The 39 Clues Books in Order
The 39 Clues was Scholastic's boldest experiment: a mystery series written as a relay, each book by a different bestselling author, wrapped in card packs and an online game. Rick Riordan wrote the launch pad, The Maze of Bones (2008); Gordon Korman, Jude Watson, Peter Lerangis, Linda Sue Park and Margaret Peterson Haddix carried the baton through the first eleven books; and David Baldacci of all people wrote the second arc's finale. The complete run is five series - the Clue Hunt, Cahills vs Vespers, Unstoppable, Doublecross, and the Superspecial one-off Outbreak - twenty-six core novels, finished in 2016. The order question has a clean answer because the arcs are strictly sequential, and this page lays out the whole relay, baton-pass by baton-pass (2008–2016).
Where to start
The Maze of Bones (2008), Riordan's opener - Amy and Dan Cahill, their grandmother's will, and thirty-nine clues scattered across history. Every later arc assumes its ending.
The complete list
Tick the boxes off as you read, or for the bookshelf.
| Year | Title | Series / type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Maze of Bones | Clue Hunt #1 — Rick Riordan; start here | |
| 2008 | One False Note | Clue Hunt #2 — Gordon Korman | |
| 2009 | The Sword Thief | Clue Hunt #3 — Peter Lerangis | |
| 2009 | Beyond the Grave | Clue Hunt #4 — Jude Watson | |
| 2009 | The Black Circle | Clue Hunt #5 — Linda Sue Park | |
| 2010 | In Too Deep | Clue Hunt #6 — Jude Watson | |
| 2010 | The Viper's Nest | Clue Hunt #7 — Peter Lerangis | |
| 2010 | The Emperor's Code | Clue Hunt #8 — Gordon Korman | |
| 2010 | Storm Warning | Clue Hunt #9 — Linda Sue Park | |
| 2010 | Into the Gauntlet | Clue Hunt #10 — Haddix; the arc finale | |
| 2011 | Vespers Rising | Clue Hunt #11 — four authors; the bridge book | |
| 2011 | The Black Book of Buried Secrets | The companion — read after Vespers Rising | |
| 2011 | The Medusa Plot | Cahills vs Vespers #1 — Korman | |
| 2011 | A King's Ransom | CvV #2 — Watson | |
| 2012 | The Dead of Night | CvV #3 — Lerangis | |
| 2012 | Shatterproof | CvV #4 — Roland Smith | |
| 2012 | Trust No One | CvV #5 | |
| 2013 | Day of Doom | CvV #6 — David Baldacci; arc finale | |
| 2013 | Nowhere to Run | Unstoppable #1 — Jude Watson | |
| 2014 | Breakaway | Unstoppable #2 — Jeff Hirsch | |
| 2014 | Countdown | Unstoppable #3 — Natalie Standiford | |
| 2014 | Flashpoint | Unstoppable #4 — Korman; the serum arc ends | |
| 2015 | Mission Titanic | Doublecross #1 — Jude Watson | |
| 2015 | Mission Hindenburg | Doublecross #2 — C. Alexander London | |
| 2016 | Mission Hurricane | Doublecross #3 — Jenny Goebel | |
| 2016 | Mission Atomic | Doublecross #4 — Sarwat Chadda | |
| 2016 | Outbreak | Superspecial — the one-off finale; C. Alexander London |
Does the reading order matter?
Strict arc order: Clue Hunt #1-11 (2008-11), then Cahills vs Vespers #1-6 (2011-13), Unstoppable #1-4 (2013-14), Doublecross #1-4 (2015-16), Superspecial: Outbreak (2016). Vespers Rising (#11) is the bridge - four authors, four time periods, handing the Clue Hunt cast to the Vespers arc. The Black Book of Buried Secrets (2011) is the companion that explains the family branches; read it after Vespers Rising, not before, because it is pure reveal. Within each arc, never skip: each book ends mid-race.
Which one is the best?
The Maze of Bones (2008) for the launch; Into the Gauntlet (2010), Haddix's arc finale, for the family-feud payoff; and Day of Doom (2013) - Baldacci writing a teen apocalypse is exactly as fun as it sounds.
Related guides
Readers finishing this shelf usually want the map next door: CHERUB books in order, Alex Rider books in order, The Hunger Games books in order. Every guide follows the same format — the shelf, the entry point, the honest answer about order.
Make it a project
Pick a session size and let the days accumulate — at the pace our reading speed test measures, most shelves above clear in a few weeks of half-hours. Every guide on the books in order shelf follows this same format, and when a book lands, its 8-question quiz is waiting on the original book quiz.
Frequently asked questions
What order should you read The 39 Clues books in?
Clue Hunt → Cahills vs Vespers → Unstoppable → Doublecross → Outbreak. No skipping inside an arc.
Where should I start with The 39 Clues?
The Maze of Bones (2008), then straight through the arcs in order.
How many The 39 Clues books are there?
Twenty-six core novels across five series, complete at Outbreak (2016), plus the Black Book companion and the Cahill Files ebook line. Scholastic has announced no new arc. As of October 2026 this list is current.
What was The 39 Clues's first book?
The Maze of Bones (2008) — the first row of the list above.