Brad Meltzer Books In Order – Complete List

Brad Meltzer is the bestselling author of the Culper Ring trilogy, which is a political spy thriller series, the Zig & Nola series, the Conspiracy non-fiction series, his short stories, superhero stories, as well as several standalone novels.

Reading the Brad Meltzer books in order is rather easy for his thriller books because his series featuring the young archivist Beecher White includes only three novels (although the series still continues). He has also continued his older Escape Artist series, The Lightning Rod, and his Conspiracy series. The other Brad Meltzer’s books are standalone thriller novels, graphic novels, and chapbooks.

Here are the Brad Meltzer books in order for his spy thriller novels and everything else he has written so far.

New Brad Meltzer Books

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Culper Ring Trilogy in Order of Publication

1. The Inner Circle, 2011
2. The Fifth Assassin, 2013
3. The President’s Shadow, 2015

Zig & Nola Books in Order of Publication

aka The Escape Artist series

1. The Escape Artist, 2018
2. The Lightning Rod, 2022

The Conspiracy Series in Order of Publication

1. The First Conspiracy, 2019
2. The Lincoln Conspiracy, 2020
3. The Nazi Conspiracy, 2023

Identity Crisis Graphic Novel Series in Order of Publication

• Identity Crisis, 2004
• Absolute Identity Crisis, 2004

Justice League of America Series in Order of Publication

• Justice League of America, 2008 (collected edition)

Stories Change the World Picture Book Series in Order of Publication

• I Am Batman, 2022
• I Am Superman, 2022
• I Am Wonder Woman, 2023

Ordinary People Change the World Picture Book Series in Order of Publication

Short Stories in Publication Order

• Green Arrow: Archer’s Quest, 2003

Anthologies in Publication Order

• The Mighty Johns, 2002 (with David Baldacci, Anne Perry, Lawrence Block, Dennis Lehane)
• Suspense Magazine, January 2011, 2011 (with Jeffery Deaver, Stuart Woods
• Half-Minute Horrors, 2011
• The Mystery Box, 2013 (Mystery Writers of America Presents series)
• Suspense Magazine January 2013, 2013
• Last Night, a Superhero Saved My Life, 2016

Standalone Books in Publication Order

• The Tenth Justice, 1997
• Dead Even, 1998
• The First Counsel, 2001
• The Millionaires, 2002
• The Zero Game, 2005
• The Book of Fate, 2006
• The Book of Lies, 2008
• The House of Secrets, 2016 (with Tod Goldberg)

Non-Fiction Books in Publication Order

• Heroes for My Son, 2010
• Heroes for My Daughter, 2012
• History Decoded: The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time, 2013

Brad Meltzer Biography – About the Author

Born on April 1, 1970, in Brooklyn, New York, Brad Meltzer was raised in a family of lawyers. From an early age, he was surrounded by books and encouraged to read widely. After moving to Miami in South Florida, he went to the North Miami Beach Senior High School from where he graduated in 1988.

He attended the University of Michigan, where he studied History and Political Science, and later obtained a law degree from Columbia Law School in 1993.

While in college, at the age of 19 he got an internship on Capitol Hill in Washington, which helped him eventually become the political thriller author he is now, having quite the influence upon his books. After graduating from college, Brad moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked for a number of years as a lawyer.

However, his true passion was always writing, and he began to pursue it more seriously in his spare time. In 1997, Brad published his debut novel, The Tenth Justice, which quickly became a best-seller and launched his career as a writer.

Brad Meltzer worked as an attorney for a few years before quitting to pursue his passion for writing.

In 1993, after graduation, he started working at the Games magazine, but as the publisher he wanted to work for left the job not long after, he decided to switch paths and started to write his first novel, which was titled Fraternity. This first novel got 24 rejections and was never officially published.

He enrolled in the Columbia Law School shortly after. While a student, he wrote his second novel, The Tenth Justice, which is the first book to be accepted by a publisher and to see the day of light. It was published in 1997.

While working on his espionage thriller novels, the author also started to dabble in other genres, writing several comic book issues for several superheroes, including  The Green Arrow, Superman/Batman as well as Justice League of America and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In addition, he has several children’s stories and non-fiction books.

Since then, Brad has published over twenty novels, including The Inner Circle, The Book of Fate, and Dead Even. His books have been translated into over twenty-five languages and sold over ten million copies worldwide. Brad’s writing is known for its fast-paced action, intricate plot twists, and engaging characters.

In addition to his novels, Brad Meltzer is also a prolific non-fiction writer. His books on American history and the role of heroes in society, such as Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter, have earned him a reputation as a thoughtful and inspiring author. He has also written several comic book series, including Identity Crisis and Justice League of America.

In addition to his writing, Brad is also a popular television show creator, host, and comic book writer. He has hosted several shows on the History Channel, including Brad Meltzer’s Decoded and Lost History, which explore some of America’s most fascinating and mysterious stories. He has also appeared on numerous other television shows, including The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Today Show. He is also the co-creator of the TV series Jack & Bobby, which ran from 2004 to 2005 on WB.

I first came upon this author back in the late 1990s when I’ve read his Tenth Justice novel and I was hooked. It was at a time when I was devouring legal thrillers by authors like Scott Turow, Steve Martini, Philip Margolin, so I welcomed another similar author’s books to add to my TBR shelf.

The House of Secrets was co-authored with Tod Goldberg, the author who novelized the TV series Burn Notice. The book features Hazel Nash who wakes up in the hospital with amnesia. She doesn’t even remember her own name. But she is told that she was in a car crash which killed her father and severely injured her brother.

When the FBI shows up at the hospital door, Hazel has no idea why they are grilling her about some secrets belonging to Benedict Arnold. Now Hazel decides to find out for herself what is going on and why that small Bible found inside a dead man’s body is so important.

For his books, the writer does a lot of research. For example, for the story in The Millionaires, he has to learn how to alter one’s identity. How to steal identities of people, something that he learned it’s all too easy, including getting a new passport and a fake social security number. That particular book was the first where the author departed from the world of lawyers and bankers and went with his thrillers in a new direction (and city).

One of my favorite books is The Escape Artist, published in 2018. It focuses on Zigarowski, who goes by “Zig,” the Port Mortuary Branch Chief at Dover who conducts autopsies and ensures that the deceased’s family members will see the person just as they remember him.

When Zig starts to work on Nola’s body, he recognizes the name from many years ago. But the more he works on her body the more he doubts that it’s the same person he knew back then. So who is this person who died in the plane crash and more importantly – where is the real Nola?

Zig is a regular guy who ends up in a highly irregular situation. The loss of his daughter deeply wounds him, and he tries to make the best of his situation. He is a real unlikely hero.

All the books have been at some point on bestseller lists and over the years have been translated into over 25 languages.

The new books have changed genres over the last few years: the author has started writing books for kids in a series titled Ordinary People Change the World. As Mystery Sequels is geared towards crime, mystery and thriller series, it will not be featured here. However, I still recommend reading it with the kids.