🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Robert Ludlum
Most of Ludlum’s books have been adapted into films and television series. Even after his death, more novels have been written by other authors as sequels to his already published books. Some of his books were written under one of his pen names. Ludlum had two pen names; Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd. His books were always titled in a similar way and depicted themes motivated by conspiracy theories. The plot in most of his books portrayed a man or group of people who have to face powerful antagonists that are bent on carrying out their evil plans unjustly. A number of his novels, such as the Bourne series turned into bestsellers that continued to captivate readers across the age divide.
All Book Series by Robert Ludlum
The Bourne Betrayal
Book 5 of 22 · published 2007 Anthology · Eric Van Lustbader
The Bourne Sanction
Book 6 of 22 · published 2008 Anthology · Eric Van Lustbader
The Bourne Deception
Book 7 of 22 · published 2009 Anthology · Eric Van Lustbader
The Bourne Objective
Book 8 of 22 · published 2010 Anthology · Eric Van Lustbader
The Bourne Dominion
Book 9 of 22 · published 2011 Anthology · Eric Van Lustbader
The Bourne Imperative
Book 10 of 22 · published 2012 Anthology · Eric Van Lustbader
The Bourne Retribution
Book 11 of 22 · published 2013 Anthology · Eric Van Lustbader
The Bourne Ascendancy
Book 12 of 22 · published 2014 Anthology · Eric Van Lustbader
The Bourne Enigma
Book 13 of 22 · published 2016 Anthology · Eric Van Lustbader
The Bourne Initiative
Book 14 of 22 · published 2017 Anthology · Eric Van Lustbader
The Bourne Revenge
Latest in the series · book 22 of 22 · published 2026 Anthology · Brian Freeman
The Hades Factor
Series opener · book 1 of 12 · published 2000 Co-authored · Gayle Lynds
Robert Ludlum's The Arctic Event
Book 7 of 12 · published 2007 Anthology · James H. Cobb
The Geneva Strategy
Book 11 of 12 · published 2015 Anthology · Jamie Freveletti
The Patriot Attack
Latest in the series · book 12 of 12 · published 2016 Anthology · Kyle Mills
The Blackbriar Genesis
Single-title series · published 2022 Anthology · Simon Gervais
The Janson Equation
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2015 Anthology · Douglas Corleone
The Treadstone Resurrection
Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 2020 Anthology · Joshua Hood
The Treadstone Transgression
Book 3 of 4 · published 2022 Anthology · Joshua Hood
The Treadstone Rendition
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2023 Anthology · Joshua Hood
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Robert Ludlum?
Most of Ludlum's books have been adapted into films and television series. Even after his death, more novels have been written by other authors as sequels to his already published books. Some of his books were written under one of his pen names.
Which Robert Ludlum series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Jason Bourne series, the earliest of Robert Ludlum's multi-book series: it opens with The Bourne Identity (1980) and runs to 22 books across 1980–2026, ending with The Bourne Revenge (2026). Robert Ludlum's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Robert Ludlum written?
Robert Ludlum has 66 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1971 and 2026. 47 of them belong to 7 named series — the largest being the Jason Bourne series with 22 books — and 19 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Robert Ludlum's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Robert Ludlum's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Road to (1975–1992, 2 books), Matarese Dynasty (1979–1997, 2 books) and Jason Bourne (1980–2026, 22 books), plus 4 more.
How are Robert Ludlum's books organised into series?
This guide splits Robert Ludlum's 66 books into 7 named series and 19 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Jason Bourne (22 books, 1980–2026); Covert-One (12 books, 2000–2016); Paul Janson (4 books, 2002–2015); Treadstone (4 books, 2020–2023); Matarese Dynasty (2 books, 1979–1997), plus 2 further series.