James Patterson is the celebrated author of America who has written over hundreds of books including standalone and co-authors. The writer is most famous for writing thriller books and with his talent he has proved to be a best-selling author. Showcasing his talent in varying genres, the writer has proved to be one of the greatest authors of America.
Well, it is true what they say, only the fans make the star and James Patterson is no less in that area. The author has a ton of fans from around the world who worships him. The 72 years old writer also received various awards for his books.
The writing style of James Patterson could be seen as different from the others. He uses a rather fast-paced writing style and therefore his books contain short chapters. Some people are a fan of that and some don’t like it at all so you have to decide if you are into the speed of development or it repels you.
Being a famous writer in America, every passionate reader must have read his work for sure. But in case you haven’t and is wondering where to start from, we have created a whole list for you below.
These are the best James Patterson books and proved to be the best selling novels in America:
1. Along Came A Spider
Along Came a Spider is the first Alex Cross novel written by James Patterson. The novel proved to be the number one bestseller and created a buzz since its release. The book is highly suggested to start with if you have not read any of the writer’s work earlier. But the series is quite long so make sure you have that much of reading capacity before you start this one.
Alex Cross is one of the finest creations of James Patterson and no fan of the writer would be unaware of him. The brilliant detective, Alex Cross is in a neck to neck chase with a serial killer Gary Soneji who is pretty smart too. He is actually too brilliant that the police have not been able to capture him yet.
Now Alex Cross takes the matter in his own hands and chase the murderer as he solves the murder cases one by one. With each turning page, you will be introduced to a new thriller. The book is full of mystery, suspense, and thriller and will definitely get surprised you with each twist.
2. The Thomas Berryman Number
The Thomas Berryman Number is a standalone novel by James Patterson that won him The Edgar Award for the best first novel. If you are not a fan of series then you should definitely give this book a try. The story of the book revolves around a journalist named Ochs Jones.
The journalist is on a research mission about the murder of Jimmy Lee, a high-profile politician. The journalist somehow finds a link between the two other murders that happened around the same time. The man behind all this is the Assassin, Thomas Berryman. He has a habit of labeling his assassination with a number.
The Thomas Berryman Number is the first-ever book written by James Patterson and this one should not be missed. The book will introduce the early writing style of the writer before he chose to go with a fast-paced writing style.
3. NYPD Red
NYPD Red is the whole series written by James Patterson revolving the elite Special task force. The special task force is formed by the mayor of the area who has assigned the team members to protect the big personalities of the town such as the richest and the wealthiest.
The case of Sydney Roth’s murder is assigned to detective Zach Jordan and his ex-girlfriend Kylie McDonald. Sydney Roth who is the world’s famous producer was mysteriously poisoned and killed one day and now the detective will catch the killer anyhow but their way is much more complicated than they thought.
The series has a total of Five released yet and the sixth one is soon to be released this year.
4. The First Lady
James Patterson has written this standalone novel with co-author Brendan DuBois. The story of the book revolves around the current president of a country who is certain to win the upcoming elections too and become the president again. But his reputation instantly gets finished when he gets captured while leaving the Atlanta hotel with his mistress, Tammy Doyle.
After his love affair gets exposed in front of the public, they started rethinking their decision of making him the President again. During all this, Gracy Tucker, who is the first lady gets missing. At first, it appears that she ran away because of her husband cheating on her but when Agent Sally Grisson investigated the task, the truth turns out to be something else.
5. Woman of God
Woman of God is the co-authored work of James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. The central focus of the book is a woman named Bridget Fitzgerald, a former physician who is now a priest. The woman who has been through a lot in his life could be the next pope. The novel is someway different from what James Patterson has offered before but the writer has a way of surprising his fans.
The woman then tries to change the lives of people for better. The book is rather religious but it is more about action.
6. Never Never
Never Never is the first novel of the series to feature Detective Harriet Blue. The book is written by James Patterson and Candice Fox. Detective Harriet Blue gets transferred to a small town in western Australia following the arrest of his brother for being the prime suspect of a murder case and sex crime. The Detectives go to Perth in order to avoid media attention.
But there, he is teamed up with Detective Whittacker and they both try to solve the case of some missing mine workers. The book is not only a good read for the fans of James Patterson but is also a must-read for Candice Fox’s fans.
7. Step on a Crack
James Patterson, along with Micheal Ledwidge has created the character of Micheal Bennet and Step on a Crack is the first book of the series featuring him. The book presents us with the most challenging case of Micheal Bennet’s life with Step on a Crack.
At the funeral of the First Lady, a hostage-taking crisis occurs that puts the lives of the most influential and prominent people of the country in danger. The story also gets an emotional angle when Micheal Bennet finds out that his wife with cancer is soon going to die. The mystery novel will also make you emotional.
8. The Inn
The Inn is another novel that James Patterson co-authored with Candice Fox. The recently released book is another great addition to his long list of excellent books. The story of the book revolves around Bill Robinson. The man who has recently lost his wife to death and is struggling to recover from the loss.
The man is running a bed and breakfast service in the Inn and suddenly he gets aware of there have been some mysterious killings in his area. The man along with some of his long term tenants finds out about the drug lord, Mitchell Cline who is responsible for all the harm caused. Now the story unfolds as he tries to battle Mitchell Cline.
9. The Murder House
The Murder House comes with a tagline, ‘This House will cost you, your life’. The novel is written by James Patterson and David Ellis in co-authorization. This standalone novel is highly recommended to the readers who are reading James Patterson for the first time. The mystery novel is a great start to the author’s work which is basically about a house.
Not just a regular house, but a beachfront house in Hamptons who is definitely a multi-million dollar one. Ths house experience a series of killings in a mysterious way and now it is up to Jenna Murphy to solve this case. Jenna Murphy shows a cross-connection between the James Patterson book as she is the former NYPD cop.
10. 1st to Die
1st to Die is the first novel of the series of Women’s Murder Club. The book provides a very interesting storyline where the four women from the Women’s Murder Club. These four women belonging to different professions form this club to investigate the mystery of the murder of newlyweds.
One of them is an inspector, one of an assistant DA, one is a chief medical examiner while the last one is a newspaper reporter. Check this dynamic team solving the crime with their wit and intelligence. There are a total of 13 books in the series of Women’s Murder Club.
11. Zoo
Zoo is another book that James Patterson co-authored with Micheal Ledwidge. The books provide a totally different storyline. It is about the attack of the animals on humans. The world is however unaware of this thing and therefore a biologist named Jackson Oz is so determined to prove it.
He researches the behavior of the animals and finds out the reason behind all this. There are just two books of this series but the book also has a theatre adaptation of the CBS network making a Tv Series on it.
Conclusion
So the above mentioned were some of the greatest works of the author which include some standalone novels, some series books, co-authored books and the ones he wrote solely. The World’s Best Selling author has gifted us with one of his finest works. He has changed the world of literature with his books.
He is still one of the best-known writers of the era writing in varying genres. Though his most work is a thriller. If you haven’t read any of these books yet, I suggest you start immediately because you don’t want to miss out on the masterpieces like this.
These were the books we collected on the basis of the reader’s experience. If you happen to know or have read any other great books written by James Patterson then do let us know about them in the comment section below. Also, you can ask any questions regarding this or leave feedback by commenting.