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Amos Decker Series Reading Order.

Quick Answer

Start Amos Decker Series by David Baldacci with "Memory Man", then follow the publication sequence. This order preserves the intended narrative twists and world-building progression.

Features Amos Decker, a detective with the rare condition of hyperthymesia and synesthesia, giving him perfect recall.

Reader's Guide

This series spans 7 main titles released between 2015 and 2022. For the best experience, we recommend following the Publication Order below to preserve key plot reveals.

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Official Verdict

Short Answer:
Start with "Memory Man"

To experience the narrative as intended, read the main sequence in Publication Order.Ignore novellas and side stories until you finish the first 3 core novels. This resolves all timeline confusion and preserves every major twist.

Community Consensus

Medium Debate

"Note: The provided Reddit comments discuss general Epic Fantasy recommendations and literary critiques, not the Amos Decker series. Based on the fantasy recommendations presented, there is overwhelming consensus that J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings is the foundational 'must-read' for the genre. The Wheel of Time is the most frequently recommended large-scale epic, often cited as a genre-shaper. Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn is also strongly recommended as a key influence on modern fantasy."

Key Reddit Advice

The universal advice for starting a fantasy journey (based on these comments) is to begin with J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. For those seeking large modern epics, The Wheel of Time is the most frequently suggested series, followed by strong recommendations for Malazan (though it is noted as potentially difficult to finish) and The Expanse (SciFi).

Why This Order Is Confusing

Many reading lists for Amos Decker Series conflict because early publishers often labeled short story collections as standalone novels, or rearranged internal chronologies for marketing. This guide follows original author intent and narrative continuity to settle the debate for good.

Can I skip the short stories?

Technically yes, but we strongly advise against it for Amos Decker Series. The shorter volumes often establish the core character motivations and world-building that the main saga assumes you already know.

I watched the show/movie first — where should I start?

Ignore the screen adaptations' timeline. Start with "Memory Man" to see the original depth of the world. The books offer a significantly different (and usually more complete) experience than the on-screen versions.

Why do people disagree on the order?

Disagreement usually stems from the conflict between purely chronological order and publication order. Most long-term fans recommend publication order to preserve the emotional arc and mystery reveals.

Curator's Strategy

Recommended Reading Order Strategy

The authoritative way to read the "Amos Decker Series" series is in Publication Order. Start with the first published book. It's the way the author intended the world to be revealed.This ensures you experience character reveals and plot twists exactly as the author intended.

Complete Series Reading Order

Publication Reading Order7 Titles

Why Publication Order?We recommend reading in Publication Order (default). This follows the author's release schedule, ensuring you experience plot twists, character growth, and world-building exactly as intended without spoilers.
Best Start Here
1

Memory Man

Pub: 20154.5

Amos Decker, the detective who cannot forget, uses his flawless memory to hunt the perpetrator who ruined his life and murdered his family years ago.

2

The Last Mile

Pub: 2022

Plot details hidden until you finish "Memory Man".

When a convicted killer is saved by another man's confession, Amos Decker, now an FBI special task force detective, must find the truth in this "utterly absorbing" #1 New York Times bestseller (Associated Press). Convicted murderer Melvin Mars is counting down the last hours before his execution--for the violent killing of his parents twenty years earlier--when he's granted an unexpected reprieve. Another man has confessed to the crime. Amos Decker, newly hired on an FBI special task force, takes an interest in Mars's case after discovering the striking similarities to his own life: Both men were talented football players with promising careers cut short by tragedy. Both men's families were brutally murdered. And in both cases, another suspect came forward, years after the killing, to confess to the crime. A suspect who may or may not have been telling the truth. The confession has the potential to make Melvin Mars--guilty or not--a free man. Who wants Mars out of prison? And why now? But when a member of Decker's team disappears, it becomes clear that something much larger--and more sinister--than just one convicted criminal's life hangs in the balance. Decker will need all of his extraordinary brainpower to stop an innocent man from being executed.

3

The Fix

Pub: 2017

Plot details hidden until you finish "The Last Mile".

"Amos Decker witnesses a murder just outside FBI headquarters. A man shoots a woman execution-style on a crowded sidewalk, then turns the gun on himself. Even with Decker's extraordinary powers of observation and deduction, the killing is baffling. Decker and his team can find absolutely no connection between the shooter--a family man with a successful consulting business--and his victim, a schoolteacher. Nor is there a hint of any possible motive for the attack. Enter Harper Brown. An agent of the Defense Intelligence Agency, she orders Decker to back off the case. The murder is part of an open DIA investigation, one so classified that Decker and his team aren't cleared for it. But they learn that the DIA believes solving the murder is now a matter of urgent national security. Critical information may have been leaked to a hostile government--or worse, an international terrorist group--and an attack may be imminent. Decker's never been one to follow the rules, especially with the stakes so high. Forced into an uneasy alliance with Agent Brown, Decker remains laser focused on only one goal: solving the case before it's too late"--Amazon.Com.

4

The Fallen

Pub: 2022

Plot details hidden until you finish "The Fix".

Amos Decker and his journalist friend Alex Jamison are visiting the home of Alex's sister in Barronville, a small town in western Pennsylvania that has been hit hard economically. When Decker is out on the rear deck of the house talking with Alex's niece, a precocious eight-year-old, he notices flickering lights and then a spark of flame in the window of the house across the way. When he goes to investigate he finds two dead bodies inside and it's not clear how either man died. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. There's something going on in Barronville that might be the canary in the coal mine for the rest of the country. Faced with a stonewalling local police force, and roadblocks put up by unseen forces, Decker and Jamison must pull out all the stops to solve the case. And even Decker's infallible memory may not be enough to save them.

5

Redemption

Pub: 2025Optional

Plot details hidden until you finish "The Fallen".

Fame. Chaos. Redemption.Few names in Hollywood burn as brightly—or as dangerously—as Charlie Sheen. From his breakout roles in Platoon and Wall Street to his reign as the highest-paid actor on television in Two and a Half Men, Sheen’s journey is one of dazzling highs, catastrophic lows, and an unrelenting fight to rise again.In The Sheen Book: A Charlie Sheen Memoir of Fame, Chaos, and Redemption, readers are taken beyond the tabloid headlines into the raw, unfiltered story of a man who lived life at full throttle. This is not just a Hollywood memoir—it’s an intimate portrait of survival, identity, and the universal search for second chances.🌟 Inside this book, you’ll discover:The Estevez Legacy — How growing up in the shadow of Martin Sheen shaped Charlie’s destiny.Hollywood Highs — The era of Platoon, Wall Street, and the movies that made him an icon.Fame & Excess — A front-row seat to the wild nights, the headlines, and the price of living without limits.The Television King — How Two and a Half Men turned him into the most powerful name in TV.The Legendary Meltdown — From “Tiger Blood” to “Winning,” how Charlie redefined public scandal in the digital age.Private Battles — Behind the spotlight: family, fatherhood, and the HIV revelation that shocked the world.Lessons in Chaos & Redemption — What his turbulent story teaches us about resilience, fame, and survival.Unlike other celebrity tell-alls, this memoir goes deeper than scandal—it explores the paradox of a man who embodied both brilliance and self-destruction, and who continues to stand as a symbol of resilience in the face of relentless scrutiny.🔥 Whether you admired him, judged him, or simply couldn’t look away, Charlie Sheen’s story will leave you entertained, shocked, and ultimately inspired.👉 Get your copy today and discover the man behind the madness, the actor beyond the headlines, and the survivor who refused to fade away.

6

Walk The Wire

Pub: 2020

Plot details hidden until you finish "Redemption".

"Amos Decker, the FBI consultant with a perfect memory, and Alex Jamison FBI. Return to solve a gruesome murder of a young woman named Irene Cramer, in a booming North Dakota oil fracking town. The promise of a second gold rush has attracted an onslaught of newcomers all hoping for a windfall, bringing with them problems, including drugs, property crimes, prostitution and now a gruesome murder."--Publisher description.

7

Long Shadows

Pub: 2022

Plot details hidden until you finish "Walk The Wire".

From the author of The 6:20 Man, “Memory Man” Amos Decker—an FBI consultant with perfect recall—delves into a bewildering double homicide in this thriller in David Baldacci's #1 New York Times bestselling series.   When Amos Decker is called to South Florida to investigate a double homicide, the case appears straightforward: A federal judge and her bodyguard have been found dead, the judge’s face sporting a blindfold with two eye holes crudely cut out, a clear sign that she’d made one too many enemies over her years on the bench.   What at first seems cut and dry is anything but: Not only did the judge have more enemies than Decker can count—from violent gang members, drug dealers, and smugglers to a resentful ex-husband—but the bodyguard presents additional conundrums that muddy the waters even further. Who was the real target in this vicious attack?   Meanwhile, Decker must contend with a series of unsettling changes, including a new partner—Special Agent Frederica “Freddie” White—and a devastating event that brings Decker’s own tragic past back to the present . . . and forces him to reckon with his future. As potential witnesses start disappearing, Decker and White are inexorably pulled down a twisted tunnel of secrets, crimes, and scandal—at the end of which lies Decker’s deadliest threat yet.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is it okay to skip books in the Amos Decker Series series?

We recommend ignoring novellas and short stories until you finish the core sequence. However, main sequence novels should never be skipped as they contain critical character development and plot progression.

What is the best order to read Amos Decker Series?

The final answer for the best experience is to start with "Memory Man" and proceed in publication order. This sequence preserves character developments and plot reveals exactly as David Baldacci intended.

Can I read Amos Decker Series books in any order?

No. The main narrative is strictly sequential. Skipping volumes or reading out of order will lead to significant plot spoilers and confusion regarding character arcs.

Are there spin-offs or companion books?

Yes, the Amos Decker Series universe includes several companion works. These are marked as 'Optional' in our guide and can be read at any time without disrupting the main storyline.