James Patterson is one of the most prolific contemporary American writers working today—from children's and YA books to thrillers, mysteries, and even romance, it's hard to keep up with such a massive number of bestsellers. Figuring out where to start with his array of audiobooks can be a tough choice to make. Most fans will give you different answers if you ask what the best James Patterson listens are, or which series are his most popular, so we've decided to offer you a few different entry points into his impressive catalog.
We've rounded up some of James Patterson’s most popular and highly rated audiobooks for adults. Some of these are series that should be listened to in order, and some are standalone novels—but feel free to dive in anywhere! You can't go wrong with any of these excellent James Patterson listens.
James Patterson by James Patterson is an autobiography narrated by none other than Patterson himself. It tells the story of how he emerged from an impoverished upbringing and a miserable period in the advertising business to become one of the most recognized names in publishing. Patterson fans will love getting the inside scoop of what makes their favorite writer tick.
The Women's Murder Club is one of James Patterson's longest-running series. Set in San Francisco, it stars four women—a homicide detective, a medical examiner, an assistant DA, and a crime reporter—who have their friendship and a dedication to crime investigations in common. Featuring numeric titles, the series kicks off with 1st to Die and continues to the latest release, 23 1/2 Lies. The novels are consistent bestsellers and inspired a TV drama of the same name, featuring Angie Harmon as the homicide detective. Each listen is a standalone mystery, but if you care about the characters and want to follow their stories, start at the beginning. While narrators for the first 10 audiobooks vary, books 11 through 23.5 are narrated by Audie Award winner January LaVoy. In the latest installment, she's joined by Christopher Ryan Grant and Kenneth Fuentes.
Beth has spent years using her legal training to defend her family's ruthless criminal empire. But on a business trip to Bermuda, she gets pulled into another investigation, one that will both remind her of why she first became a lawyer and put her career—and her life—on the line. Performed by a full cast featuring Emmy Award winner Mary-Louise Parker, Murder in Bermuda is a standout Audible Original, co-written by Patterson, Aaron Tracy, and Thaddeus McCants.
Looking for a detective series set on the East Coast? James Patterson has you covered with the NYPD Red series, starring NYPD Detective Zach Jordan. Zach thought his job was rough when he was assigned a new partner—who turned out to be his ex-girlfriend, Kylie MacDonald. But things go from bad to worse when a Hollywood producer dies, jumpstarting a puzzling series of murders that rock NYC. There are five audiobooks in this fast-paced series, all narrated by Edoardo Ballerini and Jay Snyder.
If you enjoy high-stakes thrillers in the vein of the Jack Reacher series, then you'll definitely want to try the Michael Bennett thrillers, starting with Step on a Crack. Michael Bennett is an NYPD detective who is called in on the most complicated of cases. At the start of the series, he's just lost his wife and is contending with having to raise their 10 children alone when a crisis shakes the city—a criminal uses the funeral of the late First Lady as an opportunity to take 34 powerful people hostage. This is an ongoing series, with 14 audiobooks to date.
Osmond Box's Broadway plays have won him universal acclaim, yet his latest play elicits strange reactions from critics—some adore it, while others can't run away from the theater fast enough. What exactly happened on that fateful opening night? The Guilty is an Audible Original performed by an all-star cast that includes John Lithgow, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Peter Gallagher.
Equal parts political and psychological thriller, Blowback follows two stalwart CIA agents, Liam Grey and Noa Himel, facing a nightmare scenario. Keegan Barrett, former Director of the CIA and newly elected President of the United States, has ordered the agents to launch an attack against one of America's deadliest foes, for the purpose of enabling him to take complete control of the country. Grey and Himel must decide where their loyalties lie and whether to defy the president to protect the people.
In this tension-packed listen, James Patterson takes his talent for mystery and thriller stories to the heart of Texas. Rory Yates is a Texas Ranger with a long career, but that's put into jeopardy when he comes home to a grisly scene—his ex-wife, murdered. Everyone's pointing the finger at him, so Rory is going to have to work fast to prove he isn't responsible. The audiobook is narrated excellently by Christopher Ryan Grant, and if you enjoy this listen, be sure to pick up the sequel, Texas Outlaw.
In Invisible, narrated by January LaVoy and Kevin Collins, FBI Agent Emmy Dockery is certain there's a link between hundreds of unsolved cases—but no one will believe her. Forced to take a leave of absence, she spends her time at home, trying to prove her theories—until she finds a missing link and takes this evidence to her boyfriend, an FBI field agent. With more murders being reported by the day, Emmy will have to move fast to track down the one person behind these crimes before they can hurt anyone else. Emmy takes on another shocking case in a sequel, Unsolved.
The Method is an Audible Original thriller led by Zachary Quinto about an up-and-coming actor, Brent, who lands the role of a lifetime in a TV drama about a serial killer. But in order to get there, Brent had to use “the Method,” a controversial acting technique that is now causing him to lose track of what is fantasy and what is reality. Will fame be worth the price?
Co-written and co-narrated by beloved country music icon Dolly Parton, Run Rose Run is a tense novel about the mysterious AnnieLee Keyes, a promising new talent on the Nashville scene. When an equally secretive country superstar discovers AnnieLee and gives her a platform, the young singer's dreams might finally come true … or her hidden past might catch up with her and end those dreams forever.
With his command of crime fiction, it’s easy to forget that James Patterson is also the author of love stories that will appeal to fans of authors like Nicholas Sparks. In Sam's Letters to Jennifer, a woman is summoned back to the hometown she left years earlier, where she finds a series of letters addressed to her that completely rewrites everything she thought she knew about her past. Narrated by Anne Heche and Jane Alexander, this Audie Award finalist clocks in at under five hours—perfect if you want a quick, uplifting listen about second chances and the enduring power of heartfelt words.
The Murder House centers on a gorgeous oceanfront mansion with dark secrets. Former NYPD detective Jenna has moved back to the Hamptons in an attempt to distance herself from her past and get her career back on track. But when a famous Hollywood powerbroker and his mistress turn up dead in a legendary local house, Jenna finds the crime to be far more shocking and twisted than anything she has ever encountered. As she dives deep into the house’s secrets (and hometown gossip), Jenna puts her own life in jeopardy. Narrated by Therese Plummer and Jay Snyder, this listen is another great pick if you want a twisty murder mystery without the commitment of a long series.
Jenny Wolf was teaching high school when her father, the most powerful and ruthless man in California, was murdered. Upon taking over his business empire, Jenny finds her hands full—she's in charge of a football team and a major newspaper. And, oh, she’s set on getting revenge against her father's killer. Co-written by Mike Lupica and performed by Audie Award winner Ellen Archer, The House of Wolves is the perfect listen for Succession fans who can’t get enough of high-stakes family drama.
If you want a story that stars James Patterson's most iconic characters, then you need to check out an Alex Cross thriller. With 32 books (and counting!) in the series, it can be a bit difficult to know where to start, but we recommend beginning at the beginning with Along Came a Spider—a high-stakes thriller introducing Alex Cross, an African American homicide detective in Washington, DC, with a PhD in psychology. The 25th-anniversary edition is masterfully narrated by actor Taye Diggs. Cross is also a devoted single father, but his relationship with the first woman supervisor of the Secret Service is about to put him in terrible danger from a criminal mastermind who has outsmarted every law enforcement agency in the country. And if you like what you hear, rest easy knowing there are plenty more Alex Cross audiobooks for a marathon-listen, the most recent of which is 2023's Cross Out.
A serial killer has been terrorizing New York City and leaving behind playing cards at each murder scene. Detective Elizabeth Needham is assigned the case, which is growing more sensationalized by the minute. In the hopes of stopping the killer, she turns to Dr. Dylan Reinhart, a renowned professor of behavioral psychology who (literally) wrote the book on abnormal behavior. When they discover that each playing card offers a hint at the next victim, the race is on—but it may end up revealing a lot about Dylan's past. Instinct inspired a TV show of the same name. This gripping audiobook is brilliantly narrated by Patterson favorite Edoardo Ballerini, who also narrates the sequel, Killer Instinct.
This twisty, high-octane thriller features a strong woman lead character. Army Intelligence Officer Amy Cornwall has just returned to her home in Virginia to find it empty, her husband and 10-year-old daughter missing. Then the phone rings, and a voice informs her that she has 48 hours to commit a dangerous crime—free an anonymous war captive—or her husband and daughter will be dead. Unable to turn to anyone for help, Amy will have to pull off the perfect crime and risk everything to save her family. Lauren Fortgang and Edoardo Ballerini team up to narrate The Cornwalls Are Gone, delivering a pause-resistant listen.
Fan favorite Detective Billy Harney is back—and again embroiled in danger. As the son of the Chicago Chief of Police and with a sister who’s a detective, Billy was destined to be a cop. But when he's left for dead along with his partner and finds a little black book linked to his would-be murderer, everything changes. That little black book turns out to be something everyone in the city wants, and they'll do anything to get their hands on it. Billy's investigating a dangerous Chicago drug ring, while his new partner, Kate, goes undercover. But when members of the drug ring end up dead and an informant goes missing along with the little black book, Billy and Kate are pulled deeper into a dark underworld of corruption, money, violence, and conspiracy. Award-winning actor Aaron Paul expertly narrates this heart-pounding thriller along with Krysten Ritter, Nathalie Emmanuel, and a full cast.
Tirzah Price is a writer and contributing editor at Book Riot.
