Troubleshooters Books In Order

Publication Order of Troubleshooters Books

Publication Order of Troubleshooters Short Stories Books

Publication Order of Troubleshooters Collections

First published 14 years ago, in 2000, the Troubleshooters series by Suzanne Brockmann catalogs of the loves and adventures of a scrappy, diverse team of Navy SEALs.

These romantic thrillers features a rotating cast of men and women, most with military backgrounds or ties to the military. Each novel focuses on a particular male protagonist who serves in the SEALs, but Brockmann tends to introduce an entirely new set of characters for each novel, so readers get to meet men and women who come to the service with a wide variety of backgrounds.

As of 2014, the Troubleshooters series is on installment “16.5”—Brockmann averages about one new book per year, but occasionally releases a novella between her novel-length installments, and the novellas are numbered with decimals. The most recent full-length installment, Breaking the Rules, hit shelves in 2011, and Brockmann has only published Troubleshooter novellas since then.

Characters and Background

Troubleshooters novels are set in the contemporary United States, with plots occasionally taking the characters to more exotic locales, like the jungles of Indonesia and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. However, most of the action takes place in recognizable American suburbs and cities, and along with their high-stakes, action-packed capers, the Brockmann’s characters are forced to deal with more commonplace American troubles, like love, divorce, and applying to college.

Rather than following a single protagonist throughout the series—as is more common for serialized thrillers—Troubleshooters usually introduces a brand-new protagonist for each novel (and sometimes revisits old protagonists in sub-plots or shorter novellas).

Brockmann’s heroes tend to be men with a spirit of service and devotion to the Navy SEALs, but also with independent streaks that drive them to take matters into their own hands when the SEAL establishment can’t, or isn’t willing to.

Plot and Themes

The challenges faces by the SEALs in Troubleshooters tend to fall outside the standard fare for military novels. For example, instead of fighting battles or overthrowing dictators abroad, Brockmann is more likely to confront her heroes with kidnappings, bomb plots, and home-grown terrorists.

The domestic nature of these plots also heightens the stakes for her characters: oftentimes, a love interest or family member will be caught up in the danger, forcing Brockmann’s protagonists to make tough choices and take extraordinary risks in order to save their loved ones.

Brockmann’s stories also deal with themes of loyalty and priorities. Although her SEALs are honor bound to serve their country and commanders, the stories frequently put them in situations where they must act alone, and sometimes in violation of the SEALs’ battle code.

In this way, Troubleshooters poses interesting questions about what constitutes true “service” and “loyalty,” whether a man should be more devoted to his family or to his country, and how heroes conduct themselves when practical necessity conflicts with their closely-held ideals.

Troubleshooters #1: The Unsung Hero

The first novel in the series, The Unsung Hero, was published in June 2000, and focuses on a SEAL lieutenant named Tom Paoletti who catches wind of an international terrorist plot targeting his own hometown. Paoletti raises the alarm for his superiors in the SEAL hierarchy, but is told to forget about it—that he’s only imagining clues about a terrorist plot.

Undaunted, Paoletti decides to pursue the terrorists on his own. Without the help of his comrades in arms, he is forced to assemble a ragtag team of veterans, including two near-senile World War II veterans, whose humorous flashbacks and anachronistic ideas about battle providing a humorous counterpoint throughout an otherwise action-packed and deeply-moving story.

As Paoletti and his team track down clues and make the dramatic moves necessary to unravel the terrorist plot, he also gets a chance to reunite with Kelly Ashton, the girl who broke his heart during high school, and whom he has never forgotten. Unbeknownst to the hero, Ashton has also nursed a flame for him, but neither has ever had the chance—or the mettle—to tell the other how they truly feel.

As the plot thickens, Paoletti and Ashton’s fates become increasingly intertwined, but the danger of Paoletti’s mission threatens to prevent them from ever truly realizing their love. Readers will be thrilled by their back-and-forth romance, which provides a “will they or won’t they?” tug of war until the very last page.

Troubleshooters #2: The Defiant Hero

Brockman’s second novel in the series, The Defiant Hero, is a classic tale of love lost and then regained. Its plot opens on Meg Moore, an accomplished translator and (more importantly) mother of beautiful young daughter who has been kidnapped by a domestic terrorist mastermind.

Moore is desperate to save her daughter, but frustrated by the inaction of the U.S. military, which refuses to give in to the terrorist’s demands. Taking matters into her own hands, Meg decides to take a page of the terrorist’s own playbook, and takes an ambassador hostage in her own home. Moore’s only demand: that her daughter be released, or the ambassador gets it.

To address the perilous situation, the SEALs summon to D.C. John Nilsson, a lieutenant and veteran operative with a long background in hostage negotiations. Nilsson has talked to terrorists and villains many times before, but this is his first time negotiating with a former lover. Because what Nilsson quickly realizes, is that unbeknownst to his commanders, he and Moore were once lovers, and the love that united them has never truly left Nilsson’s heart.

As the negotiations break down, Nilsson is forced to confront a brutal decision: Should he act according to the demands of his country, or of his heart?

Popular Acclaim

The Troubleshooters series has been buoyed by public interest in terrorism and the military in the wake of the September 11th attacks. The first three books were published by Ivy, a small, boutique imprint, but after the success of Over the Edge—the third book in the series—and the obvious mass appeal of books concerned military special operations, the fourth book, titled Out of Control, was picked up by Ballantine, a major New York publishing house. The series has been a staple of end-of-year “Best Books” and “Notable Books” lists ever since.

Although none of the books have yet been adapted for television or the silver screen, they have been massive bestsellers, and repeatedly landed Brockmann on the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists.