Nelson DeMille

DeMille’s works explore the world of suspense and thrillers. Most of his books are written in the first person and the plots follow a linear line: this technique allows his readers to feel more involved into the main character’s evolution and the plot development. His writing style is often full of irony and gritty sarcasm and his scenario are often set in Long Island.

The best place to start is the Joe Ryker series, the earliest of Nelson DeMille's multi-book series: it opens with The Sniper (1974) and runs to 11 books across 1974–1976, ending with The Slasher (1976). Nelson DeMille's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.

Nelson DeMille has 97 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1974 and 2025. 79 of them belong to 7 named series — the largest being the Joe Ryker series with 11 books — and 18 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.

Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Nelson DeMille's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Joe Ryker (1974–1976, 11 books), John Sutter (1990–2008, 2 books) and Paul Brenner (1992–2012, 3 books), plus 2 more.

This guide splits Nelson DeMille's 97 books into 7 named series and 18 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Joe Ryker (11 books, 1974–1976); John Corey (9 books, 1997–2022); Paul Brenner (3 books, 1992–2012); Scott Brodie & Maggie Taylor (3 books, 2019–2025); John Sutter (2 books, 1990–2008), plus 2 further series.