The Alex Cross is a Thriller / Crime Fiction series by James Patterson, made up of 34 books published between 1992 and 2026. It begins with Along Came a Spider (1992), and is best read in publication order. The most recent entry is The Family Cross (2026), spanning 34 years of storytelling.
Alex Cross series: frequently asked questions
What order should I read the Alex Cross series?
Start with Along Came a Spider (1992), the first book in the Alex Cross series by James Patterson. Follow the books in publication order for the best reading experience.
How many books are in the Alex Cross series?
There are 34 books in the Alex Cross series by James Patterson, published between 1992 and 2026.
What is the first book in the Alex Cross series?
The first book in the Alex Cross series is Along Came a Spider, published in 1992 by James Patterson.
What is the latest book in the Alex Cross series?
The most recent book in the Alex Cross series is The Family Cross (2026) by James Patterson.
About the Alex Cross series
James Patterson's Alex Cross is one of the longest-running and best-selling thriller franchises in the world. Cross is a forensic psychologist and detective — first with the Washington D.C. police, later the FBI, later a private consultant — whose brilliance at hunting serial killers is matched only by the danger those cases bring to his own family.
What sets Cross apart from other thriller leads is the dual focus: ice-cold investigations cut against warm domestic scenes with his grandmother Nana Mama and his children. The cases are dark and fast; the home life gives them weight. Patterson's trademark very-short chapters make the books famously quick to devour.
Because Cross's personal life — his relationships, his losses, his recurring nemeses — develops continuously, the series rewards reading in publication order, starting with 1993's "Along Came a Spider". The first several books in particular form a loose arc that establishes the characters who echo through the rest of the series.