James B. Patterson (born March 22, 1947) is an
American author of
thriller novels, largely known for his series about American psychologist
Alex Cross. Patterson also wrote the Michael Bennett,
Women's Murder Club,
Maximum Ride,
Daniel X, and Witch & Wizard series, as well as many stand-alone thrillers, nonfiction and romance novels.
Biography
After Patterson retired from advertising in 1985, he devoted his time to writing. The novels featuring his character
Alex Cross, a forensic psychologist formerly of the
Washington D.C. Police Department and
Federal Bureau of Investigation who now works as a private psychologist and government consultant, are his most popular and the top-selling U.S. detective series in the past ten years. Patterson has written 71 novels in 33 years. He has had 19 consecutive #1
New York Times bestselling novels, and holds
The New York Times record for most bestselling hardcover fiction titles by a single author, a total of 63, which is also a Guinness World Record. The world's best-selling author, his novels account for one in 17 of all hardcover novels sold in the United States; in recent years his novels have sold more copies than those of
Stephen King,
John Grisham and
Dan Brown combined.Jonathan Mahler,
New York Times, January 20, 2010
Patterson's awards include the
Edgar Award, the BCA Mystery Guild’s Thriller of...
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