All Alex Cross books in order of publication

Alex Cross is about to hit Prime Video, but in what order should you read his books?

James Patterson is one of the most prolific and successful authors of his time. He's written or co-written literally hundreds of novels, including some top series. There's his Women's Murder Club, Michael Bennett, and NYPD Red novels, as well as plenty of stand-alone books. He's even written a score of YA and children's books, too. 

However, far and away, Patterson's biggest success is the Alex Cross series. His very first novel, 1993's Along Came a Spider, introduced the character of a Washington D.C. detective who works with the FBI and other government agencies, usually on high-profile murder cases. 

The character became an instant hit, and Patterson kept it up, both on his own and by working with other authors. Patterson truly enjoys the character, showing Cross as a father moving up with the police, sometimes quitting to be on his own and now and then even hunting as a fugitive himself. 

The character has naturally gotten the live-action treatment with Morgan Freeman playing him in adaptations of Spider and Kiss the Girls. Tyler Perry took on the role in 2012's Alex Cross and Aldis Hodges will play him in the Prime Video series Cross.

The series won't adapt a specific novel but rather a new take on the character. Yet for those who want to know more about Cross, here's how to read him!

The Alex Cross reading list

Be warned: The Cross series is a whopper to go through. For over 30 years, Patterson has been churning out books on a regular basis, anything from modern times to prequel novels showing a younger Cross. That's not counting novellas and a YA series focusing on Cross' son, Ali becoming a detective himself. 

While some books can be read as stand-alones, many do touch on plot points from earlier novels. They can involve anything from an old foe of Cross returning to some major developments in his personal life so reading them in order is best. Notable is how the first novels had titles based on nursery rhymes while later ones have Cross' name in the title. 

So here goes if you want to catch up! 

• Along Came a Spider (1993) 
• Kiss the Girls (1995)
• Jack & Jill (1996)
• Cat and Mouse (1997)
• Pop Goes the Weasel (1999)
• Roses are Red (2000)
• Violets Are Blue (2001)
• Four Blind Mice (2002)
• The Big Bad Wolf (2003)
• London Bridges (2004)
• Mary, Mary (2005)
• Cross (2006)
• Double Cross (2007)
• Cross Country (2008)
• Alex Cross's Trial (2009)
• I, Alex Cross (2009)
• Cross Fire (2010)
• Kill Alex Cross (2011)
• Merry Christmas, Alex Cross (2012)
• Alex Cross, Run (2013)
• Cross My Heart (2013)
• Hope to Die (2014)
• Cross Justice (2015)
• Cross the Line (2016)
• The People vs. Alex Cross (2017)
• Target: Alex Cross (2018)
• Criss Cross (2019)
• Deadly Cross (2020)
• Fear No Evil (2021)
• Triple Cross (2022)
• Cross Down (2023) (co-written with Brenden DuBois)
• Alex Cross Must Die (2023)

Novellas: 

• Cross Kill (2016)
• Detective Cross (2017)

Cross Down is notable as it is more about Alex's partner, John Sampson. Alex Cross' Trial has Cross telling the tale of one of his ancestors. So fans of the series have a lot of reading to do, but enjoy the wild ride that only Cross can offer!

Cross premieres Thursday, Nov. 14 on Prime Video.