James Patterson is an American writer and a philanthropist. Born in March 1947, his journey is full of milestones. James’ books sold more than 400 million copies and were the first author to sell a million ebooks.
James has quite a handsome income, his income in the past decade was estimated at 700 million USD and he was the highest-paid author in 2016 for the third consecutive year.
A few of the most liked books/series of books by James are Alex Cross, Michael Bennet, Women’s Murder Club, Maximum Ride, etc. He wrote in multiple genres like Romance, Thriller and suspense, Comedy, Science Fiction, and Nonfiction novels.
James won Edgar Award for best first Mystery in 1976, Edgar Award for a best first novel by an American Author in the Year 1977, and in 2017 He won ‘Audie Award for Thriller/Suspense.’
Let us switch to Thriller and Mystery books by other writers which are recommended by the readers.
1. Hard Target By Alan Jacobson
The story of an FBI agent with a dark past who has to investigate a serial blast in the president elect’s helicopter on the night of the elections. The storyline is really loved by the readers.
People found that Alan connected the character in a very precise manner and that is what makes the story above everything. A deeply woven crime that can shake the entire American Politics, the story is really fascinating.
- Book Author: Alan Jacobson
- Publishing Date: July 2011
- Ratings: 4.3/5
- Characters : Hector DeSantos, Aaron Uziel etc
- Category: Thriller, Suspense.
2. New York Dead By Stuart Wood
The Story of a young man who witnessed an accident and life turned around for him. Stone Barrington is too smart to be a cop but actually went to a law school.
One night during an outing with his friend, he saw the famous news anchor fall right in front of him. The next day he was in all the newspapers.
The incident shook him and turned out to be a nightmare. As per most of the readers, this book can never be expected more for a suspense or thriller story. Cast in a really high pace, this book won’t let you skip it even for a minute.
- Book Author: Stuart Wood
- Publishing Date: October 1991
- Ratings: 4.5/5
- Characters: Stone Barrington, Shasha Nijinsky, etc.
- Category: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense.
3. The Cuckoo’s Calling By Robert Galbraith
The uncommon title of the book catches attention the most. In the story of an ex-soldier who lost his leg in a land mine, Cormoran Strike barely survives as a private investigator. John, a friend of Cormoran, came for help from him as his sister fell to death.
Highly successful actresses’ death was ruled as suicide by police, which John is not ready to accept. Robert, in this book, has used very common terms and normal incidents which didn’t seem like fiction. Also, the normal flow of writing can be really good for new readers but is not liked much by regular book readers.
- Book Author: Robert Galbraith
- Publishing Date: April 2013
- Ratings: 4.3/5
- Characters: Cormoran Strike, Robin Ellacoat, Lula Landry, John Bristow, etc.
- Category: Crime Fiction.
4. The 7th Victim By Alan Jacobson
The story in which a serial killer and his pattern of killing confound the task force, even a highly profiled member of the team Karen Veil. It was the 7th murder by the killer, where she found something to be cautious about. Some buried secrets of veil can get her killed as well.
Alan Jacobson, who spent a span of his life in research with the unit FBI, has put a realistic fiction story into pages with the stunning twist and turn that can stun even a discerning thriller reader.
- Book Author: Alan Jacobson
- Publishing Date: September 2008
- Ratings: 4.1/5
- Characters: Karen Vail, Dr. Louis, Mary Gibson, Jacqueline Gibson, Frances Fallon, etc.
- Category: Thriller, Suspense.
5. Final Jeopardy By Linda Fairstein
Renowned for two decades in a DA’s office at Manhattan Sex Crime Unit, Linda really knows the in and out of the department. Her debut novel faced so much heat due to her professional life as a prosecutor.
The book is about a suspicious murder in which a famous sex crime prosecutor, Alexandra Cooper, was mistakenly announced dead. But she was alive, and, the person who was murdered was a famous actress. Now, this brings Alexandra into limbo and she had a suspicion that she was the target and the killer is after her instead of the actress.
- Book Author: Linda Fairstein
- Publishing Date: 1996
- Ratings: 4/5
- Characters: Alexandra Cooper, Isabella Lascar, etc.
- Category: Legal Story, Mystery, Fiction.
6. The Enemy Inside By Steve Martini
The Enemy Inside is a new try by Martini as he puts his hands into international law. Readers are fond of Martini’s courtroom thrillers and loved his first try beyond that.
Olinda Serna is a profound and successful lawyer in the States. She knows the dirty secrets of the big influential clients and the politicians.
After the death of Serna in roadside accidents, these people panic as their secrets are safe anymore. The story is about the jeopardy and twists and turns after her death.
- Book Author: Steve Martini
- Publishing Date: May 2015
- Ratings: 4.3/5
- Characters: Olinda Serna, Alex Ives, Paul Madriani.
- Category: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense.
7. The Island By Clarissa Johal
The Island is a mysterious story and unearthing/discovering the past of the Island. Emma, based upon the local rumors and superstitions, decides to find the authenticity of the stories spreading around.
Based on the story, readers do not find any horror in the story but people loved the way Clarissa had plotted the entire storyline. Emma did find more than suspicious on the island at the end which excites the most about the story.
- Book Author: Clarissa Johal
- Publishing Date: July 2015
- Ratings: 3.9/5
- Characters: Emma Keller, Itu, Alabaster.
- Category: Fiction
8. The Silent Girl By Tess Gerritsen
Wow, the summary itself of the Silent girl is so haunting. Tess Gerritsen in this book had described an accident that happened in Chinatown and Cop Jane with Medical Examiner Maura Isles has to solve the mystery of the murders/attack.
The crime scene description will leave you stunned. Almost every reader believed this to be the best book in the series- Fast-Paced, Suspenseful and Intriguing.
- Book Author: Tess Gerritsen
- Publishing Date: July 2011
- Ratings: 4.6/5
- Characters: Jane, Maura.
- Category: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction.
9. Six Years By Harlan Coben
“With every chapter consisting of new twists and turns, no one knows what is going to happen in the end.” said a reader after reading this stand-alone book by Harlan.
Six years is a story of a heartbroken young fella, Jack, who loved a girl named Natalie. She broke up with Jack to marry Todd.
Six years later Jack found out about news of Todd’s death and couldn’t stop attending his funeral. Where he found Natalie didn’t marry Todd six years ago.
- Book Author: Harlan Coben
- Publishing Date: 2013
- Ratings: 4.3/5
- Characters: Jack, Natalie, Todd.
- Category: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense.
10. When No One Is Watching By Alyssa Cole
A futile approach of making a romcom and mysterious fiction, Alyssa tried to write a suspense story with a flavor of young adult romance. The story is about a young girl Sydney Green who is frustrated by her changing neighbors.
A new arrival in the block, Thoe is a new sidekick to Sydney in the investigation to dig out the history of the place, which soon descends into paranoia and fear. The End of the story had a great mystery which would be a spoiler to discuss here.
- Book Author: Alyssa Cole
- Publishing Date: September 2020
- Ratings: 4/5
- Characters: Sydney Green, Theo, etc.
- Category: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense.
Frequently Asked Questions
1.Who writes books similar to James Patterson?
If you are a fan of James Patterson, a few Authors who you would love to read books would be Jeffery Deaver, Jonathan Kellerman, Ridley Pearson, etc. Most readers would love these authors and their work is similar to James Patterson’s.
2. What should I read after Alex Cross?
Few of the books mentioned above can be your choice after you have completed the entire series Alex Cross. A couple of more such books are ‘Bones of the Lost by Kathy Reich and ‘Deep Storm’ by Lincoln Child
3. What is James Patterson’s most popular book?
‘Along Came a Spider is the most popular book by James Patterson. This is the first book in the Alex Cross Series. books if you like james Patterson
4. What should I read if I like Michael Connelly?
Hollywood Station, The Last Detective, and Red Herrings are the suggested books by the readers who love Michael Connelly.
To Summarize
Altogether if we see, there are so many books in mystery, thriller and suspense genre. For sure, if you are a book lover, you would love to read the books mentioned above in the list.
All these books are suggested by the readers based on their preference of storyline, writing, pace, word selection, and chemistry between the reader and the character (how much you would relate with the Character).
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