James Patterson

James B. Patterson (born March 22, 1947) is an American author of thriller novels. He generally writes to feed the masses. His writing is often compared to the television show "CSI" whereby he generates an ending through flash without any substance.

James Patterson was formerly the chairman of advertising company J. W. Thompson in the early 1990s, Patterson came up with the slogan "Toys R Us Kid."^[1] Shortly after his success with Along Came A Spider, he retired from the firm and devoted his time to being a writer. The novels featuring his character, Alex Cross, a forensic psychologist formerly of the Washington, D.C. Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation, now working as a private psychologist and government consultant, are the most popular books among Patterson readers and the top selling US Detective series in the past ten years.

In 2007, one of every sixteen hardcover novels sold was a James Patterson title– totaling an estimated 16 million books sold last year in North America alone.^[2] According to Forbes magazine, Patterson earned $50 million from June 2007 to June 2008, placing him second on the list of best paid authors in the world.^[3] In total, Patterson’s books have sold an estimated 150 million copies worldwide.^[2] He has won awards including the Edgar, the BCA Mystery Guild’s Thriller of the Year, and the International Thriller of the Year award. James Patterson was called "the man who can’t miss" in Time magazine. He is the first author to have #1 new titles simultaneously on The New York Times adult and children’s bestsellers lists, and to have two books on NovelTracker’s top-ten list at the same time. He holds the New York Times bestsellers list record with 39 New York Times bestselling titles overall.^[2] He even made an appearance on the Fox TV show The Simpsons (in the episode "Yokel Chords") as himself.

Patterson is also well known for sharing the spotlight with different co-authors such as Maxine Paetro and Andrew Gross and has often said that collaborating with others brings new and interesting ideas to his stories. He is currently collaborating with Swedish mystery writer Liza Marklund on a book that is set to be released in 2010. All that is known of the story at this point is that it is set in Stockholm, Sweden. ^{[4] [5]}

He also founded the James Patterson PageTurner Awards, now in its third year. Patterson has personally given away over $600,000 to reward “people, companies, schools, and other institutions who find original and effective ways to spread the excitement of books and reading.” His lifelong passion for books and reading led him to launch a new Web site, ReadKiddoRead.com, which helps parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians find the very best children’s books for their kids.

Patterson’s bestselling Women’s Murder Club series was adapted for a television series show starring former Law & Order star Angie Harmon. The show premiered in the fall of 2007 on ABC and ran for one season. Other movie deals are currently in the works with various Hollywood studios including a major motion picture based on his Maximum Ride series, to be produced by Avi Arad, the producer of the X-Men and Spider-Man film series. Most recently, the forthcoming Dangerous Days of Daniel X has been optioned by New Regency.^[6]

Patterson received his bachelor's degree from Manhattan College, and his Masters degree at Vanderbilt University.

He lives in Palm Beach, Florida with his wife, Susan, and son, Jack.

Horror novelist Stephen King has dismissed Patterson's bibliography as being made up of "dopey thrillers", and in one interview called him a "terrible writer"^[7]. Patterson responsed dismissively, simply stating that "I just want to be the thrillingest thriller writer around".

1. Along Came A Spider (1992, ISBN 0-446-36419-3)
2. Kiss the Girls (1995, ISBN 0-446-60124-1)
3. Jack & Jill (1996, ISBN 0-446-60480-1)
4. Cat and Mouse (1997, ISBN 0-446-60618-9)
5. Pop Goes the Weasel (1999, ISBN 0-375-40854-1)
6. Roses are Red (2000, ISBN 0-446-60548-4)
7. Violets are Blue (2001, ISBN 0-446-61121-2)
8. Four Blind Mice (2002, ISBN 0-446-61326-6)
9. The Big Bad Wolf (2003, ISBN 0-446-61326-6)
10. London Bridges (2004, ISBN 0-446-61335-5)
11. Mary, Mary (2005, ISBN 0-316-15976-X)
12. Cross (2006, ISBN 0-316-15979-4 )
13. Double Cross (2007, ISBN 0-316-01505-9)
14. Cross Country (November 17, 2008, ISBN 0-316-018724)
15. Alex Cross's Trial (August 24, 2009)
16. I, Alex Cross (November 16, 2009)

Four San Francisco friends - a detective, a district attorney, a medical examiner, and a crime reporter - join forces to solve mysteries.

1. 1st to Die (2001, ISBN 0-446-61003-8)
2. 2nd Chance (2002, ISBN 0-446-61279-0, with Andrew Gross)
3. 3rd Degree (2004, ISBN 0-316-60357-0, with Andrew Gross)
4. 4th of July (2005, ISBN 0-316-71060-1, with Maxine Paetro)
5. The 5th Horseman (2006, ISBN 0-316-15977-8, with Maxine Paetro)
6. The 6th Target (2007, ISBN 0-316-01479-6, with Maxine Paetro)
7. 7th Heaven (2008, ISBN 0-316-01770-1, with Maxine Paetro)
8. 8th Confession (April 27, 2009, ISBN 978-1846052583 )

1. Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment (USA: April 11 |UK: July 4, 2005 | ISBN 031615556X)
2. Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever (USA: May 23 |UK: August 14, 2006 | ISBN 0316155594)
3. Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (USA & UK: May 3, 2007 | ISBN 0316155608)
4. Maximum Ride: The Final Warning (USA: March 17, 2008 | ISBN 0316002860)
5. MAX: A Maximum Ride Novel (USA: March 16, 2009 | ISBN 0316002895)
6. Maximum Ride: The Sky Is Falling [USA: March 15, 2010 | ISBN 0316036196) (Title & Release Date subject to change)

1. Step on a Crack (February 6, 2007) (with Michael Ledwidge)
2. Run for Your Life (February 2, 2009) (with Michael Ledwidge)
3. Worst Case (February 1, 2010) (with Michael Ledwidge)

1. The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (July 21, 2008) (with Michael Ledwidge)
2. Watch the Skies (July 27, 2009) (with Ned Rust) Title & release date are subject to change

• Daniel X: Alien Hunter (with Leopoldo Gout)(December 1, 2008, ISBN 0-316-004251)
• Maximum Ride, Vol. 1 (with NaRae Lee) (January 6, 2009, ISBN 0-759-529515)

• The Thomas Berryman Number (1976) (Edgar Award, 1977, Best First Novel)
• Season of the Machete (1977)
• Virgin (1980)
• The Midnight Club (1988)
• Hide & Seek (1996)
• Miracle on the 17th Green (1996) (with Peter De Jonge)
• See How They Run (1997, previously published in 1977 as The Jericho Commandment)
• When the Wind Blows (1998)
• Black Friday (2000, previously published in 1986 as Black Market)
• Cradle & All (2000, previously published in 1980 as Virgin)
• Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas (2001)
• The Beach House (2002) (with Peter De Jonge)
• The Jester (2003) (with Andrew Gross)
• The Lake House (2003) (sequel to When The Wind Blows)
• Sam's Letters to Jennifer (2004)
• Honeymoon (2005) (with Howard Roughan)
• Lifeguard (2005) (with Andrew Gross)
• Beach Road (2006) (with Peter De Jonge)
• Judge and Jury (2006) (with Andrew Gross)
• The Quickie (2007) (with Michael Ledwidge)
• You've Been Warned (2007) (with Howard Roughan)
• Sundays at Tiffany's, (2008) (with Gabrielle Charbonnet)
• Sail (June 9, 2008) (with Howard Roughan)
• Swimsuit (June 29, 2009) (with Maxine Paetro)
• Witch and Wizard (December 14, 2009) (with Gabrielle Charbonnet)

• Against Medical Advice: A True Story (October 20, 2008) (with Hal Friedman)
• The Murder of King Tut (September, 2009) (with Martin Dugard)

• It has been confirmed that a 3rd Alex Cross movie, an adaptation of Roses Are Red, is being made, though it is unknown whether Morgan Freeman will return and has been in the works since 2005.
• Daniel X has also been optioned by New Regency. More information to come.

• Appeared on the Series Premiere of Castle on ABC.

James recently created an online social networking site called Read Kiddo Read.

• Official James Patterson US web site
• Official James Patterson UK web site
• Official James Patterson AU web site
• James Patterson PageTurner Award
• James Patterson's ReadKiddoRead
• James Patterson at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• James Patterson at the Internet Book List
• James Patterson at IMDb
• James Patterson's Blog: The Fine Art of Pageturning
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• James Patterson at Random House Australia
• James Patterson at House of Legends
• James Patterson at House of Crime