What X By James Patterson Actually Is
X By James Patterson is a thriller novel published in 2018, part of Patterson's adult fiction output. The story follows a masked killer known only as "X" who targets young people across the American Midwest, and the investigation is handled by FBI Agent Gray Bowman. It was Patterson's attempt at something darker and more grounded than his usual Alex Cross series, and it performed well commercially despite receiving mixed reviews from critics. The book runs about 432 pages in paperback and uses Patterson's trademark short-chapter structure. Each chapter is often just a few paragraphs long, designed to make you turn the page. The pacing is relentless, which works if you're looking for escapist reading, but it can feel mechanical if you want deeper character development. I picked this up during a flight and finished it in two sittings, which is exactly the kind of experience Patterson engineers here. The plot moves quickly because every scene is built around forward momentum rather than atmosphere or introspection. That's a deliberate craft choice, not an accident.
One thing beginners to Patterson's later work miss is that the short chapters aren't just a gimmick. They function like act breaks in a screenplay. If you're reading on a phone or tablet, this matters even more because each micro-chapter resets your attention span. I've seen readers bounce off his longer books for exactly this reason, so the format here is actually more accessible for casual readers. The main weakness people don't mention upfront is the dialogue. Patterson's characters talk in plot-convenient bursts rather than natural conversation. I once tried to analyze the suspect interrogation scenes for a creative writing workshop and had to concede that the exchanges were functional, not realistic. They serve the puzzle, not the people. Another counter-intuitive point: the red herrings in this book are fairly transparent to anyone who has read a dozen thrillers. The killer's identity becomes obvious roughly a third of the way through. What saves it is the execution, not the surprise. If you're reading for the twist, you'll be disappointed. If you're reading for the procedural momentum, it delivers.
The book is available as a paperback, hardcover, audiobook (narrated by Scott Brick, which is solid for this genre), and eBook across all major retailers. There is no official free version, so any site offering it as a free download is distributing pirated material. You can purchase it from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, or your local independent bookstore. The ISBN for the standard paperback edition is 978-0316282574. One edge case worth noting: if you read the Alex Cross series in order and then jump into this, the tone shift can be jarring. Cross books have warmth and humor underneath the crime. X is almost entirely flat in emotional register. I found myself wanting more human moments between the investigations and had to accept that Patterson wasn't going to give them to me. The sequel, False Memory, continues with the same cast and approach, though it introduces a new antagonist while leaving the X storyline unresolved in a way some readers found unsatisfying. I'd recommend reading them back to back if you commit to the sequence, since the character continuity matters more here than in standalone novels.
Get the Full Details
