Readalikes - Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson

James Patterson continues his steady occupation of the bestseller list with Alex Cross's Trial. Patterson's fans enjoy fast-paced suspense with a bit of a hard edge. Although his latest is part of the Alex Cross series, he also has written stand-alone novels. His output is prolific and recently has been generously sharing the spotlight with emerging authors.

If you haven't tried a Patterson novel before, set yourself a block of time. Once you start, it will be hard to put it down. The plots are complicated with many twists and turns. He often deals in serial killers and other violent criminals, so can be a bit grisly. Novelist suggests John Sandford, Ridley Pearson, Jeffery Deaver, Harlan Coben, Douglas Kennedy and Joseph Garber as alternatives while you are waiting for this one.

His character, Alec Cross, is the author of The Trial which is about his great uncle Abraham who assists turn of the century lawyer Ben Corbett to investigate the Ku Klux Klan.

Patterson, in addition to being a bestselling author, is also a big proponent of pleasure reading and childhood literacy. (And, by the way, did you know that he was also the one who came up with the "Toys R Us Kid" slogan?)