I think James Patterson and J.D. Barker have created a new murder mystery trope: people who organize their bookshelves by color should be automatically considered murder suspects. Just kidding (but you know who you are, you overly-obsessed, constantly-rearranging, buying-books-for-their-cover-colors folks and then posting on social media….)

As usual, you can expect a great action thriller from Patterson and frequent co-author Barker (this is their fifth collaboration). “The Writer” isn’t part of a series (yet!) and the chief protagonists are a suicidal police officer, Declan Shaw, and main murder suspect, Denise Morrow. Denise is a true crime author and she’s found with her dead husband’s body in their upscale Central Park West apartment. She called 911 and specifically asked for Declan, interrupting another of his multiple attempts to die by subway train. It turns out that Denise was writing the story of the murder of a fourteen year old in Central Park, a case where Shaw arrested the primary suspect. But Denise’s book is subtitled “Incompetence in the NYPD.” So why did she call for Shaw?

Patterson’s signature thriller structure is many short chapters (under 100 chapters this time, a surprise) with frequent revelations and twists. This thriller is a bit different, too, because it’s definitely clear that Shaw isn’t an angel, but is he that corrupt to warrant all the antagonism surrounding him? Denise, from the start, is presented as slick and uncaring, but is she a manipulative genius trying to get away with murder and sell books? Deciding that perhaps neither Shaw or Morrow was worth any empathy, I didn’t want to overlook both real victims, Maggie Marshall and David Morrow, neither who deserved to be viciously un-alived. Are their real killers going to escape justice? At the very least, Detective Cordova and ADA Saffi seemed like decent people. And the real life Otto Penzler makes an appearance.

The plot gets very complicated (about the 80% point you sort of want a flowchart to keep track of the reveals), but it continues with more twists (even when a reveal seems to resolve most of the hanging threads). Anyway, this Patterson book is definitely a step up from his usual procedurals with satisfying endings. 5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Quimby the cat has green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Someone does dream of palm trees they’ll never see.

Thank you to Little, Brown, and Company and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

I have always been a James Patterson fan, but I do think some of his books can be lacking in suspense/realistic plot. The Writer, however, was NOT lacking in suspense. I struggled to complete my daily tasks because I wanted to keep reading this book! I will admit that it became a bit slow in the middle, but once the twists started coming, I didn't want to put the book down.
The book details a famous female writer who has been accused of murdering her husband, despite the lack of evidence. The other main characters are the police officers and district attorney who try to get her behind bars.
Overall the twists and turns along with the short chapters made this book one to read!

Wow wow wow!!! This was such a ride. The character development and world building was top notch. This is a must read!!

The Writer was a JOURNEY. I will have a special place in my heart for this book always. Great premise, great characters. It will keep you turning pages.

I love everything James Patterson! This book was no different. Perfect pacing and the storyline was soooo good! Thanks for the ARC!

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

NYPD Detective Declan Shaw gets a call: How fast can you get to the Beresford building on Central Park West?

In the tower apartment, Shaw finds a woman waiting for him. She’s covered in blood. A body is lying dead on the floor of the luxurious living room.

Every book in the apartment’s floor-to-ceiling shelves is by the same author: bestselling true-crime writer Denise Morrow.

"This is you?" Shaw asks the woman. "You're a writer?"
​
Only one person knows the ending to this story. Is it the victim or the killer?

I haven't read a James Patterson book in many years. I uses to read everything he wrote. It came to a point where the books seemed to predictable to me I thought I'd give this book a go. However, I felt like the same old James Patterson book to me. 2.5 out of 5 ⭐️

Detective Declan Shaw is about to jump in front of a train when his phone rings. His partner telling him to get to The Beresford Building fast.
So off he goes.

Once inside, a woman is sitting by a bloody man. Covered in blood and next to a bloody knife. Seems pretty cut and dried. But nothing in this story is as it seems. Not one thing. And I loved it.

Denise Morrow is a true crime writer. A very successful one. She seems to have information only the police have and she is very slick. Is she just a writer or is she also a killer?

This was the twistiest thriller! I thought I knew who did what. I did not.

These two writers, for me, are perfect.

NetGalley/ Little, Brown, and Company March 17. 2025

This book is fantastic. One of my favorite Patterson books. A famous crime writer comes home to find her husband murdered. The cop that catches the case has been disparaged in her latest book. He’s being investigated by Internal Affairs because of her book, so how are they connected? This truly is a twisty thriller that I couldn’t put down.

Another stellar collaboration from Patterson and Barker! Neither of these authors have ever disappointed me with their novels. They have always delivered fast, exciting reads. But I have to say, when you put them together, they are FIRE! The thought process to even think up this story is unfathomable. This book literally blew my mind! I was captivated from the very first page and stayed hooked until the very end...which was satisfyingly sublime. There was a lot going on in this one with quite a few characters, but I had no trouble following along. It was also fast paced with short chapters. A double plus in my opinion. I loved every minute of this twisty, high-octane thriller and think it'll definitely be a fan favorite of 2025. I highly recommend this book! It's a MUST READ!!

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for granting me digital access via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

Patterson and Barker together...absolute perfection! I loved every single second of this book. I was hooked from the first page. The twists and turns! I was engaged and intrigued the entire time. One of my top thrillers for sure!

The subtitle here is correct - "The twistiest thriller James Patterson has ever written." This is quite a tricky thriller with lots of moving parts and various people with different agendas. It is a terrifically confusing murder mystery that I really loved! Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for providing an ARC.

I actually award this 10 stars. And I have only ever offered that once before.
Patterson and Barker have grabbed the golden ring on this one.
Fabulously entertaining: a suspenseful, riveting "whodunit" to rival the best of Agatha Christie.
NYPD Set Declan Shaw is called to a murder scene in a luxurious NY apartment. The wife of the dead man is frozen in place, on the floor, next to the body with the apparent weapon on the floor near her. She is covered in blood and can barely put two intelligent words together.
To Declan and his partner and the DA, it seems like an open and shut, slam dunk.
Until it Isn't.
The tale takes off with twists and turns that will keep you engrossed in trying to figure it all out.
Sterling characters with personalities that will astound.
The very best mystery I have read in ages.
And I have read dozens.
Gave my crime solving vibes a real run for their money on this one.
And I wasn't even close.
Superb novel.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

James Patterson has done it again! Denise Morrow is a crime writer that has been very successful. She comes home from a book signing to find her husband dead. On the 911 call, she is asking for detective Declan Shaw. When detectives arrive on the sign, they can't figure out why she won't let them in the apartment, and where the blood is coming from.
There are so many twists and turns in this book, that every time I think I have it figured out, I really don't!!

SPOILERS AHEAD

I was surprised to find out that Declan and Denise were sleeping together and the whole plan they had once the smoke cleared from everything.

The ending with the 'quimby cam' was the absolute best!!! Overall, I really loved this book and it left me wanting more.
Thank you to #netgalley for this #arc

As a huge fan of Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club series, I knew I was going to love this one. My assumptions were correct! I could not put this twisty, heart pounding cat and mouse chase down!

Incredible! I couldn’t put this book down! I already knew I was going to love it, but it was unbelievable!!

Just as incredible as I knew it would be going in. Wow! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This had that murder-thriller element that I was looking for and enjoyed about James Patterson and J. D. Barker’s writing. The characters were everything that I wanted and enjoyed the overall story being told. I enjoyed the way everything worked out and had that suspenseful feel and glad I got to read this.

📖 ARC Book Review

PUB Date : March 16th 2025

I LOVED this book !!

This is my first Patterson book and what a wild ride ! I have been reading more police procedurals thanks to you book pals as of lately so when I read the synopsis I immediately requested it from NetGalley .

The Writer is a police procedural that was one of the best cat & mouse chases I’ve read in a long time , it had more twists than a bloody corkscrew “no pun intended “ 😛

Read this if you like :
✍️ Police Procedurals
✍️ Smart Dialogue
✍️ Classic Who done it
✍️ Tape recordings
✍️ Surprising Twists

I don’t really want to give anything away, so I’ll just say this . Do you ever sit down to read a book and your like ok I’ll just read a few pages to see if this is what i actually want to read next and then 💥 you’ve just finished the book because it was that good and UNPUTDOWNABLE, yah that was this for me .

So make sure you have put everything aside before jumping into this one because you’ll want to make sure nothing gets in your way !!

I literally said “ What the F , no way “ more than once ! 😉

Thank you NetGalley , Little Brown and Company & James Patterson & J.D. Barker for this wild ARC !!

James Patterson has been on a roll with killer books here lately and his latest with J. D. Barker, "The Writer" is another reason why he is always a go-to author! Great read!

Wow! It’s been a lot of years since I’ve read a James Patterson novel and I could not put this one down. So many surprises and twist as soon as you think you have it figured out and you know the big twist coming up. There’s another one right around the corner. Definitely recommend.