James Patterson

James Patterson was born in 1947 in Newburgh, New York, and studied English literature at Vanderbilt University. He began writing books alongside his career in advertising. In 1976, at the age of 27, he was awarded the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel with his book "The Thomas Berryman Number." Along with Peter Kim, he co-authored "The Day America Told the Truth," a groundbreaking investigation into Americans' views on religion, sex, and money. "Along Came a Spider" is the ninth novel featuring his character, the black detective-psychologist Alex Cross. Two of his previous novels, "Along Came a Spider" and "Kiss the Girls," have been adapted into films starring Morgan Freeman in the titular role. To date, James Patterson has written numerous books that have been translated into 27 languages and have sold over 74 million copies worldwide (source: www.jamespatterson.com). The first two books of the "Women's Murder Club" series ("1st to Die" and "2nd Chance") have been released, making it the most popular crime series in recent years in the United States. This series is the basis for the ABC television series of the same name, which recently began airing. Fourteen consecutive books of his have reached the number one spot on bestseller lists, establishing him as one of the most successful authors and the first writer whose publishing career is taught at Harvard Business School. His novel "Honeymoon" was honored with the "2005 International Thriller of the Year" award by the international group DirectGroup Bertelsmann. Besides writing, James Patterson's great passion is golf. He lives in Palm Beach, Florida.