Women's Murder Club
thriller
Series · thriller
Alex Cross
The Alex Cross series by James Patterson has 34 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Along Came a Spider (1993). The next book, The Family Cross, is due 1 November 2026.
- Books
- 34 books
- First published
- 1993
- Status
- ongoing
- Last checked
Start here: Along Came a Spider (1993) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Along Came a Spider
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Along Came a Spider - Book 2:
Kiss the Girls
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Jack & Jill
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Cat and Mouse
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Pop Goes the Weasel
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Roses Are Red
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Violets Are Blue
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Four Blind Mice
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Four Blind Mice - Book 9:
The Big Bad Wolf
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Big Bad Wolf - Book 10:
London Bridges
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Mary, Mary
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Cross
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Double Cross
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Cross Country
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Alex Cross's Trial
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I, Alex Cross
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Cross Fire
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Kill Alex Cross
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Merry Christmas, Alex Cross
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Alex Cross, Run
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Alex Cross, Run - Book 21:
Cross My Heart
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Hope to Die
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Cross Justice
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Cross the Line
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The People vs. Alex Cross
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Target: Alex Cross
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Criss Cross
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Deadly Cross
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Fear No Evil
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Triple Cross
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Cross Down
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Alex Cross Must Die
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Alex Cross Must Die - Book 33:
The House of Cross
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The House of Cross - Book 34:
Return of the Spider
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Return of the Spider
About the Alex Cross series
Dr. Alex Cross is a Washington, D.C. homicide detective and forensic psychologist — a widowed father raising his family in Southeast D.C. with the help of his indomitable grandmother, Nana Mama. That home life is the series' anchor, because everything else in Cross's world is chaos: James Patterson has spent three decades throwing history's most theatrical serial killers and criminal masterminds at him, from Gary Soneji in Along Came a Spider to Kyle Craig, the Mastermind, whose vendetta spans many books.
The formula is pure Patterson: ultra-short chapters, alternating viewpoints that let you inside the killer's head, and cliffhangers engineered for one-more-chapter reading. But the series endures because Cross himself is more than a thriller engine — he is a thoughtful, wounded, deeply moral man whose cases keep colliding with his family, his faith and his city. Over more than thirty novels Cross moves between the D.C. Metropolitan Police and the FBI, partners with his oldest friend John Sampson, loses and finds love, and watches his children — especially young Ali — grow into the family business of asking dangerous questions.
Begun in 1993, the series has sold on the order of 100 million copies, making Cross one of the best-selling fictional detectives ever. It has been filmed three times (with Morgan Freeman and Tyler Perry as Cross) and is now the Prime Video series Cross starring Aldis Hodge. New entries still arrive nearly every November.
How to read this series
Read in publication order — for Alex Cross, publication order and story order are the same thing. Start with Along Came a Spider (1993): it introduces Cross, his family and the series' first great villain, and 2025's Return of the Spider is a direct companion to it, so the series is currently rewarding readers who know the beginning.
That said, Patterson writes every book to stand alone, and you can join almost anywhere without being lost — recaps are built in. The two entries you can safely treat as optional side dishes are Alex Cross's Trial (a historical companion about Cross's ancestors) and Cross Down (told mostly from John Sampson's perspective). Long-running villain arcs — Gary Soneji, Kyle Craig, the Soneji legacy that resurfaces in Return of the Spider — are the main reason order-purists should stick to publication sequence.
Frequently asked questions
How many Alex Cross books are there?
There are 34 books in the Alex Cross series as of Return of the Spider (November 2025), counting the companion novel Alex Cross's Trial. The next entry, The Family Cross, is expected in November 2026.
What order should I read the Alex Cross books in?
Publication order, beginning with Along Came a Spider (1993). Story chronology matches publication order, and recurring villains like Gary Soneji and Kyle Craig make sequence reading more satisfying.
Do I need to read Alex Cross in order?
No — each novel is a self-contained case with built-in recaps. But Return of the Spider (2025) lands much harder if you have read Along Came a Spider first.
Is Alex Cross still being written?
Yes. Patterson publishes a new Cross novel almost every November; the series is ongoing, and it now feeds the Prime Video series Cross.
What is the first Alex Cross book?
Along Came a Spider (1993), in which Cross hunts kidnapper Gary Soneji. Kiss the Girls (1995) is the second.
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