Don't Blink [Hardcover]

Don’t Blink is a portmanteau novel, jointly credited to James Patterson and (in smaller font on the jacket) the lesser-known Howard Roughan. And while Patterson has long been one of the most world’s popular thriller writers, there are those who have expressed doubts about his joint writing ventures with other writers such as Andrew Gross. Surely, they argued, we want our Patterson unadulterated, not filtered through the pen of another author? However, the books by Patterson and his various partners have largely succeeded in hitting the bestseller charts as firmly as Paterson's solo efforts; and it’s more than likely that this new book will repeat that success.

This is a Mafia epic, and will inevitably invite comparison with Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, though it’s a different approach to the subject. While Lombardo’s Steak House in New York is celebrated for its food, it’s also notorious for a less salubrious reason: the savage killing of a corrupt lawyer for the Organisation. The killer escapes without leaving a trace, and speculation about his possible employer are rife. At the murder, reporter Nick Daniels was present, interviewing a sports personality at another table. Without realising it, Nick is the recipient of an important piece of information -- but as he becomes further embroiled in the crime and its investigation, he find his own life is on the line -- and the fact that he has fallen in love further complicates an already fraught situation.

While some James Patterson fans might have preferred another Alex Cross novel (or something in one of Patterson's alternate Women’s Murder Club series), there's no denying that Patterson and his less celebrated co-writer (who may have done most of the heavy lifting here) do ensure that we keep turning the pages very swiftly. Patterson's famously cut-to the bone, super-brief chapters are well in evidence, further ensuring that momentum is the name of the game here. --Barry Forshaw

James Patterson delivers his most heart-pounding thriller ever

New York's Lombardo's Steak House is famous for three reasons - the menu, the clientele, and now, the gruesome murder of an infamous mob lawyer. Effortlessly, the assassin slips through the police's fingers, and his absence sparks a blaze of accusations about who ordered the hit.

Seated at a nearby table, reporter Nick Daniels is conducting a once-in-a-lifetime interview with a legendary baseball bad-boy. In the chaos, he accidentally captures a key piece of evidence that lands him in the middle of an all-out war between Italian and Russian mafia forces. NYPD captains, district attorneys, mayoral candidates, media kingpins, and one shockingly beautiful magazine editor are all pushing their own agendas - on both sides of the law.

Back off - or die - is the clear message Nick receives as he investigates for a story of his own. Heedless, and perhaps in love with his beautiful editor, Nick endures humiliation, threats, violence, and worse in a thriller that overturns every expectation and finishes with the kind of flourish only James Patterson knows.

James Patterson delivers the scariest mafia thriller since The Godfather.

The good

New York's Lombardo's Steak House is famous for three reasons - the menu, the clientele, and now, the gruesome murder of an infamous mob lawyer. Effortlessly, the assassin slips through the police's fingers, and his absence sparks a blaze of accusations about who ordered the hit.

The bad

Seated at a nearby table, reporter Nick Daniels is conducting a once-in-a-lifetime interview with a legendary baseball bad-boy. In the chaos, he accidentally captures a key piece of evidence that lands him in the middle of an all-out war between Italian and Russian mafia forces. NYPD captains, district attorneys, mayoral candidates, media kingpins, and one shockingly beautiful magazine editor are all pushing their own agendas - on both sides of the law.

And the dead

Back off - or die - is the clear message Nick receives as he investigates for a story of his own. Heedless, and perhaps in love with his beautiful editor, Nick endures humiliation, threats, violence, and worse in a thriller that overturns every expectation and finishes with the kind of flourish only James Patterson knows.

Praise for Swimsuit

'Patterson's annual summer thriller is another exceptional treat' Mirror

'It terrified me rigid - but there was no way in a million years I could put it down ... utterly compulsive' Daily Express

Praise for Sail

'This gripping novel by the world's bestselling thriller author will have you on the edge of your deckchair' Daily Express

JAMES PATTERSON is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. He is the author of some of the most popular series of the past decade - the Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club and Detective Michael Bennett novels - and he has written many other number one bestsellers including romance novels and stand-alone thrillers. He lives in Florida with his wife and son.

James is passionate about encouraging children to read. Inspired by his own son who was a reluctant reader, he also writes a range of books specifically for young readers. James has formed a partnership with the National Literacy Trust, an independent, UK-based charity that changes lives through literacy.