David Baldacci Books In Order: Complete List

David Baldacci has built the kind of catalog that looks straightforward until you try to line it up. A full David Baldacci books in order guide has to cover far more than one signature series, from his early standalones to long-running thriller franchises like Amos Decker, Will Robie, and John Puller, along with his books for younger readers.

That range is a big part of what has kept Baldacci so widely read for so long. Whether you’re here for the political thrillers, the crime series, or the books that sit outside his main characters, this guide lays out the full bibliography clearly so you can see where everything fits and decide where to start.

Jump to:

• David Baldacci Standalone Books
• David Baldacci Books by Series
• David Baldacci Short Stories & Anthologies
• Who is David Baldacci?
• David Baldacci Books FAQ

David Baldacci Standalone Books

While David Baldacci is best known for his long-running series, his standalone novels still cover a wide range of his career. Several came early, before recurring characters became such a big part of his catalog, while others arrived much later and show how his style continued to develop over time.

That makes this section useful for more than one kind of reader. It’s a good starting point if you want to try Baldacci without committing to a full series, and it also offers a broader look at how his suspense writing has changed across the years.

1. Absolute Power (1996)
2. Total Control (1997)
3. The Winner (1997)
4. The Simple Truth (1998)
5. Saving Faith (1999)
6. Wish You Well (2000)
7. Last Man Standing (2001)
8. The Christmas Train (2002)
9. True Blue (2009)
10. One Summer (2011)
11. Simply Lies (2023)
12. A Calamity of Souls (2024)
13. Strangers in Time (2025)

David Baldacci Books by Series

Sean King & Michelle Maxwell Books

Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are former Secret Service agents who end up building a second career as private investigators. That setup gives the series a nice mix of political intrigue, personal baggage, and case-driven suspense, especially as the partnership between the two leads starts to take shape.

Because this is the first of Baldacci’s major series, it also marks the point where recurring characters began to take a bigger role in his catalog.

1. Split Second (2003)
2. Hour Game (2004)
3. Simple Genius (2007)
4. First Family (2009)
5. The Sixth Man (2011)
6. King and Maxwell (2013)

Camel Club Books

Baldacci’s next series shifts to a larger ensemble, centering on Oliver Stone and the Camel Club, a small group of unlikely outsiders who dig into the secrets behind Washington, D.C.’s politics, media, and power structure, uncovering conspiracies that most people would rather leave buried.

1. The Camel Club (2005)
2. The Collectors (2006)
3. Stone Cold (2007)
4. Divine Justice (2008)
5. Hell’s Corner (2010)

Freddy and the French Fries Books

This short duology was David Baldacci’s first foray into writing for a younger audience with middle grade fiction. The main character, Freddy Funkhouser, enjoys coming up with new ideas for his family’s healthy fast-food restaurant, but his creations do not always turn out the way he hopes.

1. Fries Alive! (2005)
2. The Mystery Of Silas Finklebean (2006)

Shaw Books

Following his foray into middle grade fiction, Baldacci returned to the world of intrigue and mystery thriller with the Shaw duology which takes place on a global stage.

The books tell the story of an organization of highly-trained agents that are hired to hunt down criminals. In the first book an agent has been asked to manipulate two nations against each other, which threatens a new World War.

1. The Whole Truth (2008)
2. Deliver Us From Evil (2010)

John Puller Books

David Baldacci followed up that series with the investigations of the titular character John Puller. He is a combat veteran and top military detective with the United States Army with an unquenchable desire to discover the truth.

1. Zero Day (2011)
2. The Forgotten (2012)
3. The Escape (2014)
4. No Man’s Land (2016)

Will Robie Books

Next up is Will Robie, who is the main character in the sixth series in the list of David Baldacci books in order. Will is a cold-blooded assassin who deals with criminals beyond the reach of traditional authority. He never questions instructions and always finishes the job, until one day he does and then he is persecuted by the same people he works for.

1. The Innocent (2012)
2. The Hit (2013)
3. The Target (2014)
4. The Guilty (2015)
5. End Game (2017)

Vega Jane Books

The seventh series in the list of David Baldacci books in order features a shift in genre to young adult fantasy starring Vega Jane. It combines Baldacci’s trademark intrigue with a new and haunting setting.

Vega always believed that no one could escape Wormwood, until she witnesses Quentin run away. But Quentin didn’t just run away, he was hunted, and he left behind a trail of clues that reveal a deadly plot.

1. The Finisher (2014)
2. The Keeper (2015)
3. The Width of the World (2017)
4. The Stars Below (2019)

Amos Decker Books

Back in the genre of political thrillers, next in our list of David Baldacci books in order is Amos Decker. If you would like to learn more about the Amos Decker series, you can read our article about it here.

1. Memory Man (2015)
2. The Last Mile (2016)
3. The Fix (2017)
4. The Fallen (2018)
5. Redemption (2019)
6. Walk the Wire (2020)
7. Long Shadows (2022)

Atlee Pine Books

A quartet of novels, the Atlee Pine books are ninth in this list of David Baldacci books in order. Atlee’s twin sister was kidnapped when they were six, but Atlee has never stopped looking for her. In the first book she has become an FBI agent and has returned to her birthplace, where she uncovers the greatest breakthrough yet.

1. Long Road to Mercy (2018)
2. A Minute to Midnight (2019)
3. Daylight (2020)
4. Mercy (2021)

Aloysius Archer Books

The next series is a historical thriller featuring Aloysius Archer. The books begin in 1949 with the end of Archer’s prison sentence and his return to the larger world. He takes on what appears to be a simple task-for-hire, but ends up witnessing a murder. Archer will do anything to avoid a return to prison, so he uses every skill he has to uncover the real murderer.

1. One Good Deed (2019)
2. A Gambling Man (2021)
3. Dream Town (2022)

David Baldacci’s The 39 Clues Book

David Baldacci’s contribution to The 39 Clues comes through Cahills vs. Vespers, a six-book subseries written by multiple authors. Since Baldacci wrote Day of Doom, the sixth and final book in that storyline, it helps to see where his novel fits in the full reading order rather than list it with no context.

Readers who want to start with Baldacci should know that Day of Doom is not a standalone entry. It closes out the Cahills vs. Vespers arc, so the books below should be read in order.

1. The Medusa Plot (2011)
2. A King’s Ransom (2011)
3. The Dead of Night (2012)
4. Shatterproof (2012)
5. Trust No One (2012)
6. Day of Doom (2013) by David Baldacci

The 6:20 Man Books

This series introduces the character of Travis Devine. He is a man of a strict routine that involves taking the 6:20 commuter train to Manhattan. But one morning his routine is shattered when he received word that his co-worker and ex-girlfriend is dead, and he is the police’s prime suspect.

1. The 6:20 Man (2022)
2. The Edge (2023)
3. To Die For (2024)

Walter Nash Books

The Walter Nash series is Baldacci stepping away from federal agents into a small-town thriller where history, loyalty, and quiet corruption do the damage. It’s tighter, more personal, and built on consequences rather than conspiracies.

1. Nash Falls (2025)
2. Hope Rises (2026)

David Baldacci Short Stories & Anthologies

Short Stories and Novellas

In addition to his novels, David Baldacci has also written a small number of shorter works. These include a crossover short story and two novellas that sit outside his main standalone and series lists.

1. No Time Left (2011)
2. Bullseye (2014, crossover short story featuring Will Robie and the Camel Club)
3. The Mighty Johns (2021)

Anthologies

Baldacci has also contributed to several anthology projects over the course of his career, adding shorter works to collections alongside other thriller and mystery authors.

1. No Rest for the Dead (2011)
2. FaceOff (2014)

Who is David Baldacci?

David Baldacci is one of the most successful thriller writers of his generation, known for a long-running body of bestselling suspense, crime, and political thriller novels. Over the years, his books have reached readers around the world, and several of his stories have also been adapted for film and television.

Baldacci started writing as a child, and that early interest eventually grew into a major publishing career. Since his debut with Absolute Power, he has built a large catalog of standalone novels and popular series, making him one of the most recognizable names in modern commercial fiction.

David Baldacci Books FAQ

What David Baldacci book should I start with?

A lot of readers start with Absolute Power because it was Baldacci’s debut novel and is still one of his best-known standalones. Readers who would rather begin with a series often start with Split Second for Sean King and Michelle Maxwell or Memory Man for Amos Decker.

Do you need to read David Baldacci books in order?

That depends on what you’re reading. The standalone novels can be picked up on their own, but the series are best read in publication order so the recurring characters, relationships, and longer story arcs land the way they’re supposed to.

Was Absolute Power made into a movie?

Yes. Absolute Power was adapted into a feature film directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, and it remains one of the best-known screen versions of Baldacci’s work.

Are any David Baldacci books or series connected?

Most of Baldacci’s major series stand on their own, but Bullseye is a crossover short story that connects Will Robie with Oliver Stone and the Camel Club. It’s the clearest example of Baldacci bringing two parts of his bibliography together in one story.

Does David Baldacci write books for younger readers?

Yes. In addition to his adult thrillers and suspense novels, Baldacci has also written books for younger readers, including the Vega Jane novels, the Freddy and the French Fries books, and his contribution to The 39 Clues franchise.

Looking for similar books in order?

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

• Books in Order (Full Index)
• James Patterson Books in Order
• John Grisham Books in Order
• Harlan Coben Books in Order