Nelson DeMille Books in Order: John Corey, Standalones & More

By Anna Marie CarrollThriller

Nelson DeMille wrote crime thrillers, military thrillers, suspense novels, short stories, and a few hard-to-find books under pen names. If you’re trying to read the Nelson DeMille books in order, I’d start with the series you care about most, especially John Corey, then come back for the standalones and early paperbacks.

Below, you’ll find his series, standalones, pseudonym books, short stories, nonfiction, and other contributions. I’ve split out chronological order where it changes how you might read the books.

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Which Nelson DeMille Book Should You Read First?

If you’re new to Nelson DeMille, I’d start with Plum Island. It introduces John Corey, and Corey is the character most readers associate with DeMille’s mix of crime, terrorism, dry humor, and Long Island attitude.

If you’d rather read a standalone first, I’d go with The Charm School for Cold War suspense or The Gold Coast if you want DeMille’s Long Island setting and voice front and center. For military thrillers, I’d start with The General’s Daughter.

Nelson DeMille Books by Series

John Corey Series

John Corey is the character most readers know DeMille for. He starts as a medically retired NYPD homicide detective and later works in anti-terrorism. You can read the main novels in publication order, but the short story The Book Case jumps back to Corey’s NYPD years.

John Corey Books in Publication Order

  1. Plum Island (1997)
  2. The Lion’s Game (2000)
  3. Night Fall (2004)
  4. Wild Fire (2006)
  5. The Lion (2010)
  6. The Book Case (2011) (Short Story)
  7. The Panther (2012)
  8. Radiant Angel / A Quiet End (2015)
  9. Getaway (2017) (Short Story with Lisa Scottoline)
  10. The Maze (2022)

John Corey Books in Chronological Order

  1. The Book Case (Short Story)
  2. Plum Island
  3. The Lion’s Game
  4. Night Fall
  5. Wild Fire
  6. The Lion
  7. The Panther
  8. Radiant Angel / A Quiet End
  9. Getaway (Short Story with Lisa Scottoline)
  10. The Maze

I’d read John Corey in publication order the first time through. The Book Case is fun as an early Corey story, but I think it lands better once you already know him.

Joe Ryker Series

Joe Ryker is where DeMille’s bibliography gets a little messy. These early crime novels were later republished under the Jack Cannon name, and some titles have alternate names. They’re also much harder to find than his later books, so I’d treat them as completist reads.

  1. The Sniper (1974)
  2. The Hammer of God (1974)
  3. The Agent of Death / The Death Squad (1975)
  4. The Smack Man (1975)
  5. Cannibal (1975)
  6. The Night of the Phoenix (1975)

John Sutter Series

The John Sutter books are DeMille at his most Long Island. The series follows Wall Street lawyer John Sutter, his wife Susan, and the complications that begin when Mafia boss Frank Bellarosa moves into the neighborhood.

  1. The Gold Coast (1990)
  2. The Gate House (2008)

Paul Brenner Series

Paul Brenner is a military investigator and Vietnam veteran. His first book is The General’s Daughter. If you’re following Brenner specifically, include The Panther too, since it brings him into John Corey’s world.

  1. The General’s Daughter (1992)
  2. Up Country (2002)
  3. The Panther (2012) (John Corey crossover)

Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor Series

Nelson DeMille co-wrote the Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor books with his son, Alex DeMille. These military thrillers follow Army investigators Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor.

  1. The Deserter (2019)
  2. Blood Lines (2023)
  3. The Tin Men (2025)

Nelson DeMille Standalone Books

DeMille also wrote standalone thrillers, early paperback originals, and a few books under other names. The Quest is a little different because it first appeared in the 1970s and was later expanded. The linked version below is the expanded edition most readers are looking for now.

  1. The Quest (1975, expanded edition released in 2013)
  2. Hitler’s Children (1976) (as Kurt Ladner)
  3. Killer Sharks (1976) (as Brad Matthews)
  4. By the Rivers of Babylon (1978)
  5. Mayday (1979) (with Thomas Block)
  6. Cathedral (1981)
  7. The Talbot Odyssey (1984)
  8. Word of Honor (1985)
  9. The Charm School (1988)
  10. Spencerville (1994)
  11. The Cuban Affair (2017)

Nelson DeMille Short Stories

DeMille’s short fiction is scattered across magazines, anthologies, Kindle singles, and specialty projects. If you only care about the main novels, you don’t need every item here. But if you’re trying to be thorough, these are the short pieces to know about.

  1. Life or Breath (1976)
  2. Revenge & Rebellion (1997) (with Lauren DeMille, in The Plot Thickens)
  3. The Mystery at Thorn Mansion (Mystery puzzle story)
  4. The Quick and the Undead (2009) (in In the Shadow of the Master)
  5. The Book Case (2011) (John Corey short story)
  6. Death Benefits (2012) (also included in The Rich and the Dead)
  7. Rendezvous (2012) (also included in Dangerous Women)
  8. Getaway (2017) (with Lisa Scottoline, in MatchUp)

Nelson DeMille Anthologies and Other Writings

These aren’t where I’d start, but they’re helpful if you want to track down more of DeMille’s work. Some include a short story. Others include an essay, recipe, introduction, or editorial credit.

  1. The Plot Thickens (1997)
  2. Getting Your Book Published for Dummies (2000)
  3. A Poison That Leaves No Trace (2002)
  4. Metropolis Found (2003)
  5. The Best American Mystery Stories 2004 (2004)
  6. Flag: An American Biography (2005)
  7. Dangerous Women (2005)
  8. The Book That Changed My Life (2006)
  9. In the Shadow of the Master (2009)
  10. The Rich and the Dead (2011)
  11. Long Island’s Gold Coast (2012)
  12. OHEKA Castle (2012)
  13. The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook (2015)
  14. Books That Changed My Life (2016)
  15. Great Minds Think and Write (2016)
  16. The Artists’ and Writers’ Cookbook (2016)
  17. Bibliomysteries (2017)
  18. MatchUp (2017)

Nelson DeMille Nonfiction Books

DeMille is best known for thrillers, but he also has nonfiction titles in his bibliography. I’m keeping them separate here so they don’t get mixed in with the novels.

  1. The Five-Million-Dollar Woman: Barbara Walters (1976) (as Ellen Kay)
  2. Take Off! (2000)

Nelson DeMille Book to Screen Adaptations

Several Nelson DeMille books were adapted for the screen. The General’s Daughter became a theatrical movie starring John Travolta and Madeleine Stowe. Word of Honor and Mayday were both made as TV movies.

  1. The General’s Daughter (1999 film)
  2. Word of Honor (2003 TV movie)
  3. Mayday (2005 TV movie)

Who is Nelson DeMille?

Nelson DeMille was a New York author best known for crime, suspense, and military thrillers. He grew up on Long Island, and that setting shows up again and again in his books, especially Plum Island, The Gold Coast, Night Fall, and Radiant Angel.

Before becoming a full-time novelist, DeMille served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He later returned to Hofstra University and graduated with a degree in political science and history. You can feel that background in books like Word of Honor, The General’s Daughter, Up Country, and Rendezvous.

DeMille also wrote under several pen names, including Jack Cannon, Kurt Ladner, Brad Matthews, and Ellen Kay. Those names mostly show up on his earliest and hardest-to-find books.

He also worked with his son, Alex DeMille, on the Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor series. Their collaborations are The Deserter, Blood Lines, and The Tin Men.

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.

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