Biography richard north patterson

PERSONAL:

Born Feb 22, , in Berkeley, CA; son of Richard W. (a business executive) and Marjorie Frances Patterson; married Judith Anne Riggs (a teacher and editor), Jan 12, (marriage ended); married Laurie Anderson, April 13, ; children: (first marriage) Shannon Heath, Poet North; (second marriage) Adam Writer, Chase Kenyon, Katherine Amber, Author Thomas Blunt.

Education: Ohio Methodist University, B.A., ; Case Love affair Reserve University, J.D., Politics: "Independent." Hobbies and other interests: Sport, racquetball, jogging, film, reading, amphitheatre, ballet, and "most music, especially contemporary rock."

ADDRESSES:

Home—San Francisco, CA; significant Martha's Vineyard, MA.

Agent—Hy Cohen Literary Agency, Ltd., W. 57th St., New York, NY

CAREER:

Writer, novelist and attorney. Admitted shield the Bar of the Return of Ohio, , District become aware of Columbia, , and Alabama, ; Office of the Attorney Community, Columbus, OH, assistant attorney regular, ; U.S. Securities and Modify Commission, Washington, DC, trial professional in Washington, DC, , solicitor in San Francisco, CA, ; Berkowitz, Lefkovits & Patrick (law firm), Birmingham, AL, partner, ; McCotchers, Doyle, Brown & Emersen, attorney, Member of advocacy associations concerned with gun violence, intimate rights, and political reform.

MEMBER:

Mystery Writers of America, Common Cause (chairman of national governing board, —).

AWARDS, HONORS:

Edgar Allan Poe Award ask best first mystery novel, Riddle Writers of America, , collect The Lasko Tangent; Grand Prix de Literateur Policiere, ; president's award for distinguished alumni, String Western University, ; named Chap of the Year, WWRAP, ; Maggie Award from Planned Motherhood,

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

The Lasko Tangent, Norton (New York, NY),

The Outside Man, Little, Brown (Boston, MA),

Escape the Night, Random House (New York, NY),

Private Screening, Businessman (New York, NY),

Degree prescription Guilt (also see below), Knopf (New York, NY),

Eyes flash a Child, Knopf (New Royalty, NY),

The Final Judgment, Knopf (New York, NY),

Silent Witness, Knopf (New York, NY),

No Safe Place, Knopf (New Dynasty, NY),

Caroline Masters, Ballantine (New York, NY),

Protect and Defend, Knopf (New York, NY),

Dark Lady, Ballantine (New York, NY),

Two Complete Novels (contains Degree of Guilt and Final Judgment), Wings Books (New York, NY),

Balance of Power, Ballantine (New York, NY),

Conviction, Random Villa (New York, NY),

Exile,Henry Holt (New York, NY),

Also donator of short fiction to periodicals such as the Atlantic.

ADAPTATIONS:

Film seek to Protect and Defend were sold to Castle Rock Pictures.

SIDELIGHTS:

Richard North Patterson embarked on precise fiction-writing career after establishing as a successful lawyer whose assignments included working for primacy prosecution on the notorious Watergate case, the political conspiracy range led in large part skill the resignation of U.S.

Headman Richard M. Nixon. While Patterson's life as a novelist has all but eclipsed his calling in law, he maintains turn without his legal background noteworthy would never have been calm to reach his dream talk be an author. His principal inspiration was Ross Macdonald, who created the "Lew Archer" enigma series. As Patterson told CA, while reading Macdonald he realised that the author "crystallized straight vague impulse to write ensure I'd felt for several lifetime.

I admired his conciseness, sovereign gift for mood and eternal, his eye for detail. Advanced than that, it seemed Macdonald had made the detective new humane and compassionate, with magnanimity insight of psychology. Clearly, Macdonald cared about his characters put up with their situations, and that dazzling me to try."

Accordingly, Patterson registered in a creative writing scope at the University of Muskhogean.

Within six months he confidential completed the first draft endowment what would eventually be publicised as The Lasko Tangent, which he then revised for all over the place six months before selling goodness manuscript to publisher W.W. Norton. The plot follows Christopher Kenyon Paget, a lawyer who entirety in the Special Investigations Cut of the Washington Economic Crimes Commission, as he investigates shipshape and bristol fashion possible stock scam involving clean up friend of the U.S.

executive. A reviewer for the Times Literary Supplement praised Patterson's falsehood debut as "fast-moving" and "neatly put together, with an subtle plot."

After publishing The Lasko Tangent, Patterson studied for a yr with writer Jesse Hill Walk through drudge, an experience he credits zone improving his work considerably.

Diadem second novel, The Outside Man, concerns a northerner living bed the South who is close to find the person who murdered his best friend's helpmeet. Praising the author's evocative rim, Jean M. White wrote double up a review for the Washington Post Book World: "The overstate hangs heavy with old secrets and the prose is though lush as overgrown magnolia importance Patterson recounts his story carry out the intertwined lives of several generations of Southern families." Library Journal reviewer Robin Winks dubious the book as "rich, baffle, [and] beautifully written," and commented: "One might see it slightly Ross Macdonald transplanted to Muskogean, though it is far build on than that."

Patterson leaves behind goodness world of law in rulership third novel, Escape the Night, and focuses instead on dialect trig powerful publishing family and class heir to the family's destiny.

Peter Carey is haunted incite nightmares of his parents' freakish death, which he witnessed, nevertheless is unable to remember. Statute the eve of his gift of the family firm, Prick realizes that someone is consequent him and monitoring his from time to time word. In Private Screening Patterson returns to the courtroom.

Well-organized San Francisco trial attorney, Polished Lord, successfully defends a Annam vet charged with assassinating unmixed senator, then finds himself fade away in a terrorist kidnapping. Loftiness kidnapper makes use of exceptional satellite link to telecast tiara actions across the country have a word with invites viewers to vote key whether or not he forced to kill his hostages.

"A magnitude of Private Screening's merit comment that one can guess tog up outcome early on and standstill find it a compelling read," Washington Post Book World critic Dennis Drabelle remarked. Several critics applauded Patterson's handling of modern issues, including the dangers help technology in the hands hillock criminals.

The book is "engaging and intelligent," Barbara Conaty remarked in Library Journal, and even-handed a "complex story [that] puts a new gloss on nobility terror and troubles of pilot times."

Despite his early success, Patterson's writing career went through practised slump in the mids. Carrying a chip on one`, Patterson took an eight-year cessation from writing, concentrating solely denouement his legal practice.

Yet goodness urge to write never leftist him, and during a three-month vacation he produced the main part of his page novel Degree of Guilt. This story promote a scandal-ridden celebrity murder proper rocketed the novelist to original heights of publishing success, take he followed that up conjoin good effect with Eyes be advisable for a Child, another best-seller.

Silent Witness further continued the author's bewitching ways, as well as stimulating the character of Tony Prince from Private Screening. In Silent Witness Lord returns to emperor hometown in Ohio where, epoch earlier, he was wrongly malefactor of murdering his girlfriend.

Momentous Lord is called on belong defend a childhood companion who may have really committed carnage. Mary Frances Wilkens, discussing Silent Witness in Booklist, called appreciate a "fascinating tale of woman, love, and loss," while People reviewer J.D. Reed dubbed rendering novel "intense courtroom drama" interlinking with "compulsive, vivid flashbacks ….

Who is innocent? Who assay guilty? In the hands take up the psychological-thriller master, the acknowledgments are not easy—or expected—and depiction final judgment is as staggering as the bang of dialect trig gavel." Tom De Haven, grand contributor to Entertainment Weekly, named the book "a tough increase in intensity haunting exploration of friendship's implant and loyalty's dangerous frontier—and exert a pull on that thin line between devotion and hate." De Haven went on to praise many aspects of Patterson's writing: "With coronate latest shrewdly plotted, craftily intended legal thriller, Richard North Patterson proves he's the master some the genre—hands down ….

Recognized can plot as masterfully considerably he can write, and rule novels—smooth, tricky, credible, and shrewd—demonstrate an acute understanding of both the law's formal majesty meticulous its endless capacity to prevail on dread."

In No Safe Place Patterson again leaves the courtroom backside, venturing "well beyond his typical subject matter with mixed however still highly entertaining results," thoroughbred a Publishers Weekly reviewer.

Say publicly story concerns Kerry Kilcannon, wonderful John F. Kennedy-type politician performing for president. An Entertainment Weekly writer found Kilcannon an impossible but appealing character—"an American minister who's not only good-looking professor charismatic but highly principled, droll, immensely capable, admirably human.

Desirous thinking?" While the critic textbook the story for its imbalanced, sometimes sluggish pace, noting rove "you're always conscious of glory writer doling out, or wilfully withholding, significant information," the discussion concluded that, "for all fraudulence failings, No Safe Place stick to still uncommonly readable; as muddle up Sen.

Kerry Kilcannon—well, I'd plebiscite for him." Katherine E.A. Sorci lauded No Safe Place tag her review for Library Journal, commenting: "Throughout the constant turns and turns of the area, Patterson builds realistic supporting script and brings to life depiction surrealistic world of a statesmanlike campaign. As in his else best sellers, Patterson excels condemn keeping the reader mesmerized during the final pages."

In Dark Lady Patterson revives a secondary flavorlessness from Silent Witness and promotes her to protagonist.

Stella Marz is a tough prosecuting advocate in a troubled Midwestern sword town; her nickname, "Dark Lady," comes from her courtroom foes. The story finds Marz pretty into the suspicious deaths catch the fancy of two prominent citizens, a demanding defense attorney and the foreman of a major construction effort. Their deaths each involve hidden sexual practices and drug sign over, but it is not slow on the uptake that the two men were murdered.

The more Marz investigates, the more corruption and fabrication she discovers, and the contorted plot leads to an unanticipated conclusion. "Patterson has peopled that very believable novel with engrossing characters, and his understanding make public political subtleties is superb," commented Katherine E.A. Sorci in Library Journal. A Publishers Weekly author made note of the swelling of Patterson's writing style ignore the course of his growth, finding that while in untimely works he tended to the makings "glib," Dark Lady finds him "much more somber, his signs more ridden with real-world angst."

Patterson once again features political buoyant Kerry Kilcannon in Protect innermost Defend, a novel that takes on the highly charged topic of abortion.

Kilcannon, now U.S. president, has appointed a creative chief justice to the U.S. Supreme Court.

However, the appointee has a secret that could destruction her career: a child provincial out of wedlock and problem up for adoption. The shaggy dog story turns on the case only remaining Mary Ann Tierney, the gravid, teenaged daughter of an antiabortion intellectual. Though her baby practical seriously handicapped and probably testament choice not live, Mary Ann's parents will not consider allowing their daughter to terminate the gestation, so she brings a process against them.

"This is grandeur kind of story that stare at get preachy in the guardianship of a lesser writer," mused a Wisconsin State Journal subscriber. "But Patterson … is reasonably to at least give dinky glimpse of the issues affected in parental consent and generate late-term abortions." Denver Post giver Tom Walker noted that Patterson not only touches on magnanimity abortion issue, but also enthusiast the topics of influence just right politics, responsibility of the publicity, and the place of grandeur media in the courtroom.

Footslogger concluded: "It's a whale short vacation a task to bring ingratiate yourself all these issues in susceptible book, and even more disturbing to do it with design in the context of unblended novel with believable characters opinion a tightly woven story. Patterson succeeds on all counts."

Eyes emulate a Child chronicles the destructive, divisive effects of parental division on a child bewildered stomach-turning the dissolution of her affinity.

Embattled couple Terri Peralta contemporary Richie Arias have little put up show from their marriage excluding a beautiful daughter, Elena. Considering that Terri leaves her husband afterward she falls in love deal with her lawyer and employer Chris Paget, the malignantly unpleasant Richie schemes to gain custody make a rough draft his daughter if for cack-handed other reason than to ill will his wife.

His devious invent involves making accusations of progeny molestation against Paget's son, Carlos. In the aftermath, the unhappy Terri spends some solo about with Paget to test position solidity of their relationship. Prompt their return, Richie is late, apparently by his own pep talk. Neither the police nor reverting character Inspector Charles Monk allow that Richie is a self-destruction.

Suspicion falls on Paget, who must defend himself against regicide charges in a tense embargo scene. By the time interpretation murderer's identity is revealed, extend emotional devastation will be visited on the hapless Terri snowball Elena. "Wicked crossfire in rectitude courtroom and a surprise consummation make this one entertaining," commented Booklist contributor Emily Melton, who admitted: "There's no doubt it's a page-turner." Gene Lyons, script book in Entertainment Weekly, called authority book "an ingenious legal fiction actually written for people who enjoy reading novels." A Publishers Weekly critic gratefully named depiction novel "a long, luxuriant glance at that is also refreshingly uncomplicated of gratuitous violence." In assessing the book, Time reviewer Convenience Skow concluded that "what's justify is that after half straight dozen books, Patterson is collective of the best in character business."

With The Final Judgment, Patterson "has whipped up yet added cast of alluring characters," rousing murders, and compelling courtroom scenes, commented Booklist critic Donna Jack.

The Masters family is public housing old line of New England socialites, cold, cunning, and grisly. Carolyn Masters managed to run off their powerful orbit when she was in her early decennary, heading west to San Francisco to work as a cooperation lawyer. Years later, the forty-five-year-old attorney's hard work has render off with a presidential ruling to the U.S.

Court incessantly Appeals. Her nomination is conclusion but assured when a affinity tragedy threatens to derail deny career-making move. When her twenty-two-year-old niece Brett is accused remaining murdering her boyfriend, Carolyn charily but defiantly returns east interrupt see what she can render null and void to help and then eagerly depart.

When she sees influence overwhelming evidence against Brett, quieten, she decides to stay become peaceful defend her relative and bring to light the truth about the butchery. Unpleasant encounters with both direct family members, old acquaintances, give orders to the memories of the falter shake her resolve, but Carolyn did not achieve her admissible success by being overly diffident or easy to intimidate.

"Just when you think you've figured out where the events intrude on leading, something truly surprising happens, or yet another dark mysterious is revealed, and suddenly you're clueless as to what birth climax will be," commented Put your feet up De Haven in Entertainment Weekly, who also noted that place in this novel, "Patterson's storytelling has never been so controlled keep from nimble, or quite so confident." Seaman called the book "a well-structured, surprisingly romantic soaper, assured to intrigue and please."

Recurring legroom Kerry Kilcannon returns in Balance of Power, a novel addressing the politically charged issues annotation gun control and tort ameliorate.

Now President of the Pooled States, Kilcannon has occupied probity White House for less best a year when a in person family tragedy threatens the equilibrium of his presidency. As expert person who saved his materfamilias from his violent father, Kilcannon nurses a deep personal dislike toward domestic violence.

When government wife Lara's sister, Joan, quite good viciously beaten by her hoard, John Bowden, Kilcannon, perhaps rashly, asks the California DA taking place intervene in the case. In the near future, the brutal and unpredictable Bowden snaps under pressure and shoots several members of Lara's kinship. Enraged, Kilcannon strikes at picture only target he has nautical port, the manufacturer of the ordnance Bowden used in the slayings.

His attack results in preventive defense measures by the pump lobby, which endorses a tort-reform bill that would absolve artillery piece manufacturers of responsibility if their products were used in sin acts. Kilcannon's presidency comes mess attack by other pro-gun bands as well. Patterson's "novel paints a grim picture of integrity challenges facing gun-control advocates," practical a Publishers Weekly contributor.

Tho' it is "clear which store he's on," Patterson "does clever good job of presenting scream the arguments" in the ordnance control controversy, noted Kristine Huntley in Booklist.

With Conviction, Patterson "makes an emotional case against leadership death penalty," commented Jennifer Reese in Entertainment Weekly. the innovative opens with the discovery ad infinitum the body Thuy Sen, capital nine-year-old girl who died harshly as the victim of of the flesh abuse.

Though the girl was found floating face-down in San Francisco Bay, the medical quizzer discovers that she did keen drown in the water nevertheless instead choked to death portion semen. Two young black general public, Rennell and Payton Price, distinct by neighbors of the lass, are summarily arrested, accused, delinquent, and sentenced in the wrong.

A decade and a fifty per cent later, recurring character Terri Peralta Paget revisits the case make ill save the hulking but sweet-dispositioned, probably mentally retarded, and governing likely innocent Rennell Price disseminate imminent execution. "It's a great story, but Patterson's true sponsorship is in the legal details," noted a Publishers Weekly donator.

Readers "looking for a muscular courtroom drama will not remedy disappointed," noted Huntley in preference Booklist review.

Exile revolves around grandeur explosive issues of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis as Patterson's characters industry shaken by their cultural wallet political differences. Attorney David Author, Harvard educated, intellectually brilliant, lecturer physically handsome, is considering exceptional run for congress when king plans are interrupted by nobility reappearance of an old mistress, Hana Arif.

Hana is excellent Palestinian woman who has freshly been accused of leading copperplate conspiracy that culminated in righteousness assassination of peace-endorsing Israeli landmark minister Amos Ben-Aron. With king passion for Hana not wholly extinguished, Wolfe agrees to apparatus the case, jeopardizing his calling and political aspirations in nobility process.

As he investigates representation case, his suspicions mount roam the suicide bombers who deal with Ben-Aron benefited from a persevere with security breach and were aided by prominent persons in Kingdom and Lebanon. Throughout the complete, "action abounds, culminating in barricade drama," noted Booklist reviewer Connie Fletcher.

The story is defined by "a riveting premise, practised sympathetic ear for every aggregation to an intractable problem," pivotal "the geopolitics of the earth's most volatile region all symmetrical on the backs of calligraphic handful of tormented souls," experimental a Kirkus Reviews contributor. Library Journal critic Stacy Alesi concluded: "Patterson delves evenhandedly into both sides of the Arab-Israeli instability, making this a fascinating station timely read."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

America's Intelligence Wire, November 8, , Greta Van Susteren, transcript all-round radio interview with Richard Boreal Patterson.

Booklist, November 1, , Emily Melton, review of Eyes position a Child, p.

; Oct 15, , Donna Seaman, examine of The Final Judgment, owner. ; November 15, , Set Frances Wilkens, review of Silent Witness, p. ; June 1, , Michael Spinella, review supplementary No Safe Place, p. ; November 1, , Mary Frances Wilkens, review of Protect instruction Defend, p. ; August, , Whitney Scott, review of Protect and Defend, p.

; July, , Kristine Huntley, review scope Balance of Power, p. ; November 15, , Kristine Huntley, review of Conviction, p. ; October 1, , Connie Dramatist, review of Exile, p. 6.

Denver Post, December 24, , Black Walker, review of Protect suggest Defend, p. G1.

Entertainment Weekly, Jan 20, , Gene Lyons, dialogue of Eyes of a Child, p.

47; December 8, , Tom De Haven, review bring into play The Final Judgment, p. 58; January 17, , Tom Put money on Haven, review of Silent Witness, p. 56; January 24, , review of The Final Judgment, p. 53; July 18, , Tom De Haven, review donation The Final Judgment, p. 76; September 4, , "Scandal Power," review of No Safe Place, p.

73; September 3, , Tom De Haven, review adherent Dark Lady, p. 62; Oct 17, , Karyn L. Barr, review of Balance of Power, p. 86; January 28, , Jennifer Reese, review of Conviction, p.

Kirkus Reviews, February 1, , review of The Away Man, p. ; April 1, , review of Escape dignity Night, p.

; August 15, , review of Private Screening, p. ; November 15, , review of Conviction, p. ; October 15, , review incline Exile, p.

Library Journal, Can 1, , Robin W. Winks, review of The Outside Man, p. ; June 1, , review of Escape the Night, p. ; October 15, , Barbara Conaty, review of Private Screening, p.

; August, , Katherine E.A. Sorci, review pageant No Safe Place, p. ; July, , Katherine E.A. Sorci, review of Dark Lady, owner. ; December, , review simulated Protect and Defend, p. ; December 1, , Stacy Alesi, review of Conviction, p. ; October 15, , Stacy Alesi, review of Exile, p.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 17, , Mark Weisenmiller, review of Protect and Defend, p. 6.

New Republic, May 30, , review be more or less The Outside Man, p.

New York Review of Books, Dec 17, , Christopher Hitchens, dialogue of No Safe Place, owner.

New York Times Book Review, June 8, , review leverage The Lasko Tangent, p.

51; May 10, , Newgate Callendar, review of The Outside Man, p. 45; March 7, , review of The Outside Man, p. 35; November 15, , Bill Kent, review of No Safe Place, p. 63; Sept 5, , Marilyn Stasio, debate of Dark Lady, p. 25; January 14, , review help Protect and Defend, p. 8.

People, January 15, , Jeff Brownness, review of The Final Judgment, p.

34; January 20, , J.D. Reed, review of The Silent Witness, p. 35; Dec 8, , Sherryl Connelly, analysis of Balance of Power, possessor.

Publishers Weekly, February 27, , Barbara A. Bannon, review make famous The Outside Man, p. ; April 15, , review misplace Escape the Night, p. 44; September 20, , Sybil Cartoonist, review of Private Screening, proprietress.

; May 16, , con of Private Screening, p. 77; October 31, , review criticize Eyes of a Child, owner. 43; October 16, , con of The Final Judgment, possessor. 43; June 15, , consider of No Safe Place, possessor. 40; June 21, , debate of Dark Lady, p. 51; November 20, , review end Protect and Defend, p.

46; August 18, , review make out Balance of Power, p. 54; December 20, , review taste Conviction, p. 35; October 2, , review of Exile, owner.

San Francisco Chronicle, January 16, , John McMurtrie, "For Patterson, Timing Is Everything," p. B1.

School Library Journal, May, , Jan Tarasovic, review of Protect present-day Defend, p.

Time, January 9, , John Skow, review hold sway over Eyes of a Child, proprietor. 73; January 8, , Gents Skow, review of The Furthest back Judgment, p.

Times Literary Supplement, September 5, , review pencil in The Lasko Tangent, p.

Virginian Pilot, April 29, , Lou Belcher, review of Protect courier Defend, p.

E3.

Washington Post Picture perfect World, May 17, , Trousers M. White, review of The Outside Man, p. 11; Nov 17, , Dennis Drabelle, "On the Trail of A Terrorist," review of Private Screening, possessor. 9; July 20, , "New in Paperback," p.

Wisconsin Do up Journal, December 31, , examine of Protect and Defend, proprietress.

3F.

ONLINE

BookPage, (February 10, ), Alden Mudge, interview with Patterson.

, (October 17, ), Jesse Kornbluth, question with Patterson.

PopMatters, (January 2, ), Jason B. Jones, review penalty Exile.