Michael Bennett
thriller
Series · thriller
Cotton Malone
The Cotton Malone series by Steve Berry has 23 known books (23 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Templar Legacy (2006). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is The Devil's Bible.
- Books
- 23 known books (20 novels + 3 short stories)
- Published
- 23
- First published
- 2006
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Thriller
- Last checked
Start here: The Templar Legacy (2006) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Templar Legacy
The Templar Legacy, published in 2006 at 500 pages, launches Cotton Malone -- a former Justice Department covert operative running a Copenhagen bookshop until his old boss Stephanie Nelle pulls him back into the field -- on Steve Berry's first historical treasure hunt, chasing the Knights Templar through a present-day conspiracy.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Templar Legacy - Book 2:
The Alexandria Link
The Alexandria Link is a novel by Steve Berry, released in 2007 at 610 pages. It is entry #2 in Cotton Malone. The Devil's Due precedes it, and The Venetian Betrayal follows.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Alexandria Link - Book 3:
The Venetian Betrayal
The Venetian Betrayal, published in 2007 at 600 pages, is a novel by Steve Berry. It sits at #3 in Cotton Malone's reading order. The Alexandria Link comes before it, The Charlemagne Pursuit after.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Venetian Betrayal - Book 4:
The Charlemagne Pursuit
The Charlemagne Pursuit, published in 2008 at 548 pages, is a novel by Steve Berry. It is book #4 of Cotton Malone. The Venetian Betrayal precedes it, and The Paris Vendetta follows.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Charlemagne Pursuit - Book 5:
The Paris Vendetta
The Paris Vendetta, published in 2009 at 568 pages, is a novel by Steve Berry. It holds position #5 in Cotton Malone. The Charlemagne Pursuit comes before it, The Emperor's Tomb after.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Paris Vendetta - Book 6:
The Emperor's Tomb
The Emperor's Tomb came out in 2010 at 534 pages, a novel by Steve Berry. It holds position #6 in Cotton Malone. It picks up after The Paris Vendetta and hands off to The Jefferson Key.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Emperor's Tomb - Book 7:
The Jefferson Key
The Jefferson Key came out in 2011 at 456 pages, a novel by Steve Berry. It holds position #7 in Cotton Malone. It sits between The Emperor's Tomb and The Admiral's Mark.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Jefferson Key - Book 8:
The Admiral's Mark
The Admiral's Mark is a short story by Steve Berry in 2012. It is entry #7.3 in Cotton Malone. Reading order runs The Jefferson Key to this book to The Tudor Plot.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Admiral's Mark - Book 9:
The Tudor Plot
The Tudor Plot is a short story by Steve Berry, running at 159 pages in 2013. It sits at #7.6 in Cotton Malone's reading order. It sits between The Admiral's Mark and The King's Deception.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Tudor Plot - Book 10:
The King's Deception
The King's Deception is a novel by Steve Berry, in 2013 at 450 pages. It is book #8 of Cotton Malone. It picks up after The Tudor Plot and hands off to The Lincoln Myth.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The King's Deception - Book 11:
The Lincoln Myth
The Lincoln Myth is a novel by Steve Berry, in 2014 at 448 pages. It sits at #9 in Cotton Malone's reading order. The King's Deception comes before it, The Devil's Bones: Cotton Malone vs. Grey Pierce after.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Lincoln Myth - Book 12:
The Patriot Threat
The Patriot Threat is a novel by Steve Berry, released in 2015 at 386 pages. It is book #10 of Cotton Malone. It picks up after The Devil's Bones: Cotton Malone vs. Grey Pierce and hands off to The 14th Colony.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Patriot Threat - Book 13:
The 14th Colony
The 14th Colony is a novel by Steve Berry, running at 450 pages in 2016. It is entry #11 in Cotton Malone. The Patriot Threat comes before it, The Lost Order after.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The 14th Colony - Book 14:
The Lost Order
The Lost Order, published in 2017 at 512 pages, is a novel by Steve Berry. It is book #12 of Cotton Malone. The 14th Colony precedes it, and Past Prologue: Jamie Fraser and Cotton Malone follows.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Lost Order - Book 15:
Past Prologue: Jamie Fraser and Cotton Malone
Past Prologue: Jamie Fraser and Cotton Malone came out in 2017, a short story by Steve Berry. It sits at #12.5 in Cotton Malone's reading order. The Lost Order precedes it, and The Bishop's Pawn follows.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Past Prologue: Jamie Fraser and Cotton Malone - Book 16:
The Bishop's Pawn
The Bishop's Pawn is a novel by Steve Berry, released in 2018 at 536 pages. It holds position #13 in Cotton Malone. Past Prologue: Jamie Fraser and Cotton Malone precedes it, and The Malta Exchange follows.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bishop's Pawn - Book 17:
The Malta Exchange
The Malta Exchange is a novel by Steve Berry, running at 432 pages in 2019. It sits at #14 in Cotton Malone's reading order. It sits between The Bishop's Pawn and The Warsaw Protocol.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Malta Exchange - Book 18:
The Warsaw Protocol
The Warsaw Protocol is a novel by Steve Berry, released in 2020 at 493 pages. It holds position #15 in Cotton Malone. The Malta Exchange precedes it, and The Kaiser's Web follows.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Warsaw Protocol - Book 19:
The Kaiser's Web
The Kaiser's Web came out in 2021 at 400 pages, a novel by Steve Berry. It holds position #16 in Cotton Malone. The Warsaw Protocol precedes it, and The Last Kingdom follows.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Kaiser's Web - Book 20:
The Last Kingdom
The Last Kingdom is a novel by Steve Berry, in 2023 at 464 pages. It is book #17 of Cotton Malone. The Kaiser's Web precedes it, and The Atlas Maneuver follows.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Last Kingdom - Book 21:
The Atlas Maneuver
The Atlas Maneuver is a novel by Steve Berry, running at 418 pages in 2024. It sits at #18 in Cotton Malone's reading order. The Last Kingdom comes before it, The Medici Return after.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Atlas Maneuver - Book 22:
The Medici Return
The Medici Return is a novel by Steve Berry, in 2025 at 403 pages. It is entry #19 in Cotton Malone. The Atlas Maneuver precedes it, and The Devil's Bible follows.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Medici Return - Book 23:
The Devil's Bible
The Devil's Bible, published in 2026 at 400 pages, is, for now, the last book in the Cotton Malone series, following The Medici Return and continuing Steve Berry's two-decade pattern of grounding each conspiracy thriller in a real historical mystery with appended fact-from-fiction author's notes.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Devil's Bible
About the Cotton Malone series
Cotton Malone is a former Justice Department covert operative (a 'Magellan Billet' agent) who retired to run an old bookshop in Copenhagen, only to keep getting pulled back into the field by his old boss Stephanie Nelle. Each novel sends him chasing a real historical mystery or lost treasure — the Knights Templar, the Library of Alexandria, Charlemagne's tomb, the Romanov dynasty, the Nazi underground, the founding-era secrets of the U.S. Constitution — and ties it to a present-day conspiracy involving governments, secret societies, or rogue intelligence services. Steve Berry, a former trial lawyer, researches each historical thread heavily and appends author's-note fact-from-fiction breakdowns, which has made the series a favorite of readers who loved The Da Vinci Code and want their conspiracy thrillers grounded in verifiable history.
Malone's found family of recurring characters — hacker sidekick-turned-partner Cassiopeia Vitt, boss Stephanie Nelle, and a rotating cast of historians, spies and villains — gives the series continuity, but Berry writes almost every entry so the central historical mystery resolves by the last page, making it easy to start anywhere. With a new book most years since 2006, it's a strong pick for readers who want Indiana-Jones-style historical treasure hunts wrapped in modern espionage plotting.
Frequently asked questions
How many Cotton Malone books are there?
There are 20 full-length Cotton Malone novels as of The Devil's Bible (2026), plus five digital-only novellas and short stories.
What order should I read the Cotton Malone books in?
Publication order, starting with The Templar Legacy (2006). Most mysteries are self-contained, but Malone's relationships develop across the series in sequence.
Do I need to read the Cotton Malone novellas?
No. They're optional digital-only extras, including crossovers with James Rollins' Sigma Force and Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, but they aren't required to follow the main series.
Is the Cotton Malone series finished?
No, it's ongoing. Steve Berry has published a new Malone novel almost every year since 2006, most recently The Devil's Bible (February 2026).
Are the historical mysteries in the Cotton Malone books real?
Berry builds each plot around real history, documents and legends, and includes a 'Writer's Note' at the end of every book explaining exactly what's fact and what's fictionalized.
If you like the Cotton Malone series
Reading order last verified .