James Patterson: A Critical Companion

Since the publication and cinematic success of 1992's Along Came a Spider, James Patterson seems to have taken up permanent residence on bestseller lists. In the ensuing decade, his hit detective novels, with memorable nursery rhyme titles like Cat and Mouse, (1997) and Pop! Goes the Weasel (1999), came in rapid-fire succession and generated similar popularity and praise. His Alex Cross series created one of the most recognizable detectives in literature, and one of the first urban African American detectives to appeal, on such a grand scale, to audiences of all demographics. With full literary analyses of ten of his most popular works of fiction, this critical companion offers readers a chance to more fully explore Patterson's writings.

JOAN G. KOTKER is a member of the English Faculty at Bellevue Community College in Bellevue, Washington. Her essays on popular fiction have been published in Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, The Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing and Great Women Mystery Writers (Greenwood Press 1994) among others. She is also the author of Dean Koontz: A Critical Companion (Greenwood 1996).