James Patterson has published 281 novels, 4 novellas, 4 short story collections, 2 non-fiction books, 26 children's books and 5 other books, beginning with The Thomas Berryman Number (1976). The 18 series include Alex Cross (36 books, starting with Along Came a Spider), Women's Murder Club (26 books, starting with 1st to Die) and Michael Bennett (17 books, starting with Step on a Crack). 2 feature Jack Morgan. The best-known is 1st to Die (2001). The latest is 26 Beauties (2026).
Updated September 2026
Alex Cross books in order (36)Series page
Reading order: 1 Along Came a Spider (1993) · 2 Kiss the Girls (1995) · 3 Jack & Jill (1996) · 4 Cat and Mouse (1997) · 5 Pop Goes the Weasel (1999) · 6 Roses Are Red (2000) · 7 Violets Are Blue (2001) · 8 The Big Bad Wolf (2003) · 9 London Bridges (2004) · 10 Mary, Mary (2006) · … all 36 below
- 1.
Along Came a Spider (1993)
- 2.
Kiss the Girls (Jan 1995)
- 3.
Jack & Jill (1996), also published as Jack and Jill
- 4.
Cat and Mouse (1997)
- 5.
Pop Goes the Weasel (1999)
- 6.
Roses Are Red (2000)
- 7.
Violets Are Blue (2001)
- 8.
The Big Bad Wolf (Nov 2003), also published as Four Blind Mice
- 9.
London Bridges (2004)
- 10.
Mary, Mary (Oct 2006)
- 11.
Cross (2006)
- 12.
Double Cross (Nov 2007)
- 13.
Cross Country (Nov 2008)
- 14.
Alex Cross's Trial (2009)
- 15.
I, Alex Cross (Nov 2009)
- 16.
Cross Fire (Nov 2010)
- 17.
Kill Alex Cross (2011)
- 18.
Merry Christmas, Alex Cross (Nov 2012)
- 19.
Alex Cross, Run (Feb 2013)
- 20.
Cross My Heart (2013)
- 21.
Hope to Die (2014)
- 22.
Cross Justice (2015)
- 23.
Cross the Line (2016)
- 24.
The People Vs. Alex Cross (2017)
- 25.
Target: Alex Cross (2018)
- 26.
Criss Cross (2019)
- 27.
Deadly Cross (2020)
- 28.
Fear No Evil (2021)
- 29.
Triple Cross (2022)
- 30.
Cross Down (2023)
- 31.
Alex Cross Must Die (2024)
- 32.
House of Cross (2024)
- 33.
Return of the Spider (2025)
- 34.
The Family Cross (2026)
Detective Cross (2017)
Target (2018)
Women's Murder Club books in order (26)Series page
Reading order: 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 8th Confession (2009) · 9 The 9th Judgment (2010) · 10 10th Anniversary (2011) · … all 26 below
- 1.
1st to Die (Mar 2001)
- 2.
2nd Chance (2002)
- 3.
3rd Degree (2004), with Andrew Gross
- 4.
4th of July (2005), with Maxine Paetro
- 5.
The 5th Horseman (2006), with Maxine Paetro
- 6.
The 6th Target (2007), with Maxine Paetro
- 7.
7th Heaven (2008), with Maxine Paetro
- 8.
8th Confession (Apr 2009)
- 9.
The 9th Judgment (Apr 2010)
- 10.
10th Anniversary (2011)
- 11.
11th Hour (May 2012), with Maxine Paetro
- 12.
12th of Never (2013)
- 13.
Unlucky 13 (2014)
- 14.
14th Deadly Sin (2015)
- 15.
15th Affair (2016), with Maxine Paetro
- 16.
16th Seduction (2017)
- 17.
The 17th Suspect (2018)
- 18.
The 18th Abduction (2019)
- 19.
The 19th Christmas (2019)
- 20.
The 20th Victim (2020)
- 21.
21st Birthday (2021)
- 22.
22 Seconds (2022)
- 23.
23rd Midnight (2023)
- 24.
23 1/2 Lies (2023)
- 25.
The 24th Hour (2025)
- 26.
25 Alive (2025)
Michael Bennett books in order (17)Series page
Reading order: 1 Step on a Crack (2007) · 2 Run for Your Life (2009) · 3 Worst Case (2008) · 4 Tick Tock (2010) · 5 I, Michael Bennett (2012) · 6 Gone (2013) · 7 Burn (2014) · 8 Alert (2015) · 9 Bullseye (2016) · 10 Haunted (2017) · … all 17 below
- 1.
Step on a Crack (Feb 2007), with Michael Ledwidge
- 2.
Run for Your Life (Feb 2009), with Michael Ledwidge
- 3.
Worst Case (2008)
- 4.
Tick Tock (2010)
- 5.
I, Michael Bennett (2012), with Michael Ledwidge
- 6.
Gone (2013)
- 7.
Burn (2014)
- 8.
Alert (2015)
- 9.
Bullseye (2016)
- 10.
Haunted (2017)
- 11.
Ambush (2018)
- 12.
Blindside (2019)
- 13.
The Russian (2021)
- 14.
Shattered (2022)
- 15.
Obsessed (2023)
- 16.
Crosshairs (2024)
- 17.
Paranoia (2025)
Private books in order (14)Series page
Reading order: 1 Private (2008) · 2 Private #1 Suspect (2012) · 3 Private Games (2012) · 4 Private London (2011) · 5 Private Berlin (2012) · 6 Private L.A (2014) · 7 Private India (2014) · 8 Private Vegas (2015) · 9 Private Paris (2016) · 10 The Games: A Private Novel (2016) · … all 14 below
- 1.
Private (2008)
- 2.
Private #1 Suspect (2012)
- 3.
Private Games (2012)
- 4.
Private London (2011)
- 5.
Private Berlin (2012)
- 6.
Private L.A (Feb 2014)
- 7.
Private India (2014)
- 8.
Private Vegas (2015)
- 9.
Private Paris (2016)
- 10.
The Games: A Private Novel (2016)
- 11.
The Games (2016), also published as Count to Ten: A Private Novel
- 12.
Princess: A Private Novel (2018)
- 13.
Private Moscow (2020)
- 14.
Missing Persons (2021)
Middle School books in order (14)Series page
Reading order: 1 Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life (2011) · 2 Get Me Out of Here! (2012) · 3 My Brother Is a Big, Fat Liar (2013) · 4 How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill (2013) · 5 Ultimate Showdown (2014) · 6 Save Rafe (2014) · 7 Just My Rotten Luck (2015) · 8 Dog's Best Friend (2016) · 9 Escape to Australia (2017) · 10 From Hero to Zero (2017) · … all 14 below
- 1.
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life (2011)
- 2.
Get Me Out of Here! (2012)
- 3.
My Brother Is a Big, Fat Liar (2013)
- 4.
How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill (2013)
- 5.
Ultimate Showdown (2014)
- 6.
Save Rafe (2014)
- 7.
Just My Rotten Luck (2015)
- 8.
Dog's Best Friend (2016)
- 9.
Escape to Australia (2017)
- 10.
From Hero to Zero (2017)
- 11.
Born to Rock (2019)
- 12.
Master of Disaster (2020)
- 13.
Field Trip Fiasco (2021)
- 14.
It's a Zoo in Here! (2022)
Maximum Ride books in order (9)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Angel Experiment (2005) · 2 Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever (2006) · 3 Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (2007) · 4 Maximum Ride: The Final Warning (2008) · 5 Max (2009) · 6 Fang (2010) · 7 Angel (2011) · 8 Nevermore (2012) · 9 Maximum Ride Forever (2015)
- 1.
The Angel Experiment (2005)
- 2.
Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever (2006)
- 3.
Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (2007)
- 4.
Maximum Ride: The Final Warning (Mar 2008)
- 5.
Max (2009)
- 6.
Fang (Mar 2010)
- 7.
Angel (2011)
- 8.
Nevermore (Aug 2012)
- 9.
Maximum Ride Forever (2015)
Treasure Hunters books in order (8)Series page
Reading order: 1 Treasure Hunters (2015) · 2 Danger Down the Nile (2014) · 3 Secret of the Forbidden City (2015) · 4 Peril at the Top of the World (2016) · 5 Quest for the City of Gold (2017) · 6 All-American Adventure (2019) · 7 The Plunder Down Under (2020) · 8 The Ultimate Quest (2022)
- 1.
Treasure Hunters (2015)
- 2.
Danger Down the Nile (2014)
- 3.
Secret of the Forbidden City (2015)
- 4.
Peril at the Top of the World (2016)
- 5.
Quest for the City of Gold (2017)
- 6.
All-American Adventure (2019)
- 7.
The Plunder Down Under (2020)
- 8.
The Ultimate Quest (2022)
Daniel X books in order (6)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (2008) · 2 Daniel X: Watch the Skies (2009) · 3 Demons and Druids (2010) · 4 Game Over (2011) · 5 Daniel X: Armageddon (2012) · 6 Lights Out (2012)
- 1.
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (Jul 2008)
- 2.
Daniel X: Watch the Skies (Jul 2009)
- 3.
Demons and Druids (Jul 2010)
- 4.
Game Over (2011)
- 5.
Daniel X: Armageddon (2012), with Chris Grabenstein
- 6.
Lights Out (2012)
NYPD Red books in order (6)Series page
Reading order: 1 Nypd Red (2012) · 2 Nypd Red 2 (2014) · 3 NYPD Red 3 (2015) · 4 NYPD Red 4 (2016) · 5 NYPD Red 5 (2018) · 6 NYPD Red 6 (2020)
- 1.
Nypd Red (2012)
- 2.
Nypd Red 2 (2014)
- 3.
NYPD Red 3 (Mar 2015)
- 4.
NYPD Red 4 (2016)
- 5.
NYPD Red 5 (2018)
- 6.
NYPD Red 6 (2020)
Dog Diaries books in order (6)Series page
Reading order: 1 Dog Diaries (2018) · 2 Happy Howlidays! (2018) · 3 Mission Impawsible (2019) · 4 Dog Diaries: Curse of the Mystery Mutt (2019) · 5 Camping Chaos! (2020) · 6 Dinosaur Disaster (2022)
- 1.
Dog Diaries (2018)
- 2.
Happy Howlidays! (2018)
- 3.
Mission Impawsible (2019)
- 4.
Dog Diaries: Curse of the Mystery Mutt (2019)
- 5.
Camping Chaos! (2020)
- 6.
Dinosaur Disaster (2022)
I Funny books in order (5)Series page
Reading order: 1 I Funny (2012) · 2 I Even Funnier (2013) · 3 I Totally Funniest (2015) · 4 I Funny Tv (2015) · 5 The Nerdiest, Wimpiest, Dorkiest I Funny Ever (2018)
- 1.
I Funny (2012)
- 2.
I Even Funnier (2013)
- 3.
I Totally Funniest (2015)
- 4.
I Funny Tv (2015)
- 5.
The Nerdiest, Wimpiest, Dorkiest I Funny Ever (2018)
Witch & Wizard books in order (4)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Gift (2009) · 2 The Fire (2011) · 3 The Kiss (2013) · 4 Lost (2020)
- 1.
The Gift (2009)
- 2.
The Fire (2011)
- 3.
The Kiss (2013)
- 4.
Lost (Jan 2020)
Detective Harriet Blue books in order (4)Series page
Reading order: 1 Never Never (2016) · 2 Fifty Fifty (2017) · 3 Liar, Liar (2018) · 4 Hush Hush (2019)
- 1.
Never Never (2016)
- 2.
Fifty Fifty (2017)
- 3.
Liar, Liar (2018)
- 4.
Hush Hush (2019)
Travis McKinley books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Miracle on the 17th Green (1996) · 2 Miracle at Augusta (2015) · 3 Miracle at St. Andrews (2019)
- 1.
Miracle on the 17th Green (1996)
- 2.
Miracle at Augusta (2015)
- 3.
Miracle at St. Andrews (2019)
House of Robots books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 House of Robots (2014) · 2 Robots Go Wild! (2015) · 3 Robot Revolution (2017)
- 1.
House of Robots (2014)
- 2.
Robots Go Wild! (2015)
- 3.
Robot Revolution (2017)
Billy Harney books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Black Book (2017) · 2 The Red Book (2021) · 3 Escape (2022)
- 1.
The Black Book (2017)
- 2.
The Red Book (2021)
- 3.
Escape (2022)
Rory Yates books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Texas Ranger (2018) · 2 Texas Outlaw (2020) · 3 Texas Murders (2025)
- 1.
Texas Ranger (2018)
- 2.
Texas Outlaw (2020)
- 3.
Texas Murders (2025)
Ali Cross trilogy books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Ali Cross (2019) · 2 Like Father Like Son (2021) · 3 The Secret Detective (2022)
- 1.
Ali Cross (2019)
- 2.
Like Father Like Son (2021)
- 3.
The Secret Detective (2022)
Where to start with James Patterson
Start here
1st to Die
James Patterson's most-read book and the first of the 26 Women's Murder Club books.
Highest rated
Violets Are Blue
Rated 4.3 out of 5 by 26 readers.
Shortest way in
Step on a Crack
One of the most-read, at about 383 pages.
Standalone novels in order
The Thomas Berryman Number (1976)
Season of the Machete (1977)
The Jericho Commandment (1979)
Virgin (1980)
Black Market (1986)
The Midnight Club (1989)
Hide and Seek (1997)
When the Wind Blows (Oct 1998)
The Beach House (2001)
The Jester (2003)
The Lake House (2003)
Sam's Letters to Jennifer (2004)
Honeymoon (2005)
Lifeguard (2005)
Beach Road (2006)
Judge and Jury by James Patterson (2006-07-03) (2006)
The Quickie (2007)
You've Been Warned (2007)
Against Medical Advice (2008)
The Postcard Killers (2008)
Sundays at Tiffany's (Apr 2008), with Cate Tiernan
Sail (Jun 2008)
Against Medical Advice: A True Story (Oct 2008)
Bikini (2009)
The Murder of King Tut (2009)
Witch and Wizard (Dec 2009), with Cate Tiernan
Don't Blink (2010)
Maximum Ride: The Manga (2010)
Daniel X (2011)
Kill Me If You Can (2011)
Now You See Her (2011)
The Christmas Wedding (2011)
Toys (2011)
Witch and Wizard: The Fire (Dec 2011)
Guilty Wives (2012)
Zoo (2012)
Confessions (2013)
Second Honeymoon (2013)
The Private Down Under (2013)
Mistress (Aug 2013)
Invisible (2014)
Homeroom Diaries (Jul 2014)
Private Sydney (2015)
The 13-minute Murder (2015)
The Murder House (2015)
Truth or Die (2015)
Humans, Bow Down (2016)
Kill or Be Killed (2016)
Private Delhi (2016)
Woman of God (2016)
Word of Mouse (2016)
Count to Ten (2017)
Crazy House (2017)
Expelled (2017)
Juror #3 (2017)
The Moores Are Missing (2017)
All-American Murder (2018)
Home Sweet Murder (2018)
Murder Beyond the Grave (2018)
Murder, Interrupted (2018)
Red Alert (2018)
Revenge (2018)
The First Lady (2018)
The President Is Missing (Jun 2018), with Bill Clinton
Hush (2019)
Katt Vs. Dogg (2019)
Killer Instinct (2019)
Max Einstein (2019)
Sophia, Princess Among Beasts (2019)
The Chef (2019)
The Cornwalls Vanish (2019)
The Fall of Crazy House (2019)
The Inn (2019)
The Warning (2019)
Unsolved (2019)
1st Case (2020)
Becoming Muhammad Ali (2020)
Hawk (2020)
Murder of Innocence (2020)
Murder Thy Neighbor (2020)
The House of Kennedy (2020)
The Summer House (2020)
Three Women Disappear (2020)
2 Sisters Detective Agency (2021)
Best Nerds Forever (2021)
City of the Dead (2021)
Horsewoman (2021)
Scaredy Cat (2021)
The Jailhouse Lawyer (2021)
The Paris Detective (2021)
The Shadow (2021)
Till Murder Do Us Part (2021)
World Champions! (2021)
The President's Daughter (Jun 2021), with Bill Clinton
Blowback (2022)
Death of the Black Widow (2022)
Perfect Assassin (2022)
Runaway's Diary (2022)
Steal (2022)
The Girl in the Castle (2022)
Twelve Long, Hard, Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas (2022)
12 Months to Live (2023)
3 Days to Live (2023)
Countdown (2023)
House of Wolves (2023)
Eruption (2024)
Lies He Told Me (2024)
Murder Inn (2024)
#1 Dad Guide (2025)
2 Sisters Murder Investigations (2025)
Billion-Dollar Ransom (2025)
Emma on Fire (2025)
Holmes Is Missing (2025)
Imperfect Murder (2025)
Last Days of Marilyn Monroe (2025)
Minerva Keens Detective Club (2025)
MK's Detective Club (2025)
Never Say Die (2025)
Picasso Heist (2025)
President's Shadow (2025)
Private Dublin (2025)
Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians (2025)
The Hamptons Lawyer, Jane Smith #3 (2025)
Time Travel Twins (2025)
Writer (2025)
The Idaho Four (Jul 2025)
26 Beauties (May 2026)
Novellas in order
Alien Hunter (2008)
Cross Kill (2016)
Radiant (2016)
The Medical Examiner (2017)
Short story collections in order
Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas (2001)
Thriller (2006)
The House Next Door (2019)
The Palm Beach Murders (2021)
Non-fiction in order
James Patterson by James Patterson (2022)
Tiger, Tiger (2025)
Children's books in order
Confessions of a Murder Suspect (2012)
Middle School, Get Me Out of Here! (2012)
First Love (2013)
Middle School (2013)
Public School Superhero (2015)
Jacky Ha-Ha (2016)
Pottymouth and Stoopid (2016)
Not So Normal Norbert (2018)
Other books in order
Ninth Month (2022)
Raised by Wolves (2024)
#1 Dad Book (2025)
Cross and Sampson (Jan 2026)
Judge Stone (Mar 2026)
Film and TV adaptations
- Along Came a Spider (2001)Film · from Along Came a Spider
- Kiss the Girls (1998)Film · from Kiss the Girls
- Alex Cross (2012)Film · from Cross
- Sundays at Tiffany's (2010)TV · from Sundays at Tiffany's
- Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life (2016)Film · from Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
About James Patterson
James Brendan Patterson is an American author. Among his works are the Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women's Murder Club, Maximum Ride, Daniel X, NYPD Red, Witch & Wizard, Private and Middle School series, as well as many stand-alone thrillers, non-fiction, and romance novels. Patterson's books have sold more than 425 million copies, and he was the first person to sell one million e-books. In 2016, Patterson topped Forbes's list of highest-paid authors for the third consecutive year, with an income of $95 million. His total income over a decade is estimated at $700 million.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
James Patterson FAQ
- How many books has James Patterson written?
- James Patterson has published 281 novels, 4 novellas, 4 short story collections, 2 non-fiction books, 26 children's books and 5 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read James Patterson's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Alex Cross with Along Came a Spider, Women's Murder Club with 1st to Die and Michael Bennett with Step on a Crack. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is James Patterson's latest book?
- 26 Beauties (2026).
- What is James Patterson's most famous book?
- 1st to Die (2001) is James Patterson's most widely read book.
- Are James Patterson's books connected?
- 170 books belong to 18 series (Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club, Michael Bennett and Private); the other 152 books stand alone.
- Which James Patterson books have been adapted?
- 5 books have been adapted for film or TV, including Along Came a Spider (film, 2001), Kiss the Girls (film, 1998), Cross (as Alex Cross, film, 2012) and Sundays at Tiffany's (TV, 2010).
Authors like James Patterson
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.