Brad Meltzer Books in Order: Complete Book List

By T.L. BransonThriller

The Brad Meltzer books in order span political thrillers, historical nonfiction, superhero comics, and illustrated biographies for younger readers. Meltzer first built his career with conspiracy-driven suspense novels before expanding into several very different kinds of storytelling.

His bibliography is unusually broad, so this guide separates the standalone novels, recurring series, nonfiction, comics, children’s books, collaborations, and screen adaptations. That makes it much easier to find the part of his work you want without mixing original books with revised editions, board-book adaptations, or comic collections.

Jump to:

Brad Meltzer Standalone Books

Meltzer’s standalone thrillers introduce new central conflicts and can be read in any order. I’d start with the premise that interests you most, although publication order is a good choice if you want to watch his style develop from his legal thrillers into larger historical conspiracies.

  1. The Tenth Justice (1997)
  2. Dead Even (1998)
  3. The First Counsel (2001)
  4. The Millionaires (2002)
  5. The Zero Game (2004)
  6. The Book of Fate (2006)
  7. The Book of Lies (2008)
  8. The House of Secrets (2016)

The House of Secrets was co-written with Tod Goldberg. Although Nico Hadrian later appears in Culper Ring material, The Book of Fate remains a standalone novel rather than an official series installment.

Brad Meltzer Books by Series

Meltzer has two recurring adult thriller series. I recommend reading each one in publication order because the characters and relationships continue from book to book. In both cases, the chronological order is the same as the publication order.

Culper Ring Books

The Culper Ring series follows National Archives archivist Beecher White as he becomes involved in secrets tied to American history and the presidency.

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

Zig & Nola Books

This series begins when military mortician Jim “Zig” Zigarowski discovers that a body identified as Nola Brown isn’t really Nola. My advice is to read all three in order because the mystery surrounding Nola and her past develops across the series.

  1. The Escape Artist (2018)
  2. The Lightning Rod (2022)
  3. The Viper (2026)

Brad Meltzer Nonfiction Books

Meltzer’s nonfiction ranges from inspirational profiles to narrative histories of real conspiracies. History Decoded was co-written with Keith Ferrell, while The First Conspiracy, The Lincoln Conspiracy, The Nazi Conspiracy, and The JFK Conspiracy were co-written with Josh Mensch.

  1. Heroes for My Son (2010)
  2. Heroes for My Daughter (2012)
  3. History Decoded: The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time (2013)
  4. The First Conspiracy (2019)
  5. The Lincoln Conspiracy (2020)
  6. The Nazi Conspiracy (2023)
  7. The JFK Conspiracy (2025)
  8. Make Magic: The Book of Inspiration You Didn’t Know You Needed (2025)

The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time is a revised edition of History Decoded, so I haven’t counted it as a separate original book.

Young Reader’s Editions

Two of the conspiracy histories have also been adapted for younger readers. These retell the same historical subjects for a middle-grade audience, so I prefer to keep them separate from the adult editions.

  1. The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington (Young Reader’s Edition) (2020)
  2. The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill (Young Reader’s Edition) (2025)

Brad Meltzer Comics and Graphic Novels

Meltzer’s comic work includes major DC story arcs, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer arc, and later one-shots for several publishers. I’ve separated collected stories from individual issues and anthology contributions so later deluxe reprints don’t look like new works.

Collected Comics and Graphic Novels

  1. Green Arrow: The Archer’s Quest (2003)
  2. Identity Crisis (2005)
  3. Justice League of America Vol. 1: The Tornado’s Path (2007)
  4. Justice League of America Vol. 2: The Lightning Saga (2008)
  5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight, Vol. 7: Twilight (2010)

The Lightning Saga was co-written with Geoff Johns. The Buffy volume collects Meltzer’s “Twilight” arc from issues #32–35 along with related material.

For readers who want Meltzer’s Justice League run in one book, Justice League of America by Brad Meltzer: The Deluxe Edition collects material from the earlier volumes. It is a later collection, so I haven’t counted it as another original work.

One-Shots and Contributions

  1. DC Universe: Last Will and Testament #1 (2008)
  2. Ghost Machine #1 (2024)
  3. Marvel/DC: Spider-Man/Superman #1 (2026)

Ghost Machine #1 is a multi-creator launch special that includes Meltzer’s work. Marvel/DC: Spider-Man/Superman #1 is a crossover one-shot whose lead story was written by Meltzer.

Ordinary People Change the World Books

Brad Meltzer and illustrator Christopher Eliopoulos created Ordinary People Change the World to introduce children to real people whose character and choices changed history. The main picture-book biographies are generally aimed at ages five to nine.

Main Picture-Book Biographies

  1. I am Abraham Lincoln (2014)
  2. I am Amelia Earhart (2014)
  3. I am Rosa Parks (2014)
  4. I am Albert Einstein (2014)
  5. I am Jackie Robinson (2015)
  6. I am Lucille Ball (2015)
  7. I am Helen Keller (2015)
  8. I am Martin Luther King, Jr. (2016)
  9. I am George Washington (2016)
  10. I am Jane Goodall (2016)
  11. I am Jim Henson (2017)
  12. I am Gandhi (2017)
  13. I am Sacagawea (2017)
  14. I am Harriet Tubman (2018)
  15. I am Neil Armstrong (2018)
  16. I am Sonia Sotomayor (2018)
  17. I am Billie Jean King (2019)
  18. I am Walt Disney (2019)
  19. I am Marie Curie (2019)
  20. I am Leonardo da Vinci (2020)
  21. I am Benjamin Franklin (2020)
  22. I am Anne Frank (2020)
  23. I am Frida Kahlo (2021)
  24. I am Oprah Winfrey (2021)
  25. I am Malala Yousafzai (2022)
  26. I am Muhammad Ali (2022)
  27. I am I. M. Pei (2022)
  28. I am Dolly Parton (2022)
  29. I am John Lewis (2023)
  30. I am Temple Grandin (2023)
  31. I am Mister Rogers (2023)
  32. I am Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2024)
  33. I am Jesse Owens (2024)
  34. I am Stephen Hawking (2024)
  35. I am Sally Ride (2025)
  36. We are The Beatles (2025)
  37. I am Simone Biles (2025)
  38. I am Princess Diana (2026)
  39. I am Teddy Roosevelt (2026)
  40. We are the Wright Brothers (2026)
  41. I am Taylor Swift (2027)

I am I. M. Pei is sometimes numbered earlier within the publisher’s series, but its 2022 release places it after I am Oprah Winfrey, I am Malala Yousafzai, and I am Muhammad Ali in publication order.

Board-Book Adaptations

These shorter board books adapt lessons from previously published biographies for children ages two to five. They aren’t additional biographies about new people, so I’ve kept them out of the main series list.

  1. I am Kind (2019)
  2. I am Unstoppable (2019)
  3. I am Brave (2019)
  4. I am Caring (2019)
  5. I am Strong (2020)
  6. I am Curious (2020)

Companion Book

You Can Change the World gathers quotations, lessons, and artwork from more than 20 heroes already featured in the series. I’d treat it as an optional companion rather than another numbered biography.

  1. You Can Change the World (2024)

Other Brad Meltzer Children’s Books

Standalone Children’s Book

Meltzer teamed with illustrator Dan Santat for a picture book about Sunday quitting her job and the other days of the week searching for a replacement.

  1. A New Day (2021)

Stories Change the World Books

Meltzer and Eliopoulos use the accessible biography style of Ordinary People Change the World to introduce younger readers to three iconic DC superheroes.

  1. I am Batman (2022)
  2. I am Superman (2022)
  3. I am Wonder Woman (2023)

Brad Meltzer Collaborations, Short Fiction, and Anthologies

These books represent three different kinds of work: a round-robin collaborative novel, a short-story contribution, and an anthology Meltzer edited. Keeping those roles clear matters because none is a standard solo Brad Meltzer novel.

  1. Natural Suspect: A Collaborative Novel of Suspense (2001)
  2. “The Empire Strikes Back” (2002) (Short Story) (found in The Mighty Johns)
  3. Mystery Writers of America Presents The Mystery Box (2013)

Brad Meltzer Adaptations

The Ordinary People Change the World books inspired the PBS Kids animated series Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. The show follows Xavier, his sister Yadina, and their friend Brad as they travel through time to learn from historical figures, and Meltzer serves as an executive producer.

Meltzer also hosted the History Channel programs Brad Meltzer’s Decoded and Brad Meltzer’s Lost History. Those nonfiction television projects aren’t adaptations of his books, so I haven’t included them as book-to-screen titles.

About Brad Meltzer

Brad Meltzer credits his ninth-grade English teacher, Sheila Spicer, with recognizing and encouraging his writing. His first completed manuscript, Fraternity, received 24 rejection letters before he wrote the novel that became his published debut, The Tenth Justice.

Meltzer studied history at the University of Michigan and earned his law degree from Columbia. That background helps explain why Washington, D.C., national institutions, historical secrets, and questions of law and power appear so often in his thrillers and nonfiction.

In 2004, he was invited to participate in a Department of Homeland Security Red Cell exercise that asked outside thinkers to imagine possible security threats. He wasn’t a DHS employee, but the experience fits the research-heavy approach he brings to political and historical suspense.

Beyond books, Meltzer has written for DC and Marvel, hosted history programs, and helped create Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. In my view, that range is what makes his bibliography unusual: readers can start with a legal thriller, a real historical conspiracy, a superhero story, or a picture-book biography and still find the same interest in heroes, secrets, and the choices people make.

Looking for more books in order?

If you want more thriller authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Thriller Books in Order index.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *