Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 2, 2026

John Gilstrap

John Gilstrap is an American novelist and a New York Times Bestselling author of over twenty thrillers, including the Jonathan Grave thriller series, which first appeared in 2009. His prior works include five stand-alone novels and one nonfiction thriller about the Delta Force rescue of Kurt Muse.

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Aug 2, 2026
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John Gilstrap
Born (1957-02-27) February 27, 1957
OccupationWriter, public speaker
Alma materCollege of William & Mary
University of Southern California
GenreThriller
Years active1995–present
Notable worksNathan's Run
At All Costs
Six Minutes to Freedom
the Jonathan Grave thriller series
the Victoria Emerson thriller series
Notable awardsNew York Times Bestselling Author, ITW Thriller Award (2016)

John Gilstrap (born February 27, 1957) is an American novelist and a New York Times Bestselling author of over twenty thrillers, including the Jonathan Grave thriller series, which first appeared in 2009. His prior works include five stand-alone novels and one nonfiction thriller about the Delta Force rescue of Kurt Muse.123

Biography

John Gilstrap was raised in Northern Virginia, where he attended public school in Fairfax County Public Schools, graduating from Robinson Secondary School in 1975. Gilstrap earned a bachelor's degree in 1979 from the College of William & Mary in Virginia, and a master's degree from University of Southern California in 1983. He lives in Berkeley County, West Virginia and has a YouTube channel where he gives writing advice and insight on the publishing industry.

Prior to his writing career, Gilstrap was a safety engineer specializing in explosives and hazardous materials. He served 15 years in the volunteer fire and rescue service, first with the Burke Volunteer Fire Department in Fairfax County, and later with the Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton Volunteer Fire Department in Prince William County, Virginia.

Books

Jonathan Grave thrillers

  • No Mercy (2009)4
  • Hostage Zero (2010)5
  • Threat Warning (2011)4
  • Damage Control (2011)6
  • High Treason (2013)4
  • Soft Targets (2013)4
  • End Game (2014)4
  • Against All Enemies (2015)2
  • Friendly Fire (2016)4
  • Final Target (2017)4
  • Scorpion Strike (2018)4
  • Total Mayhem (2019)4
  • Hellfire (2020)4
  • Stealth Attack (2021)
  • Lethal Game (2022)
  • Harm's Way (2023)

Nonfiction thrillers

  • Six Minutes To Freedom (with Kurt Muse) – 2006

Standalone thrillers

  • Nathan's Run (1996)
  • At All Costs (1998)
  • Even Steven (2000)
  • Scott Free (2002)
  • Nick of Time (2016)

Victoria Emerson thrillers

  • Crimson Phoenix (2021)4
  • Blue Fire (2022)
  • White Smoke (2023)

Screenplays

  • Word of Honor adapted from the novel by Nelson DeMille4
  • Young Men and Fire adapted from the book by Norman McLean4
  • Red Dragon (uncredited) adapted from the novel by Thomas Harris4
  • Nathan's Run adapted from the novel by John Gilstrap
References

References

  1. Manteuffel, Rachel (September 1, 2016). "Author John Gilstrap explains what makes a book a thriller". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  2. "John Gilstrap". kensingtonbooks. Kensington Books Publishing. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  3. Boswell, Sally (May 20, 2015). "Visit to Small Town – Wotham brings best-selling author to Paris". Paris News. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  4. "John Gilstrap". fantasticfiction. Fantastic Fiction. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  5. "Hostage Zero – John Gilstrap". fictiondb. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  6. "Damage Control". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz, LLC. Retrieved July 15, 2020.