James Patterson Books In Order – Complete List

Last Updated on April 18, 2024

Reading James Patterson’s books in order means delighting in his popular detective Alex Cross mystery series, his other crime and mystery series, and many thriller novels, including his Women’s Murder Club series and the detective Michael Bennett series, Jack Morgan, but nothing comes close to Alex Cross by far.

Here are all the James Patterson books in order of release for all his adult books including the many crime/mystery/thriller series, as well as several of his children’s books, listed in chronological and reading order, with the year added for each book.

Latest James Patterson Books

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Alex Cross Books in Publication Order

1. Along Came A Spider (#1), 1993
2. Kiss the Girls (#2), 1994
3. Jack & Jill (#3), 1996
4. Cat and Mouse (#4), 1997
5. Pop Goes the Weasel (#5), 1999
6. Roses are Red (#6), 2000
7. Violets are Blue (#7), 2001
8. Four Blind Mice (#8), 2002
9. The Big Bad Wolf (#9), 2003
10. London Bridges ( #10), 2004
11. Mary, Mary (#11), 2005
12. Cross (#12), 2006
13. Double Cross ( #13), 2007
14. Cross Country (#14), 2008
15. Alex Cross’s Trial (#15), 2009
16. I, Alex Cross (#16), 2009
17. Cross Fire (#17), 2009
18. Kill Alex Cross (#18), 2011
19. Merry Christmas, Alex Cross (#19), 2012
20. Alex Cross, Run (#20), 2011
21. Cross My Heart (#21), 2013
22. Hope to Die (#22), 2014
23. Cross Justice (#23), 2015
24. Cross Kill (#23.5), 2016
25. Cross the Line (#24), 2016
26. Detective Cross (#24.5), 2017
27. The People vs. Alex Cross (#25), 2017
28. Target: Alex Cross (#26), 2018
29. Criss Cross (#27), 2019
30. Deadly Cross (#28), 2020
31. Fear No Evil (#29), 2021
32. Tripple Cross (#30), 2022
33. Cross Down (#31), 2023
34. Alex Cross Must Die (#32), 2023

Ali Cross Books in Publication Order

featuring Ali, the son of Alex Cross

1. Ali Cross (#1), 2019
2. Like Father, Like Son ( #2), 2021
3. The Secret Detective (#3), 2022

Holmes, Marple & Poe Books in Publication Order

with Brian Sitts

1. Holmes, Marple & Poe (#1), 2024

Jane Smith Books in Order of Publication

with Mike Lupica

1. 12 Months to Live (#1), 2023
2. Hard to Kill (#2), 2024

Doc Savage Thriller Series in Order of Publication

with Brian Sitts

1. The Perfect Assassin (#1), 2023

Shadow Books in Order of Publication

with Brian Sitts

1. The Shadow, 2021
2. Circle of Death, 2023

Out of Sight Books in Order of Publication

aka The Amy Cornwall Series with Brendan DuBois

1. The Cornwalls are Gone (#1), 2019 (aka The Cornwalls Vanished)
2. Countdown (#2), 2019

Billy Harney Books / Black Book Thriller in Publication Order

with David Ellis

1. The Coldest Case, 2021 (audiobook novella)
2. The Black Book(#1), 2017
3. The Red Book ( #2), 2021
4. Escape( #3), 2022
5. Blackball (#4), 2025

Tom Moon Books in Order of Publication

1. Lost ( #1), 2019

Instinct Books in Order of Publication

co-authored with Howard Roughan

1. Instinct / Murder Games (t #1), 2017
2. Killer Instinct (#2), 2019
3. Steal (#3), 2022

Invisible Books in Order of Publication

co-authored with David Ellis

1. Invisible (#1), 2014
2. Unsolved (#2), 2019

Women’s Murder Club Series in Order of Publication

Co-authored with Maxine Paetro, Andrew Gross

1. 1st to Die (#1), 2000
2. 2nd Chance (#2), 2002
3. 3rd Degree (#3), 2004
4. 4th of July (#4), 2005
5. The 5th Horseman (#5), 2006
6. The 6th Target (#6), 2007
7. 7th Heaven (#7), 2008
8. The 8th Confession (#8), 2009
9. The 9th Judgement (#9), 2009
10. 10th Anniversary (#10), 2011
11. 11th Hour (#11), 2012
12. 12th of Never (#12), 2013
13. Unlucky 13 (#13), 2014
14. 14th Deadly Sin (#14), 2015
15. 15th Affair (#15) 2016
16. The Trial (#15.5) 2016
17. 16th Seduction (#16) 2017
18. The Medical Examiner (#16.5), 2017
19. 17th Suspect (#17), 2018
20. 18th Abduction (#18), 2019
21. 19th Christmas (#19), 2019
22. 20th Victim (#20), 2020
23. 21st Birthday (#21), 2021
24. 22 Seconds (#22), 2022
25. 23rd Midnight (#23), 2023
26. 23 1/2 Lies (#23.5), 2023
27. The 24th Hour (#24), 2024

Michael Bennett Books in Order of Publication

Co-authored with Michael Ledwidge, James O Born)

1. Step on a Crack (#1), 2007
2. Run For Your Life (#2), 2009
3. Worst Case (#3), 2009
4. Tick Tock (#4), 2010
5. I, Michael Bennett (#5), 2012
6. Gone (#6), 2013
7. Burn (#7), 2014
8. Alert (#8), 2015
9. Bullseye (#9), 2016
10. Haunted (#10), 2017
11. Manhunt (#10.5), 2017
12. Ambush (#11), 2018
13. Blindside (#12), 2020
14. The Russian (#13), 2021
15. Shattered (#14), 2022
16. Obsessed (#15), 2023
17. Crosshairs (#16), 2024

Private Series / Jack Morgan Books in Order of Publication

Co-authored with Michael White, Maxine Paetro, Mark Sullivan, Ashwin Sanghi, Kathryn Fox, Rees Jones, Jassy Mackenzie, Adam Hamdy

1. Private (#1), 2010
2. Private London (#2), 2011
3. Private Games (#3), 2012
4. Private Berlin (#5), 2012
5. Private: No. 1 Suspect (#4), 2012
6. Private Down Under (#6), 2012
7. Private L.A (#7), 2014
8. Private India ( #8), 2014
9. Private Vegas (#9), 2015
10. Private Paris (#11), 2016
11. Private Sydney (#10), 2015
12. The Games (#12), 2016 (also called Private Rio)
13. Private Royals (#12.5), 2016
14. Private Delhi (#13), 2017
15. Private Gold (#13.5), 2017
16. Private Princess (#14), 2018
17. Private Moscow (#15), 2020
18. Private Rogue (#16), 2021
19. Private Beijing (#17), 2022
20. Private Rome (#18), 2023
21. Private Monaco (#29), 2024

NYPD RED Books in Order of Publication

Co-authored with Marshall Karp

1. NYPD Red (#1), 2012
2. NYPD Red 2 (#2), 2014
3. NYPD Red 3 (#3), 2015
4. NYPD Red 4 (#4), 2016
5. NYPD Red 5 (#5), 2018
6. NYPD Red 6 (#6), 2020

Detective Luc Moncrief Books in Order of Publication

1. The French Kiss (#1), 2016
2. The Christmas Mystery (#2), 2016
3. French Twist (#3), 2017

Detective Harriet Blue Books in Order of Publication

1. Black & Blue (#0.5), 2016
2. Never Never (#1), 2016
3. Fifty Fifty (#2), 2018
4. Liar Liar (#3), 2018
5. Hush Hush (#4), 2019

Murder is Forever Books in Order of Publication

1. Murder, Interrupted (#1), 2018
2. Home Sweet Murder (#2), 2018
3. Murder Beyond Grave (#3), 2018
4. Murder Thy Neighbour (#4), 2020
5. Murder of Innocence (#5), 2020
6. Till Murder Do Us Part (#6), 2021

Confessions Books in Order of Publication

1. Confessions of a Murder Suspect, 2012
2. The Private School Murders, 2013
3. The Paris Mysteries, 2014
4. The Murder of an Angel, 2015

Crazy House Series in Order of Publication

(co-authored with Gabrielle Charbonnet)

1. Crazy House, 2017
2. The Fall of Crazy House, 2019

Rory Yates Books in Order of Publication

(co-authored with Andrew Bourelle)

• Texas Ranger (Rory Yates series #1), 2018 (co-authored with Andrew Bourelle)
• Texas Outlaw (Rory Yates series #1), 2020

Miracle / Travis McKinley Books in Order of Publication

(co-authored with Peter De Jonge)

1. Miracle on the 17th Green, 1996
2. Miracle at Augusta, 2015
3. Miracle at St Andrews, 2019

Ruby Bozarth Books in Order of Publication

with Nancy Allen

1. Juror #3, 2017
2. The Jailhouse Lawyer, 2021

When the Wind Blows Books in Order of Publication

1. When the Wind Blows, 1998
2. The Lake House, 2003

Maximum Ride Series in Order of Publication

1. The Angel Experiment, 2005
2. School’s Out Forever, 2006
3. Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, 2007
4. The Final Warning, 2007
5. Max, 2009
6. Fang, 2010
7. Angel, 2011
8. Nevermore, 2012
9. Maximum Ride Forever, 2015

Angela Hoot Series in Order of Publication

• 1st Case, 2020 (with Chris Tebbetts)

Honeymoon Books in Order of Publication

(co-authored with Howard Roughan)

1. Honeymoon, 2005
2. Second Honeymoon, 2013

Daniel X Series in Order of Publication

(co-authored with Michael Ledwidge, Ned Rust, Adam Sadler, Chris Grabenstein, Leopoldo Gout)

1. Dangerous Days of Daniel X, 2008
2. Watch the Skies, 2009
3. Demons and Druids, 2010
4. Game Over, 2011
5. Armageddon, 2012
6. Lights Out, 2015

 Daniel X Graphic Novels Books in Order of Publication

• Alien Hunter, 2008
• Daniel X: The Manga, Vol. 1, 2010 (with Michael Ledwidge)
• Daniel X: The Manga, Vol. 2, 2011 (with Ned Rust)
• Daniel X: The Manga, Vol. 3, 2012 (with Adam Sadler)

I Funny Series in Order of Publication

with Chris Grabenstein

• I Funny: A Middle School Story, 2012
• I Even Funnier, 2013
• I Totally Funniest, 2015
• I Funny TV, 2015
• I Funny: School of Laughs, 2017
• The Nerdiest, Wimpiest, Dorkiest I Funny Ever, 2018

Jacky Ha-Ha Books in Order of Publication

with Chris Grabenstein

• Jacky Ha-Ha, 2016
• My Life is a Joke, 2017
• Jacky Ha-Ha Gets the Last Laugh, 2023

Jacky Ha-Ha Graphic Novels in Order of Publication

• Jacky Ha-Ha: My Life is a Joke, 2021

Little Geniuses Books in Order of Publication

with Susan Patterson

• Big Words for Little Geniuses, 2017
• Cuddly Critters for Little Geniuses, 2018
• Bigger Words for Little Geniuses, 2019

Max Einstein Books in Order of Publication

with Chris Grabenstein

• The Genius Experiment, 2018
• Rebels with a Cause, 2019
• Saves the Future, 2020
• World Champions!, 2021

Treasure Hunters Books in Order of Publication

• Treasure Hunters, 2013
• Danger Down the Nile, 2014
• Secret of the Forbidden City, 2015
• Peril at the Top of the World, 2016
• Quest for the City of Gold, 2017
• All-American Adventure, 2019
• The Plunder Down Under, 2020
• The Ultimate Quest, 2022

Minerva Keen’s Books in Order of Publication

• Minerva Keen’s Detective Club, 2023

Anthologies and Short Story Collections in Order of Publication

• Thriller: Stories to Keep You Up All Night, 2006

Standalone Novels in Order of Publication

• The Thomas Berryman Number, 1976 (his first published novel)
• Season of the Machete, 1977
• See How They Run, 1979
• Cradle and All, 1980
• Black Friday, 1986 (first published as Black Market)
• The Midnight Club, 1988
• Hide & Seek, 1995
• Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas, 2001
• The Beach House, 2002 (with Peter de Jonge)
• The Jester, 2003 (with Andrew Gross)
• Lifeguard, 2005 (with Andrew Gross)
• Beach Road, 2006 (with Peter de Jonge)
• Judge & Jury, 2006 with Andrew Gross)
• The Quickie, 2007 (with Michael Ledwidge)
• You’ve Been Warned, 2007 (with Howard Roughan)
• Sundays at Tiffany’s, 2008 (with Gabrielle Charbonnet)
• Sail, 2008 (with Howard Roughan)
• Swimsuit, 2009 (with Maxine Paetro)
• The Postcard Killers, 2010 (with Liza Marklund)
• Don’t Blink, 2010 (with Howard Roughan)
• Toys, 2011 (with Neil McMahon)
• Now You See Her, 2011 (with Michael Ledwidge)
• Kill Me If You Can, 2011 (with Marshall Karp)
• Guilty Wives, 2012  with David Ellis)
• Zoo, 2012 (with Michael Ledwidge)
• Mistress, 2013 (with David Ellis)
• First Love, 2014 (with Emily Raymond)
• Truth or Die, 2015 (with Howard Roughan
• The Murder House, 2015 (with David Ellis)
• Woman Of God, 2016 (with Maxine Paetro)
• Humans Bow Down, 2017 (with Emily Raymond)
• Pottymouth and Stoopid, 2017, with Chris Grabenstein
• Laugh Out Loud, 2017, with Chris Grabenstein
• The Store, 2017, with Richard DiLallo
• Expelled, 2017, with Emily Raymond (aka The Injustice)
• The President is Missing, 2018 (with Bill Clinton)
• The First Lady, 2018 (with Brendan DuBois)
• The Inn, 2019 (aka The Murder Inn) (with Candice Fox)
• The Warning, 2019 (with Robison Wells)
• Revenge, 2020 (with Andrew Holmes – part of the David Shelley books)
• The Summer House, 2020 (with Brendan DuBois)
• Cajun Justice, 2020 (with Tucker Axum)
• The Coast-to-Coast Murders, 2020 (with J.D. Barker)
• The Palm Beach Murders, 2021
• The Noise, 2021 (with J.D. Barker)
• Death of the Black Widow (with J.D. Barker)
• 2 Sisters Detective Agency, 2021 (with Candice Fox)
• The President’s Daughter, 2021 ( with B. Clinton)
• Run Rose Run, 2022 (with Dolly Parton)
• The Ninth Month, 2022 (with Richard DiLallo)
• Blowback, 2022 (with Brendan DuBois)
• The Girl in the Castle, 2022 (with Emily Raymond)
• The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas, 2022 (with Tad Safran)
• The House of Wolves, 2023 (with Mike Lupica)
• Things I Wish I’d Told My Mother, 2023 (with Susan Patterson & Susan DiLallo)
• Lion & Lamb, 2023 (with Duane Swierczynski)
• The #1 Lawyer, 2024 (with Nancy Allen)
• Eruption, 2024 (with Michael Crichton)
• Confessions of the Dead, 2024 (aka Cemetery Lake) (with J.D. Barker)

James Patterson Bookshots in Order of Publication

Alex Cross Bookshots

• Cross Kill, 2016
• Detective Cross, 2017

Chef Bookshots

with Jeffrey J. Keyes

• Killer Chef, 2016

Diamond Trilogy Bookshots

with Elizabeth Hayley

• Dazzling, 2016
• Radiant, 2016
• Exquisite, 2017

Jon Roscoe Thriller Bookshots

with Robert Gold

• The Hostage, 2016
• The Verdict, 2016
• Kidnapped, 2016

Women’s Murder Club Series Bookshots

with Maxine Paetro

• The Trial, 2016
• The Medical Examiner, 2017

Michael Bennett Bookshots

with James O. Born

• Chase, 2016
• Manhunt, 2017

read Chase after Bullseye and Manhunt after Haunted if you want to read the series in order

Private Series Bookshots

with Jassy Mackenzie, Rees Jones

• Private Royals, 2016
• Private: Gold, 2017

Zoo Bookshots

with Michael Ledwidge

• Zoo 2, 2016

Flames Bookshots

• Learning to Ride, 2016
• Sacking the Quarterback, 2016
• The Mating Season, 2016
• The Return, 2016
• Bodyguard, 2016
• Hot Winter Nights, 2016
• Seducing Shakespeare, 2017
• Bedding the Highlander, 2017
• Sabotage, 2017
• 50 Hidden Desires, 2017
• Sexy Summer Flings, 2017
• Love Me Tender, 2017
• The Experiment, 2017
• The Weekend Wife, 2017
• Dawn’s Early Light, 2017
• Christmas Sanctuary, 2017
• Shopping for Love, 2018
• Once Upon a Kiss, 2018

Detective Luc Moncrief Bookshots

with Richard DiLallo

• French Kiss, 2016
• The Christmas Mystery, 2016
• French Twist, 2017

Mitchum Bookshots

with James O. Born

• Hidden, 2017
• Malicious, 2017

Owen Taylor Bookshots

with Brendan DuBois

• The End, 2017
• After the End, 2017

Standalone Bookshots

• Let’s Play Make-Believe / The Palm Beach Murders, 2016
• Break Point, 2016
• Heist, 2016
• Airport Code Red, 2016
• The Witnesses, 2016
• Little Black Dress, 2016
• Dead Heat, 2016
• The Pretender, 2016
• Hunted, 2016
• 113 Minutes, 2016
• Trump vs. Clinton, 2016
• The Women’s War, 2016
• $10,000,000 Marriage Proposal, 2016
• Taking the Titanic, 2016
• Come and Get Us, 2016
• The House Husband, 2017
• The Shut-In, 2017
• Night Sniper, 2017
• Diary of a Succubus, 2017
• Stealing Gulfstreams, 2017
• The Lawyer Lifeguard, 2017
• Stingrays, 2017
• Nooners, 2017
• Steeplechase, 2017
• Deadly Cargo, 2017
• The Dolls, 2017
• The Family Lawyer, 2017
• Dead Man Running, 2017
• Scott Free, 2017
• Absolute Zero, 2017
• You’ve Been Warned – Again, 2017
• The Exile, 2017
• The Moores Are Missing & The Housewife, 2017
• Avalanche, 2017
• Kill and Tell, 2017
• The 13-Minute Murder, 2019

Middle School Books in Order of Publication

1. Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life (with Chris Tebbetts), 2011
2. Get Me Out of Here! (with Chris Tebbetts), 2012
3. How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill (with Chris Tebbetts), 2013
4. My Brother is a Big, Fat Liar (with Lisa Papademetriou), 2013
5. Ultimate Showdown (with Julia Bergen), 2014
6. How I Got Lost in London 2014
7. Save Rafe! (with Chris Tebbetts), 2014
8. Just My Rotten Luck (with Chris Tebbetts), 2015
9. Going Bush (with Martin Chatterton), 2016
10. Dog’s Best Friend (with Chris Tebbetts), 2016
11. Hollywood 101 (with Martin Chatterton), 2016
12. Escape to Australia / Million-Dollar Mess Down Under (with Martin Chatterton), 2017
13. From Hero to Zero (with Chris Tebbetts), 2017
14. Born to Rock (with Chris Tebbetts), 2019
15. Master of Disaster (with Chris Tebbetts), 2020
16. Field Trip Fiasco (with Martin Chatterton), 2021
17. It’s a Zoo in Here! (with Brian Sitts), 2022
18. Winter Blunderland (with Brian Sitts), 2022
19. Million Dollar Mess (with Martin Chatterton), 2024

Picture Books in Order of Publication

• Santakid, 2004
• Give Please a Chance, 2016 (with Bill O’Reilly)
• Penguins of America, 2017 (with Jack Patterson and Florence Yue)
• Give Thank You a Try, 2017
• Elephant Goes Potty, 2023

Non-Fiction Books by James Patterson

• The Day America Told the Truth, 1991 (with Peter Kim)
• Torn Apart, 2008 (with Hal Friedman)
• The Murder of King Tut, 2009 (with Martin Dugard)
• The House of Kennedy, 2020 (with Cynthia Fagen)
• The Last Days of John Lennon, 2020 (with Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge)
• Walk in My Combat Boots, 2021 (with Matt Eversmann and Chris Mooney)
• E.R. Nurses: True Stories From the Frontline/from America’s Greatest Unsung Heroes, 2021 (with Matt Eversmann)
• The Defense Lawyer, 2021 (with Benjamin Wallace)
• James Patterson: The Stories of My Life by James Patterson, 2022
• Diana, William and Harry, 2022 (with Chris Mooney)
• Walk the Blue Line, 2023 (with Matt Eversmann)
• What Really Happens in Vegas, 2023 (with Mark Seal)
• The Secret Lives of Booksellers & Librarians, 2024 (with Matt Eversmann)
• Tiger, Tiger, 2024 (Tiger Woods biography) (with Peter De Jonge)

James Patterson Biography

New York Times bestselling master of suspense James Patterson was born and grew up in 1947 in Newburgh, New York. After attending the Manhattan College, he graduated in 1969 with a BA in English, after which he went to the  Vanderbilt University where he got his Master of Arts in English, he earned both degrees summa cum laude.

While in the process of earning his Ph.D. at Vanderbilt, he shifted gears after a year instead and went to work in the advertising business.

He became a junior copywriter for J. Walter Thompson, the well-known advertising agency, where he eventually became the CEO of the North American company.

In 1976, while still working at J.W.T, he got his first story with the title The Thomas Berryman Number published by Little, Brown and Company, a book which won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel after being turned down by no less than 31 publishers. Here’s to perseverance! This year was, indeed, a a very important date for the literary world!

His first Alex Cross story was published some 20 years later in 1993. From the time he published his first book, James Patterson has written around 150 novels, out of which some 115 books became New York Times bestselling novels.

The first book has been turned into a movie in 2001 featuring Morgan Freeman, while in 2012 and Tyler Perry got to play the role of Alex Cross instead.

With nearly 100 books written today, he is an author with something for everybody, be it a child, young adult or mature person. His books range from thrillers, crime mystery, paranormal, sci-fi, to romance stories to picture books for kids, so often times to read the James Patterson books in order of release you need a proper listing for all his series.

It was also the first book I’ve read by James Patterson and I remember I was instantly hooked. Since then I’ve caught up to everything he has written in the crime mystery genre, and he has become in the meantime one of my favorite authors ever, along with names like Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, James Rollins, Kathy Reichs, Harlan Coben, John Sandford and David Baldacci, among others.

Suppose you are a crime mystery book lover. In that case, I strongly recommend (if you haven’t already done so) the following: Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club series, M. Bennett and Private, NYPD Red and even Maximum Ride, which is a dystopian, sci-fi young adult thriller series.

Another popular series is evolving around Luc Moncrief, a French detective who joined NYPD. These are series that will keep you reading for ages.

So what is the new James Patterson book? In 2024 he started a new crime mystery series with Brian Sitts titled Holmes, Marple, and Poe. The first James Patterson book in this series has the same title as the series itself: Holmes, Marple, and Poe. He also wrote new books in existing series.

The latest James Patterson books in the crime, mystery and thriller genre are: Holmes, Marple & Poe, Crosshairs (in the Michael Bennett series), The 24th Hour (in the Women’s Murder Club series), The No.1 Lawyer (a standalone novel), Private Monaco (in the Private series, and Euroption, a standalone thriller with famous thriller author Michael Crichton.

In addition, the author James Patterson is, regularly giving grants to independent booksellers across the US. At the end of 2017, he donated $350,000 in grants to over 300 booksellers, which is $100,000 more than the years before, while at the end of 2023, he pledged a total of $300,000 to give 600 booksellers nationwide a bonus during the holiday season. 

All this is part of the author’s Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program run through a partnership with the American Booksellers Association. The author is personally choosing the winners from independent bookstores all over America.

Also, beginning in January 2018, Patterson started a new non-fiction series in collaboration with ID (Discovery).

The James Patterson Middle School series is one for young adult readers. The novels in the series are currently up to 16 starting from Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life.  These books can be read by the entire family from children to adults, as they are quite funny, and the people involved in the stories are mostly young students, teachers, and families. There are many secrets and a treasure or two to discover.

The author’s FBI series titled Invisible became a series only recently with the second book published in 2019. The first book was released back in 2014. The fans of the Alex Cross book series can now enjoy more adventures with Ali Cross, the famouse detective Alex’s son, who has his own series now as of 2019. However, the original series is not dead, as new stories are still coming in every year.

Some other popular series worth noting are Maximum Ride, Women’s Murder Club, Witch & Wizard, Daniel X (novels and graphic novels), and his Middle School series for (YA) young adults.

Besides his written novels, there is also the James Patterson Presents series, where the author didn’t actually collaborate on the novel with anyone. He basically took a publishing role for the books. He also worked on a Treasure Hunters Series for kids, and the Stalking Jack the Ripper series written by Kerri Maniscalco.

Currently, the author publishes with Hachette Book Group | Grand Central Publishing.

In an inteview with USA Today, James Patterson, who wrote over 200 books so far, spills on his writing essentials. He has a rigorous discipline of waking up early in the morning, checking the newspaper and drinking his coffee, and then working in his office in Florida (or New York, depending on where he is at the time). During breaks he plays golf to relax, and in the afternoon he drinks a soda.

In addition, he is eager to clear up a myth about his writing. He is known online as using his co-authors to write his books, however, he recently mentioned that he is heavily involved in his books that are written with other authors together.

And in non-book news, James Patterson has joined Jesse Watters Primetime on Fox News where he discusses politics and current events.

Learn More About the Alex Cross Series

The Alex Cross novels are among the most popular mystery series written to date, many of which have been made into acclaimed movies, including Kiss The Girls with Morgan Freeman (playing Alex Cross) and Ashley Judd. Currently, there are 28 main books in the series, with the latest one, The People vs. Alex Cross, published in 2017.

I’ve read every single Alex Cross novel, which I always looked forward to getting after reading the first book in the Alex Cross series, first published back in 1992. I remember loving everything about the first book: the writing style, the main character, the action, the hidden clues, pretty much everything.

Alex Cross, better called Dr. Alex Cross, is a forensic psychology specialist and a psychologist who started out working as a detective at the Washington DC police department, eventually transitioning to the FBI as a senior agent.

Initially, he was working as a psychologist, but after his wife got murdered, his life changed in full direction with him focusing, from then on, on tracking killers and bringing them to justice.

I remember reading the first few books and loving the titles used from lines from popular kids nursery rhymes. At some point, however, he started giving this book titles names based on the main character of the series, Alex Cross.

After Mary, Mary, the next book, Cross, is the first that adopts the new title style. From then on every single new novel has his name somewhere within the title.

What really drew me in from the very first book are the style and the short chapters which can satisfy even those with the shortest attention span ever. By the time you start reading, the chapter is already over. And even more so, none of the chapters are boring. You find yourself flipping the pages and zipping through the story just to see what comes next.

The Alex Cross book series makes up for some of my most favorite mystery novels ever. Each book follows Alex Cross battling with an evil psychopath and serial killer, and throughout you’ll find yourself at the edge of your seat more times than you can count, at least that’s how I felt reading all his books. As each book in the series progresses, we find ourselves at Alex Cross’s deadliest case over and over again.

Some people say that at some point his novels got repetitive, but personally, I did feel a uniqueness in each book.

Sure, the main plot is about the same: the Killer does his abducting and killing deeds, Alex Cross gets on the job of tracking down said killer, Alex Cross and the killer finally meet and eventually one party (you can guess which) wins, often with serious battle scars.

In one Alex Cross story, The People vs. Alex Cross, we’ll find the table turned on Alex. Alex Cross’s trial for killing two people and severely injuring a third one is a major part of this story.

Despite him claiming that he’s innocent, that he was framed, and that the people had guns pointing at him, the prosecution wants to make an example of him and put him away for good.

Should We Read the James Patterson Alex Cross Books in Order?

This is one mystery series that I can say, without even thinking about it, that you should read them in order, even though pretty much all novels start and end with a separate story from other books in the series. This is one of the best book recommendations I can make.

One reason for it is that you’ll get to know Alex Cross in a much deeper way than otherwise. You’ll learn about his transitioning careers over the years and his quirks and way of thinking that are so popular among so many mystery readers.

Many different events occur in his personal life, and reading the books out of order might prove to be confusing at times. Most books reference previous novels and without having read those earlier still captivating stories first, it might feel a bit strange, as when peeking through the curtains to a house that you don’t belong to.

You’ll see the main characters develop over time in front of your eyes, and honestly, whenever you talk to James Patterson’s fans who love the Alex Cross novel series, you’ll notice that they’re almost OCD at times about reading the series in order.

So do yourself a favor and start the Alex Cross books in order, from the very first one. You will not be disappointed.

What Are the Best James Patterson Books?

I’m certain that everyone has their own list of what they consider the best of James Patterson’s books, but there are a few that I have noticed lots of readers (including me) love above all.

I think Along Came a Spider, the first book in the Alex Cross book series, is a favorite overall for many. Also, First to Die, the first book in the Women’s Murder Club series is usually in the top 5 books of most Patterson book lovers.

James Patterson himself considers his book The Black Book, one of his best by far. In an interview in 2017, he mentioned that “it is the best work I’ve done in twenty years.”

Kiss the Girls, the second Alex Cross book, is pretty darn good too. I remember reading it back in the day, and it was one of the books that got me hooked on this crime mystery author.

On Goodreads, some readers consider The Angel Experiment (the first book in the Maximum Ride graphic novels series) as one of the top choices to start reading the author’s books with.

My personal 5 favorites in any reading order you choose are

1. Along Came a Spider
2. Kiss the Girls,
3. When the Wind Blows,
4. 1st to Die
5. Craddle and All

Which ones are your favorites?

James Patterson Books Adaptations

Several James Patterson novels have been adapted into movies due to the books’ high popularity with young readers, readers of adult fiction, thriller, and suspense novels. The movie titles have kept the original book titles.

• Kiss the Girls, the second Alex Cross novel, was adapted into the same-titled movie in 1997 featuring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd as main characters.
• Miracle on the 17th Green, the first book in the Travis McKinley series, was adapted into a movie in 1999.
• Along Came a Spider was adapted into a movie in 2001.
• First to Die, the first book in the Women’s Murder Club, was adapted into a movie in 2003.
• Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas, a standalone novel, had a movie adaptation in 2005.
• Maximum Ride was adapted in 2016

James Patterson Awards and Nominations

• National Book Foundation’s 2015 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community
• National Parenting Publications Honors Awards
• International Reading Association’s Young Adults’ Choices Booklist
• American Library Association “Teens Top Ten” Pick
• London Times Book Sense Children’s Pick
• Nominee for Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award in 2011
• Children’s Choice Book Awards
• Author of the Year 2010 for Max
• Nominee, 2011 Teen Choice Book of the Year (Fang) and 2012 Author of the Year (Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life)
• Winner of the National Book Foundation’s Innovations in Reading Prize
• Winner of the American Library Association’s Great Websites for Kids