NYT best sellers James Patterson, Mike Lupica visit Vero Beach

Homicide Detective Alex Cross is on a relentless mission to stop a serial killer obsessed with hunting down victims – Supreme Court candidates – on the streets of Washington D.C. Cross, the FBI’s top expert in criminal behavior, works to put himself in the mind of the killer to solve the case.

Meanwhile, in another literary world, a detective referred to only by his last name Spenser, combs the streets of Boston in the cold winter to find the gunman who shot a high-profile lawyer whom he considers like family.

Both detectives are featured in stories written by two of the more successful novelists in the genre of crime fiction. James Patterson and Mike Lupica, both New York Times best-selling authors, stopped by Vero Beach on Monday for a dual author panel discussion, giving readers insight on how they keep characters fresh in their books.

“For a lot of us we try to balance our work life with our family life…and it’s hard. With Alex Cross it’s even harder because his work life is insane because he’s out there dealing with murder and other horrifying things in Washington D.C.,” said Patterson, who created the Cross character.  “Then he has his family life.”

The event, organized by the Vero Beach Book Center, was held at Waxlax Performing Arts Center at St. Edward’s School, located off State Road A1A near South Beach. Patterson spoke about his novel “The House of Cross” while Lupica talked about his new book “Robert B. Parker’s Hot Property.”

Actor Aldis Hodge portrays the latest version of Cross in the new original Prime show offering what producers say is a noble portrayal of the detective. The 8-episode thriller series premiered on Nov. 14, captivating audiences across the globe.

The new show, however, is not based off of The House of Cross, but rather the entire book series. The House of Cross is Patterson’s most recent novel in the ongoing 33-book Cross series that began in 1993. The new 400-plus page novel was released to audiences on Nov. 25.

“Aldis Hodge is great because he’s very intense. But with his family on the show, he’s great with the kids. He really lightens up. I think that’s one of the reasons the series is so good,” said Patterson, a 10-time Emmy award winner who is considered by critics to be one of the most popular storytellers of our time. “The books started many years ago. They’re a little lighter and not as realistic. The series is much more realistic as far as what goes on in D.C. and the way police are viewed in big cities. The murder thing is over the top…it’s not realistic, but it’s creepy fun.”

Patterson, who has written 100 novels that became best sellers, said he’s very pleased with the success of the show. Patterson said the series peaked number one in more than 100 countries.

Lupica, a Hall of Fame sports columnist and best-selling author of more than 40 works of fiction and nonfiction, continues Spenser’s story in Robert B. Parker’s Hot Property. The mystery novel was released to readers on Nov. 26.

Parker, an award-winning author who was considered the heavyweight of American crime fiction, originally created the Spenser detective series. When Parker died in 2010, the Parker Estate chose his longtime friend Lupica to continue the 52-book Spenser series.

Dual author event attracts Vero crime novel fans

Patterson and Lupica, who co-wrote several books together, brought their charm, charisma, advice and wisdom to an audience of enthused crime novel readers. The two friends, who called Vero Beach the best town in Florida, poked fun at each other on stage.

“We were going to get involved with kids books originally. Then we decided to do adult books instead,” Patterson said. “We just like working with each other.”

Lauren Michaels, vice-president of the board of directors for the Literacy Services of Indian River County, moderated the discussion.

“I thought the event went very well. (Patterson and Lupica) are used to working with each other and clearly like working with each other,” Michaels said.

Chad Leonard, owner of the Vero Beach Book Center, said when Patterson and Lupica’s publishers reached out to the center to organize the dual-author discussion event, saying ‘yes’ was a no-brainer.

“You don’t say no to something like that when a publisher or agent reaches out to you for an event with James Patterson and Mike Lupica. That’s an awesome combination,” said Leonard, his eyes lighting up and smile beaming brightly. “A lot of people ask how does the book center get these big authors to little Vero Beach? It’s really all the customers and support that everyone shows for the bookstore that makes it happen.”

Leonard said the family-owned center likes hosting big events for the community. The book center handed out more than 500 pre-signed books to those in attendance.

“It makes money for the bookstore,” Leonard said. “It brings something unique to everybody that they couldn’t get elsewhere.”

Cross series on Prime

In the Cross series on Prime, viewers get to witness a more fiery version of the detective on the hunt to identify the mastermind linked to multiple murder cases that sent shockwaves throughout the city. A series of mysterious events targeting Cross’ family sends him to protect the ones he loves, while also sending him over the edge to make an arrest and put the serial killer behind bars.

An impressive ensemble of actors brings the bone-chilling drama to streaming.

Patterson said Hodge’s portrayal of Cross that shows him giving affection to his children is a side that viewers have yet to see in a live-action depiction of the character.

“It never happened in the movies,” Patterson said. “For the first time you really get a sense of family.”

Other actors who previously portrayed the witty detective were Tyler Perry in the 2012 movie “Alex Cross” and Morgan Freeman in the 1997 film “Kiss the Girls” and its sequel “Along Came A Spider,” released in 2001.

“They’re all good. I prefer the Aldis version the best,” Patterson said.

In 1993, following the release of the Patterson’s novel Along Came a Spider, Hollywood offered Patterson seven figures to buy the movie rights for the Cross series, but on the condition that he change Cross’ race from African-American to white. Patterson refused, noting that keeping Cross’ character as a Black person was pivotal.

“I said ‘no’, which was hard at that point,” Patterson said.

Patterson said the idea of the tight-knit bond Cross has with his family originated from his own childhood in Newburgh, New York. The author said a Black chef at his grandparents’ small restaurant moved in with them for a couple of years.

The experience was a turning point for Patterson.

“She was having problems with her husband. I got very close to her family. They were funny, smart, warm…the food was great. The music was great,” Patterson said. “The town was a tough town. The Cross family came out of that.”

Patterson at the time recalled only seeing images of Black men on the big screen with boom boxes. Patterson, upset with the stereotypical depiction, then began writing to create the character Alex Cross.

“Alex Cross came out of my feelings growing up and Lauren (the chef) and her family,” Patterson said.

Spenser’s character in the Hot Property novel also had several live-action adaptions, including the “Spenser for Hire” television series that ran from 1985 to 1988, Spenser: The Movie Collection which served as a follow up to the canceled weekly series, the television movies “Spenser: Small Vices” released in 1999, “Thin Air” released in 2000 and “Walking Shadow” released in 2001, along with the Netflix movie “Spenser Confidential” released in 2020.

Jane Smith thriller series

Patterson and Lupica have previously visited the quiet town of Vero Beach. The two authors co-wrote novels including “Hard to Kill,” “12 Months to Live,” and the upcoming “Never Say Die,” a  new series that focuses on the main character Jane Smith. Never Say Die, set for release on July 21, 2025, will detail how Smith, a successful defense attorney in the Hamptons who has never lost a case, protects her own life after her high-profile client’s enemies put her at the top of a hit list.

“We always saw (the Jane Smith series) as a three-book arc,” Lupica said. “We don’t rule out writing another Jane (novel) down the road.”

Actress Renee Zellweger is set to portray Smith in a legal thriller drama that will air on the streaming service Max. The show, called “Jane Smith,” will be based on 12 Months to Live, which details Smith being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor on the night before the biggest case of her career.

Grab the reader right away

Patterson and Lupica talked about the importance of having the writer’s voice in novels. Patterson said if the voice isn’t there, the novel isn’t going to work.

“The writer’s voice is like a boxer’s left hand. You either have it or you don’t,” Lupica said.

Patterson said it’s important for the writer to feel the emotions behind the character. The author said he wants to cry when he’s writing.

“If I’m not feeling what the character is supposed to feel…if I’m not afraid…If I’m not in love…then I feel I didn’t get the job right,” Patterson said. “That really is the key thing. When I rewrite for several chapters, I put at the top of the page ‘Be there.’ Get in that scene. Feel what the character is feeling.”

Lupica, a columnist with New York Daily News, said writing newspaper columns was the perfect training ground to become a novelist. Lupica said the columns, much like novels, have to grab the reader right away.

“(Columns) have thousands of words. It’s got to have a good beginning, middle, ending. You have to know how to use dialogue,” Lupica said. “That was a perfect natural transition. It was like finishing school to be a novelist. I still write two columns a week for New York Daily News.”

Lupica said the way to create suspense is to keep people eager to turn pages. The novelist said he’s always loved the folklore of storytelling.

Patterson, who co-wrote fictional thrillers with former president Bill Clinton and country music singer and songwriter Dolly Parton, said collaboration is a good thing. Patterson said the Cross show on Prime had nine writers.

Patterson said he used to read three books a week, but now reads one book per week. The novelist said people should give children books that they want to read with great stories.

“If the job is to get the kids reading, don’t give them books that turn them off,” Patterson said. “There’s a lot of books that are really terrific because the stories are good and the characters are engaging.”

Patterson said when he starts writing novels, he never knows how they will conclude.

“The ending is almost never what was in the outline,” Patterson said. “Characters change. You fall in love and out of love with certain characters. Villains change and get more interesting.”

Helping the community

Patterson, who won the 2019 National Humanities Medal for his efforts to improve literacy in America, said he and his team have provided academic scholarships for up to 30 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Patterson has donated more than one million books to students, with a strong focus on under-resourced schools and youth programs throughout the nation, his website shows.

Patterson has donated $7.25 million to schools and classroom libraries in the U.S. and $2.1 million to independent bookstores and employees. More information about the Patterson HBCU Scholarship can be found on the Carson Scholars Fund page.