Lincoln Child Reading Order

5 books (1987–2014)

Lincoln Child's Anthologies series comprises five complete collections of mystery, thriller, and horror short stories published between 1987 and 2014. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with Tales of the Dark and concluding with Gaslighted: Slappy the Ventriloquist Dummy vs. Aloysius Pendergast. Each volume offers standalone stories that can be enjoyed independently, though reading them sequentially provides insight into Child's evolving style across nearly three decades of short fiction.

Start with Tales of the Dark, the first of 5 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Tales of the Dark 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Tales of the Dark 2 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Gone Fishing and Other Stories 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	FaceOff 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Gaslighted: Slappy the Ventriloquist Dummy vs. Aloysius Pendergast 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

6 books (2007–2022)

Lincoln Child's Dr. Jeremy Logan series consists of six mystery and thriller novels featuring the titular protagonist across investigations spanning from 2007 to 2022. The books should be read in publication order, beginning with Deep Storm and continuing through Terminal Freeze, The Third Gate, The Forgotten Room, Full Wolf Moon, and concluding with Chrysalis. The series appears to be complete, though no official announcement has been made regarding its status.

Start with Deep Storm, the first of 6 books in the Dr. Jeremy Logan series.

#	Title
1	Deep Storm 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Terminal Freeze 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Third Gate 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Forgotten Room 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Full Wolf Moon 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Chrysalis 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

5 books (2011–2018)

Lincoln Child's Gideon Crew series comprises five completed novels published between 2011 and 2018, blending mystery, thriller, and horror elements. The books should be read in publication order, beginning with Gideon's Sword and continuing through Gideon's Corpse, The Lost Island, Beyond the Ice Limit, and concluding with The Pharaoh Key. This complete series follows a cohesive narrative arc across all five installments.

Start with Gideon's Sword, the first of 5 books in the Gideon Crew series.

#	Title
1	Gideon's Sword 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Gideon's Corpse 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Lost Island 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Beyond the Ice Limit 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Pharaoh Key 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

33 books (2022–2025)

Mysterious Profiles is an ongoing 33-book series published from 2022 to 2025 that should be read in publication order. This mystery and thriller collection features profiles of iconic detective and crime-fighting characters from various standalone series, including Alex Delaware, Jack Reacher, Hieronymus Bosch, Charlie Parker, and Inspector Morse, among others. Each entry examines a different protagonist across the mystery and horror genres, compiled by Lincoln Child and collaborators including Douglas Preston and other renowned crime fiction authors.

Start with Alex Delaware(By: Jonathan Kellerman), the first of 33 books in the Mysterious Profiles series.

7 books (1999–2027)

The Nora Kelly series is a mystery and thriller sequence by Lincoln Child comprising six books published between 1999 and 2025. The series is ongoing and should be read in publication order, beginning with Thunderhead. Each installment follows protagonist Nora Kelly through various investigations that blend archaeological discovery with suspenseful storytelling across multiple decades of the character's career.

Start with Thunderhead, the first of 6 books in the Nora Kelly series.

#	Title
1	Thunderhead 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Old Bones 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Scorpion's Tail 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Diablo Mesa 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Dead Mountain 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Badlands 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Dead Man's Journey 2027Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

26 books (1995–2026)

The Pendergast series is an ongoing collection of 26 mystery and thriller novels by Lincoln Child, following FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast as he investigates supernatural and criminal cases. Published from 1995 to 2026, the books should be read in publication order, beginning with Relic and continuing through White Fire, Blue Labyrinth, and the eleven additional volumes that complete the current collection. The series blends procedural mystery with horror elements across interconnected investigations that span decades of Pendergast's career.

Start with Relic, the first of 26 books in the Pendergast series.

#	Title
1	Relic 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Reliquary 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Cabinet of Curiosities 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Still Life with Crows 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Brimstone 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Dance of Death 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Book of the Dead 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Wheel of Darkness 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Cemetery Dance 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Fever Dream 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Cold Vengeance 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Extraction 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Two Graves 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	White Fire 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Blue Labyrinth 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Crimson Shore 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	The Obsidian Chamber 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	City of Endless Night 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Verses for the Dead 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	The Strange Case of Monsieur Bertin 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	Crooked River 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Bloodless 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	The Cabinet of Dr. Leng 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	Angel of Vengeance 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Pendergast 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	The Beginning 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2017–2017)

2 books (1984–1985)

Lincoln Child's Dark Company and Dark Banquet form a complete two-book collection of mystery and horror short stories published in 1984 and 1985. Both volumes should be read in publication order, beginning with Dark Company. These standalone collections showcase Child's early work in the thriller and horror genres through interconnected short fiction.

Start with Dark Company and read in order.

#	Title
1	Dark Company 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Dark Banquet 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

5 books (1996–2002)

Lincoln Child's standalone mystery and thriller novels span five books published between 1996 and 2002, with three titles co-written with Douglas Preston. While each book stands alone with its own plot and characters, they should be read in publication order starting with Mount Dragon. The complete series concludes with Utopia, also known as Lethal Velocity, offering readers a collection of independent mysteries and thrillers rather than a connected narrative arc.

Start with Mount Dragon(With: Douglas Preston), the first of 5 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Mount Dragon(With: Douglas Preston) 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Riptide(With: Douglas Preston) 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Death Match 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Ice Limit(With: Douglas Preston) 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Utopia / Lethal Velocity 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (1987–1988)

This two-book horror and mystery series by Lincoln Child was published between 1987 and 1988 and is now complete. The first volume features collaborative stories with classic authors Bram Stoker and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, while the series concludes with Tales of the Dark 3. Read the books in publication order to experience the full arc of this collection.

Start with Tales of the Dark(With: Bram Stoker,Charlotte Perkins Gilman) and read in order.

#	Title
1	Tales of the Dark(With: Bram Stoker,Charlotte Perkins Gilman) 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Tales of the Dark 3 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible