James Patterson (1947) is an internationally acclaimed and bestselling author known for such crime thriller series as Alex Cross, the Women's Murder Club, and Michael Bennett. He is also known for his stand-alone crime and thriller novels, as well as non-fiction and romance novels. He has collaborated with notable icons such as Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton.
He is the recipient of countless literary awards, such as the National Book Foundation's 2015 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, the National Parenting Publications Honors Awards, and the International Reading Association's Young Adults' Choices Booklist.
Patterson is also a prolific philanthropist and has donated more than one million books, including $7.25 million to school libraries and $2.1 million to independent bookstores. This is in addition to the establishment of over four hundred Teacher and Writer Education Scholarships at twenty-one colleges and universities throughout the United States.
This collection brings together Patterson's works, including his preeminent adult fiction series such as Alex Cross and the Women's Murder Club, his standalone thrillers, and non-fiction.
Note: You can read or borrow a book by clicking the blue Borrow or Read icon under each book cover. If it is Not in Library or Checked Out, another copy might still be available! Click on the book's cover to see if you can borrow one of the other editions.
Curated by Brenna Guiney
Table of Contents
Series
Alex Cross
Amy Cornwall
Crazy House
Confessions
Daniel X
Harriet Blue
Instinct
Investigation Discovery
Invisible
Maximum Ride
Michael Bennett
NYPD Red
Private
Texas Ranger
The Black Book
Witch & Wizard
Women's Murder Club
Other Works
Golf Novels
Non-Fiction
Romance
Standalone Thrillers
Alex Cross
The Alex Cross series is Patterson's most renowned crime thriller series, with multiple works quickly becoming New York Times bestsellers.
The series is based in Washington D.C. and stars Metropolitan Police Department Detective, Alex Cross, as he tackles challenging crimes while juggling family life as a widower with two children. As a Detective in Washington D.C., Cross's work at times involves the President and the Secret Service.
The series has spawned three films: Kiss the Girls (1997); Along Came a Spider (2001); and Alex Cross (2012). Currently, Amazon Prime is adapting the series for their streaming platform, with Aldis Hodge cast for the role of Alex Cross.
Amy Cornwall
This series follows Amy Cornwall, a war-hardened veteran intelligence officer who returns home from a harrowing tour in Afghanistan.
The first novel sees Amy return home only to be thrust into her worst nightmare. Finding her family missing and taken by kidnappers, Cornwall is ready to sacrifice everything to find her family.
In the second novel, Cornwall is faced with a ticking clock to find a terrorist genius, save her family, and ultimately, the world.
Crazy House
The Crazy House series follows seventeen-year-old Becca Greenfield and her twin Cassie as they battle against a dystopian reality of mistaken identity and the threat of torture and death. Readers of the Hunger Games will love this dark, fantasy thrill ride from Patterson.
Confessions
The Confessions series follows the mysterious Angel family through a number of dramatic Young Adult detective novels. Dark family secrets, revealing confessions, and the journey to bring killers to justice has kept readers of the Confessions series on the edge of their seats.
Daniel X
Daniel X is Patterson's high-octane, Young Adult sci-fi adventure series which follows protagonist, Daniel X, Defender of Earth. Daniel X's secret powers that help him manipulate objects with his mind or form himself into any shape are the key to surviving the trials and tribulations he faces both on earth, and beyond.
Harriet Blue
From Sydney to the deep Western Australian outback, Detective Harriet Blue struggles with solving complicated and brutal crimes, while dealing with her own family demons and secretive new partners.
Readers of Alex Cross will love Patterson's take on a female-led detective series based in the unforgiving Australian environment.
Instinct
The Instinct series features criminal behaviour expert, Dr Dylan Reinhart, as he gets drawn in too close to the world of gruesome crimes. Twisted games, brilliant supporting characters, and cliff-hanger chapters makes the Instinct series an enthralling read.
The series is now a hit CBS TV show starring Alan Cumming.
Investigation Discovery
The Investigation Discovery series sees Patterson bring to life a number of true crime stories from the Discovery network. These books were released in conjunction with features on Discovery that included all the strange but true stories that inspired each book’s content.
Invisible
A darker foray by Patterson, the Invisible series follows FBI agent Emmy Dockery and her colleagues as they investigate brutal crime scenes and unstable serial killers, while dealing with their own personal demons.
Maximum Ride
Patterson's Maximum Ride series is his most well-known Young Adult series. The sci-fi/fantasy series is action packed and great for younger readers who need a fast-paced and enthralling world to capture their imagination.
Michael Bennett
This series follows NYPD Detective, Michael Bennet, as he solves complicated and enthralling cases. From hostage situations involving the President, to serial killers, bomb plots, and drug cartels, the Michael Bennet series is a fast-paced, heart-pounding thrill ride. Readers of Alex Cross will love this series.
NYPD Red
In a departure from his single protagonist series, Patterson's NYPD Red series follows an ensemble cast of highly trained New York City police detectives. Their focus is high-profile criminals and cases involving the richest and most powerful players in NYC.
Private
Patterson's Private series follows former Marine helicopter pilot, Jack Morgan, and his civilian investigation company, Private. Inherited from his father, Private is a company that uses elite investigators and maximum force to get things done.
This extensive series features powerful individuals, exotic locations, thrilling drama, and faced-paced storytelling.
Texas Ranger
Texas Ranger follows Rory Yates, who, after a career in law enforcement, has worked his way up from local highway patrolman to Texas Ranger. All that is suddenly torn away as Yates finds himself the prime suspect of a brutal crime in his hometown.
The Black Book
After a murder at a Chicago brothel, the madam's Black Book goes missing, and all of Chicago's elite are either suspects or vying to get their hands on the book. Detective Billy Harney is on the case, all while his own secrets are about to be revealed.
Witch & Wizard
Witch & Wizard is a series of dystopian, fantasy novels that follow teen brother and sister, Wisty and Whit, who have grown up in a world where witchcraft is banned, punishable by law. After starting to develop magical abilities, Wisty and Whit face a fight for their lives, and for the lives of those they love.
Women's Murder Club
When a homicide detective, medical examiner, assistant District Attorney, and crime reporter get together, their unique skills and yearning for justice leads them to step outside of official procedures to solve murder cases in San Fransico. But that's not all these Women have to deal with, as each is faced with their own personal situations to navigate.
Fans of Patterson's other detective series will love this extensive ensemble series.
Golf Novels
Patterson's interest in golf has led to a number of golf-specific novels featuring famous golf courses around the world. Golf fanatics will love the combination of Patterson's writing and the thrilling stories of PGA miracles.
Non-Fiction
Patterson is not only known for great crime thrillers, but many thrilling non-fiction books covering topics from true-crime, famous figures, family drama, and features on everyday heroes.
Romance
Although Patterson is most well-known for his crime thriller works, he has also written a number of romance novels. Forgotten love letters, birthday promises, turbulent families, and much, much more is found in Patterson's romance works.
Standalone Thrillers
In addition to his outstanding long running crime thriller series, Patterson has also written numerous standalone numbers. With well over 50 novels, and collaborations with notable figures such as Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, Patterson's standalone thrillers are a great place for new readers to start who are not wanting the commitment of a long series.
History
- Created March 29, 2023
- 58 revisions
October 8, 2024 | Edited by jachamp | Fix macros |
March 31, 2023 | Edited by BrennaGuiney | Edited without comment. |
March 31, 2023 | Edited by BrennaGuiney | Edited without comment. |
March 31, 2023 | Edited by BrennaGuiney | Edited without comment. |
March 29, 2023 | Created by BrennaGuiney | Edited without comment. |