels as?
No -- Nicholas Linnear is Van Lustbader's own original creation, predating his work continuing Robert Ludlum's Bourne series by over two decades.
Is there a big gap in the series?
Yes -- after Second Skin (1995), the series was dormant until The Death and Life of Nicholas Linnear (2014) revived it, followed by The Oligarch's Daughter (2016).
Is there a ninth Nicholas Linnear book coming?
No ninth novel has been announced as of August 2026; The Oligarch's Daughter (2016) is the most recent entry.
If you like the Nicholas Linnear series
Reading order last verified .