Douglas Preston Books in Order

Douglas Preston is a New York Times bestselling author known for his collaboration with Lincoln Child in creating the Pendergast thriller series.

This page lists all Douglas Preston books in order, including his collaborative work with Lincoln Child as well as his solo novels, along with short stories, novellas, and collections, organized by publication order unless otherwise noted.

Latest Douglas Preston Books

Pendergast: The Beginning
Pendergast: The Beginning (Pendergast #23), January 2026

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FBI Agent Pendergast Series (Books in Order)

The Pendergast series follows FBI Special Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast through a mix of investigative thrillers with gothic and supernatural elements. The list below is in publication order, with a later-written origin-story prequel noted separately. For the full Pendergast reading order, see Pendergast Books in Order.

Co-authored with Lincoln Child.

Publication Order

  1. Relic, 1995
  2. Reliquary, 1997
  3. The Cabinet of Curiosities, 2002
  4. Still Life with Crows, 2003
  5. Brimstone, 2004
  6. Dance of Death, 2005
  7. The Book of the Dead, 2007
  8. The Wheel of Darkness, 2008
  9. Cemetery Dance, 2009
  10. Fever Dream, 2010
  11. Cold Vengeance, 2011
  12. Two Graves, 2012
  13. White Fire, 2013
  14. Blue Labyrinth, 2014
  15. Crimson Shore, 2015
  16. The Obsidian Chamber, 2016
  17. City of Endless Night, 2018
  18. Verses for the Dead, 2018
  19. Crooked River, 2020
  20. Bloodless, 2021
  21. The Cabinet of Dr. Leng, 2023
  22. Angel of Vengeance, 2024
  23. Pendergast: The Beginning, 2026 (origin-story prequel set before Relic)

Reading notes:

  • Pendergast: The Beginning is a novel set before the events of Relic but published much later.
  • If you’re new to the series and enjoy origin stories, you can start with Pendergast: The Beginning and then move on to Relic.
  • If you prefer to read in publication order, start with Relic and save Pendergast: The Beginning as a “background” novel once you know the character.

Nora Kelly Series (Books in Order)

The Nora Kelly series follows museum archaeologist Nora Kelly as she investigates historical mysteries and unexplained deaths, mixing archaeological adventure with modern crime investigation.

Co-authored with Lincoln Child.

Publication Order

  1. Thunderhead (#0.5), 1999
  2. Old Bones (#1), 2019
  3. The Scorpion’s Tale (#2), 2021
  4. Diablo Mesa (#3), 2022
  5. Dead Mountain (#4), 2023
  6. Badlands (#5), 2025

Reading notes

  • While Thunderhead is considered a standalone novel, it is also a prequel to the Nora Kelly series. If you have already started the series, you can read the prequel at any time. It will not disrupt the events of the main series.

Gideon Crew Series (Books in Order)

The Gideon Crew series follows scientist and former thief Gideon Crew who takes on high-stakes missions, in thrillers that combine scientific threats with global conspiracies.

Co-authored with Lincoln Child.

Publication Order

  1. Gideon’s Sword, 2011
  2. Gideon’s Corpse, 2012
  3. The Lost Island, 2014
  4. Beyond the Ice Limit, 2016
  5. The Pharaoh Key, 2018

Wyman Ford Series (Books in Order)

The Wyman Ford series follows former CIA agent and scientist Wyman Ford in investigations that involve espionage, scientific, and paranormal elements.

Publication Order

  1. Tyrannosaur Canyon, 2005
  2. Blasphemy, 2008
  3. Impact, 2010
  4. The Kraken Project, 2014

Cash & Colcord Series (Books in Order)

The Cash & Colcord series follows two investigators who confront large-scale threats related to science and technology, in fast-paced techno-thriller style stories.

Co-authored with Aletheia Preston.

Publication Order

Novellas and Short Stories

Short Story Collections and Anthologies

Standalone Novels

Non-Fiction Books

Douglas Preston Biography


Douglas Preston is a New York Times bestselling author of fiction and non-fiction books, best known for co-creating the long-running FBI Agent Pendergast series with Lincoln Child.
Author website: prestonchild.com

Douglas Preston was born as Douglas Jerome Preston in 1956 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He graduated from Cambridge School of Weston in Weston, Massachusetts, and from Pomona College in Claremont, California.

Douglas Preston

From 1978 to 1985, he worked at the American Museum of Natural History as a writer, editor, and manager of publications.

His first book, Dinosaurs in the Attic (1986), was a nonfiction book about the museum’s history and expeditions, and it started his writing career.

After leaving the museum, he began writing full time. His most widely known series to date is FBI Agent Pendergast, which was written in collaboration with Lincoln Child. In addition to the Pendergast novels, the two authors have written together several other series and standalone thrillers.

Douglas Preston has also written solo novels and numerous nonfiction books, many focused on archaeology, exploration, and the history of the American Southwest. His research has taken him to several remote locations around the world.

He has participated in USO tours supporting U.S. service members overseas and has received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Pomona College. He serves on the Board of Governors of the Authors Guild and is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Douglas Preston Books Adaptations and TV Works

  • The Relic – adapted into the film Relic (1997)
  • Jennie – adapted into the TV movie The Jennie Project (2001)
  • Superfire – TV movie (2002)
  • The Lost City of the Monkey God – adapted into the TV documentary based on the non-fiction book The Lost City of the Monkey God (2018)

Douglas Preston Awards and Honors

Awards

  • The Monster of Florence – Black Quill Awards for Dark Genre Book of Non-Fiction, Editors’ Choice (2008)
  • Impact – New England Book Festival, science fiction category (2010)

Nominations and Shortlists

  • The Ice Limit – Evergreen Book Award (2003)
  • Still Life with Crows – Audie Awards nomination for Science-Fiction (2004)
  • Brimstone – Audie Awards nomination for Mystery and Science-Fiction (2005)
  • White Fire – International Thriller Writers Award, Best Hardcover Novel (2014)
  • Blue Labyrinth – Audie Awards nomination for Thriller or Suspense (2016)
  • Crimson Shore – Audie Awards nomination for Mystery (2017)
  • The Lost City of the Monkey God – Goodreads Choice Award nomination (2017)
  • The Scorpion’s Tail – Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award for Mystery (2022)
  • Extinction – Goodreads Choice Award nomination (2024)
  • The Lost Tomb – Goodreads Choice Award nomination (2024)

Edited by

Marika

Founder of Mystery Sequels, a reference site focused on listing mystery and thriller books in the correct reading order. I maintain and update the site’s bibliographies as new titles are released, ensuring accuracy and consistency across author and series pages.

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5 Comments

  1. correction – he lives in NEW Mexico – still part of the USA

  5. At the age of 85 I finally had the time to seriously read again. My daughter sent me “two graves” for Christmas last
    year (2015). At this point in time (July), I possess 13 of the series and 2 of the 4 Gideons. The remaining 4 from both series are on order.

    Your writing is spell binding. I read one book in a day and a half. Did not eat much on the way. If you ever have had a fan,and I know you two do, count me in.

    How about a list from the both of you of your favorite singles. Jack\

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