This book is part of Hyperink's best little books series. This best little book is 3,100+ words of fast, entertaining information on a highly demanded topic. Based on reader feedback (including yours!), we may expand this book in the future. If we do so, we'll send a free copy to all previous buyers. ABOUT THE BOOK James Patterson is a tremendously successful American novelist who specializes in the thriller genre. He enjoys a huge fan base mainly due to his writing style, which is fast paced and packed full of interesting characters and plot twists that readers don't see coming. Patterson delivers his fast-paced material through witty dialogue, short paragraphs, and very short chapters. His physical descriptions of characters in the book accompanied by lengthy back stories and personality descriptions make readers feel like they personally know the characters. Patterson's first novel, The Thomas Berryman Number, was a mystery thriller that was turned down over thirty times before it was finally published. In its first publication, the novel sold a modest 10,000 copies and was not considered a huge success. However, the novel went on to win the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best New Novel. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK When Patterson first chose to go to college, he had reservations about his career path. He first pursued an Education degree, and later decided to switch to an English literature graduate degree. He changed his mind again several times over the course of his college years, uncertain what career path he most wanted to embrace. During the summers between his semesters in college, Patterson took a temporary job at McLean Hospital as a medical aide. He did not pursue a career in the medical field, but the summer job was not a complete waste of the time, because it ended up being influential to Patterson's career in an unusual way. He spent a great deal of time leisurely reading books while he was working predominantly quiet night shifts at the hospital. It was during one of these night shifts that he was inspired by Robert Lowell, a fellow employee. Lowell loved poetry and shared his love of the written word with Patterson.In the short time they spent together, Patterson could not get enough of Lowell's opinions or suggestions. Patterson tried his own hand at writing and found he had a talent for the written word... Buy a copy to keep reading!

Four crime-solving friends face off against a killer in San Francisco in the Women's Murder Club novel that started James Patterson's thrilling series. Each one holds a piece of the puzzle: Lindsay Boxer is a homicide inspector in the San Francisco Police Department, Claire Washburn is a medical examiner, Jill Bernhardt is an assistant D.A., and Cindy Thomas just started working the crime desk of the San Francisco Chronicle. But the usual procedures aren't bringing them any closer to stopping the killings. So these women form a Women's Murder Club to collaborate outside the box and pursue the case by sidestepping their bosses and giving each other a hand. The four women develop intense bonds as they pursue a killer whose crimes have stunned an entire city. Working together, they track down the most terrifying and unexpected killer they have ever encountered--before a shocking conclusion in which everything they knew turns out to be devastatingly wrong. Full of the breathtaking drama and unforgettable emotions for which James Patterson is famous, 1st to Die is the start of the #1 New York Times bestselling series of crime thrillers.

Discover the Women's Murder Club's most terrifying case ever in this New York Times bestseller. As a terrible series of fires blazes through California, the heat begins to rage too close to home. A terrible fire in a wealthy suburban home leaves a married couple dead and Detective Lindsay Boxer and her partner Rich Conklin searching for clues. And after California's golden boy Michael Campion has been missing for a month, there finally seems to be a lead in his case-a very devastating lead. As fire after fire consume couples in wealthy, comfortable homes, Lindsay and the Murder Club must race to find the arsonists responsible and get to the bottom of Michael Campion's disappearance. But suddenly the flames are raging too close to home. Frightened for her life and torn between two men, Lindsay must find a way to solve the most daunting dilemmas she's ever faced-at work and at home.

Alex Cross faces a D. C. bomb threat, the Women's Murder Club investigates a millionaire's death, and Michael Bennett hunts down a Thanksgiving Parade attacker in this collection of detective novels. Detective Cross: An Alex Cross Story: An anonymous caller has promised to set off deadly bombs in Washington, DC. A cruel hoax or the real deal? By the time Alex Cross and his wife Bree uncover the chilling truth, it may already be too late . . . The Medical Examiner: A Women's Murder Club Story (with Maxine Paetro): A woman checks into a hotel room and entertains a man who is not her husband. A shooter blows away the lover and wounds the millionairess, leaving her for dead. Is it the perfect case for the Women's Murder Club -- or just the most twisted? Manhunt: A Michael Bennett Story (with James O. Born): Someone attacked the Thanksgiving Day Parade right in front of Michael Bennett and his family. The news called it "holiday terror" -- Michael Bennett calls it personal. The hunt is on . . .

How did a kid whose dad lived in the poorhouse become the most successful storyteller in the world? This "fizzing, funny, often deeply moving" (Daily Mail) #1 New York Times bestselling memoir is “damn near addictive. I loved it . . . that Patterson guy can write!” (Ron Howard) On the morning he was born, he nearly died. His dad grew up in the Pogey– the Newburgh, New York, poorhouse. He worked at a mental hospital in Massachusetts, where he met the singer James Taylor and the poet Robert Lowell. While he toiled in advertising hell, James wrote the ad jingle line “I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us Kid.” He once watched James Baldwin and Norman Mailer square off to trade punches at a party. He’s only been in love twice. Both times are amazing. Dolly Parton once sang “Happy Birthday” to James over the phone. She calls him J.J., for Jimmy James. How did a boy from small-town New York become the world’s most successful writer? How does he do it? He has always wanted to write the kind of novel that would be read and reread so many times that the binding breaks and the book literally falls apart. As he says, “I’m still working on that one.”

'Smart characters, shocking twists' Lisa Gardner 'A compelling read with great set pieces and, most of all, that charismatic cast of characters' Sun 'I couldn't turn the pages quick enough' Heidi Perks 'Terrific, high-octane, really pacy' Jo Spain _________________________________ The SUNDAY TIMES bestseller 22 seconds... until Lindsay Boxer loses her badge - or her life. SFPD Sergeant Boxer has guns on her mind. There's buzz of a last-ditch shipment of drugs and weapons crossing the Mexican border ahead of new restrictive gun laws. Before Lindsay can act, her top informant tips her to a case that hits disturbingly close to home. Former cops. Professional hits. All with the same warning scrawled on their bodies. You talk, you die. Now it's Lindsay's turn to choose. _________________________________ READERS ARE LOVING 22 SECONDS 'Another surefire winner' 'Superb read . . . page turning and gripping . . . James Patterson strikes again' 'One of James Patterson's best ever instalments'

Covers contemporary authors and works that have enjoyed commercial success in the United States but are typically neglected by more "literary" guides. Provides high school and college students with everything they need to know to understand the authors and works of American popular fiction.