James Patterson Books

Description /Buy link takes you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.

James Patterson is a world renowned American author. His full name is James Brendan Patterson and was born on March 22, 1947. He hails from Newburgh, New York in the US. James Patterson writes in various genres ranging from thriller, young adult fiction, comedy, romance to realistic fiction. He has been writing novels from 1976.

Print:

After graduating from Vanderbilt University with an MA in English, Patterson moved into the world of advertising, which is the career he stayed in until the mid 1990s. It was during this period in advertising that Patterson wrote and published his first novel. The Thomas Berryman Number was Patterson’s first foray into the world of published literature, and the titular character is a hit-man named Thomas Berryman. The book follows Berryman on his hits and also those leading the manhunt for him.

Since his debut novel back in 1976, Patterson has put his name to currently 150 books, with the majority of them being in the crime fiction genre. He has created several series based around multiple characters, with his most prolific being the Alex Cross series, which has seen some of the books, such as Kiss The Girls and Along Came A Spider turned into movies. As well as the Alex Cross series, Patterson has created the Private series of novels, which feature cities across the world such as London, Berlin and Sydney. Michael Bennett is another character to feature in one of Pattersons’ series, as well as the Women’s Murder Club.

Patterson’s move into youth fiction saw the creation of the Maximum Ride series of novels, as well as Daniel X and Witch and Wizard series of books, as well as the Confessions series. James Patterson’s Maximum Ride series features the young woman who can fly, Maximum Ride, the Daniel X series is based around the character of Daniel X, the Witch and Wizard series features Whit and Wisty Allgood and the Confessions series features the Tandy Angel, and her mysterious family, who all seem to be keeping secrets from each other.

While he has put his name to so many books, it is important to add that, especially in recent years, Patterson has shared writing credits with authors such as Maxine Paetro and Mark Sullivan. Patterson claims that sharing the responsibilities allows for more ideas to come to the fore, and helps to keep his novels and plots fresh.

James Patterson is mostly known for his famous Alex Cross novel series. The novels center on the character Alex Cross, a fictional psychologist. “The Thomas Berryman Number” was Patterson’s first novel and was published in 1976. There have been many more novels in the series. Incidentally, the Alex Cross series has been the most popular and best-selling detective series in the US in the past decade. Some of the novels in the series have been made into many films, movies, and TV series.

Patterson has often stated that his stories gain interesting and new ideas when he collaborates with others. In this regard, he has worked with co-authors like Ashwin Sanghi, Maxine Paetro, and Mark Sullivan among many others. In fact, Patterson signed a deal in September 2009. The deal committed him to co-write or write six young adult novels and eleven adult novels. He was to complete this ambitious project by the end of the year 2012.

James has sold more than 350 million books worldwide and continues to build on that number. He is the current Guinness Book of World Records record holder for most #1 New York Times bestsellers. Patterson has been very charitable with his success as he has donated over a million books to schools and youth programs in under-privileged areas throughout the country. He’s also donated over $26 million dollars to both his and his wife’s college alma maters. Perhaps most impressive of all is the Patterson Family Foundation that has awarded over seven million dollars in college scholarships at twenty-four different colleges.

While best known for his work on the Alex Cross series that has featured twenty-two books and three big picture adaptions, James Patterson is also a prolific writer of children’s books as well as books aimed towards teens.

Daniel X is one of these series and is set in a more sci-fi world where Daniel has abilities where he is able to manipulate animals and objects with his mind as well as re-create himself in any shape he chooses. Daniel’s adventures take him intergalactic in this six-part series.

Patterson’s most popular children’s series has to be the Middle School series. Starting with Middle School: The Worst Years of my life, Patterson tells the story of Rafe Khatchadorian who has to fight the power at an oppressive middle school. In the first book, Rafe sets out to break every rule in the school’s Code of Conduct. The book has proven so successful that it was made into a major motion picture.

CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF JAMES PATTERSON BOOKS:

All of James Pattersons books – be it the Alex Cross or Womens Murder Club series – currently run in the same chronological order as the publication order.

JAMES PATTERSON AWARDS

James Patterson has had an illustrious career as an author. He has won several awards of note during his sterling career. His awards include the BCA Mystery Guilds Thriller of The Year, Edgar Award and the Children’s Choice Book Award for the Year. In 2015, the National Book Foundation awarded him with the Literarian Award.

Apart from receiving awards, Patterson also issues awards. In 2008, the James Patterson PageTurner Award was founded by the author. The Award donated more than US $ 100,000 to individuals, companies and institutions that found an effective way to spread excitement associated with reading books.

JAMES PATTERSON BOOKS INTO MOVIES

Many novels written by Patterson have been adapted for the silver screen. Some of his novels have formed the basis for great Hollywood movies and films.

In 1991, the TV series “Child of Darkness”, “Child of Light” were inspired by Patterson’s novel Cradle and All. Other TV series based on Patterson’s novels include Miracle On 17th Green (1999), 1st To Die (2003) and Women’s Murder Club (2002) among many others.

In 1997, the movie “Kiss the Girls”, based on Patterson’s novel, made its big screen debut. Along Came a Spider and Alex Cross are also Hollywood blockbusters based on popular novels by James Patterson. In 2016, his novel made the basis for a children’s film series known as “Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life” .

BEST JAMES PATTERSON BOOKS

Some of the best novels by James Patterson include:

Along Came a Spider: This is probably one of Patterson’s best novels. It was published in 1993 and is the first novel in the Alex Cross novel series. It centers on the main character Alex Cross, a forensic psychologist. It has even been adapted to a highly grossing Hollywood movie that bears the same name.

1st To Die: This is Patterson’s first novel in the Women’s Murder Club novel series. It was published in 2001. It is mainly set in San Francisco. The novel revolves around four friends who come together and try to solve the most difficult murder cases in the American city.

Unlucky 13: This is the thirteenth novel in Patterson’s popular Women’s Murder Club novel series. In centers on Detective Lindsay Boxer who seems to be living the American dream. That is until Mackie Morales, her dangerous enemy resurfaces. The detective fights to protect her young family by finding Morales before she finds her.

James Patterson FAQs

Q: How many books has James Patterson written?

A: At the time of writing, James Patterson has written 150 books, and that number will continue to grow.

Q: What book is the film Alex Cross based on?

A: The film Alex Cross was based on the book Cross, which was released in 2006 and is the 12th novel in the Alex Cross series.

Q: What is the name of James Patterson’s first published novel?

A: The Thomas Berryman Number, which was published in 1976, is the first book James Patterson had published.

Q: What is James Patterson’s date of birth?

A: The author James Patterson was born on March 22, 1947.

When Does The Next James Patterson book come out?

The next book by James Patterson is Holmes Is Missing and will be released on January, 6th 2025. It is the newest book in the Holmes, Margaret & Poe Series.

Home » Author » James Patterson