Mystery & Thriller Series in Reading Order
Find mystery, crime, and thriller books in reading order, with author bibliographies, series guides, and practical help on where to start. Mystery Sequels has helped readers navigate long-running and connected series since 2013.
Find an Author, Series or Book
Search the Mystery Sequels catalogue by author, series, or book title, or browse the complete author and series index.
Explore Series Reading-Order Guides
Follow complete reading orders for some of the major mystery, crime, and thriller series covered on Mystery Sequels.
Alex Delaware Series
Jonathan Kellerman’s Los Angeles crime series featuring psychologist Alex Delaware and LAPD detective Milo Sturgis.
Jack Reacher Series
Lee Child’s action-thriller series featuring former military police investigator Jack Reacher, now co-written with Andrew Child.
Orphan X Series
Gregg Hurwitz’s thriller series featuring Evan Smoak, a former government assassin known as Orphan X.
Ruth Galloway Series
Elly Griffiths’ Norfolk mystery series featuring forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway.
Alex Cross Series
James Patterson’s crime series featuring detective and forensic psychologist Alex Cross in Washington, D.C.
Pendergast Series
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s thriller series featuring FBI Special Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast.
Featured Author Guides
Explore a selection of in-depth guides with verified reading orders, series connections, and practical starting-point advice.
Reviews and Interviews from Mystery Sequels
Original reviews and conversations from the Mystery Sequels archive, including interviews with crime and thriller authors about their books, characters, and writing.
Book review: Out of the Ashes by M.J. Arlidge
Peter James on Roy Grace and writing crime fiction (2015)
David Khara on the Consortium Thriller series and Eytan Morgenstern (2014)
Suggest an Author or Correction
Can’t find an author, series, or book title? You can suggest an addition or let me know when a reading order needs checking. Reader suggestions help decide which guides are researched and updated next.
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Mystery Sequels is an independent reading-order reference site founded by Marika Charalambous in 2013. Guides are researched using official author websites, publishers, award organisations, library catalogues, and established bibliographic sources. Learn more about how Mystery Sequels is researched.