The Cartel Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| The Cartel | 2008 | Buy |
| Tale of the Murda Mamas | 2009 | Buy |
| The Cartel 3: The Last Chapter | 2010 | N/A |
| The Last Chapter | 2010 | Buy |
| Diamonds Are Forever | 2012 | Buy |
| The Cartel 4: Diamonds Are Forever | 2012 | N/A |
| La Bella Mafia | 2013 | Buy |
| The Cartel 5: La Bella Mafia | 2013 | N/A |
| The Cartel 6: The Demise | 2016 | N/A |
| The Demise | 2016 | Buy |
| Illuminati: Roundtable of the Bosses | 2015 | N/A |
| Illuminati | 2017 | Buy |
| Long Live The Cartel | 2020 | Buy |
| Money Devils 1 | 2020 | Buy |
| Cartel Queen: Aries Manifesto | 2023 | Buy |
| Cartel Queen 2: Mother of Murder | 2025 | Buy |
| Cartel Queen 3: Long Kiss Goodnight | 2026 | Buy |
Ashley Antoinette Coleman is one half of the bestselling urban fiction duo Ashley and JaQuavis, alongside her husband JaQuavis Coleman. Together they have been among the most popular writers in the urban lit genre since the mid-2000s, with The Cartel series as their signature work. The books follow the rise and fall of a powerful drug cartel through multiple generations of characters.
The Cartel saga has expanded well beyond its original trilogy. Follow-up novels like Diamonds Are Forever, La Bella Mafia, and The Demise continued the main storyline, while spinoffs including the Illuminati books and Cartel Queen series have broadened the fictional world. The series has maintained a loyal readership through its mix of street-level crime drama, family loyalty, and high-stakes power plays.
Ashley Antoinette’s writing is direct and driven by plot and dialogue. The books move fast, with short chapters and constant tension. For readers who enjoy urban fiction with sprawling casts and interconnected storylines, The Cartel series is one of the genre’s most recognizable franchises.