Reading order · 42 books · 1985 to 2026 · Set in Los Angeles
Alex Delaware Books in Order
Alex Delaware is a child psychologist in Los Angeles who consults for the police, and his closest friend, Milo Sturgis, is a gay homicide detective in the LAPD. Together they have worked the city’s strangest murders since 1985, combining Alex’s insight into people with Milo’s dogged police work.
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Series facts
- Books
- 42
- Published
- 1985 to 2026
- First book
- When the Bough Breaks
- Latest
- Jigsaw (2026)
- Setting
- Set in Los Angeles
The reading order
Every Alex Delaware book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary. Books marked Crossover also belong to another series.
42 books · Set in Los Angeles
- 1When the Bough Breaks1985With Alex DelawareAlex Delaware, a child psychologist who has retired early, is drawn back to work by his friend Milo Sturgis to help a seven-year-old girl who may have witnessed a double murder.Buy on Amazon
- 2Blood Test1986With Alex DelawareA couple take their young son, who is being treated for cancer, out of hospital against medical advice, and Alex races to find the boy.Buy on Amazon
- 3Over the Edge1987With Alex DelawareA former patient calls Alex in the middle of the night, and soon after is arrested for a series of brutal murders.Buy on Amazon
- 4Silent Partner1989With Alex DelawareAlex meets a former lover at a party, and the next day she is dead, an apparent suicide.Buy on Amazon
- 5Time Bomb1990With Alex DelawareA sniper opens fire on an elementary school, and Alex is called in to help the children, and finds himself questioning what really happened.Buy on Amazon
- 6Private Eyes1992With Alex DelawareA former patient, now a young woman, asks Alex to help her mother, a reclusive former film star, who then disappears.Buy on Amazon
- 7Devil’s Waltz1993With Alex DelawareA toddler keeps falling dangerously ill and being rushed to hospital, and Alex suspects someone is making her sick.Buy on Amazon
- 8Bad Love1994With Alex DelawareAlex receives a tape of a child screaming, and realises someone is targeting the therapists who attended a conference years before.Buy on Amazon
- 9Self-Defense1995With Alex DelawareAlex treats a young woman haunted by a nightmare of a murder she saw as a child.Buy on Amazon
- 10The Web1996With Alex DelawareAlex and Robin travel to a remote Pacific island to work with a charismatic doctor, and find that the island hides dark secrets.Buy on Amazon
- 11The Clinic1997With Alex DelawareA controversial psychologist with a bestselling book is found stabbed to death, and Alex helps Milo investigate.Buy on Amazon
- 12Survival of the Fittest1997With Alex DelawareThe teenage daughter of an Israeli diplomat is murdered in Los Angeles, and Alex and Milo uncover a killer who targets the vulnerable.Buy on Amazon
- 13Monster1999With Alex DelawareA psychologist at a hospital for the criminally insane is murdered, and a patient seems to have predicted it.Buy on Amazon
- 14Dr. Death2000With Alex DelawareA doctor who helped people end their lives is found murdered inside his own death machine.Buy on Amazon
- 15Flesh and Blood2001With Alex DelawareA troubled teenager Alex once treated is found dead years later, and her past leads him into a dark world.Buy on Amazon
- 16The Murder Book2002With Alex DelawareAlex receives an anonymous album of crime scene photographs, and among them is a murder from twenty years ago, Milo’s first case.Buy on Amazon
- 17A Cold Heart2003CrossoverWith Alex Delaware · Also a Petra Connor bookArtists and musicians are being murdered in Los Angeles, and Alex and Milo join forces with Petra Connor.Buy on Amazon
- 18Therapy2004With Alex DelawareA young couple are found shot in a car on a lovers’ lane, and one of them was in therapy.Buy on Amazon
- 19Rage2005With Alex DelawareA young man who, as a boy, was convicted of murdering a toddler asks to see Alex, and is murdered before they can meet.Buy on Amazon
- 20Gone2006With Alex DelawareTwo drama students claim they were abducted, and then admit they made it up.Buy on Amazon
- 21Obsession2007With Alex DelawareA former patient asks Alex to investigate her late mother’s deathbed confession that she did a terrible thing.Buy on Amazon
- 22Compulsion2008With Alex DelawareA woman vanishes on a dark highway and a retired teacher is stabbed in daylight, and Alex and Milo find that the only link is a killer with a taste for luxury cars.Buy on Amazon
- 23Bones2008With Alex DelawareThe bodies of young women are found buried in a marsh near the coast in Los Angeles, and a young detective, Moe Reed, joins the case.Buy on Amazon
- 24Evidence2009With Alex DelawareA couple are found dead in an unfinished mansion on a building site in the hills.Buy on Amazon
- 25True Detectives2009CrossoverWith Moe Reed and Aaron Fox · Also a True Detectives bookMoe Reed, a young LAPD detective, and his half-brother Aaron Fox, a private investigator, both look into the disappearance of a college student.Buy on Amazon
- 26Deception2010With Alex DelawareA teacher at an elite private school is found dead in her bath, leaving behind a recording that accuses her colleagues of terrible things.Buy on Amazon
- 27Mystery2011With Alex DelawareAt the bar of a hotel about to close for ever, Alex and Robin see a beautiful young woman sitting alone.Buy on Amazon
- 28Victims2012With Alex DelawareA series of elaborately staged murders, each marked by a blank page with a question mark, draws Alex into the world of mental health care.Buy on Amazon
- 29Guilt2013With Alex DelawareA woman digging in her garden finds a box containing the bones of a baby, buried decades before, and then another infant is found in a park.Buy on Amazon
- 30Killer2014With Alex DelawareAlex is asked to evaluate a custody case involving a baby, and the aunt seeking custody begins making threats.Buy on Amazon
- 31Motive2015With Alex DelawareA successful divorcée is shot in what looks like a revenge killing, and a strange clue links the case to an unsolved murder.Buy on Amazon
- 32Breakdown2016With Alex DelawareA former patient, a television actress, is found dead, and her young son is missing.Buy on Amazon
- 33Heartbreak Hotel2017With Alex DelawareA woman of nearly a hundred invites Alex to her hotel suite to talk about guilt.Buy on Amazon
- 34Night Moves2018With Alex DelawareA family comes home to find a body with no face in their den.Buy on Amazon
- 35The Wedding Guest2019With Alex DelawareAt a wedding party held in a former strip club, a young woman is found strangled in the bathroom.Buy on Amazon
- 36The Museum of Desire2020With Alex DelawareA limousine is found in Bel Air with four bodies arranged inside it.Buy on Amazon
- 37Serpentine2021With Alex DelawareA wealthy woman asks Milo to look again at her mother’s death, in a car below Mulholland Drive in 1984.Buy on Amazon
- 38City of the Dead2022With Alex DelawareA naked man runs into traffic and is killed, and soon after a psychologist is found murdered.Buy on Amazon
- 39Unnatural History2023With Alex DelawareA photographer who took portraits of homeless people in costume is found shot dead.Buy on Amazon
- 40The Ghost Orchid2024With Alex DelawareTwo bodies are found in a Bel Air pool, an Italian heir and his married lover, and Alex and Milo dig into both victims’ troubled pasts.Buy on Amazon
- 41Open Season2025With Alex DelawareAn aspiring actress is found dead near a hospital, a suspect is shot by a sniper, and Alex and Milo hunt a killer whose crimes seem random but are not.Buy on Amazon
- 42Jigsaw2026With Alex DelawareAlex and Milo work two murders that seem unrelated, a young woman at her kitchen table and a former officer in her garage, and slowly piece together the links.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
The cases stand alone and can be read in any order, but publication order, starting with When the Bough Breaks, follows Alex and Milo’s lives.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Alex Delaware | Moe Reed | Aaron Fox | Milo Sturgis | Rick Silverman | Robin Castagna | Blanche | Sean Binchy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 When the Bough Breaks | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||||
| 2 Blood Test | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||||
| 3 Over the Edge | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||||
| 4 Silent Partner | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||||
| 5 Time Bomb | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |||||
| 6 Private Eyes | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||||
| 7 Devil’s Waltz | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||||
| 8 Bad Love | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||||
| 9 Self-Defense | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||||
| 10 The Web | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||||
| 11 The Clinic | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||||
| 12 Survival of the Fittest | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||||
| 13 Monster | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||||
| 14 Dr. Death | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||||
| 15 Flesh and Blood | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||||
| 16 The Murder Book | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||||
| 17 A Cold Heart | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||||
| 18 Therapy | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |||||
| 19 Rage | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |||||
| 20 Gone | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |||||
| 21 Obsession | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | |||
| 22 Compulsion | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 23 Bones | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 24 Evidence | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 25 True Detectives | ·Minor | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ||||
| 26 Deception | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 27 Mystery | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 28 Victims | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 29 Guilt | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 30 Killer | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 31 Motive | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 32 Breakdown | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 33 Heartbreak Hotel | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 34 Night Moves | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 35 The Wedding Guest | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 36 The Museum of Desire | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 37 Serpentine | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 38 City of the Dead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 39 Unnatural History | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 40 The Ghost Orchid | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 41 Open Season | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 42 Jigsaw | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Alex Delaware books
21 characters from Jonathan Kellerman’s chart, with the number of Alex Delaware books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Alex DelawareChild psychologist who consults for the LAPD | 42 | When the Bough Breaks 1985 |
| Moe ReedYoung LAPD detective working under Milo | 8 | Bones 2008 |
| Aaron FoxPrivate investigator; Moe Reed’s half-brother | 2 | Bones 2008 |
| Milo SturgisLAPD homicide detective, later lieutenant; Alex’s closest friend | 42 | When the Bough Breaks 1985 |
| Rick SilvermanER doctor; Milo’s partner. Usually a passing presence, so marked across the series as an estimate | 41 | When the Bough Breaks 1985 |
| Robin CastagnaLuthier; Alex’s on-and-off partner | 37 | When the Bough Breaks 1985 |
| BlancheFrench bulldog who follows Spike. Marked across the later books as an estimate | 21 | Obsession 2007 |
| Sean BinchyDetective on Milo’s team. A frequent minor presence, so marked across the later books as an estimate | 19 | Bones 2008 |
| SpikeFrench bulldog | 12 | Private Eyes 1992 |
| Petra ConnorHollywood Division homicide detective | 4 | Survival of the Fittest 1997 |
| Allison GwynnPsychotherapist Alex dates while apart from Robin | 4 | A Cold Heart 2003 |
| Linda OverstreetSchool principal Alex becomes involved with | 2 | Time Bomb 1990 |
| Raoul Melendez-LynchOncologist at Western Pediatric | 1 | Blood Test 1986 |
| Jamey CadmusFormer patient | 1 | Over the Edge 1987 |
| Sharon RansomFormer girlfriend of Alex | 1 | Silent Partner 1989 |
| Holly Lynn BurdenSchool shooter | 1 | Time Bomb 1990 |
| Melissa DickinsonFormer patient | 1 | Private Eyes 1992 |
| Lauren TeagueFormer patient | 1 | Flesh and Blood 2001 |
| Tim PlachetteVoice coach Robin dates during the break | 1 | A Cold Heart 2003 |
| Eric StahlPetra’s partner | 1 | A Cold Heart 2003 |
| Tanya BigelowFormer patient | 1 | Obsession 2007 |
Crossovers with Jonathan Kellerman’s other series
- Petra Connor: 1 book shared (A Cold Heart)