Alex Cross Books in Order
James Patterson has written 39 books featuring Alex Cross, published between 1992 and 2026: 34 in the Alex Cross series and 5 related titles. The first book is Along Came a Spider (1992) and the newest main-line book is The Family Cross (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 39
- Published
- 1992–2026
- Confirmed
- 39 of 39 titles
- Pages on record
- 4,316 in 12 of 39 books
Alex Cross is the detective and police psychologist at the centre of James Patterson's thriller series. Along Came a Spider (1992) opens the run, which reaches 39 books by 2026 and continues with The Family Cross. Murder, kidnapping and criminal investigation are the recurring subjects, with an African American detective as the lead. Volumes run 402 pages at the median, and the 2010s are the busiest decade.
How many Alex Cross books are there?
Alex Cross appears in 39 books, released between 1992 and 2026. 34 of them belong to the Alex Cross series, and 5 related titles sit outside it: short stories and novellas and other titles.
Who wrote Alex Cross?
James Patterson wrote the Alex Cross books: every one of the 39 catalogued titles is credited to James Patterson.
Alex Cross Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 39 Alex Cross 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 September 2026.
- 119925024/4
- 21995–4/4
- 31996–4/4
- 41997–4/4
- 51999–4/4
- 62000–4/4
- 720014044/4
- 820024164/4
- 92003–4/4
- 102004–4/4
- 1120054354/4
- 122006–4/4
- 132007–4/4
- 142008–4/4
- 152009–4/4
- 162009–4/4
- 172010–4/4
- 1820113234/4
- 192011–4/4
- 202013–4/4
- 212013–4/4
- 222014–3/4
- 232014–4/4
- 242015–4/4
- 2520161134/4
- 2620163734/4
- 2720171314/4
- 282017–4/4
- 292018–4/4
- 3020193874/4
- 3120204164/4
- 3220214004/4
- 3320224164/4
- 342023–3/4
- 352023–3/4
- 362024–3/4
- 372025–4/4
- 382026–3/4
- 392026–3/4
Alex Cross Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the books of the Alex Cross series run from Along Came a Spider (1992) to The Family Cross (2026), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Alex Cross in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read Alex Cross books in order?
You should read the Alex Cross series in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 5 related titles (short stories and novellas and other titles) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each Alex Cross book also stands alone.
What order should you read Alex Cross books in?
Read them in publication order, starting with Along Came a Spider (1992), the earliest published book in the Alex Cross series. After it come Kiss the Girls (1995), Jack & Jill (1996), Cat & Mouse (1997) and Pop Goes the Weasel (1999); the numbered table above continues from there.
What is the first Alex Cross book?
Along Came a Spider (1992) is the first book in the Alex Cross series, and the numbered table above starts with it.
What is the newest Alex Cross book?
The Family Cross (2026) is the newest book in the Alex Cross series.
Is there a new Alex Cross book coming?
No next Alex Cross book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Printable Alex Cross Books in Order Checklist
A printable checklist of all 39 books in publication order is on the Alex Cross reading checklist, with a tick box beside each title.
Alex Cross at a glance
- Still running
- Alex Cross is still running, with a main-line title published as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- Alex Cross books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 4,316 pages across the 12 of 39 books with a recorded length, a median of 402 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Alex Cross books, 14 of 39, were published in the 2010s.
- Corroboration
- 33 of the 39 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and every one of them in at least three.
What the Alex Cross books are about
32 of the 39 Alex Cross books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: police is tagged on 17 of 32. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Police 17 of 32 books
- Thrillers 12 of 32 books
- African American detectives 10 of 32 books
- Police psychologists 9 of 32 books
- African American police 8 of 32 books
- Investigation 7 of 32 books
- Murder 6 of 32 books
- Cross, alex (fictitious character) 5 of 32 books
- Mystery & detective 5 of 32 books
- Suspense 5 of 32 books
- African American psychologists 4 of 32 books
- Kidnapping 4 of 32 books
More books by James Patterson
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- James Patterson books in order 510 books