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Series · thriller
NYPD Red
The NYPD Red series by James Patterson has 8 books and is best read in publication order, starting with NYPD Red (2012).
- Books
- 8 books
- First published
- 2012
- Status
- ongoing
- Last checked
Start here: NYPD Red (2012) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
NYPD Red
Alternative text for cover: Cover of NYPD Red - Book 2:
NYPD Red 2
Alternative text for cover: Cover of NYPD Red 2 - Book 3:
NYPD Red 3
Alternative text for cover: Cover of NYPD Red 3 - Book 4:
NYPD Red 4
Alternative text for cover: Cover of NYPD Red 4 - Book 5:
Red Alert
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Red Alert - Book 6:
NYPD Red 6
Alternative text for cover: Cover of NYPD Red 6 - Book 7:
NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority
Alternative text for cover: Cover of NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority - Book 8:
NYPD Red 8: The 11:59 Bomber
Alternative text for cover: Cover of NYPD Red 8: The 11:59 Bomber
About the NYPD Red series
NYPD Red is the small, elite squad that protects New York's rich and famous -- politicians, movie stars, visiting royalty -- funded jointly by the city and the businesses that need its discretion. Detectives Zach Jordan and his ex-girlfriend-turned-partner Kylie MacDonald work its highest-profile cases: a killer targeting celebrities at a film festival, a serial bomber with a grudge against the city, murders timed to a papal visit. The premise gives Patterson and Marshall Karp an excuse to stage huge, headline-grabbing set-pieces against Manhattan's glossiest backdrops, while Zach and Kylie's unresolved history supplies the will-they-won't-they thread running underneath the cases.
Patterson and Karp co-created the series and co-wrote its first six novels (2012-2020). Karp then continued it solo from NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority (2022) onward, keeping Zach and Kylie's partnership and the squad's celebrity-crime premise intact while writing the later entries independently under the same NYPD Red banner -- a similar handover to how other Patterson-founded series have continued under a single collaborator's byline.
Frequently asked questions
How many NYPD Red books are there?
8 novels, from NYPD Red (2012) to NYPD Red 8: The 11:59 Bomber (2025).
What order should I read the NYPD Red books in?
Numerical/publication order -- each title's number marks its place in the sequence, and detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald's relationship develops across the books.
Who writes NYPD Red now?
Marshall Karp has written the series solo since NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority (2022); James Patterson co-created and co-wrote the first six novels (2012-2020) with Karp.
Is NYPD Red connected to Alex Cross or Michael Bennett?
No -- it's a separate NYPD-set series with its own detectives and no shared characters or continuity.
What's the most recent NYPD Red book?
NYPD Red 8: The 11:59 Bomber (November 2025), written solo by Marshall Karp.
If you like the NYPD Red series
Reading order last verified .