In 2017, Investigation Discovery, a network known for producing true-crime series, announced that bestselling author James Patterson will team up with the network to produce a true-crime series, Murder Is Forever. The show features stories that are based on authentic stories featured in Patterson’s Investigation Discovery book series.
Each book in the series includes two twisted tales inspired by true-crime horrors. Investigation Discovery network promoted Patterson’s work by airing four-hour of programming featuring episodes that inspired the books.
Who is James Patterson?
James Patterson is an American author and one of the highest-paid authors on Forbes’ list. Patterson was raised in a working-class family and graduated with an M.A. in English from Vanderbilt University. He is a recipient of the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation.
Throughout his writing career, Patterson has donated millions of dollars in grants and scholarships to various universities, school libraries, college students, independent bookstores, and teacher’s colleges.
Patterson has authored and co-authored many books in his career and many of his books have been adapted into films and television shows.
Investigation Discovery Book Series
1) Murder, Interrupted (2018)
Murder, Interrupted by James Patterson includes two stories- Murder, Interrupted and Mother of All Murders. In Murder, Interrupted, a rich financier, Frank Howard, hired a hitman, Billie Earl Johnson, to kill his wife. However, they soon enter a fight for their life when the bullet that was supposed to kill his wife misses the mark.
In Mother of All Murders, we follow the life of Gypsy and Dee Dee Blanchard. Dee Dee Blanchard is a middle-aged woman who is a local celebrity praised for tirelessly caring for her chronically ill daughter, Gypsy.
However, when the teenager realizes that she is not sick, doesn’t require a wheelchair, and has been lied to by her mother for ages, Gypsy exacts her revenge and kills her mother with the help of her boyfriend.
2) Home Sweet Murder (2018)
Home Sweet Murder includes two books- Home Sweet Murder and Murder on the Run. In-Home Sweet Murder, we are introduced to Lawyer Leo Fisher and his wife Sue, an older couple enjoying a quiet Sunday dinner at home. As they were eating dinner, a man claiming to be an SEC agent rang their doorbell.
By the time the evening ends, the lawyer and his wife have been tortured, stabbed, and shot at. Now, the killer is on the move and seeking new targets. In Murder on the Run, we follow Detective Derek Mois who promises to catch the killer of a boy and a middle-aged housekeeper, both of whom were brutally stabbed.
Also read: Best James Patterson Books of All Time
3) Murder Beyond The Grave (2018)
Murder Beyond the Grave is divided into two parts- Murder Beyond the Grave and Murder in Paradise. In Murder Beyond the Grave, we follow Stephen Small, a man who seems to have it all a fancy house, a loving wife, three beautiful children, and a Ferrari. When he is kidnapped for ransom and buried in a box, he has only forty-eight hours of oxygen.
In Murder in Paradise, developers Jim and Bonnie Hood are touring Camp Nelson Lodge as they intend to buy and modernize the property. However, the local residents don’t want rich outsiders to purchase property and change their way of life. After shooting near the lodge, everybody will discover the dangerous world of real estate.
4) Murder Thy Neighbour (2020)
Murder Thy Neighbour is a book divided into two parts – Murder Thy Neighbour and Murder IRL. Both of these true-crime thrillers follow a neighbour’s quarrel that turns violent.
In the first part, Ann Hoover is a generally pleasant woman who comes to hate her neighbour, Roy Kirk, who plans to renovate the house next door. When the DIY project turns to shambles, Ann takes him to court and Kirk retaliates in the most shocking way.
In Murder IRL, Jenelle Potter lives with her overprotective and hasn’t had many opportunities in the real world to meet and connect with people. However, she is great at connecting with people on social media and links up with Billy. But when her feelings for Billy are unreciprocated, Jenelle starts a war that seeps into the real world.
5) Murder of Innocence (2020)
Murder of Innocence is divided into two parts- Murder of Innocence and A Murderous Affair. In the first story, we follow Andrew Luster, a charming and good-looking man, who has no problem attracting women to himself. However, Andrew is no mere womanizer but a predator.
In A Murderous Affair, Mark Putnam is an FBI agent on his first assignment in rural Kentucky, the land of meth dealers and coal miners. Within a month of his posting, Putnam breaks an important case with the help of a young informant called Susan.
Soon afterward rumours began circulating that the agent is having an affair with his informant. After which Susan starts telling people that she is pregnant with the FBI agent’s baby and suddenly disappears.
Also read: All James Patterson Books
6) Till Murder Do Us Part (2021)
Till Murder Do Us Part is divided into two parts- Till Murder Do Us Part and Ramp Up to Murder. In the first book, Kathi Spiars is married to Stephen Marcum.
Twelve years into the relationship, she starts to suspect that her husband isn’t who he seems to be. She starts to dig into his past, she doesn’t realize that is threatening her life and will have to live the remainder of her life in hiding.
In Ramp Up to Murder, we are introduced to Brandi McClain, a beautiful teenager that moves to California from Arizona, in order to live with her new boyfriend and become a model. However, her perfect life is starting to turn on its head as investigators in San Diego hunt for a missing girl.