Cotton Malone books in order

The Cotton Malone series by Steve Berry is a 25-book international thriller series following a retired Justice Department agent through conspiracies built on real historical mysteries.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 The Templar Legacy 2006 Cotton Malone Buy
2 The Alexandria Link 2007 Cotton Malone Buy
3 The Venetian Betrayal 2007 Cotton Malone Buy
4 The Charlemagne Pursuit 2008 Cotton Malone Buy
5 The Paris Vendetta 2009 Cotton Malone Buy
6 The Emperor’s Tomb 2010 Cotton Malone Buy
7 The Devil’s Gold 2011 Cotton Malone Buy
8 The Jefferson Key 2011 Cotton Malone Buy
9 The Admiral’s Mark 2012 Cotton Malone Buy
10 The Tudor Plot 2013 Cotton Malone Buy
11 The King’s Deception 2013 Cotton Malone Buy
12 The Lincoln Myth 2014 Cotton Malone Buy
13 The Devil’s Bones 2014 Cotton Malone Buy
14 The Patriot Threat 2015 Cotton Malone Buy
15 The 14th Colony / Plan Zero 2016 Cotton Malone Buy
16 The Lost Order 2017 Cotton Malone Buy
17 The Bishop’s Pawn 2018 Cotton Malone Buy
18 The Malta Exchange 2019 Cotton Malone Buy
19 Past Prologue 2019 Cotton Malone Buy
20 The Warsaw Protocol 2020 Cotton Malone Buy
21 The Kaiser’s Web 2021 Cotton Malone Buy
22 The Last Kingdom 2023 Cotton Malone Buy
23 The Atlas Maneuver 2024 Cotton Malone Buy
24 The Medici Return 2025 Cotton Malone Buy
25 The Devil’s Bible 2026 Cotton Malone Buy

The Cotton Malone series by Steve Berry has grown to 25 books since The Templar Legacy launched it in 2006. Each novel sends Malone — a former Justice Department agent turned Copenhagen bookseller — into a different historical conspiracy, from the Templars to Charlemagne’s legacy to the secrets of the Vatican.

Berry’s formula pairs real history with thriller plotting: the historical research is detailed and the action is fast, and Malone’s combination of scholarly knowledge and operational skill carries both halves. The series also includes shorter works like The Devil’s Gold and The Admiral’s Mark that fill gaps between the full-length novels. The 25th entry, The Devil’s Bible, is scheduled for 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Cotton Malone series?

There are 25 books in the Cotton Malone series, published between 2006 and 2026.

What is the first book in the Cotton Malone series?

The first book in the Cotton Malone series is The Templar Legacy, published in 2006.

Do the Cotton Malone books need to be read in order?

Each book has a self-contained plot built around a different historical mystery, so any can be read independently. But characters and relationships develop across the series, and some later books reference earlier events. Reading in publication order starting with The Templar Legacy (2006) gives the fullest experience of Malone’s world and the people in it.

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