David Baldacci Books in Order: All Series & Standalone Novels

A full David Baldacci books in order list can get messy fast. Baldacci has standalones, long-running thriller series, crossover stories, books for younger readers, and newer series that keep expanding his catalog.

This guide keeps everything sorted by standalone books, series, short fiction, and anthologies, so you can see where each book fits. If you’re new to Baldacci, I’d either start with one of his standalones or pick the series that sounds most like your kind of thriller.

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

Baldacci is best known for recurring thriller heroes, but his standalone novels are a major part of his career too. Some came before his biggest series took off, while others are more recent books that sit outside his main franchises.

This is a good place to start if you want to try Baldacci without committing to a full series. You’ll get political suspense, legal drama, family stories, and historical fiction, depending on which book you choose.

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 become private investigators. Their series mixes political suspense, personal baggage, and case-driven mysteries, with the partnership between King and Maxwell becoming a major part of the appeal.

This was Baldacci’s first major recurring-character series, so it is also a good place to see how his books shifted from standalones into longer series arcs.

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

The Camel Club series centers on Oliver Stone and a small group of outsiders who dig into secrets around Washington, D.C. These books lean into conspiracy, political power, hidden agendas, and the kind of trouble that starts small before turning much larger.

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

Freddy and the French Fries is Baldacci’s middle grade duology. Freddy Funkhouser loves inventing ideas for his family’s healthy fast-food restaurant, but his creations have a habit of going very, very wrong.

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

Shaw Books

The Shaw books are global conspiracy thrillers. Shaw works for a powerful organization that sends agents after dangerous criminals, which puts him in the middle of international schemes, political manipulation, and threats that can spill across borders.

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

John Puller Books

John Puller is a combat veteran and Army investigator who works cases with military stakes. His books have a more procedural feel than some of Baldacci’s other thrillers, with Puller digging through secrets, cover-ups, and family history as the series goes on.

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

Daylight also features John Puller, but it is officially part of the Atlee Pine series, so I list it there below.

David Baldacci’s The 39 Clues Book

Baldacci contributed to The 39 Clues through the Cahills vs. Vespers storyline. He wrote Day of Doom, the sixth and final book in that arc, so it makes more sense to show the full six-book order than list his book by itself.

Day of Doom is not a standalone entry. Readers who want the full story should read the Cahills vs. Vespers books 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

Will Robie Books

Will Robie is one of Baldacci’s most action-heavy leads. He is a government assassin who handles missions other agencies cannot, until one job makes him question the people giving the orders.

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

Vega Jane Books

The Vega Jane books move Baldacci into young adult fantasy. The series follows Vega, a girl trapped in the strange world of Wormwood, where the rules she has always trusted begin to fall apart.

These books are very different from Baldacci’s adult thrillers, but they still use mystery, danger, and hidden truths to keep the story moving.

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

Amos Decker Books

The Amos Decker series is also known as the Memory Man series. Decker is a former football player turned investigator with perfect recall, which makes him a brilliant detective and a man trapped with memories he cannot escape. For a deeper look at this series, use my Amos Decker books in order guide.

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

Atlee Pine is an FBI agent whose work is tied to one huge personal question: what happened to her twin sister, Mercy? The series combines individual investigations with Atlee’s longer search for the truth about her family.

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

Aloysius Archer Books

The Aloysius Archer books are historical thrillers that begin in 1949. Archer leaves prison and tries to build a new life, but trouble finds him quickly. These books have a different feel from Baldacci’s modern FBI and government thrillers, with a more classic detective-story flavor.

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

The 6:20 Man Books

The 6:20 Man series follows Travis Devine, a former soldier turned financial analyst whose daily commute pulls him into murder, corruption, and secrets that reach far beyond Wall Street.

1. The 6:20 Man (2022)
2. The Edge (2023)
3. To Die For (2024)
4. All In (2026)

Walter Nash Books

The Walter Nash series moves Baldacci into a more personal kind of thriller. Nash is pulled into a world of secrets, pressure, and danger after the FBI drags him into an investigation that changes the course of his life.

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

David Baldacci Short Stories & Anthologies

Short Stories and Novellas

Baldacci has also written a small number of shorter works. These are not required before starting one of the main series, but completionists may want them on the list.

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 anthology projects alongside other thriller and mystery authors.

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

Who is David Baldacci?

David Baldacci is a bestselling thriller writer known for suspense, crime, legal, and political thriller novels. His career began with Absolute Power, and he has since built one of the larger modern thriller catalogs.

Most readers know him for his recurring series characters, including Amos Decker, Will Robie, John Puller, Atlee Pine, Travis Devine, Sean King, and Michelle Maxwell. He has also written standalones, short fiction, and books for younger readers.

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, Memory Man for Amos Decker, or The 6:20 Man for Travis Devine.

Do you need to read David Baldacci books in order?

It depends on what you’re reading. The standalone novels can be read on their own, but the series work best in publication order because the recurring characters and relationships build from book to book.

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. Daylight also brings Atlee Pine and John Puller into the same book, though it is officially part of the Atlee Pine series.

Does David Baldacci write books for younger readers?

Yes. In addition to his adult thrillers and suspense novels, Baldacci has 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.

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• James Patterson Books in Order
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• Harlan Coben Books in Order