15 Authors Like James Patterson

Baldacci matches Patterson's prolific output and clean prose while adding espionage and political conspiracy. His characters work in the shadows where official and unofficial power blur.

The Innocent introduces Will Robie, a government assassin who can't pull the trigger when a job targets a mother and child. He's suddenly on the run from his own handlers, racing to uncover a high-level conspiracy. His Will Robie and Amos Decker series offer the same addiction as Alex Cross—damaged investigators, clever killers, and relentless pacing.

Deaver is the puzzle-master of thriller writing—his plots have twists layered on twists. His signature character Lincoln Rhyme, a quadriplegic forensic genius, solves crimes through pure intellect, creating cerebral thrillers where investigations feel like puzzles.

The Bone Collector pits Rhyme against a serial killer who leaves cryptic clues pointing to the next victim. Working with detective Amelia Sachs in the field, Rhyme races to decode clues before time runs out. Deaver's twist endings play fair while still surprising you.

Slaughter writes darker than Patterson—more brutal crimes, deeper psychological damage. She shares his gift for propulsive plotting and series protagonists. Her Will Trent novels follow a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent with a troubled past investigating cases that often connect to his own childhood trauma.

Pretty Girls follows two estranged sisters who reunite after one's husband is murdered, uncovering horrifying connections to their own sister's disappearance decades earlier. It's Patterson's pacing with deeper psychological complexity.

Grisham created the legal thriller genre. While Patterson delivers cops and killers, Grisham adds lawyers, judges, and corrupt legal systems. His protagonists are idealistic attorneys who stumble into dangerous conspiracies.

The Firm follows Mitch McDeere, a law school grad recruited by a Memphis firm with suspicious perks. The firm launders money for the mob, and colleagues who discover this die. When the FBI approaches Mitch, he's caught between criminals who will kill him and feds who will imprison him.

Connelly bridges detective fiction and legal drama through Mickey Haller, a defense attorney who works from the back of a Lincoln Town Car. His Harry Bosch series follows an LAPD homicide detective across 20+ novels who solves cases with relentless determination.

The Lincoln Lawyer finds Haller defending a rich kid accused of assault. As he digs deeper, he realizes his client might be guilty of something far worse, but ethical rules prevent him from dropping the case. The legal maneuvering becomes a thriller in itself.

Gardner writes domestic thrillers where danger lurks inside the home. Her protagonists are often women in jeopardy who fight back with intelligence and desperation. She shares Patterson's gift for clean, propulsive prose while adding psychological depth.

The Perfect Husband introduces Tess, who discovers her husband is a convicted killer who escaped from prison. With help from a former marine, Tess must transform from victim to fighter while her husband stalks closer.

Cornwell invented the forensic thriller with her Kay Scarpetta series in 1990. Scarpetta is Virginia's Chief Medical Examiner, and Cornwell's forensic research makes the autopsy details disturbingly authentic.

Postmortem introduces Scarpetta hunting a serial killer targeting women in Richmond. Cornwell writes the science with precision while building a compelling protagonist across 25+ novels.

Reichs is a practicing forensic anthropologist who consults on real cases. Her protagonist Temperance Brennan solves cases through bone analysis with methods Reichs has actually used.

Déjà Dead follows Brennan investigating dismembered remains in Montreal, recognizing patterns that suggest a serial killer. Reichs explains the science accessibly while building suspense as Brennan becomes a target.

Gerritsen was a physician before becoming a novelist. Her Rizzoli & Isles series pairs detective Jane Rizzoli with medical examiner Maura Isles, creating investigations where cop and coroner perspectives complement each other.

The Surgeon follows Rizzoli hunting a killer who uses surgical techniques on victims. Gerritsen's physician background makes the medical details uncomfortably accurate.

Jack Reacher is the ultimate thriller protagonist—6'5", wandering America with no phone, no address, and no tolerance for injustice. Reacher novels are Patterson distilled to pure essence—shorter, faster, more brutal.

Killing Floor introduces Reacher arriving in a Georgia town and immediately getting arrested for murder. To prove his innocence, he has to solve the crime—leading to counterfeiting, organized crime, and escalating body counts. Twenty-eight novels follow the same addictive formula.

Coben writes suburban paranoia—thrillers where danger lurks in normal neighborhoods and secrets destroy families. His standalone novels are masterclasses in "one big secret" plotting with devastating reveals.

Tell No One begins with Dr. David Beck receiving an email from his wife—eight years after she was murdered. As Beck investigates, he discovers everything he believed about her death was wrong. Coben layers mystery on mystery until the final revelation reshapes the entire story.

DeMille writes big thrillers with plots that span continents and decades. His John Corey series follows a former NYPD detective turned counterterrorism agent whose wisecracking narration makes even bureaucratic procedure entertaining.

The Charm School takes readers into Cold War Russia, where an American tourist stumbles onto a Soviet facility training spies to pass as perfect Americans. When U.S. intelligence investigates, the stakes become genuinely global.

Evanovich writes chaos comedy disguised as crime fiction. Her protagonist Stephanie Plum is the worst bounty hunter in New Jersey—cars explode, fugitives escape, plans backfire spectacularly—but she solves cases through persistence and an eccentric supporting cast.

One for the Money introduces Stephanie, newly unemployed and desperate enough to blackmail her cousin into giving her a job as a bounty hunter. Her first assignment: arrest a cop accused of murder who also seduced her at sixteen. Twenty-nine novels prove the formula works.

Koontz writes thrillers that blur into horror and science fiction. His protagonists often face threats that shouldn't exist—genetically engineered predators, supernatural forces, reality-bending conspiracies.

Watchers follows Travis Cornell, who befriends an escaped dog with human-level intelligence—and discovers something far more dangerous also escaped from the same laboratory. Koontz weaves thriller plotting with science-fiction premises across 100+ novels.

Brown writes romantic suspense that leans harder on suspense—her couples meet under life-threatening circumstances, and the romance develops while they're dodging killers or uncovering conspiracies. Over 80 novels and 80 million copies sold.

Mean Streak opens with Dr. Emory Charbonneau waking in a remote cabin after being attacked during a mountain run. Her rescuer won't tell her his name or let her leave. Meanwhile, her husband delays reporting her missing under suspicious circumstances. Brown layers mystery and attraction, questioning who's actually dangerous.