#1 New York Times Bestselling Author Duo James Patterson & Vicky Ward Collaborate on Forthcoming Book Based on Polarizing Case of Luigi Mangione
NEW YORK (August 6, 2025) – World’s bestselling author James Patterson and award-winning investigative journalist Vicky Ward are continuing their mega-successful nonfiction collaboration. Following their #1 New York Times bestseller, The Idaho Four (July 14, 2025), praised as “a mesmerizing read and a great detective story, yet sadly all true” (Guardian) comes an account of the events of December 4, 2024. At 6:44 a.m., a masked gunman fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, in front of the New York Hilton Midtown.
Even before the alleged shooter, Luigi Mangione, turned fugitive, in some eyes he became a folk hero, a worldwide symbol of the public’s tipping point with the health care system.
As with The Idaho Four, this new book will be propelled by hundreds of exclusive interviews, extensive on-the-ground reporting, copious court transcripts, and SEC filings to take this story beyond the headlines.
Early discussions are in progress with major interest for both scripted and unscripted adaptations of the book.
“This is a story about the American Dream Gone Wrong. It’s also a story of one young man’s descent from Ivy League graduate to notorious accused killer to so-called political martyr. The Idaho Four was inspired by the photo of the four tragic victims. Like millions around the world, Vicky and I were riveted by coverage of the five-day manhunt from Midtown Manhattan to Altoona, Pennsylvania,” said James Patterson.
“This story touches all of us. It goes to the heart of the social, cultural and political issues dividing the US right now. Nothing is more of a reviled black box than the health insurance industry, and it’s time to open it up, through a crime that has caught the attention of the country,” said Vicky Ward.
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
Vicky Ward is an investigative reporter and #1 New York Times bestselling author and podcaster. With James Patterson, she is the author of The Idaho Four, the host and co- producer of the Audible Original series Chasing Ghislaine, about Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. She and Patterson also co-produced the docuseries by the same nameon Discovery Plus. She is the author of several New York Times best-selling nonfiction books, Including Kushner, Inc.: Greed. Power. Corruption, an instant New York Times bestseller.
About Little, Brown:
Little, Brown and Company is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. Founded in 1837, Little, Brown has long been recognized as a publisher dedicated to delivering fiction of the highest quality and nonfiction of lasting significance. Our backlist proudly includes an abundance of New York Times bestsellers and winners of the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, and National Book Award. Our storied list includes classics such as Little Women, Mythology, Brideshead Revisited, and The Catcher in the Rye, as well as modern classics such as Infinite Jest, The Tipping Point, The Historian, Room, Circe, and The Goldfinch. We are also the longstanding home to bestselling franchise authors such as James Patterson, Michael Connelly, Elin Hilderbrand, David Sedaris, and many others. Our wide-ranging and varied imprints include Mulholland Books; Little, Brown Spark; Voracious; and Algonquin Books.
About Hachette Book Group:
Hachette Book Group (HBG) is a leading US general-interest book publisher made up of dozens of esteemed imprints within the publishing groups Basic Books Group; Grand Central Publishing Group; Hachette Audio; Little, Brown and Company; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Orbit; Workman Publishing; and Running Press Group. We also provide custom distribution, fulfillment, and sales services to other publishing companies.
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Publicity Contact:
Margaret Cannon
Margaret.cannon@hbgusa.com