Book Review: The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker

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The Running Bibliophile's Book Review of The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker
The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker was published on March 17, 2025. It opens with Detective Declan Shaw at a closed subway station trying to work up the nerve to commit suicide when he receives a call from his partner about a break in and homicide at the home of a true crime author. Shaw makes his way to the crime scene to work the case, and in a turn of events, Declan comes under scrutiny in another case loosely connected to this new case.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Writer from NetGalley and Little , Brown, and Company for free in exchange for my honest review. I'm appreciative that my request for this book was approved.

With this story opening with the main character trying to commit suicide, I almost didn't go any further with the book. However, I am glad I stuck with it as it took me on a fantastic ride and had my emotions all over the place. There were so many twists and turns that just when I thought I had it all figured out, there was yet another turn. By the end of The Writer, the reader is left in a bit of a lurch in the way of a cliffhanger.

A lot of the characters were unlikable, including the main character, Declan Shaw. Despite Patterson and Barker doing their best to make Shaw unlikable, there was that "je ne sais quoi" about the character that made me actually really like him and root him on. And, we won't even talk about how unlikable the victim and true crime author character is throughout the storyline. The only completely likable character is Shaw's partner Cordova.

Despite all of the unlikable characters, I found myself reading as fast as I could to see what crazy thing would happen next and if Shaw would get away with a host of different crimes and manipulations. You'll have to read for yourself to find out what happens, but The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker is one of the best books I've read that was co-written by Patterson. Four out of five stars.

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