Douglas Preston Books in Order
Douglas Preston has written 54 books, published between 1986 and 2026. The first book is Dinosaurs in the Attic (1986) and the newest is Pendergast (2026). One more title is announced: Resurrection (2027). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 54 + 1 announced
- Published
- 1986–2026
- Confirmed
- 53 of 55 titles
- Pages on record
- 15,683 in 36 of 55 books
- Reading time
- 261–392 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 15,683 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 36 of 55 titles with a page count on record.
Douglas Preston writes thrillers with horror and science fiction edges, built on serial murder, antiquities and government investigation. Aloysius Pendergast is the character the catalogue is best known for, with Nora Kelly, Gideon Crew, Wyman Ford and the Cash & Colcord books beside him. Fifty-seven catalogued titles run from Dinosaurs in the Attic (1986) through Relic (1995) and Riptide (1998) to Pendergast, and Resurrection is scheduled for 2027.
Douglas Preston often writes with coauthor Lincoln Child. One of his nonfiction books grew from his research into an unsolved murder case in Italy, and his background includes work at a science museum.
How many Douglas Preston books are there?
Douglas Preston has 54 published books, released between 1986 and 2026. They include 6 series and 1 title listed outside any series. One more, Resurrection (2027), is announced.
Douglas Preston Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 55 Douglas Preston books in the order they were released, 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 September 2026.
- 119862564/4
- 219924804/4
- 319943204/4
- 419954804/4
- 519952844/4
- 619964944/4
- 719974804/4
- 819984964/4
- 919995484/4
- 1020005124/4
- 1120017044/4
- 122003–4/4
- 1320034044/4
- 1420047404/4
- 1520053984/4
- 1620056074/4
- 1720063044/4
- 1820074164/4
- 192009–4/4
- 202009–4/4
- 2120105764/4
- 2220113984/4
- 2320114804/4
- 2420124804/4
- 252012–4/4
- 2620124804/4
- 2720133684/4
- 2820144164/4
- 2920143524/4
- 30The Forgotten Killer: Rudy Guede and the Murder of Meredith KercherDouglas Preston Non-Fiction #52014 · confirmed 4/42014–4/4
- 3120144034/4
- 3220153394/4
- 3320163754/4
- 342016–4/4
- 3520173264/4
- 3620183114/4
- 3720183594/4
- 382018–4/4
- 3920193694/4
- 402019–1/4
- 412020–4/4
- 4220215924/4
- 4320214004/4
- 4420223684/4
- 452022–4/4
- 4620233684/4
- 472023–4/4
- 482023–4/4
- 492024–4/4
- 502024–4/4
- 512025–4/4
- 522026–4/4
- 532026–4/4
- 54Pendergast2026 · confirmed 1/42026–1/4
- 552027–3/4
Douglas Preston series in order
Each series linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Pendergast books in order 25 books
- Nora Kelly books in order 6 books
- Gideon Crew books in order 5 books
- Wyman Ford books in order 4 books
Douglas Preston 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.
Douglas Preston Non-Fiction
7 books7 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Douglas Preston Standalone Novels
5 books5 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Cash & Colcord Series in order
3 books- 1. Extinction
- 2. Paradox
- 3. Resurrection
Mysterious Profiles in order
1 bookPendergast Series in order
1 bookStandalone books
1 book1 Douglas Preston title here is not listed as part of any series.
Douglas Preston Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the Douglas Preston books run from Dinosaurs in the Attic (1986) to Pendergast (2026), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Douglas Preston in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read Douglas Preston books in order?
You only need to read Douglas Preston books in order within each series: the books listed here span 6 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
Where to start with Douglas Preston
Start with the first book of the Douglas Preston series you want to read: Pendergast starts with Relic (1995), Nora Kelly starts with Thunderhead (1999) and Gideon Crew starts with Gideon's Sword (2011). The earliest catalogued title overall is Dinosaurs in the Attic (1986).
What is the newest Douglas Preston book?
Pendergast (2026) is the newest Douglas Preston book released so far.
Is there a new Douglas Preston book coming?
Yes. Resurrection (2027) is the next Douglas Preston book announced in the catalogue. A publication year announced this far ahead moves, so it is worth rechecking: every announced title dated after 2026 sits on the upcoming book releases page.
Douglas Preston at a glance
- Still publishing
- Douglas Preston is still publishing. Resurrection is announced for 2027.
- Release pace
- Douglas Preston books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 15,683 pages across the 36 of 55 books with a recorded length, a median of 404 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Douglas Preston books, 20 of 55, were published in the 2010s.
- Corroboration
- 52 of the 55 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and 53 in at least three.
What the Douglas Preston books are about
41 of the 55 Douglas Preston books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: thrillers is tagged on 20 of 41. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Thrillers 20 of 41 books
- Government investigators 9 of 41 books
- Aloysius Pendergast (Fictitious character) 6 of 41 books
- Science fiction 5 of 41 books
- Serial murders 5 of 41 books
- Action & adventure 4 of 41 books
- Horror 4 of 41 books
- Investigation 4 of 41 books
- Murder 4 of 41 books
- Suspense 4 of 41 books
- Antiquities 3 of 41 books
- Crimes against 3 of 41 books