A.P. Bateman Books in Order

A.P. Bateman has written 35 books, published between 2015 and 2026. The first book is The Ares Virus (2015) and the newest is Shockwave (2026). Publication order is the reading order below. 25 of the 35 books listed here are in the Alex King series, which has its own page: Alex King books in order.

Books
35
Published
2015–2026
Pages on record
4,180 in 10 of 35 books

A.P. Bateman writes three series around recurring leads: Alex King, Rob Stone and DI Grant. 35 catalogued books run from The Ares Virus (2015) to Shockwave (2026), taking in The Contract Man (2015), Lies and Retribution (2016), Hell's Mouth (2017) and Reaper (2018). The median Bateman book runs to 454 pages, longer than most of the catalogue around it, and Bateman remains actively publishing.

Source: composed

How many A.P. Bateman books are there?

A.P. Bateman has 35 books, released between 2015 and 2026. They include 3 series and 2 titles listed outside any series.

A.P. Bateman Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 35 A.P. Bateman books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of November 2026.

  1. 1
    The Ares VirusRob Stone #12015 · 452 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2015452
  2. 2
    The Contract ManAlex King #12015 · 478 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2015478
  3. 3
    Lies and RetributionAlex King #22016 · 472 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2016472
  4. 4
    The TownRob Stone #22016 · 303 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2016303
  5. 5
    The IslandRob Stone #32016 · 356 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2016356
  6. 6
    Hell's Mouth2017 · 310 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2017310
  7. 7
    Shadows of Good FridayAlex King #32017 · 456 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2017456
  8. 8
    The FiveAlex King #42018 · 469 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2018469
  9. 9
    ReaperAlex King #52018 · 464 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2018464
  10. 10
    StormboundAlex King #62018 · confirmed 1/4
    2018–
  11. 11
    BreakoutAlex King #72019 · 420 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2019420
  12. 12
    From the ShadowsAlex King #82019 · confirmed 1/4
    2019–
  13. 13
    RogueAlex King #92019 · confirmed 1/4
    2019–
  14. 14
    The AssetAlex King #102020 · confirmed 1/4
    2020–
  15. 15
    Last Man StandingAlex King #112020 · confirmed 1/4
    2020–
  16. 16
    Stone ColdRob Stone #42021 · confirmed 1/4
    2021–
  17. 17
    Hunter KillerAlex King #122021 · confirmed 1/4
    2021–
  18. 18
    The Congo ContractAlex King #132021 · confirmed 1/4
    2021–
  19. 19
    Dead Man WalkingAlex King #142022 · confirmed 1/4
    2022–
  20. 20
    Sovereign PowerAlex King #152022 · confirmed 1/4
    2022–
  21. 21
    ViceDI Grant #12023 · confirmed 1/4
    2023–
  22. 22
    TakenDI Grant #22023 · confirmed 1/4
    2023–
  23. 23
    KingmakerAlex King #162023 · confirmed 1/4
    2023–
  24. 24
    UntouchableAlex King #172023 · confirmed 1/4
    2023–
  25. 25
    The EnemyAlex King #182023 · confirmed 1/4
    2023–
  26. 26
    The Most Dangerous Game2024 · confirmed 1/4
    2024–
  27. 27
    The CartelRob Stone #52024 · confirmed 1/4
    2024–
  28. 28
    Die TryingAlex King #192024 · confirmed 1/4
    2024–
  29. 29
    All the King's MenAlex King #202024 · confirmed 1/4
    2024–
  30. 30
    The Eagle's TalonAlex King #212024 · confirmed 1/4
    2024–
  31. 31
    1600Rob Stone #62025 · confirmed 1/4
    2025–
  32. 32
    BacklashAlex King #222025 · confirmed 1/4
    2025–
  33. 33
    Old ScoresAlex King #232025 · confirmed 1/4
    2025–
  34. 34
    CrossfireAlex King #242026 · confirmed 1/4
    2026–
  35. 35
    ShockwaveAlex King #252026 · confirmed 1/4
    2026–

A.P. Bateman series in order

The series linked below has its own reading-order page.

A.P. Bateman books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Rob Stone in order

6 books
  1. 1. The Ares Virus
  2. 2. The Town
  3. 3. The Island
  4. 4. Stone Cold
  5. 5. The Cartel
  6. 6. 1600

DI Grant in order

2 books
  1. 1. Vice
  2. 2. Taken

Standalone books

2 books

2 A.P. Bateman titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read A.P. Bateman books in order?

You only need to read A.P. Bateman books in order within each series: the books listed here span 3 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with A.P. Bateman

Start with The Contract Man (2015), the first Alex King book. The earliest catalogued title overall is The Ares Virus (2015).

What is the newest A.P. Bateman book?

Shockwave (2026) is the newest A.P. Bateman book released so far.

Is there a new A.P. Bateman book coming?

No next A.P. Bateman book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

A.P. Bateman at a glance

Still publishing
A.P. Bateman published a book as recently as 2026.
Release pace
A.P. Bateman books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
4,180 pages across the 10 of 35 books with a recorded length, a median of 454 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most A.P. Bateman books, 22 of 35, were published in the 2020s.

When A.P. Bateman books were published

Publication distribution by decade, showing when A.P. Bateman titles appeared. 2020s was the most productive decade with 22 titles.

2010s
13
2020s
22

35 books total across 2 decades. Decade reflects the year each title was first catalogued.