James Patterson’s best books ranked – The President is Missing only at number 10 | Books | Entertainment

James Patterson has built a deserved aura as one of the world’s most prolific and celebrated authors.

His first book release came in the form of 1976’s The Thomas Berryman Number and the now-78-year-old is still going strong having published The Writer in March and with multiple books slated to hit the shelves later this year.

Patterson has sold more than 400 million copies worldwide and has an impressive 100 New York Times bestsellers to his name thanks to the high-stakes plot and fast-paced storytelling packed within his famously short chapters.

It should be of no surprise that these hundreds of stories are set across a plethora of genres ranging from crime thriller to romance to historical fiction with everything in between.

But, the American author is best known for the Alex Cross series, which details the escapades of one of contemporary fiction’s most iconic detectives.

Whittling down Patterson’s more than 200-published books is no easy feat and can be done using many different criteria so we’ve decided to combine reader popularity and impact on popular culture with critical acclaim and commercial success.

With such a wealthy bank of works to choose from, there’s no doubt some of our reader’s favourites will be missing from the list – so apologies in advance if yours did not make the cut.

So, with that in mind, here are James Patterson’s best books, ranked:

10 – The President is Missing

The first entry in the top 10 list comes with a presidential seal of approval having been co-authored with Bill Clinton.

The President Is Missing has Patterson depict fictional U.S. President Jonathan Lincoln Duncan who stands accused of negotiating with known terrorist, Suliman Cindoruk who also leads the cyberterrorist organization called Sons of Jihad (SOJ).

Patterson and Clinton tell a familiarly high-stakes tale filled with plenty of political action and drama – enough to make the current US President blush. This entry is perfect for anyone with a keen interest in what really goes on in the Oval Office and those who have a soft spot for fast-paced action.

9 – School’s Out – Forever

The second entry in the Maximum Ride series,  a fan-favourite young adult fantasy adventure series, follows human-avian hybrid protagonist Max and her team after they escape from government scientists who have experimented on them.

The team attempts to blend into civilian life but eventually comes to the grave conclusion that they are being hunted by a new generation of genetic hybrids known as “Erasers.”

School’s Out Forever is a celebrated high-point in the 10-book series amongst its dedicated fan base.

8 – 2nd Chance

This 2002 release is another second addition to a beloved series, being the sequel to 1st to Die.

2nd Chance sees the Women’s Murder Club investigating a string of unrelated murders – including the killing of a young girl and a senior citizen – but soon deduces the gruesome crimes are connected. Patterson escalates the plot when a police officer is targeted, upping the stakes for Lindsay and her team.

7 – Zoo

Zoo is a sci-fi gem in which Patterson lays out a series of brutal animal attacks across the world which build into a frightful horror. 

On each continent, animals rise to revolt against humans leaving mankind fearful of extinction, leaving biologist and ecolist pair, Jackson Oz and Chloe Tousignant to find a solution.

The edge-of-your-seat tension Patterson can concoct in these pages is perfect for any fans of apocalyptic horrors.

6 – Roses Are Red

The first entry from Patterson’s 33-book-strong Alex Cross series sees his foremost protagonist hot on the heels of a gang of banker robbers responsible for multiple lethal heists across Washington, D.C.

Under the orders of The Mastermind, an anonymous criminal who hires local thieves to do his bidding, the gang continue to raise the stakes across the city with Cross quick to realise a theme: Each heist has been carried out by a different team, all of whom are poisoned by The Mastermind.

This crime-chasing thriller also leans heavily on themes of romance.

5 – Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment is the inaugural story in the aforementioned Maximum Ride series.

Max Ride, along with six fellow human-avian hybrid children with the ability to fly escape from the scientists who created them at the facility known as the School.

The Flock, as the group is known, is soon devastated when its youngest member, Angel, is kidnapped by the human-wolf hybrids, the Erasers, spawned through the same mad scientists. 

4 – 1st to Die

1st to Die is a prime example of Patterson’s ability to craft convoluted plots which are near-impossible to guess what’s going to happen on the next page. 

The story revolves around four women: Lindsay Boxer, Jill Bernhardt,  Cindy Thomas and Claire Washburn. These four characters work in law enforcement,  law, journalism and healthcare respectively, but join forces to solve a string of brutal murders targeting newlywed couples in San Francisco.

The team’s investigations highlight famous novelist Nicholas Jenks as their prime suspect but not before several twists and turns take place before justice is found.

3 –  Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas

Patterson’s 2001 romantic drama, Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas revolves around New York book editor, Katie Wilkinson following a sudden break-up.

Her former lover, poet and painter Matthew Harrison, leaves behind a diary for her to read written by another woman, Suzanne, who chronicled her life with her husband and son.

The book jumps between two gripping timelines linked through mystery and filled with emotion. The book was Patterson’s first foray into the romance genre, one he would return to frequently following its success.

Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas was later adapted into a 2005 television movie starring Christina Applegate.

2 – Kiss the Girls

Renowned New York Times bestseller, Kiss the Girls sees Patterson once again rely on psychological thrills to unravel two unknown serial killers.

These are Casanova and The Gentleman Caller who are locked in a cat-and-mouse battle with Detective Alex Cross.

As the plot progresses, the unknown quality both these killers possess drives forward an uneasy, suspenseful feeling that hangs above the reader with each page turn.

The story gets off to a blistering start as Cross discovers his niece is missing with these killers still at large. Upon beginning his search for her, he learns of eight other girls who are missing from different states.

1 – Along Came A Spider

Patterson’s magnum opus is his 1993 book Along Came a Spider – the first novel to feature Washington-based forensic psychologist and detective, Alex Cross.

The book details the kidnapping of two young private school students at the hands of a chilling criminal named Gary Soneji.

This story birthed many of Patterson’s now-iconic signatures for his famed Alex Cross series – psychological profiling, morally questionable characters and moments, and personal battles.

Along Came a Spider’s popularity soared after it was adapted into a 2001 film starring Morgan Freeman.