Steve Berry Books in Order: Series, Standalones & Stories

If you’re looking for Steve Berry books in order, the big thing to know is that his bibliography is built around historical thrillers, secret history, and international conspiracies. Cotton Malone is his signature character, but Berry has also written standalone thrillers, the Luke Daniels books with Grant Blackwood, Cassiopeia Vitt stories, short fiction, and anthology crossovers.

Jump to:

• Steve Berry Standalone Books
• Steve Berry Books by Series
• Steve Berry Short Stories and Novellas
• Steve Berry Anthologies and Crossovers
• Who Is Steve Berry?

Steve Berry Standalone Books

Berry began with standalone historical thrillers before Cotton Malone took over as his main recurring character. These can be read in any order, although publication order is a good way to see how his style developed.

1. The Amber Room (2003)
2. The Romanov Prophecy (2004)
3. The Third Secret (2005)
4. The Columbus Affair (2012)
5. The Omega Factor (2022)
6. The List (2025)

Steve Berry Books by Series

Berry’s series are easiest to follow in publication order. Cotton Malone is the main one, while Cassiopeia Vitt and Luke Daniels expand the same kind of historical thriller world from different angles.

Cotton Malone

Cotton Malone is a former Justice Department operative turned rare-book dealer. His cases mix real history, political secrets, ancient documents, and modern danger.

The novels usually have self-contained plots, but publication order is still the simplest choice because Cotton’s background and relationships build as the series goes on. This list covers the main novels. For the full Cotton-focused guide with the shorter pieces worked in, use my Cotton Malone reading order.

1. The Templar Legacy (2006)
2. The Alexandria Link (2007)
3. The Venetian Betrayal (2007)
4. The Charlemagne Pursuit (2008)
5. The Paris Vendetta (2009)
6. The Emperor’s Tomb (2010)
7. The Jefferson Key (2011)
8. The King’s Deception (2013)
9. The Lincoln Myth (2014)
10. The Patriot Threat (2015)
11. The 14th Colony (2016)
12. The Lost Order (2017)
13. The Bishop’s Pawn (2018)
14. The Malta Exchange (2019)
15. The Warsaw Protocol (2020)
16. The Kaiser’s Web (2021)
17. The Last Kingdom (2023)
18. The Atlas Maneuver (2024)
19. The Medici Return (2025)
20. The Devil’s Bible (2026)

Cassiopeia Vitt

Cassiopeia Vitt begins as an important supporting character in the Cotton Malone books, then gets several shorter adventures of her own. The first story, The Balkan Escape, also connects back to The Emperor’s Tomb.

The later novellas were written with M.J. Rose. They’re extras, but they’re worth including if you want a more complete Steve Berry checklist.

1. The Balkan Escape (2010)
2. The Museum of Mysteries (2018)
3. The Lake of Learning (2019)
4. The House of Long Ago (2020)
5. The End of Forever (2021)

Luke Daniels

The Luke Daniels books are co-written with Grant Blackwood. Luke is a younger Magellan Billet operative, so these feel close to the Cotton Malone world while still standing as their own adventure series.

1. The 9th Man (2023)
2. Red Star Falling (2024)
3. The Sorcerer’s Veil (2027)

Steve Berry Short Stories and Novellas

Berry has written several shorter pieces tied to Cotton Malone, Cassiopeia Vitt, or crossover projects with other thriller authors. Some were first published in anthologies, while others were released as e-book shorts.

I’d treat these as extras. They add context and fun crossover moments, but they aren’t the best place to start if you’re new to Berry.

1. The Devil’s Gold (2011)
2. Extenuating Circumstances (2011)
3. The Admiral’s Mark (2012)
4. The Tudor Plot (2013)
5. The Devil’s Bones (2014)
6. Shadow Tag (2016)
7. The Devils’ Due (2017)
8. Past Prologue (2017)

Steve Berry Anthologies and Crossovers

Berry has also appeared in shared thriller anthologies. A few include stories already listed above, but the anthology titles are useful if you’re trying to track where certain short stories first appeared.

1. Thriller: Stories to Keep You Up All Night (2006)
2. First Thrills (2010)
3. In Session (2011)
4. FaceOff (2014)
5. MatchUp (2017)

Who Is Steve Berry?

Steve Berry is an American thriller author best known for the Cotton Malone series. His books usually start with a real historical mystery, then build a modern thriller around hidden documents, old secrets, and dangerous people who want the truth buried.

Before becoming a full-time novelist, Berry worked as an attorney. History has always been central to his fiction, and he has also been active in historical preservation work with his wife, Elizabeth.

If you like Dan Brown, James Rollins, Clive Cussler, or historical conspiracy thrillers in general, Berry is an easy author to add to your list.

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.

• Books in Order (Full Index)
• Dan Brown Books in Order
• James Rollins Books in Order
• Clive Cussler Books in Order