James Patterson: 8 of James Patterson’s Bestselling Novels

James Patterson was born in 1947 and raised in Newburgh, New York. He studied English at Vanderbilt University, and found work as a junior copywriter at the advertising agency, J Walter Thompson Co, where he devised the iconic slogan, “I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us Kid.”

While he became CEO and chairman of the company’s North American division in 1988 and 1990, James pursued a career in novel writing. In 1993, James released Along Came a Spider, which became an explosive commercial success. Today, he is the world’s best selling author and holds the distinction of writing more number-one New York Times bestsellers than any other writer in history. James’s books have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide, with many of his novels becoming bestselling series, including the Alex Cross series, the Michael Bennett series, the Women’s Murder Club Series, the NYPD Red series, and the Middle School series—his foray into children’s books.

Some of Patterson’s popular works both standalone in within a series include:

1. 1. Along Came a Spider (1993): Along Came a Spider is Patterson’s first novel in the detective Alex Cross series, following the forensic psychologist as he tries to stop a madman from committing “the crime of the century.” This crime thriller reached number two on the New York Times bestsellers list for paperbacks, and is one of Patterson’s most popular novels of all time. The novel was eventually turned into a Hollywood film starring Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross.
2. 2. Kiss the Girls (1995): This psychological thriller also stars his famed character Alex Cross as he attempts to solve another horrifying murder case. This novel also reached number one on the New York Times bestsellers list and was adapted for the screen in 1997.
3. 3. Middle School: The Worst Years of my Life (2011): James branched out into young adult literature with this first installment of the best-selling middle school series. In this literary comic, protagonist Rafe struggles with growing pains, first crushes, and bullies as he tries to break the record for “worst-behaved” in his school’s oppressive code of conduct system. Along with many of the subsequent novels in this series, this book became a number one New York Times bestseller.
4. 4. The Murder House (2015): Co-written with David Ellis, The Murder House follows a detective with a sordid past who travels to the Hamptons to solve a murder case. Both the paperback and hardcover editions of this book made it to the Los Angeles Times bestseller list.
5. 5. The Black Book (2017): James also wrote The Black Book with frequent collaborator David Ellis. The first book in this series follows Chicago detective Billy Harney as he investigates a series of murders, which seem to be connected to the disappearance of a famed black book. The book peaked at number one on the New York Times bestseller list and spent seven weeks on the Los Angeles Times bestseller list.
6. 6. Murder Games (2017): Co-written with Howard Roughan, Murder Games is the first in a five-part series following professor and criminal behavior specialist Dylan Reinhart, who must solve a murder that appears to be connected to one of his books. It spent four weeks on the Los Angeles Times bestsellers list.
7. 7. The President Is Missing (2018): Patterson collaborated with former President Bill Clinton to write this novel about betrayal, espionage, and a national threat that puts the entire country at risk. The story takes place over a period of three days, in which time the president becomes a suspect and he himself goes missing. The novel made it to number one on the New York Times bestsellers list.
8. 8. Kill Me if You Can (2011): Co-written with Marshall Karp, Kill Me if You Can follows a broke New York art student who happens upon a bag of diamonds during an attack, after which he’s stalked by an assassin who will stop at nothing to retrieve his possession. It made the top 20 of the New York Times bestsellers list three weeks in a row, shortly after its release.

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