All 200+ James Patterson Books in Order [Ultimate Guide]

Reading the James Patterson books in order sounds like a monumental task. And it is. I wouldn’t recommend attempting to read every single one of these books in a row without breaking for another author or another genre.

I wouldn’t even recommend to attempting to read all the James Patterson books in order in a single year. Maybe not even two years.

There are just that many.

James Patterson’s books have several series, including the Women’s Murder Club, Michael Bennett, Alex Cross, etc.

To help you know the order you can use to read these books, I have prepared a list of all the James Patterson books in order and those in collaboration with other authors.

Who is James Patterson?

James Patterson was born March 22, 1947, in Newburg, New York. At Manhattan College, he majored in English and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree. He moved on to do his Master of Arts from Vanderbilt University, graduating both Summa Cum Laude. 

Today he is a best-selling American author who has written many thriller novels. He is a prevalent author with over 425 million books sold in more than 38 languages.. He is known for his captivating stories with a twist, and his fans cannot get enough of him.

Since 1976, Patterson has written gripping fiction series from Alex Cross to Women’s Murder Club that is very popular worldwide. He also writes non-fiction and romance stories.

Below we’ve included all of James Patterson books in order by series and genre. However, if you’re looking for a smaller list of Patterson’s books to read, check out our article of the 15 best James Patterson books.

This article will give you an overview of some of Patterson’s best series, which might help you decide where you should begin. Or, if you’re already a massive Patterson fan, compare your favorites with the list we have compiled.

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Recent & Upcoming James Patterson Releases

• Cross Out (November 20, 2023)
• What Really Happens in Vegas (December 4, 2023)
• Holmes, Miss Marple, and Poe Investigations (January 8, 2024)
• Middle School: Million Dollar Mess (January 8, 2024)
• Missing Persons (January 30, 2024) (with Adam Hamdy)
• Crosshairs (February 12, 2024) (with James O. Born)
• The Murder Inn (March 12, 2024) (with Candace Fox)
• The #1 Lawyer (March 18, 2024) (with Nancy Allen)
• The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians (April 4, 2024) (with Matt Eversmann)
• MK’s Detective Club: The Poison Puzzle (May 7, 2024) (with Keir Graff)
• Eruption (June 3, 2024) (with Michael Crichton)
• Tiger, Tiger (July 15, 2024)

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James Patterson Books in Order of Publication by Series

We’ll start off our list of James Patterson books in order with the James Patterson Presents books because a large portion of these are Young Adult or Fantasy which is the primary focus of my blog, though I do cover other things from time to time.

James Patterson Presents Series

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

1. Stalking Jack the Ripper (2016)
2. Hunting Prince Dracula (2017)
3. Escaping From Houdini (2018)
4. Capturing the Devil (2019)

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

1. Kingdom of the Wicked (2020)
2. Kingdom of the Cursed (2021)
3. Kingdom of the Feared (2022)

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

1. Girls of Paper and Fire (2018)
2. Girls of Storm and Shadow (2019)
3. Girls of Fate and Fury (2021)

Daughter of Sparta by Claire Andrews

1. Daughter of Sparta (2021)
2. Blood of Troy (2022)

Once and Future by Cory McCarthy and A.R. Capetta

1. Once & Future (2019)
2. Sword in the Stars (2020)

How to be a Supervillain by Michael Fry

1. How to be a Supervillain (2017)
2. How to be a Supervillain: Born to be Good (2018)
3. How to be a Supervillain: Bad Guys Finish First (2019)

Sci-Fi Junior High by Scott Seegert

1. Sci-Fi Junior High (2017)
2. Sci-Fi Junior High: Crash Landing (2018)

Other Books from James Patterson Presents

1. Gunslinger Girl (Jan 2018)
2. Twelve Steps to Normal (March 2018)
3. The Unflushables (April 2018)
4. Campfire (July 2018)
5. Ernestine, Catastrophe Queen (Aug 2018)
6. 96 Words for Love (Jan 2019)
7. When We Were Lost (June 2019)
8. No More Monsters Under Your Bed (July 2019)
9. Scouts (July 2019)
10. There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Book (Oct 2019)
11. The Ugly Doodles (July 2020)
12. You’re Next (July 2020)
13. Sweet Child O’ Mine (Sept 2020)
14. The Family That Cooks Together (Oct 2020)
15. The Day the Kids Took Over (Jan 2021)
16. Swipe Right For Murder (May 2021)
17. If Kids Could Drive (May 2021)
18. Burn it All Down (May 2021)
19. It Ends In Fire (July 2021)
20. Tides of Mutiny (Sept 2021)

James Patterson Books in Order: Alex Cross Series

1. Along Came a Spider (1993)
2. Kiss the Girls (1995)
3. Jack & Jill (1996)
4. Cat & Mouse (1997)
5. Pop Goes the Weasel (1999)
6. Roses Are Red (2000)
7. Violets Are Blue (2001)
8. Four Blind Mice (2002)
9. The Big Bad Wolf (2003)
10. London Bridges (2004)
11. Mary, Mary (2005)
12. Alex Cross (2006)
13. Double Cross (2007)
14. Cross Country (2008)
15. Alex Cross’s Trial (2009)
16. I, Alex Cross (2009)
17. Cross Fire (2010)
18. Kill Alex Cross (2011)
19. Merry Christmas, Alex Cross (2012)
20. Alex Cross, Run (2013)
21. Cross My Heart (2013)
22. Hope to Die (2014)
23. Cross Justice (2015)
24. Cross the Line (2016)
25. Cross Kill (2016) (Novella)
26. The People vs. Alex Cross (2017)
27. Detective Cross (2017)
28. Target: Alex Cross (2018)
29. Criss Cross (2019)
30. Deadly Cross (2020)
31. Fear No Evil (2021)
32. Triple Cross (2022)
33. Cross Down (June 2023) (with Brendan DuBois)
34. Cross Out (Expected: November 20, 2023)

Ali Cross Spin-Off Series

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

James Patterson Books in Order: Women’s Murder Club

1. 1st to Die (2001)
2. 2nd Chance (2002)
3. 3rd Degree (2004)
4. 4th of July  (2005)
5. The 5th Horseman (2006)
6. The 6th Target (2007)
7. 7th Heaven (2008)
8. The 8th Confession (2009)
9. The 9th Judgement (2009)
10. 10th Anniversary (2011)
11. 11th Hour (2012)
12. 12th of Never (2013)
13. Unlucky 13 (2014)
14. 14th Deadly Sin (2015)
15. 15th Affair (2016)
16. The Trial (2016) (with Maxine Paetro) (Novella)
17. 16th Seduction (2017)
18. The Medical Examiner (2017) (with Maxine Paetro) (Novella)
19. 17th Suspect (2018)
20. 18th Abduction (2019)
21. 19th Christmas (2019)
22. 20th Victim (2020)
23. 21st Birthday (2021)
24. 22 Seconds (2022)
25. 23rd Midnight (May 2023)
26. 23 1/2 Lies (Expected: September 12, 2023)

New Series: Jane Smith

1. 12 Months to Live (Expected: September 25, 2023) (with Mike Lupica)

The Inn Series

1. The Inn (2019)
2. The Murder Inn (March 12, 2024) (with Candace Fox)

James Patterson Books in Order: Michael Bennett Series

1. Step on a Crack (2007)
2. Run for Your Life (2009)
3. Worst Case (2009)
4. Tick Tock (2010)
5. I, Michael Bennett (2012)
6. Gone (2013)
7. Burn (2014)
8. Alert (2015)
9. Bullseye (2016)
10. Chase (2016) (Novella) (with Michael Ledwidge)
11. Haunted (2017)
12. Manhunt (2017) (Novella) (with James O. Born)
13. Ambush (2018)
14. Blindside (2019)
15. The Russian (2021)
16. Shattered (2022)
17. Obsessed (2023)
18. Crosshairs (Expected: February 12, 2024) (with James O. Born)

James Patterson Books in Order: Private Series

This series about an international investigation company requires a bit more care in understanding the proper way to read these James Patterson books in order. That’s because in recent years there have been big differences between the US and UK versions of this series.

Up until Private Games in 2016 the publication orders in the two countries were the same. However, some books were released under different names and we’ve marked those books below with a ^. This is commonly done as a marketing tactic.

After Private Games, though, the publication order diverged with books hitting the market in different years depending on the country.

Below we have included the US order of publication with the exception of Private Rogue, Private Beijing, and Private Rome. These three books have not been released in the US yet, but it is possible to get your hands on a physical copy. We’ve marked the books below that are not currently available as an ebook in the US with an asterisk.

1. Private (2010) (with Maxine Paetro)
2. Private London (2011) (with Maxine Paetro)
3. Private Games (2012) (with Mark Sullivan)
4. Private #1 Suspect (2012) (with Mark Pearson)
5. Private Berlin (2013) (with Mark Sullivan)
6. Private Down Under (2014) (with Michael White)
7. Private L.A. (2014) (with Mark Sullivan)
8. Private India: City on Fire (2014) (with Ashwin Sanghi)
9. Private Vegas (2015) (with Maxine Paetro)
10. Missing: A Private Novel (2015) (with Kathryn Fox) ^
11. Private Paris (2016) (with Mark Sullivan)
12. Private Games (2016) (with Mark Sullivan) ^
13. Private Royals (2016) (with Rees Jones) (Novella)
14. Count to Ten: A Private Novel (2017) ^
15. Private: Gold (2017) (Novella)
16. Princess: A Private Novel (2018) (with Ashwin Sanghi)
17. Private Moscow (2020) (with Adam Handy)
18. Private Rogue (2021) (with Adam Handy) *
19. Private Beijing (2022) (with Adam Handy) *
20. Private Rome (2023) (with Adam Handy) *
21. Private: Missing Persons (January 30, 2024) (with Adam Hamdy)
22. Private Monaco (April 25, 2024) (with Adam Handy) *

James Patterson Books in Order: Standalones

1. The Thomas Berryman Number (1976)
2. Season of the Machete (1977)
3. See How They Run (1979)
4. Cradle and All (1980)
5. Black Friday (1986)
6. The Midnight Club (1988)
7. Hide & Seek (1995)
8. Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas (2001)
9. The Beach House (2002)
10. The Jester (2003)
11. Sam’s Letters to Jennifer (2004)
12. Lifeguard (2005)
13. Beach Road (2006)
14. Judge & Jury (2006)
15. The Quickie (2007)
16. You’ve Been Warned (2007)
17. Sundays at Tiffany’s (2008)
18. Sail (2008)
19. Swimsuit (2009)
20. The Postcard Killers (2010)
21. Don’t Blink (2010)
22. Toys (2011)
23. Now You See Her (2011)
24. Kill Me If You Can (2011)
25. Boys Will Be Boys (2011) (Short Story)
26. The Christmas Wedding (2011)
27. Guilty Wives (2012)
28. Mistress (2013)
29. Truth or Die (2015)
30. The Murder House (2015)
31. Woman of God (2016)
32. Two From the Heart (2017)
33. The Store (2017)
34. The President is Missing (2018)
35. Juror #3 (2018)
36. The First Lady (2018)
37. The Warning (2019)
38. The Summer House (2020)
39. Cajun Justice (2020)
40. 1st Case (2020)
41. The Midwife Murders (2020)
42. The Coast-to-Coast Murders (2020)
43. Three Women Disappear (2020)
44. The Palm Beach Murders (2021)
45. The President’s Daughter (2021)
46. The Shadow (2021)
47. The Noise (2021)
48. The Jailhouse Lawyer (2021)
49. 2 Sisters Detective Agency (2021)
50. The Horsewoman (2022)
51. Steal (2022)
52. Run, Rose, Run (2022)
53. Death of the Black Widow (2022) (with J.D. Barker)
54. The Ninth Month (2022)
55. Blowback (2022) (with Brendan DuBios)
56. The Twelve Long, Hard, Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas (2022)
57. The House of Wolves (2023) (with Mike Lupica)
58. 3 Days to Live (February 2023)
59. Countdown (March 2023) (with Brendan DuBios)
60. Circle of Death (July 2023) (with Brian Sitts)
61. Lion & Lamb (August 2023) (with Duane Swierczynski)
62. Holmes, Miss Marple, and Poe Investigations (Expected: January 8, 2024) (with Brian Sitts)
63. The #1 Lawyer (Expected: March 18, 2024) (with Nancy Allen)
64. Eruption (Expected: June 3, 2024) (with Michael Crichton)

Other Popular Series

Travis McKinley Series

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

When the Wind Blows Series

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

Honeymoon Series

1. Honeymoon (2005)
2. Second Honeymoon (2013)

Zoo Series

1. Zoo (2012)
2. Zoo 2 (2016) (Novella)

The NYPD Red Series

1. NYPD Red (2012)
2. NYPD Red 2 (2014)
3. NYPD Red 3 (2015)
4. NYPD Red 4 (2016)
5. Red Alert:  An NYPD Red Mystery (2018)
6. NYPD Red 6 (2020)

The Invisible Series

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

Harriet Blue Series

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

David Shelley Series

1. Hunted (2016) (Novella)
2. Revenge (2018)

The Chef Books Series

1. Killer Chef (2016) (Novella)
2. The Chef (2019)

The Black Book Series (Billy Harney)

1. The Black Book (2017)
2. The Red Book (2021)
3. Escape (2022)

Instinct Series

1. Instinct – Previously published as Murder Games (2017)
2. Killer Instinct (2019)

Discovery’s Murder is Forever Series

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

Rory Yates Series

1. Texas Ranger (2018)
2. Texas Outlaw (2020)

Amy Cornwall Series

1. The Cornwalls Vanish – Previously published as The Cornwalls Are Gone (2019)

Tom Moon Series

1. Lost (2020)

Doc Savage Series

1. The Perfect Assassin (2022)
2. Doc Savage #2 (Expected publication: 2023)

James Patterson Young Adult Books in Order

Maximum Ride Series

1. The Angel Experiment (2005)
2. School’s Out Forever (2006)
3. Saving the World & Other Extreme Sports (2007)
4. The Final Warning (2008)
5. Max (2009)
6. Fang  (2010)
7. Angel (2011)
8. Nevermore (2012)
9. Maximum Ride Forever (2015)

Maximum Ride: Hawk

1. Hawk (2020)
2. City of the Dead (2021)

Daniel X Series

1. The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (2007)
2. Watch the Skies (2009)
3. Demons & Druids (2010)
4. Game Over (2011)
5. Armageddon (2012)
6. Lights Out (2015)

 Wicked & Wizard Series

1. Witch & Wizard (2009)
2. The Gift (2010)
3. The Fire (2011)
4. The Kiss (2013)
5. The Lost (2014)

Confessions Series

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

1. Crazy House (2017)
2. Fall of Crazy House (2018)

Young Adult Standalones

1. First Love (2013)
2. Homeroom Diaries (2014)
3. Humans, Bow Down (2017)
4. The Injustice / Expelled (2017)
5. Sophia, Princess Among Beasts (2019)
6. The Runaway’s Diary (2022)
7. The Girl in the Castle (2022)

James Patterson Children’s and Middle Grade Books in Order

Middle School Series

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

I Funny Series

1. I Funny (2012)
2. I Even Funnier (2013)
3. I Totally Funniest (2015)
4. I Funny TV (2015)
5. I Funny School of Laughs (2017)
6. The Nerdiest Wimpiest Dorkiest I Funny Ever (2018)

Treasure Hunters Series

1. Treasure Hunters (2013)
2. Danger Down the Nile (2014)
3. Secret of the Forbidden City (2015)
4. Peril at the Top of the World (2016)
5. Quest for the City of Gold (2017)
6. All-American Adventure (2019)
7. The Plunder Down Under (2020)
8. The Ultimate Quest (2022)
9. The Greatest Treasure Hunt (2023)

House of Robots Series

1. House of Robots (2014)
2. Robots Go Wild! (2015)
3. Robot Revolution (2017)

Jacky Ha-Ha Series

1. Jacky Ha-Ha (2016)
2. My Life is a Joke (2017)
3. Jacky Ha-Ha Gets the Last Laugh (2023)

Little Geniuses Series

1. Big Words for Little Geniuses (2017)
2. Cuddly Critters for Little Geniuses (2018)
3. Bigger Words for Little Geniuses (2019)

The Dog Diaries Series

1. Dog Diaries (2018)
2. Dog Diaries: Happy Howlidays (2018)
3. Dog Diaries: Mission Impawsible (2019)
4. Dog Diaries: Curse of the Mystery Mutt (2019)
5. Dog Diaries: Ruffing It (2020)
6. Dog Diaries: Dinosaur Disaster (2022)
7. Dog Diaries: Big Top Bonanza (2023)

Max Einstein Series

1. Max Einstein: The Genius Experiment (2018)
2. Max Einstein: Rebels with a Cause (2019)
3. Max Einstein: Saves the Future (2020)
4. Max Einstein: World Champions (2021)

Katt vs. Dogg Series

1. Katt vs. Dogg (2019)
2. Katt Loves Dogg (2021)

Minerva Keen Series

1. MK’s Detective Club: The Poison Puzzle (Expected: May 7, 2024)

Standalones

1. Give Please a Chance (2016)
2. Give Thank You a Try (2017)
3. Santakid (2004)
4. Word of Mouse (2016)
5. Penguins of America (2017)
6. Laugh Out Loud (2017)
7. The Candies Save Christmas (2017)
8. Not So Normal Norbert (2018)
9. Unbelievably Boring Bartholomew (2018)
10. Becoming Muhammad Ali (2020)
11. Scaredy Cat (2021)
12. Best Nerds Forever (2021)
13. Minerva Keen’s Detective Club (2023)

James Patterson Non-Fiction Books in Order

1. The Day America Told the Truth (1992)
2. The Second American Revolution (1994)
3. Against Medical Advice (2008)
4. The Murder of King Tut (2009)
5. Med Head (2010)
6. Filthy Rich (2016)
7. All-American Murder (2018)
8. The House of Kennedy / The Kennedy Curse (2020)
9. The Last Days of John Lennon (2020)
10. Walk in My Combat Boots (2021)
11. The Defense Lawyer (2021)
12. E.R. Nurses: True Stories from America’s Greatest Unsung Heroes (2021)
13. James Patterson by James Patterson: The Stories of My Life (2022)
14. The Elephant Girl (2022)
15. Diana, William and Harry (2022)
16. Things I Wish I Told My Mother by Susan Patterson (April 2023)
17. What Really Happens in Vegas (Expected: December 4, 2023) (with Mark Seal)
18. Tiger, Tiger (Expected: July 15, 2024) (with Peter de Jonge)
19. The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians (Expected: April 4, 2024) (with Matt Eversmann)

James Patterson Novellas in Order

Patterson has written a tremendous number of books by himself and in collaboration with other authors. That is also true for his shorter fiction, which Patterson calls bookshots.

1. Bloody Valentine (2011)
2. The Hostage: Jon Roscoe Thriller (2016) (with Robert Gold)
3. Break Point (2016) (with Lee Stone)
4. Heist (2016) (with Rees Jones)
5. Airport: Code Red (2016) (with Michael White)
6. Little Black Dress (2016) (with Emily Raymond)
7. Let’s Play Make-Believe / The Palm Beach Murders (2016) (with James O. Born)
8. The Pretender (2016) (with Andrew Bourelle)
9. 113 Minutes (2016) (with Max DiLallo)
10. The Verdict: Jon Roscoe Thriller (2016) (with Robert Gold)
11. $10,000,000 Marriage Proposal (2016) (with Hilary Liftin)
12. French Kiss: A Detective Luc Moncrief Mystery (2016) (with Richard Di Lallo)
13. The Women’s War (2016) (with Shan Serafin)
14. Taking the Titanic (2016) (with Scott Slaven)
15. Kidnapped: Jon Roscoe Thriller (2016) (with Robert Gold)
16. The Christmas Mystery: A Detective Luc Moncrief Mystery (2016) (with Richard Di Lallo)
17. Come and Get Us (2016) (with Shan Serafin)
18. Private: The Royals (2016) (with Rees Jones)
19. Hidden: A Mitchum Story (2017) (with James O. Born)
20. The House Husband (2017) (with Duane Swierczynski)
21. French Twist: A Detective Luc Moncrief Mystery (2017) (with Richard DiLallo)
22. Malicious: A Mitchum Story (2017) (with James O. Born)
23. The End: An Owen Taylor Story (2017) (with Brendan DuBois)
24. The Shut-In (2017) (with Duane Swierczynski)
25. After the End: An Owen Taylor Story (2017) (with Brendan DuBois)
26. Diary of a Succubus (2017) (with Derek Nikitas)
27. The Lawyer Lifeguard (2017) (with Doug Allyn)
28. Stingrays (2017) (with Duane Swierczynski)
29. Nooners (2017) (with Tim Arnold)
30. Steeplechase (2017) (with Scott Slaven)
31. Deadly Cargo (2017) (with Will Jordan)
32. Absolute Zero (2017) (with Ed Chatterton)
33. The Housewife (2017) (with Sam Hawken)
34. The Moores are Missing (2017) (with Loren D. Estleman)
35. The Dolls (2017) (with Kecia Bal)
36. Dead Man Running (2017) (with Christopher Farnsworth)
37. The Family Lawyer (2017) (with Robert Rotstein)
38. The Good Sister (2017) (with Rachel Howzell Hall)
39. Night Sniper (2017) (with Christopher Charles)
40. Stealing Gulfstreams (2017) (with Max DiLallo)
41. Scott Free (2017) (with Rob Hart)
42. You’ve Been Warned – Again (2017) (with Derek Nikitas)
43. The Exile (2017) (with Alison Joseph)
44. The Witnesses (2017) (with Brendan DuBoid)
45. Avalanche (2017) (with David Inglish)
46. Kill and Tell (2017) (with Scott Slaven)
47. The House Next Door (2019) (with Susan DiLallo)
48. The Killer’s Wife (2019) (with Max DiLallo)
49. We. Are. Not. Alone. (2019) (with Tim Arnold)

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, there you go – all the James Patterson books in order! Choose one that intrigues you and start reading these books in the reading orders we have shared above.

Looking for more books in order?

Check out my list of Louise Penny Books in Order.