Tommy Carmellini Books In Order

Publication Order of Tommy Carmellini Books

The name ‘Tommy Carmellini’ refers to a series of novels written by Stephen Coonts. Tommy Carmellini is also the primary protagonist of the series, a CIA operative with a penchant for stealing.

+The Story

Stephen Coonts has made a living out of producing some of the best heart-pounding thrillers on the market. And he is often mentioned as one of the best authors in the international spy thriller genre, a title he justifies every time he releases a new book.

Fans of the author will tell you that one of his greatest creations is Jake Grafton, a series of novels chronicling the life of a naval aviator and the challenges he faces in trying to perform his tasks.

Tommy Carmellini first appeared as a character in the Jake Grafton books before Stephen spun him out into his own thrilling series of novels.

And as one might expect, the Tommy Carmellini series tells the story of Tommy Carmellini, a CIA spy with a growing legend. Once upon a time, Tommy was just a young man going to Stanford Law School. Most people would probably call Tommy a good kid.

He was a decent student, one that was determined to get his law degree and then move into the arena of corporate law. Not only was he determined to land a high paying job, but Tommy also saw an opportunity to get into politics down the line.

Unfortunately for Tommy Carmellini, he came from a humble background, and Law school was expensive. He did not have what it took to pay tuition the legal way. So Tommy decided to take the illegal route.

That meant stealing to pay the bills. Tommy was a great jewel thief. He knew how to get into places, find what he wanted and to get out without leaving a trace. Unfortunately for Tommy, unable to go to school and pursue his thieving lifestyle all on his own, he found a partner he thought he could trust. And when things went sideways, this partner gave Tommy up for the sake of a lighter sentence.

Tommy Carmellini’s life should have been over and done with at this point. However, it was here that the CIA chose to step in. Impressed by his abilities, the CIA offered Tommy a choice: he could go to prison and pay for his crimes, or he could join the CIA and see his sentence disappear.

Unsurprisingly, Tommy chose to join the CIA. And as it turns out the CIA wanted him to first finish his law degree before finally undergoing the training necessary to become a spy.

When the Tommy Carmellini series starts, Tommy is thriving in the CIA. The work never gets boring, mostly because Tommy never knows where he will be deployed. Sometimes he operates within the confines of the United States.

Other times, he is deployed in foreign territories. The assignments he receives vary widely and Tommy often succeeds because of his tendency to work outside the law. Tommy is the sort of spy that will do whatever it takes to accomplish his mission.

That sometimes puts him at odds with his superiors; though the CIA is typically happy with Tommy so long as he gets the job done.

At some point during his history, Tommy met Jake Grafton. Jake makes an appearance in the Tommy Carmellini series as a retired Admiral. At the start of the series, Jake looks like he’s enjoying taking things easy.

However, over time the admiral is forced to return to the espionage fold, especially when threats to the country emerge. Jake’s strengths lie in all the connections he made during his lifetime and the authority he commands.

Jake always seems to know everything that is going on, and he makes a habit of calling upon Tommy when things go sideways. There are books in the Tommy Carmellini series that see Jake Grafton play a crucial part. For the most part, though, Jake’s role is minimal.

He’s there to debrief Tommy on his missions and to provide him the support he might need in the field.

The Tommy Carmellini series starts strong, at least with regards to the opinions of readers. However, as it progresses, reader opinions begin to shift. Some people appreciate the way Stephen uses real events and characters in the books. Others have complained that the approach takes them out of the fictitious world Stephen Coonts has created.

+The Author

Stephen Coonts is a New York Times bestselling author that was born in 1946. The author grew up in a coal mining town in West Virginia. A student of political science at West Virginia University, Stephen went into the navy after leaving college.

Stephen will tell you that the years he spent deployed abroad were pretty fruitful, though he was also happy to settle down for a bit when he became a flight instructor.

The author did a lot of jobs after leaving the army, this including driving taxis. He eventually went back to school, got his law degree and practiced the law for a while before finally writing ‘Flight of the Intruder’, his first novel.

The positive reception of the book drove Stephen to drop everything he was doing in favor of writing full-time.

+Liars and Thieves

Tommy Carmellini isn’t that worried when he is sent to post guard duty at a farmhouse. Finding the guards dead, Tommy immediately knows that something is wrong, and the assault from a team of American commandos that follows proves as much.

The commandos kill everyone they see and Tommy is lucky to escape with an attractive translator. But his problems have only just begun. After learning that people are out to get him, Tommy joins forces with retired Admiral Jake Grafton as they track a threat to the presidential convention in New York.

+The Traitor

Abu Qasim is supposed to be the perfect spy, an agent at the heart of Al Queda that knows enough to burn the entire organization to the ground.

When the CIA learns of the secret agent the director of French Intelligence has in Al Queda, they are less than enthused when the French Director refuses to share the intelligence he has collected with them.

Jake Grafton smells a rat. He believes the director is hiding something, so he sends Tommy Carmellini to investigate.

One Response to “Tommy Carmellini”

1. Francois Dubois: 3 years ago

   Everyone always seem to forget that Jake Grafton met Tommy Carmellini, and initially did not like him, in “Hong Kong”, published in 2000.

   Reply