The Alex Cross books are a New York Times bestseller detective series written by James Patterson. The first book came out in 1993, and with more than thirty books over two decades, it consistently tops bestseller lists. Several Hollywood blockbuster adaptations have also contributed to the Alex Cross series’ popularity.
With over thirty page-turners available, this is the best time to get hooked on the Alex Cross books in order. Not sure how to read the Alex Cross books in order? Worry not, as we bring you this list of the Alex Cross series in chronological order.
Contents
How Many Books Are in the Alex Cross Series?
The Alex Cross series is James Patterson’s most recognizable wor,k with the titular Alex Cross being a popular character in modern literature. It began with the publication of the novel Along Came a Spider in 1993 and now there are over 30 books available in the series, with each building upon the previous one.
The Alex Cross series, in total, includes 33 full-length novels and two novellas.
In What Order Do I Read Alex Cross Books?
Along Came a Spider
Published in 1993, this is the first book in the Alex Cross series. It is a psychological thriller where the reader is first introduced to Washington D.C. homicide detective Alex Cross. He is investigating the murders of two black prostitutes and a child when he is pulled off the case to look into a high-profile kidnapping.
Alex also meets Secret Service agent Jezzie Flanagan and gets involved in a love affair with her as they try to catch an infamous killer about to commit the crime of the century.
Kiss the Girls
In the second book of the Alex Cross series, two murderous masterminds are preying on beautiful women on opposite sides of the US. Detective Cross gets involved in the case when his own niece goes missing. He will have to put himself and his family in the line of fire to untangle this bewildering series of abductions and murders.
Jack & Jill
Jack & Jill is the third book in the Alex Cross series, where the titular detective is torn between two cases. One close to his home, where a young girl has been beaten and left outside the elementary school attended by his son. The other is a couple calling themselves Jack & Jill, targeting Washington’s rich and famous people. Cross has to solve both cases before Jack & Jill gets to the ultimate celebrity target in D.C.
Cat & Mouse
Alex Cross’s old rival from the first book turns up again in the fourth book in the series. The man has escaped from prison and piled up bodies wherever he goes, determined to go out in a blaze of glory witnessed by our protagonist.
Meanwhile, across the pond, Detective Thomas Augustine Pierce is chasing a frenzied killer. He is called to Washington when Cross is nearly murdered in his home and thus begins this time bomb full of threat and terror as the two try to solve these cases.
Pop Goes the Weasel
Alex Cross gets engaged but finds himself and his fiancee entangled in a twisted spate of killings. The murders are not officially connected, but the detective is convinced that a man nicknamed the Weasel is behind them. Cross’s quest to unmask the killer brings a suspect who turns out to be the most formidable enemy he has ever faced.
Roses are Red
The sixth book sees Alex Cross and his partner Sampson investigate a series of meticulously planned robberies. The nature of the crime has Cross convinced that this isn’t the work of ordinary bank robbers. This sadistic mastermind pulls him away from a crisis at home into an all-consuming case where even the slightest mistake will result in death.
Violets are Blue
The Alex Cross series steps into the new millennium with the shocking murder of two joggers found dead and hung upside down in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Cross is called in to take up this case of bloody carnage sweeping across the country. The relentless thrills and twists in this book will keep you glued till the end.
Four Blind Mice
Alex Cross is getting ready to retire when his partner Sampson shows up in desperate need of help. The latter’s friend, a master sergeant, has been accused of the murder of three military wives. Thus, Cross ends up infiltrating the world of the military to get to the bottom of this case.
The Big Bad Wolf
Alex Cross is now with the FBI and takes up a case involving a predator known as the Wolf. He soon realizes that the Wolf is kidnapping his victims not for ransom but for selling them into slavery. It is an unputdownable book with unexpected twists as Cross takes on this menacing master criminal.
London Bridges
In London Bridges, Alex Cross is still following the Wolf as reports of bombings around the world keep coming in. The leaders have just four days to prevent catastrophe from occurring. This book has one of the most gripping finales ever written by James Patterson.
Mary, Mary
Alex’s vacation is again cut short as he gets a call about Mary Smith, who has it out for Hollywood A-listers. She keeps sending the LAPD chilling updates about each murder as they scramble to figure out a pattern with the help of the famous D.C. detective. Mary, Mary is a sophisticated thriller that will satisfy every Patterson fan.
Cross
It is important to read the previous Alex Cross books in order to get the events in the twelfth installment completely. In this book, the tragic death of his wife, Maria, comes to haunt him again. His thirst for vengeance is re-ignited when his former partner brings him to Georgetown to track a serial rapist. This case triggers a connection to Maria’s death as Cross embarks on the most terrifying journey of his life.
Double Cross
Alex Cross is no longer a detective and is just settling into his routine as a psychologist when he’s pulled back into the world of crime to catch the Audience Killer. This frenzied killer plans elaborate public performances of his murders, turning them into gruesome spectacles. He will stop at nothing to become the most famous killer in the history of DC. Alex Cross and his new girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, race against time to put an end to these murders in this book.
Cross Country
A massacre takes place at the home of Alex Cross’s oldest friend. At the same time, a dangerous underworld in DC leads our protagonist to the Niger Delta, where he chases after the psychopathic perpetrator of the massacre, known as The Tiger. Join Cross as he delves deep into the world of slave trading, corruption, heroin dealing, and conspiracy in this heart-stopping installment.
Alex Cross’s Trial
Featuring time travel, this book is unlike anything Patterson has written before. Through the perspective of Alex Cross, Patterson narrates the story of Ben Corbett and Abraham Cross who risk their and their families’ lives to investigate a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the Mississippi.
The duo will stop at nothing to end the reign of terror while the people they’re fighting fight the idea of progress tooth and nail.
I, Alex Cross
Alex Cross’s niece falls victim to the latest DC killer, and the grieving former detective is ready to confront a dangerous world of unchecked power to bring him down. As Alex and Brianna investigate, they learn that his niece was mixed up with an infamous private club and the powerful and dangerous people who hide their dirty secrets there.
I, Alex Cross, is a compelling thriller with a rollercoaster of plot twists and emotions.
Cross Fire
The high-profile murders of a Congressman and a lobbyist pull Alex Cross away from his wedding plans and into the search of this mysterious sniper. Theories over the identity of the sniper abound, and as media frenzy explodes, FBI agent Max Siegel locks horns with Cross over legal jurisdiction. Dealing with all this, the Detective receives a call from the Mastermind, who won’t relent until Cross and everyone he loves are dead.
Kill Alex Cross
Kill Alex Cross is a fast-paced addition to the series as Cross investigates the abduction of the President’s children. Meanwhile, the Capital’s water supply is crippled by a deadly contaminant.
Cross is racing against time to locate the victims as he is shunted to the fringes of the investigation. Time is running out, and he may just have to go against everything he believes in.
Merry Christmas, Alex Cross
Even holiday time isn’t sacred in the world of Alex Cross. He has to leave his family on Christmas Eve and head across town to the home of Henry Fowler, who is holding his family at gunpoint. Here, Cross will have to risk everything to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.
Alex Cross, Run
A woman’s body is found hanging from a window while her newborn baby goes missing. Alex Cross is called to the scene when he receives a call about another body. Washington, DC, is thrown into a tizzy when a third body is discovered. Cross is stretched to his limit, trying to catch three serial killers while bodies pile up faster than he can count.
Cross My Heart
Cross My Heart is perhaps the most unsettling book in the Alex Cross series. Those who have read the books in order know that family is very important to Cross. His enemies know this too and one man decides to use this against him. The stakes are higher than ever before for Cross, who has to do everything to protect the ones closest to his heart.
Hope to Die
The plot of Cross My Heart continues in Hope to Die as everyone Alex Cross loves is being held hostage by a deadly and obsessive enemy. He is, thus, forced to play the most dangerous game of his career to save the most important people in his life.
Cross Justice
The twenty-third installment in the Alex Cross series brings the former Detective to North Carolina. He is trying to prove his cousin’s innocence of an unthinkable crime while battling the corruption and prejudice of the state. Simultaneously, he is looking into a family secret that might force him to question everything he thought he knew.
Cross the Line
A senior police official is found dead at Rock Creek Park. Alex Cross ends up taking command of the investigation as officers scramble for answers. However, before he even begins, he receives a call that his former boss and his wife’s beloved mentor have been murdered.
Bree and Alex team up to catch a new killer on the loose as both their marriage and the city face a crisis.
Cross Kill: Bookshots
Cross Kill is not a full-length novel but ties perfectly in the Alex Cross book series in order. This punchy novella is a fun fair as we see the return of the villain from the first book Along Came the Spider. Gary Soneji was supposed to be dead, so how is he back now? Is he a ghost, or did he never die? Join Alex Cross as he tries to figure out the sinister truth behind the mystery.
Detective Cross: Bookshots
This novella might be shorter than the regular Alex Cross books, but it doesn’t lack the punch. It delivers high-impact entertainment as Cross and Bree chase after an anonymous caller threatening to set off bombs in the capital. It’s a short read but unputdownable read.
The People vs. Alex Cross
Alex Cross has always been catching criminals, but this time, it’s him who has been accused of murder. He only pulled the trigger in self-defense, but mounting evidence turns him into the face of cops who think they are above the law. With even his family starting to doubt his innocence, Cross turns to his old partner, Sampson, for help. Patterson is at his best in the 25th full-length novel in the series.
Target
As the country mourns the assassination of the President, the sniper’s bullet kills another prominent US Senator. Now Bree either has to find the shooter or lose her job while Cross is tasked by the new President to lead an investigation of unprecedented size and scope. Target, the 29th book in the Alex Cross series, will have you devouring every page to figure out the mystery.
Criss Cross
In Criss Cross, Alex Cross and Sampson are called to a crime scene mere hours after witnessing the execution of a killer they helped convict. There has been a copycat murder with a note accusing Cross of making a big mistake. The convict’s family launches a ruthless campaign against him while he’s lured onto a trail of multiple homicides.
Alex Cross is haunted by a ghost from his past as he investigates the murders marked by long-forgotten cases and buried family secrets. You can pick up this book even if you haven’t read all the Alex Cross books in order.
Deadly Cross
Socialite Kay Willingham is found in the arms of a DC private school’s principal in a Bentley convertible behind the school shot dead. Alex Cross had grown fond of Kay when she was his patient, and the question of the culprit and reason behind the double homicide plagues his mind.
He goes to Alabama looking for answers but finds a closely guarded world of secrets, lies, and corruption. Alex comes across plenty of Kay’s enemies, but none of them would want her dead.
Fear No Evil
In Fear No Evil, veteran detective Alex Cross confronts the killer who has stalked him and his family for years. Cross and his partner Sampson venture into the rugged wilderness of Montana for a personal mission. Here, they have become the prey as they are attacked by two rival teams of assassins controlled by the mastermind who has been behind Cross and his family all this time.
Triple Cross
There’s a serial killer on the loose murdering entire families, and it is up to Alex Cross to catch him before it’s too late. The killer is extremely methodical and leaves no physical evidence of any kind. Along with Cross, a true-crime author who sees patterns the detectives miss is also investigating the case. The writer calls it the perfect crime but Cross knows there is no perfect crime.
Cross Down
For the first time, Sampson is on his own as Alex Cross is gravely injured. He has to investigate a series of military-style attacks with random patterns, as per his friend. Sampson alone has to race against time to protect the Cross family, his own daughter, and every American.
Alex Cross Must Die
A serial killer is fatally ambushing young men in a series of murders named the “Dead House” murders. Alex Cross and John Sampson are investigating this serial killer when they are called upon for a case of the crash and explosion of a plane at Reagan Airport.
A remote-controlled Vietnam War-era machine gun was used to take down the plane, and the list of people who can operate the stolen weapon is short. But time is running even shorter as Cross and Sampson race to prevent another mass murder.
The House of Cross
A serial killer is on the loose, killing all of America’s finest legal minds, and Alex Cross is called to investigate these murders. However, his wife Bree and best friend Sampson go missing during a mission to track down the killer. Cross now has to go on a dangerous trail to save the people he loves.
