Alex Cross Books in Order
Alex Cross is a Washington D.C. homicide detective with a PhD in psychology from Johns Hopkins. He works cases that other detectives can't solve, usually involving serial killers with elaborate methods and theatrical presentations. James Patterson created him in 1993 with Along Came a Spider and has written over 30 novels in the series.
Cross lives in the Southeast D.C. neighborhood where he grew up, raising his children in his grandmother Nana Mama's house. The books return to this house constantly, grounding the brutal case work in domestic life. Cross cooks, attends school plays, and worries about his kids, then goes back to hunting people who do terrible things.
The early novels pit Cross against memorable antagonists. Gary Soneji, the kidnapper teacher. The Mastermind, who orchestrates crimes from behind the scenes. Kyle Craig, an FBI agent who turns out to be a serial killer. Patterson writes short chapters, often just two or three pages, switching perspectives rapidly. The style keeps you reading fast.
Patterson now co-writes most entries in the series, maintaining the template while producing books at a pace no single author could match. The quality varies, but Cross remains the constant: a Black detective in a genre that didn't have many, trying to protect his family while confronting the worst humanity offers.