Alex Delaware Books in Order

The Alex Delaware series follows child psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware, who helps LAPD homicide detective Milo Sturgis investigate murders in Los Angeles. Milo usually calls Alex when the cases are stuck on the human element. For example, a witness’s account does not fit with what the evidence found, a family keeps repeating the same explanation, or things just don’t add up. Their first case, When the Bough Breaks (1985), won both the Edgar Award and Anthony Award for Best First Novel.

Amazon MGM Studios announced a television adaptation of the series in 2026, which is in development.

This page lists the Alex Delaware novels in publication order, the graphic novel adaptations, and other Jonathan Kellerman books connected to Alex and Milo. For the author’s other books, see Jonathan Kellerman Books in Order.

A printable book list is available below. You can print it or save it as a PDF.

Latest Alex Delaware Books

More upcoming releases:

• Malice (Alex Delaware #42) – February 2, 2027

Reading notes:

• Jonathan Kellerman gives Alex and Milo a new investigation in every novel, and there is enough background in each book so they can be read in any order.
• Starting with When the Bough Breaks will follow Alex’s relationship with Robin Castagna, Milo’s police career, and the related detectives.
• The graphic novels adapt Silent Partner, The Web, and Monster. They do not add new cases or change the numbering of the Alex Delaware novels.
• The Petra Connor novels and True Detectives share characters with the Alex Delaware series, but they are not part of the numbered reading order. They are listed separately below under Other Jonathan Kellerman Books Connected to Alex Delaware.

Who Are Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis?

Alex Delaware

Alex Delaware is a Los Angeles psychologist who specialized in treating children. At the beginning of When the Bough Breaks, he stopped doing clinical work after a traumatic case. Milo Sturgis asks him to interview a seven-year-old girl who may have witnessed a murder, and Alex becomes a consultant on the investigation.

Alex does not carry a badge and he’s not part of the actual police force. He speaks with witnesses and families, checks their accounts against what others have said, and notices the answer someone avoids or is too careful when speaking. During some investigations, he meets former patients again or runs into people he knew from before through his clinical work. His long relationship with Robin Castagna also continues across the series, which makes it more important to read the books in publication order, even though the cases themselves are usually solved by the end of the book.

Milo Sturgis

Milo Sturgis is an LAPD homicide detective and Alex’s closest friend. He is the official investigator who questions suspects, checks alibis, and assigns work to other detectives on he case. While checking the physical evidence, if something doesn’t add up about the people he finds connected to the case and the police is not enough for the right type of questioning, he calls Alex for help since Alex is best at interpreting people behind their public faces.

Jonathan Kellerman created Milo as a gay detective at a time when, as he recalls, the LAPD denied that gay officers existed. At the beginning, Milo faces prejudice within the department, but he continues to advance and eventually becomes a lieutenant. His long-term relationship with trauma surgeon Richard Silverman also develops next to Alex and Robin’s story.

Where to Start with the Alex Delaware Series

New to Alex Delaware? Start here:

• Best starting point: When the Bough Breaks – the first Alex Delaware novel, introducing Alex, Milo Sturgis, Robin Castagna, and the working partnership that continues through the series. Start here if you want to follow the recurring characters from the beginning.
• If you pick up a later book first: each novel has its own murder investigation, and Kellerman gives enough background to follow the case. You may still want to return to When the Bough Breaks afterwards to see how Alex and Milo first began working together and how their friendship started.
• If you want to follow the personal storylines: read in publication order. Alex’s relationship with Robin, Milo’s police career, and the detectives working with them change gradually in the books.
• If you want the connected novels: read Bones before True Detectives, and begin the Petra Connor books with Billy Straight. These books share characters with Alex and Milo but are not part of the Alex Delaware series.

Related Jonathan Kellerman Series

• Jonathan Kellerman Books in Order – complete list of Kellerman’s series and standalone novels.