James Patterson Books in Order (By Series) – A Lifesaver for Fans

If you’ve ever tried to figure out which James Patterson book comes next in a series, only to get lost in a maze of titles, welcome to the club. As one of my all-time favourite authors, Patterson’s books are like fast-paced, high-octane snacks for my brain. But with the man publishing what feels like a book every time I blink, keeping track of what’s in a series, what’s a standalone, and what’s co-authored can be a pain.

So I made this for you (and me). A clear, no-nonsense list of James Patterson’s books, organized by series and in reading order. Bookmark it, send it to your book club, or tattoo it on your forearm—I won’t judge. I have also bolded the books I have read.

Alex Cross Series

The OG. If you haven’t met Detective/psychologist/all-around badass Alex Cross, start here. If you are not in the mood to read, there is also a TV series that isn’t bad – Alex Cross.

1. Along Came a Spider (1992)
2. Kiss the Girls (1995)
3. Jack & Jill (1996)
4. Cat & 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 (2006)
13. Double Cross (2007)
14. Cross Country (2008)
15. I, Alex Cross (2009)
16. Cross Fire (2010)
17. Kill Alex Cross (2011)
18. Alex Cross, Run (2013)
19. Cross My Heart (2013)
20. Hope to Die (2014)
21. Cross Justice (2015)
22. Cross the Line (2016)
23. The People vs. Alex Cross (2017)
24. Target: Alex Cross (2018)
25. Criss Cross (2019)
26. Deadly Cross (2020)
27. Fear No Evil (2021)
28. Triple Cross (2022)
29. Cross Down (2023)
30. Alex Cross Must Die (2023)
31. The House of Cross (2024)
32. Return of the Spider (2025)

Others (Not part of main series)

1. Alex Cross’s Trial (2009)
2. Merry Christmas, Alex Cross (2011)
3. Cross Kill (2016)
4. Detective Cross (2017)
5. Cross Down (2023)

Women’s Murder Club

Murder, mystery, and a badass group of women solving crimes in San Francisco.

1. 1st to Die (2001)
2. 2nd Chance (2002)
3. 3rd Degree (2004)
4. 4th of July (2005)
5. The 5th Horseman (2006)
6. The 6th Target (2007)
7. 7th Heaven (2008)
8. The 8th Confession (2009)
9. The 9th Judgment (2010)
10. 10th Anniversary (2011)
11. 11th Hour (2012)
12. 12th of Never (2013)
13. Unlucky 13 (2014)
14. 14th Deadly Sin (2015)
15. 15th Affair (2016)
16. 16th Seduction (2017)
17. 17th Suspect (2018)
18. 18th Abduction (2019)
19. The 19th Christmas (2019)
20. 20th Victim (2020)
21. 21st Birthday (2021)
22. 22 Seconds (2022)
23. 23 1/2 Lies (2023)
24. 24th Hour (2024)
25. 25 Alive (2025)

Michael Bennett Series

A detective with 10 kids. Yes, you read that right. Buckle up.

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. Haunted (2017)
11. Ambush (2018)
12. Blindside (2020)
13. The Russian (2021)
14. Shattered (2022)
15. Obsessed (2023)
16. Crosshairs (2024)
17. Paranoia (2025)
18. Delusional (2026)

Others (not part of main series)

1. Chase (2016)
2. Manhunt (2017)

Private Series

A global private investigation agency that goes where police can’t—or won’t.

1. Private (2010)
2. Private London (2011)
3. Private Games (2012)
4. Private #1 Suspect (2012)
5. Private Berlin (2013)
6. Private Down Under (2013)
7. Private L.A. (2014)
8. Private India: City on Fire (2014)
9. Private Vegas (2015)
10. Missing (Private Sydney) (2015)
11. Private Paris (2016)
12. The Games: Private Beijing (2016)
13. Count to Ten: Private Delhi (2017)
14. Princess: A Private Novel (2018)
15. Private Moscow (2020)
16. Private Rogue (2021)
17. Private Rome (2023)

Others (not part of main story)

1. Private: The Royals (2016)
2. Private: Gold (2017)

NYPD Red Series

Elite unit. High-profile cases. Total chaos.

1. NYPD Red (2012)
2. NYPD Red 2 (2014)
3. NYPD Red 3 (2015)
4. NYPD Red 4 (2016)
5. Red Alert: An NYPD Red Mystery (2018)
6. NYPD Red 6 (2022)

Rory Yates Series

Texas Ranger with a moral code and a short fuse.

1. Texas Ranger (2018)
2. Texas Outlaw (2020)
3. The Texas Murders(2025)

Holmes, Margaret & Poe

1. Holmes, Marple & Poe (2024)
2. Holmes is Missing (2024)

Jane Smith Thrillers

1. 12 Months to Live (2023)
2. Hard to Kill (2024)
3. The Hamptons Lawyer (2025)

Amy Cornwall

1. The Cornwalls Vanish (2019)
2. Countdown (2024)

2 Sisters

1. 2 Sisters Detective Agency (2021)
2. 2 Sisters Murder Investigations (2025)

The Shadow Thrillers

1. The Shadow (2021)
2. Circle of Death (2023)
3. The President’s Shadow (2025)

Doc Savage Thrillers

1. The Perfect Assassin (2022)
2. Murder Island (2024)

Investigation Discovery

1. Murder, Interrupted (2018)
2. Home Sweet Murder (2018)
3. Murder Beyond the Grave (2018)
4. Murder Thy Neighbor (2020)
5. Murder of Innocence (2020)
6. Til Murder Do Us Part (2021)

Harriet Blue

1. Never Never (2017)
2. Fifty Fifty (2018)
3. Liar Liar (2019)
4. Hush (2019)

The Black Book

1. The Black Book (2017)
2. The Red Book (2021)
3. Escape (2022)

Invisible

1. Invisible (2013)
2. Unsolved (2019)

Instinct

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

Other Notables

These aren’t part of a major series, but worth checking out:

• Zoo (2012)
• The Murder House (2015)
• The Store (2017)
• The President is Missing (with Bill Clinton) (2018)
• Lost (2019)
• Run Rose Run (with Dolly Parton)(2022)
• The House of Wolves (2023)

James Patterson’s writing style is like a drive-thru thriller—fast, satisfying, and addictive. Whether you’re new to his books or just trying to keep your series straight, I hope this list makes it a little easier to dive back into his world.

Let me know in the comments which Patterson series is your favourite. (Mine? Probably Alex Cross—always has been, always will be.)