Books On Board
series Reading Order

Alex McKnight Books in Order

13 Books
1998 – 2020 Published
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Reading order

Recommended Reading Order: Where to Start?

For the best experience, we recommend reading the Alex McKnight series in publication order. This allows you to experience Alex's character development and his evolving relationships naturally, as author Steve Hamilton wrote them. However, if you prefer a strictly chronological timeline, you can start with the prequel short story, "Beneath the Book Tower," which takes place during Alex's time as a Detroit police officer before he moves to Paradise, Michigan.

Alex McKnight Books in Publication Order

Here is the complete order of novels and standalone short stories by original release date:

  1. A Cold Day in Paradise (1998)
  2. Winter of the Wolf Moon (2000)
  3. The Hunting Wind (2001)
  4. North of Nowhere (2002)
  5. Blood Is the Sky (2003)
  6. Ice Run (2004)
  7. A Stolen Season (2006)
  8. Beneath the Book Tower (2011) – Short story / prequel
  9. Misery Bay (2011)
  10. Die a Stranger (2012)
  11. Let It Burn (2013)
  12. Dead Man Running (2018)
  14. Riddle Island (2020) – Short story

Chronological Order & Caveats

If you choose to read the series chronologically, start with the prequel short story "Beneath the Book Tower" before diving into the debut novel, A Cold Day in Paradise. The rest of the novels proceed in their published sequence. The final short story, "Riddle Island," takes place after the events of Dead Man Running, centering on a mystery connected to the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa.

Spin-offs, Standalones, and Crossovers

Steve Hamilton has written other works, including the Nick Mason thriller series (beginning with The Second Life of Nick Mason) and the award-winning standalone novel The Lock Artist. While these books share Hamilton's signature tense style, they are set in different universes with no official crossovers or recurring characters. Hamilton has hinted at the possibility of a future meeting between Alex McKnight and Nick Mason, but as of now, they remain completely separate.

Frequently Asked

QWhere should I start reading the Alex McKnight series?

We recommend starting with the first novel, A Cold Day in Paradise, to experience the characters and setting as they were introduced. Alternatively, you can start with the prequel story Beneath the Book Tower for a chronological beginning.

QWhat is the chronological order of the Alex McKnight series?

The chronological order begins with the short story prequel Beneath the Book Tower, followed by the eleven novels in publication order (from A Cold Day in Paradise to Dead Man Running), and ends with the 2020 short story Riddle Island.

QAre the short stories necessary to understand the main novels?

No. Both Beneath the Book Tower and Riddle Island are standalone stories that add extra flavor and background but are not required to follow the main novel plots.

QDoes the Alex McKnight series cross over with Steve Hamilton's Nick Mason series?

No. There are no official crossovers or spin-offs between the two series. They feature completely different protagonists and settings, though the author has expressed interest in bringing them together in the future.

QIs there a movie or TV adaptation of the Alex McKnight books?

While film and television rights have been optioned in the past, there is currently no active movie or TV adaptation available.

QHow many books are in the Alex McKnight series?

The series consists of eleven novels and two standalone short stories (Beneath the Book Tower and Riddle Island).