Quotes from James Patterson

Think about Nine-Eleven, Emily. Three hundred Spartans stood up against a million invaders at Thermopylae, right? Well, down in the valley of Lower Manhattan on Nine-Eleven, four hundred and three firefighters, cops, paramedics, and service

A corollary of this philosophy was that the writer did not believe in good or evil. Nor did he believe in justice. Like crime, justice was an abstract, something cooked up by men. It wasn't intrinsic to the universe. Life just was. It happened, sometimes meagerly, sometimes abundantly, sometimes in violent excess. There was no right or wrong about any of it.

snapping me back to reality.

American violence mirrors that of my home country. And the laws here, much like where I was born, seem to favor criminals and not victims. Criminals get released very quickly.

Reuben St. Claire was more than a boss. He was a leader.

the strands fell through his fingers. "I have to go," he said softly.

If you're in real trouble in a big city, you're better off with a city detective than the FBI.

three hours, tops. I fired up my old Explorer and had just cleared the rush-hour

I raise the weapon. We lock eyes. We understand each other. ´If it had to be anybody,´ he says, ´I´m glad it was you.´ I nod and fire the gun.

KHATCHADORIAN SCORES! RIGHT

The shadow figures outside.

The terrorists only proved what they feared the most about Americans. That among us live everyday superheroes, free men and women who at the drop of a hat, or in this case a skyline, will stand up and sacrifice their lives to save someone else.

there was no recipe that ensured a good life, and virtue was a joke. So was Karma. Life slapped down the righteous and the spiritual just as easily as the wicked and the free. The trick was to embrace this reality wholeheartedly. In so doing the smart man, the perfect man, the free man could act without fear of consequences.

after a torrential rain. Acadia and her

This is Dee-Dee Molia. And to be honest, I kind of thought there would be more kids like her in our group. I think her brain works fine on the inside, but she needs a lot of help. She even uses an iPad to talk with, which is actually pretty cool.

If you're not reading—with your heart as well as your brain—you will be one stupid grown-up. Even worse, you'll be missing out on one of the best experiences you can possibly have. Nowhere will you meet more interesting people than in books. I've met a lot of people, I've read a lot of books, and that's the absolute truth.

The door swung open under

and another one was coming in behind me.

Heck, I've even received spam e-mails telling me I can lose all the weight I want in five days

She hopped back into the fed van with the rest of the agents. As they pulled away, I looked up to see Mary Catherine standing at the top of the stairs by the iron railing of the porch.

Anybody else still hungry?" I asked. "I need a quick candy break." "Not me," said Tommy. "I ate all those little finger sandwiches, which, when you think about it, is kind of a gross name for food. I mean, who wants to eat a sandwich with a finger in it?" "You

So if I'd finally succeeded, why did it hurt so much?

ordinary people can have depths of courage

from quivering as the lights hit me, and the car rolled