James Patterson Books in Order (Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club, Michael Bennett, Private…)

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Does James Patterson need an introduction? His books have sold more than 400 million copies, and he was the first person to sell 1 million e-books. As he was working in advertising, he started to write books and published his first novel, “The Thomas Berryman Number”, in 1976. Since then, he wrote more than 200 books.

In 1996, he retired from advertising in order to write full-time (and became the highest-paid author in the world). Today, he is working with co-authors (like Gabrielle Charbonnet, Howard Roughan, David Ellis, Nancy Allen, Andrew Bourelle, Brendan DuBois, Chris Grabenstein, Emily Raymond, Jill Dembowski, Maxine Paetro, Michael Ledwidge, James O. Born, Mark T. Sullivan, Marshall Karp, Richard DiLallo, Susan DiLallo, Max DiLallo, and a lot more) to write with him on standalone novels or series.

He wrote a lot of thrillers and mysteries but also explored other genres like young adult fiction, comedy, realistic fiction, romance, and even science fiction. Among his most famous creations, we find Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Maximum Ride, Daniel X, NYPD Red, and more. Almost twenty of his books were adapted in other formats, for television or cinema.

How to read James Patterson’s Books in Order?

Note: For now, this article doesn’t list James Patterson’s books written for children-only the ones for adults and young adults.

The Alex Cross Series in Order

Alex Cross is an African-American Police Department detective in the city of Washington, D.C. He often chases after serial killers and other violent criminals who target him in return. This is mostly simple as that for us, not for Cross who ends up losing a lot and risking even more. For more information, go to our article about the Alex Cross series.

  1. Along Came a Spider (1993)
  2. Kiss the Girls (1995)
  3. Jack and Jill (1996)
  4. Cat and Mouse (1997)
  5. Pop Goes the Weasel (1999)
  6. Roses are Red (2000)
  7. Violets are Blue (2001)
  8. Four Blind Mice (2002)
  9. The Big Bad Wolf (2003)
  10. London Bridges (2004)
  11. Mary, Mary (2005)
  12. Cross, or Alex Cross (2006)
  13. Double Cross (2007)
  14. Cross Country (2008)
  15. Alex Cross’s Trial (2009)
  16. I, Alex Cross (2009)
  17. Cross Fire (2010)
  18. Kill Alex Cross (2011)
  19. Merry Christmas, Alex Cross (2012)
  20. Alex Cross, Run (2013)
  21. Cross My Heart (2013)
  22. Hope to Die (2014)
  23. Cross Justice (2015)
  24. Cross the Line (2016)
  25. Cross Kill (BookShots*)
  26. Detective Cross (BookShots*)
  27. The People vs. Alex Cross (2017)
  28. Target: Alex Cross (2018)
  29. Criss Cross (2019)
  30. Deadly Cross (2020)
  31. Fear No Evil (2021)
  32. Triple Cross (2022)
  33. Cross Down (2023, written with Brendan DuBois)
  34. Alex Cross Must Die (2023)
  35. The House of Cross (2024)

*BookShots are Lightning-fast stories by James Patterson, novels you can devour in a few hours.

The Ali Cross Series in Order

Since 2019, James Patterson is publishing a new Cross series, a spin-off for young readers, about Alex’s son Ali who wants to follow his father’s steps.

  1. Ali Cross (2019)
  2. Ali Cross: Like Father Like Son (2021)
  3. The Secret Detective (2022)

Women's Murder Club Books in Order

The Women’s Murder Club Series in order

Set in San Francisco, the Women’s Murder Club series follows a group of women from different professions relating to investigating crimes as they work together to solve murders. The stories are about their personal and professional issues. The main characters were originally Lindsay Boxer, a homicide detective; Cindy Thomas, a crime desk reporter; Claire Washburn, the Chief Medical Examiner; and Jill Bernhardt, assistant district attorney. For more information, go to our article about The Women’s Murder Club books.

  1. 1st to Die (2001)
  2. 2nd Chance (with Andrew Gross, 2002)
  3. 3rd Degree (with Andrew Gross, 2004)

The rest of the series was co-written with Maxine Paetro:

  1. 4th of July (2005)
  2. The 5th Horseman (2006)
  3. The 6th Target (2007)
  4. 7th Heaven (2008)
  5. The 8th Confession (2009)
  6. The 9th Judgment (2010)
  7. 10th Anniversary (2011)
  8. 11th Hour (2012)
  9. 12th of Never (2013)
  10. Unlucky 13 (2014)
  11. 14th Deadly Sin (2015)
  12. 15th Affair (2016)
  13. The Trial” (BookShots, 2016)
  14. 16th Seduction (2017)
  15. The Medical Examiner” (BookShots, 2017)
  16. 17th Suspect (2018)
  17. 18th Abduction (2019)
  18. 19th Christmas (2019)
  19. 20th Victim (2020)
  20. 21st Birthday (2021)
  21. 22 Seconds (2022)
  22. 23rd Midnight (2023)
  23. 23 1/2 Lies (Novella, 2023)
  24. The 24th Hour (2024)
  25. 25 Alive (2025)

The Michael Bennett Series in Order

Co-written with Michael Ledwidge then James O. Born. Michael Bennett is a New York city cop. He’s also a six-foot-three Irish American with 10 adopted kids. He cares for them with the help of his au pair, Mary Catherine, and his grandfather Seamus. His wife, Maeve, died of cancer in December 2007 (in the first book). It’s a lot of work, but it doesn’t stop Michael Bennett from being the best at what it does. And being that good comes with a lot of enemies… Visit our article about The Michael Bennett series for more information.

Co-written with Michael Ledwidge:

  1. Step on a Crack (2007)
  2. Run for Your Life (2009)
  3. Worst Case (2010)
  4. Tick Tock (2011)
  5. I, Michael Bennett (2012)
  6. Gone (2013)
  7. Burn (2014)
  8. Alert (2015)
  9. Bullseye (2016)
  10. Chase” (BookShots, 2016)

From here, co-written with James O. Born:

  1. Haunted (2017)
  2. Manhunt” (BookShots, 2017)
  3. Ambush (2018)
  4. Blindside (2020)
  5. The Russian (2021)
  6. Shattered (2022)
  7. Obsessed (2023)
  8. Crosshairs (2024)
  9. Paranoia (2025)

Doc Savage Series in Order

Prof. Brandt Savage-grandson of the legendary action hero-is forced into a top-secret training program where he discovers his true calling…as the perfect assassin.

  1. The Perfect Assassin (with Brian Sitts, 2022)
  2. Murder Island (with Brian Sitts, 2024)

Jane Smith Series in Order

Tough-as-nails criminal defense attorney Jane Smith is hip-deep in the murder trial of the century. Actually, her charmless client might’ve committed several murders. She’s also fallen in love with a wonderful guy. And an equally wonderful dog, a mutt. But Jane doesn’t have much time. She’s just received a terminal diagnosis giving her twelve months. Unless she’s murdered before her expiration date.

  1. 12 Months to Live (with Mike Lupica, 2023)
  2. Hard to Kill (with Mike Lupica, 2024)

Holmes, Marple & Poe Series in Order

In New York City, three intriguing, smart, and stylish private investigators open Holmes, Marple & Poe Investigations. Who are these detectives with famous names and mysterious, untraceable pasts? Brendan Holmes—The Brain: Identifies suspects via deduction and logic. Margaret Marple—The Eyes: Possesses powers of observation too often underestimated. Auguste Poe—The Muscle: Chases down every lead no matter how dangerous or dark.

  1. Holmes, Miss Marple & Poe Investigations (2024), with Brian Sitts
  2. Holmes Is Missing (2025), with Brian Sitts

The Travis McKinley Series in Order

Written with Peter de Jonge. One ordinary man makes the pilgrimage to the mythical greens of St. Andrews-the birthplace of golf-on a search for greatness.

  1. Miracle on the 17th Green (1996)
  2. Miracle at Augusta (2015)
  3. Miracle at St. Andrews (2019)

The Out of Sight Series in Order

Written with Brendan DuBois. In her career as an Army intelligence officer, Amy Cornwall has seen haunting sights half a world away. None compare to the chilling scene at her Virginia home. It is empty. A phone rings with a terrifying ultimatum: locate and liberate an unnamed captive in 48 hours, or her kidnapped husband and 10-year-old daughter are dead. Now, and in open defiance of Army Command, Amy must employ every lethal tactic she has to save them. To succeed, she must discover not only who dispatched her on this mission, but why. Without her family, she’s dead anyway.

  1. The Cornwalls Are Gone (2019)
  2. Countdown (2023)

The When the Wind Blows Series in Order

Frannie O’Neill is a young and talented veterinarian living in Colorado. Devastated by the mysterious murder of her husband, David, a local doctor, Frannie throws herself into her work. It is not long before another bizarre murder occurs and Kit Harrison, a troubled and unconventional FBI agent, arrives on her doorstep.

  1. When the Wind Blows (1998)
  2. The Lake House (2003)

The Honeymoon Series in Order

Written with Howard Roughan. When FBI agent John O’Hara first sees Nora Sinclair, she seems perfect. She has the looks. The career. The clothes. The wit. The sophistication. The tantalizing sex appeal.

The whole extraordinary package-and men fall in line to court her. She doesn’t just attract men, she enthralls them. So why is the FBI so interested in Nora Sinclair? Mysterious things keep happening to people around her, especially the men.

And there is something dangerous about Nora when Agent O’Hara looks closer-something that lures him at the same time that it fills him with fear. Is there something dark hidden among the unexplained gaps in her past? And as he spends more and more time getting to know her, is he pursuing justice? Or his own fatal obsession?

  1. Honeymoon (2005)
  2. Second Honeymoon (2013)

The Zoo Series in Order

All over the world, brutal animal attacks are crippling entire cities. Jackson Oz, a young biologist, watches the escalating events with an increasing sense of dread. When he witnesses a coordinated lion ambush in Africa, the enormity of the violence to come becomes terrifyingly clear. With the help of ecologist Chloe Tousignant, Oz races to warn world leaders before it’s too late. The attacks are growing in ferocity, cunning, and planning, and soon there will be no place left for humans to hide.

  1. Zoo (with Michael Ledwidge, 2012)
  2. Zoo 2” (with Max DiLallo, 2016) – BookShots

The Emmy Dockery Series in Order

Written with David Ellis. Everyone thinks Emmy Dockery is crazy. Obsessed with finding the link between hundreds of unsolved cases, Emmy has taken leave from her job as an FBI researcher. Now all she has are the newspaper clippings that wallpaper her bedroom, and her recurring nightmares of an all-consuming fire.

  1. Invisible (2014)
  2. Unsolved (2019)

The Private Series in Order

When the police can’t help you and the press will destroy you, when you need maximum force and maximum discretion, there’s only one place to go-Private, the detective agency that will get the job done, even if they have to break a few rules to do it.

  1. Private (with Maxine Paetro, 2010),
  2. Private #1 Suspect (with Maxine Paetro, 2012)
  3. Private Games (with Mark T. Sullivan, 2012)
  4. Private London (with Mark Pearson, 2011)
  5. Private Berlin (with Mark T. Sullivan, 2013)
  6. Private L.A. (with Mark T. Sullivan, 2013)
  7. Private Down Under (with Michael White, 2012)
  8. Private India: City on Fire (with Ashwin Sanghi, 2014)
  9. Private Vegas (with Maxine Paetro, 2015)
  10. Private Paris (with Mark T. Sullivan, 2016)
  11. The Games: A Private Novel (with Mark T. Sullivan, 2016)
  12. Private: Missing (with Kathryn Fox, 2016)
  13. Private Royals” (with Rees Jones, 2016) – novella, Bookshots.
  14. Count to Ten: A Private Novel (with Ashwin Sanghi, 2017)
  15. Private Gold” (with Jassy Mackenzie, 2017) – BookShots
  16. Princess: A Private Novel (with Rees Jones, 2018)
  17. Private Moscow (with Adam Hamdy, 2020)
  18. Missing Persons (with Adam Hamdy, 2021)
  19. Private Beijing (with Adam Hamdy, 2022)
  20. Private Rome (with Adam Hamdy, 2023)
  21. Private Monaco (with Adam Hamdy, 2024)
  22. Private Dublin (with Adam Hamdy, 2025)

The NYPD Red Series in Order

Written with Marshall Karp. It’s the start of Hollywood on Hudson, and New York City is swept up in the glamour. With this many celebrities in town, special task force NYPD Red is on high alert-and they can’t afford to make a single mistake. Then a world-renowned producer fatally collapses at his power breakfast, and top NYPD Red Detective Zach Jordan is the first one on the scene. Zach works with his beautiful new partner, Detective Kylie MacDonald-who also happens to be his ex-girlfriend-to discover who the murderer might be. But this is only the beginning: the most brutal, public, and horrifyingly spectacular crimes they’ve ever encountered are about to send all of New York into chaos, putting NYPD Red on the ropes.

  1. NYPD Red (2012)
  2. NYPD Red 2 (2014)
  3. NYPD Red 3 (2015)
  4. NYPD Red 4 (2016)
  5. Red Alert (2018)
  6. NYPD Red 6 (2020)
  7. The Murder Sorority (2022, only Marshall Karp)

The Detective Harriet Blue Series in Order

Written with Candice Fox. Harry Blue is the top Sex Crimes investigator in her department. But even she didn’t see this coming: her own brother arrested for the grisly murders of three beautiful young women. “For her own good,” she’s been sent to a desolate location and assigned to a new “partner.” But is he actually meant to be a watchdog? In her strange new home, Harry vanishes to a place where no one would ever think to look for her.

  1. Black & Blue” (2016) – BookShots
  2. Never Never (2016)
  3. Fifty Fifty (2017)
  4. Liar Liar (2018)
  5. Hush (2019)

The David Shelley Series in Order

Written with Andrew Holmes. Former SAS soldier David Shelley was part of the most covert operations team in the special forces. Now settling down to civilian life in London, he has plans for a safer and more stable existence. But the shocking death of a young woman Shelley once helped protect puts those plans on hold.

  1. Hunted” (2016) – BookShots
  2. Revenge (2018)

The Caleb Rooney Series in Order

In the Carnival days leading up Mardi Gras, Detective Caleb Rooney comes under investigation for a murder he is accused of committing in the line of duty — as a Major Crimes detective for the New Orleans Police Department. Has his sideline at the Killer Chef food truck given him a taste for murder?

  1. Killer Chef” (with Jeffrey J. Keyes, 2016) – BookShots
  2. The Chef (with Max DiLallo, 2019)

The Crazy House Series in Order

Written with Gabrielle Charbonnet. Seventeen-year-old Becca Greenfield was snatched from her small hometown. She was thrown into a maximum-security prison and put on Death Row with other kids her age. Until her execution, Becca’s told to fit in and shut her mouth . . . but Becca’s never been very good at either. Her sister Cassie was always the good twin. There were no charges. There was no trial. There will be no escape. Becca’s only hope is that her twin sister will find her. That perfect little priss Cassie will stop following the rules and start breaking them, before it’s too late. Because her jailers made a mistake that could get them both killed: They took the wrong twin.

  1. Crazy House (2017)
  2. Fall of Crazy House (2018)

The Instinct Series in Order

Written with Howard Roughan. Dr. Dylan Reinhart wrote the book on criminal behavior. Literally: he’s a renowned, bestselling Ivy League expert on the subject. When a copy of his book turns up at a gruesome murder scene-along with a threatening message from the killer-it looks like someone has been taking notes.

Elizabeth Needham is the headstrong and brilliant NYPD Detective in charge of the case who recruits Dylan to help investigate another souvenir left at the scene: a playing card. Another murder, another card. . . and now Dylan suspects that the cards aren’t a signature; they’re a deadly hint pointing directly toward the next victim.

  1. Instinct (Murder Games, 2017)
  2. Killer Instinct (2019)
  3. Steal (2022)

The Billy Harney Series in Order

Written with David Ellis. Billy Harney was born to be a cop. As the son of Chicago’s chief of detectives with a twin sister on the force, Billy plays it by the book. Teaming up with his adrenaline-junkie partner, Detective Kate Fenton, there’s nothing he wouldn’t sacrifice for his job. Enter Amy Lentini, a hard-charging assistant attorney hell-bent on making a name for herself who suspects Billy isn’t the cop he claims to be. They’re about to be linked by more than their careers.

  1. The Black Book (2017)
  2. The Red Book (2021)
  3. The Coldest Case (Audio Drama ft. Aaron Paul, 2021)
  4. Escape (2022)

The Ruby Bozarth Series in Order

Written with Nancy Allen. Ruby Bozarth, a newcomer to Rosedale, Mississippi, is also fresh to the Mississippi Bar – and she faces an impossible task defending a college football star accused of murder. The victim is a young woman from one of the town’s oldest families, and Rosedale’s upper crust are howling for blood. Then news breaks of a second murder, and lurid, intertwining investigations unfold. Ruby discovers that no one in Rosedale can be trusted, especially the twelve men and women on the jury.

  1. Juror No. 3 (2018)
  2. Jailhouse Lawyer (2021)

The Rory Yates Series in Order

Written with Andrew Bourelle. Across the ranchlands and cities of his home state, Rory Yates’s discipline and law-enforcement skills have carried him far: from local highway patrolman to the honorable rank of Texas Ranger. He arrives in his hometown to find a horrifying crime scene and a scathing accusation: he is named a suspect in the murder of his ex-wife, Anne, a devoted teacher whose only controversial act was ending her marriage to a Ranger.

  1. Texas Ranger (2018)
  2. Texas Outlaw (2020)

The Shadow Series in Order

Written with Brian Sitts. Only two people know Lamont Cranston’s secret identity as the Shadow, a vigilante of justice: his greatest love, Margo Lane, and his fiercest enemy, Shiwan Khan. Then Khan ambushes the couple, who find the slimmest chance of survival . . . in the uncertain future. A century and a half later, Lamont awakens in a world both unknown and strangely familiar. The first person he meets is Maddy Gomes, a teenager with her own mysterious secrets, including a more than passing awareness of the legend of the Shadow. Most disturbing, Khan’s power continues to be felt over New York and its people. No one in this new world understands the dangers of stopping him better than Lamont Cranston. He also knows he’s the only one who stands a chance. Lamont must prove that the Shadow is more than just a legend.

  1. The Shadow (2021)
  2. Circle of Death (2023)

The Amy Cornwall Series in Order

Written with Brendan DuBois. In her career as an Army intelligence officer, Amy Cornwall has seen haunting sights half a world away. None compare to the chilling scene at her empty Virginia home. A phone rings with a terrifying ultimatum: locate and liberate an unnamed captive in forty-eight hours, or her kidnapped husband and ten-year-old daughter are dead. Now, in open defiance of Army Command, Amy must employ her most lethal tactics to save them. To succeed, she must discover not only who dispatched her on this mission, but why. Without her family, she’s dead anyway.

  1. The Cornwalls Vanish (2019)

Maximum Ride Series in Order

Maximum Ride is a series of young adult fantasy novels set in the near future and is about the flock, a group of human-avian hybrids (98% human, 2% bird). They have wings and special powers. On the run from the scientists who created them, the members of the flock follow Maximum Ride (Max) to survive. For more information, go to our article about the Maximum Ride series.

  1. The Angel Experiment (2005)
  2. School’s Out-Forever (2006)
  3. Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (2007)
  4. The Final Warning (2008)
  5. MAX (2009)
  6. Fang (2010)
  7. Angel (2011)
  8. Nevermore (2012)
  9. Maximum Ride Forever (2015)

Maximum Ride: Hawk Series in Order

Where is Maximum Ride? Ten years ago a girl with wings fought to save the world. But then she disappeared. Now she’s just a fading legend, remembered only in stories.

  1. Hawk (2020)
  2. City of the Dead (2021)

The Daniel X Series in Order

(young adult series) Daniel X has the greatest power of all: the ability to create. His secret abilities-like being able to manipulate objects and animals with his mind or to recreate himself in any shape he chooses-have helped him survive. But Daniel doesn’t have a normal life. He is the protector of the earth, the Alien Hunter, with a mission beyond what anyone’s imagining.

  1. The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (with Michael Ledwidge, 2008)
  2. Watch the Skies (with Ned Rust, 2009)
  3. Demons and Druids (with Adam Sadler, 2010)
  4. Game Over (with Ned Rust, 2011)
  5. Armageddon (with Chris Grabenstein, 2012)
  6. Lights Out (with Chris Grabenstein, 2015)

The Witch & Wizard Series in Order

(young adult series) When a dystopian government controls every aspect of society, siblings Wisty and Whit Allgood-a sister and brother who were torn from their family in the middle of the night, slammed into prison and accused of being a witch and a wizard-may be the world’s only hope.

  1. Witch & Wizard (with Gabrielle Charbonnet, 2009)
  2. The Gift (with Ned Rust, 2010)
  3. The Fire (with Jill Dembowski, 2011)
  4. The Kiss (with Jill Dembowski, 2013)
  5. The Lost (with Emily Raymond, 2014)

The Confessions Series in Order (Tandy Angel)

(young adult series written with Maxine Paetro) Teen detective novel about the mysterious Angel family . . . and the dark secrets they’re keeping from one another. On the night Malcolm and Maud Angel are murdered. As Tandy Angel sets out to clear the family name, she begins to recall flashes of experiences long buried in her vulnerable psyche. These memories shed light on her family’s dark secrets, and digging deeper into her powerful parents’ affairs proves to be a disturbing and dangerous game. Who knows what any of the Angels are truly capable of?

  1. Confessions of a Murder Suspect (2012)
  2. Confessions: The Private School Murders (2013)
  3. Confessions: The Paris Mysteries (2014)
  4. Confessions: The Murder of an Angel (2015)

The Murder Is Forever Series in Order

Non-fiction. A collection of Discovery ID true crime stories.


Other Standalone James Paterson Novels in Order of Publication

Thrillers

Romances & other

Young Adult

Non-Fiction


The BookShots

The concept: “lightning-fast” stories under 150 pages. Compact enough to take anywhere. Under 5$!

Thrillers

John Roscoe Thrillers
Detective Luc Moncrief Stories
Owen Taylor Stories
Mitchum Stories

Romances (aka Bookshots Flames)

The Diamond Trilogy
McCullagh Inn Stories
Under Covers Stories

Non-Fiction

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