Books in series
#1
Dead Shot
2012
Working as a journalist at a small weekly paper in rural Idaho, Cal Murphy begins losing his big city dreams of writing for a metro paper before his passion is reignited after three high school star athletes are found dead in a 24-hour period. As he and fellow photographer Kelly Mendoza attempt to make sense of bizarre circumstances that led to the teens' deaths, Cal makes a chilling discovery, uncovering a vast conspiracy that grows darker with every twist and turn. With a mastermind determined to silence Cal and Kelly for good, the young reporters ultimately must decide if their lives are worth the risk to reveal the truth.
#2
Dead Line
2012
When veteran NFL quarterback Noah Larson finally guides his team to the Super Bowl, his dreams—and life—are dashed when his six-year-old son is kidnapped for a unique ransom: lose the game or his son dies. Seattle sportswriter Cal Murphy and photographer Kelly Mendoza get pulled into an FBI sting to help rescue Noah's son in Mexico. But when everything falls apart, Cal and Kelly are left to save themselves, save Noah's son, and save the Super Bowl.
#3
Triple Cross
2013
Fans of James Patterson, Nelson DeMille, Stieg Larsson and Gillian Flynn will love this exciting new thriller from bestselling author Jack Patterson!
When NFL star running back Aaron Banks winds up dead in an abandoned warehouse, San Francisco newspaper reporter Cal Murphy begins an investigation that unearths secrets that are best left alone. Joined by fellow journalist Kelly Mendoza, Cal ventures into a world rife with conspiracies, butting heads with powerful people and putting a bulls-eye on his own chest. But with time running out to expose the truth, Cal must weigh if the story is worth his life—and if he has what it takes to topple the most powerful man in Southern California.
#4
Dead in the Water
2014
Atlanta sports writer Cal Murphy travels deep into the Louisiana bayou to investigate the mysterious death of a five-star high school football recruit in the small town of Saint-Parran. What he finds is a sinister secret hidden beneath a tussle between boosters from two major college football programs fighting for the services of another local recruit. In pursuit of a story that will reinvigorate his writing career—and save his marriage—Murphy uncovers a deadly secret and must decide how far he's willing to go to reveal the truth that could undermine the integrity of the sport.
#5
Dead Man's Curve
2014
Fans of Nelson DeMille, John Sanford, Stieg Larsson and Lee Child will enjoy this new book from best-selling author Jack Patterson.
Sometimes the rumors are true ….
In the hills of Kentucky, the people of Millersville lead a charmed life thanks to the city’s biggest employer Lee Creek Distilleries and its sly CEO Wilfred Lee. But when things go sideways one night, the town’s favorite son, Kentucky basketball recruit Josh Hood, becomes a prime murder suspect.
When Atlanta reporter Cal Murphy and his wife Kelly make a stop in Millersville as a favor to a family friend to find out what’s really going on, the powers that be frown on the attention. It doesn’t take long before Cal and Kelly rile up the town and its corrupt law enforcement—and they find themselves fighting for their lives and livelihood in the pursuit of not only the truth but also justice.
#6
Dead and Gone
2015
Fans of David Baldacci, Nelson DeMille, John Sanford, Stieg Larsson and Lee Child will enjoy this new book from international best-selling author Jack Patterson.
How can someone be murdered in plain sight in front of thousands of people—and nobody even know it was happening?
When popular stock car racer Carson Tanner dies on the track and stuns the motorsports world, reporter Cal Murphy witnesses the event in disbelief. Something seems off to Cal—and his suspicions are confirmed with a cryptic handwritten note stuck into his pocket.
As the race circuit moves to Phoenix, Cal races against the clock to uncover who sabotaged Tanner’s car—and all upstream against wealthy team owner Ned Davis, who wants to suppress the information; an uncooperative crew full of suspects; and an upstart driver who refuses to let his debut be ruined by such a report.
In an effort to expose the killer and help Tanner’s grieving widow, Cal faces his greatest fear and must decide how far he’s willing to go in order to get justice.
#7
Dead Wrong
2015
Fan of Lee Childs, Nelson DeMille, and Steig Larsson will enjoy this exciting new thriller from international bestselling author Jack Patterson!
Kelvin Jameson has everything a pro basketball star needs—good looks, a stable family life, a good public image. At least, that's what he looks like on the outside. Hours after hitting a game-winning shot, Jameson is found dead in a hotel room ... and the truth begins to leak out.
Engaged in a race to break the story Cal Murphy and his wife Kelly must distinguish fact from fiction to get to the bottom of Jameson's death before it cost Cal his job. But the stakes are raised when his pursuit of Jameson's killer just might lead to his own death.
#8
Dead Man's Land
2015
Cuban baseball star Vicente Prado always recognized he had a bright future in his sport, even if his coaches didn’t. All he needed was a chance. But just before he stole away on a boat for a chance to play in the Major Leagues in the United States, he saw something—something that would haunt him far more than he ever imagined.
When Prado meets Seattle-based reporter Cal Murphy, their lives are thrust together on a journey of survival but also a quest to unmask the truth and live to tell about it. Compelled by his conscience and journalistic instincts, Cal must find out if Prado really saw what he says he saw—and expose a lurking killer in the process.
#9
Dead Drop
2016
When Seattle soccer star Sid Westin is gunned down during a bank robbery, reporter Cal Murphy becomes convinced that Sid wasn’t just a random casualty. Contrary to all the evidence on the scene, Cal believes it was calculated and premeditated. After persuading struggling detective Mel Kittrell to get involved and declare Sid’s death a homicide, Cal must sift through a long list of suspects with Kittrell to determine the killer—all while everything precious to him becomes endangered.
#10
Dead to Rights
2016
Seattle superstar runningback Isaiah Drake was on top of the world and about to marry his high school sweetheart Susannah Sloan. But everything came crashing to a halt when he was arrested for murdering Susannah—but he couldn’t even remember what happened that night himself. Twelve years later, he's on death row in Georgia and nearing the end of his appeals when he makes a final desperate cry to get someone to help him before it's too late.
Seattle-based sports writer Cal Murphy and his wife Kelly venture south on assignment to feature Drake's story. However, before they leave on their flight, the Innocence Alliance—an organization that helps innocent death row inmates who've been wrongly convicted—asks Cal to return to the scene of the crime deep in the Okefenokee Swamp and find out if it's a case worth pursuing.
Scared about what he might learn regarding his favorite football player from yesteryear, Cal must unravel a mystery that had far-reaching implications on a small town and not a single reliable witness. Facing mounting pressure from the sheriff to leave, Cal and Kelly must navigate political landmines and uncover deep and guarded secrets in an effort to prove Drake's innocence—or his guilt.
This mystery thriller from award-winning and bestselling author Jack Patterson will have you guessing until the very last page.
#11
Dead End
2017
Cal has never had a deadline with so much pressure and so many lives at stake . . .
When a famous Russian journalist ends up murdered in his own home, his death barely makes the news. But in his final dying breath, he gave his daughter some information and one last wish: Get the information to Cal Murphy.
In Russia to cover the World Cup soccer tournament, Cal learns of a turf war developing between two rival Eastern European mafia gangs—and how thousands of innocent people could be the collateral from the two groups' impending clash.
Instead of solving a murder, Cal must do whatever he can to prevent a terrorist act that could leave thousands dead, all while navigating the dicey U.S.-Russian political waters and dodging the FSB agents owned by the mafia. Cal has never before been on an assignment this dangerous . . .
#12
Dead on Arrival
2018
What if you had to catch a murderer to prove you weren’t one?
When baseball superstar Chase Dollinger arrives in New York for a playoff game already dead, everyone thinks his death is the result of natural causes—everyone except Seattle reporter Cal Murphy.
After receiving a curious phone call, Cal and his wife Kelly begin digging into Dollinger’s death and a shocking conspiracy begins to unfold. But before Cal has an opportunity to prove it, he finds himself in the crosshairs of assassins and accused of being a murderer himself.
With powerful government agencies angling to put Cal in prison for crimes he didn’t commit, he must catch the real killer to prove his innocence and get justice for a grieving father. And Cal’s running out of time …
Authors
Jack Patterson
Author · 30 books
This is the Profile that Author R.J. Patterson originally released under.
R.J. Patterson
Author · 49 books
*** Signup for my newsletter and receive a free copy of The Warren Omissions, the first book in my James Flynn thriller series, by visiting http://eepurl.com/bZwpdf *** THE FIRST SIGNS that I might like writing—and that I might be slightly competitive—appeared when my year two (or first grade) teacher, Mrs. Holland, asked my class to write and illustrate our day. Mine read like this: “The Red team beat the Blue team, 1 to nil. And I won.” The next 47 entries covered my exploits on the soccer pitch while growing up in Ipswich, England. In South Carolina as a teenager, my dad told me that I could get paid to watch sports provided I could write about it. Sounded easy enough and by the time I was 16, I landed a job at my town’s daily newspaper and had a column on Major League Baseball players from our area. I also covered my first riot there at a sporting event—and it’s safe to say I was smitten with journalism. After graduating from one of the best journalism schools in the country, I took a job as a sports editor in South Georgia and learned firsthand about the passion of high school sports in rural America. I thought I knew before, but I didn’t. This was another world. I also had the opportunity to cover major sporting events like the Olympic Games, the World Series, the Super Bowl, and the Final Four. It was a thrill! But nothing was as thrilling to me as uncovering the truth in investigative assignments. I once broke a story about a prominent southern football team’s NCAA violation—and found out the violating coach had committed suicide only a few months earlier. The story won a national writing award and stoked my desire to write about these issues. It made me realize that the sports world was just another fantastic backdrop for drama. After writing non-fiction books with athletes, for athletes, and ghost writing for many others, I decided to enter the world of fiction writing. It had been something I wanted to do but never found the time. So, I made the time—and had a blast in the process. I’m not out to become the next Faulkner or Hemingway—I’m just out to tell a good story. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them!
