Author

Steve Berry

Q: What should I read first by Steve Berry?

Start with the Cotton Malone series, since it is the first on file, then read it in publication order.

Steve Berry has 32 known credited books (32 published) across 2 series. Start with Cotton Malone.

Steve Berry is an American author of historical conspiracy thrillers, best known for the long-running Cotton Malone series, which follows a former U.S. Justice Department operative turned rare-book dealer in Copenhagen who is repeatedly drawn into international plots hinging on real historical mysteries and lost artifacts. Beginning with The Templar Legacy in 2006, the series blends fast-paced thriller plotting in the vein of Dan Brown with genuine historical research, each book typically built around a specific piece of documented history — the Knights Templar, Napoleon, the Romanovs, the Library of Alexandria — that Berry uses as the seed for a modern-day conspiracy.

A former trial lawyer, Berry brings a lawyer's attention to procedural and factual detail to his research, and each Cotton Malone novel includes a writer's note clarifying what in the book is historical fact versus invention. He has also co-founded History Matters, a nonprofit dedicated to historic preservation, reflecting the same interest in real history that drives his fiction. New readers should start with The Templar Legacy, since Cotton's personal life and recurring allies and antagonists develop across the series, though the historical mysteries at each book's core are self-contained. No film or television adaptation of the series has been produced to date, though Berry continues to publish new Cotton Malone novels and other standalone thrillers regularly.

Series: 2
Credited books: 32
Published: 32
Latest published book: The Devil's Bible 17 February 2026
Active: 2003–present
Best known for: Cotton Malone

Key facts about Steve Berry

Our list holds 32 books by Steve Berry. 27 of them belong to a series, while 5 stand alone. Since all 32 are out now, every book here is ready to read. Their series sit on our thriller and historical thriller shelves.

Steve Berry has 2 series on file. Cotton Malone has 23 books, while Cassiopeia Vitt Adventure has 4 books. In particular, Cotton Malone is the longest series on file. Cotton Malone starts with The Templar Legacy, while Cassiopeia Vitt Adventure starts with The Museum of Mysteries.

Since Cotton Malone is the first series on file, it is the place to start. Their first published book on file came out in 2003. Meanwhile, The Devil's Bible is the latest published book, out on 17 February 2026.

There are also 5 standalone books. You can read them in any order, since each one stands alone. The newest one that is out is The List, from 2025. The oldest on file is The Amber Room, from 2003.