A few days ago I finished another novel (though not the latest) by a man who has become one of my favorite contemporary purveyors of "non-literary" fiction: Richard North Patterson. Like other novelists whose bestsellers can be found at the corner drugstore as well as at Border's, Patterson employs a hefty dose of unbelievable coincidence, soap operatic melodrama, and stereotypically hokey sex. But unlike your average potboilers, Patterson's deal with serious, relevant issues -- issues such as abortion, gun control, and racism. Not only do his novels consistently demonstrate ample familiarity with the issues themselves, they also demonstrate a keen sensitivity to the broader political, legal, and social backdrop against which debate must take place -- all without ever sacrificing their sheer page-turnability. Patterson, in short, is that rarity of rarities: a bestselling writer who makes you think.
Richard North Patterson author page at Random House
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