The Country Road Murders

by James Patterson

After a shocking accident, Silas Tucker’s legendary football career is suddenly over in this action-packed sports thriller powered by loyalty, competition, and family.


Humbled, but never defeated, he returns to his backwoods hometown, Cross Rivers, North Carolina, where his father was murdered.

He goes back to what’s left of his family and their small, struggling farm. He reunites with his best friend in the world—Taylor McCarter Webb, who is now married.

Then Silas is pulled into a deadly battle with the Southern Mafia who control drugs, trafficking and murder.

As the suspense crescendos, Silas follows one rule for survival: you don’t ride these country roads alone, or in the dead of night.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Crime, Sports

399 pages, Paperback

First published February 9, 2026

About the author

Official US Site
Official UK Site

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, Michael Crichton, and Viola Davis, 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.

Reviews

[Tracy P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-stars.

The Country Road Murders hooked me at first. The small-town tension hit immediately, and the setup promised a fast, grit-filled mystery that seemed ready to run at full speed.

Unfortunately, that early energy did not stick around. After a strong opening, the story started to repeat itself. The main character kept getting dragged into the exact same arguments and standoffs with the local tough guys, and the plot stopped moving forward. Instead of building up real suspense or uncovering new clues, the middle section just cycled through the same altercations on repeat.

I liked the main character's voice and the backwoods atmosphere, but the endless back-and-forth got stale. It ended up being a quick, decent listen/read, but the narrative redundancy kept it from truly delivering.

[David Mc · Rating 3 out of 5]

In some ways, this book almost felt like a remake of “Walking Tall,” as local football legend Silas Tucker takes on the dangerous Southern Mafia in his rural North Carolina hometown . Amidst a background of murder, mayhem, sex trafficking, crooked cops, and drug dealers, Silas continually deals with the situation by knocking a few heads together, as well as getting in the face of some pretty spooky backwoods characters. In any event, you won’t need a crystal ball to predict how this fight will eventually turn out.

Along with a pretty predictable storyline, the novel felt like the authors were determined to write an undated version of “Walking Tall.” Added to this mix was a truly bizarre love triangle, which involved Silas being deeply in love with a local girl who is married to his best friend….and, weirder still, the woman openly expresses her love to both men, as if this is a common occurrence in most marriages. All in all, despite some 400-pages, this was a fairly quick read with few surprises from beginning to end.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hey – we have another James Patterson and Mike Lupica co-authored novel. The two writers who have been working on the “Jane Smith Thriller” series, and are three books into that one, have come together again for separate one-off thriller.

The good news is that this is an engaging and entertaining summer escape read. The kind of one that helped make Patterson one of the world’s most popular storytellers.

“The Country Road Murders” starts off with a surprising and shocking prologue, which I will let you read for yourself. All I will say it grabs by your attention immediately within four pages in a big way.

Once that is over and we get going, it becomes the story of Silas Tucker, who grew up on a farm in the backwoods country farm of Cross Rivers, North Carolina, a place known for its violence and proud of it. A place where his father was sheriff until he was murdered. A place where the Southern Mafia resides, under the powerful control of Briar Crockett and his sons, overseeing the local drugs and trafficking throughout the county and beyond. A place where no one rides the country roads alone at night…

Silas is a major football star. An all-American quarterback, that just led North Carolina to its first ever collegiate national championship and found himself being the number one pick in the NFL draft by the Pittsburg Steelers.

However, Silas lets his friend and fellow college teammate, Mitchell Garland, drive his Porsche home from a celebration part, and a horrible accident leaves Silas with serious life-threatening injuries a long road back to recovery. His throwing arm shoulder is a torn-up mess and he returns home to his grandmother, EmmaJean (EJ), to help run their small family run farm while he seeks physical and emotional recovery.

There he is reunited with his best friend, Taylor Webb, who is his secret long-time love since childhood. She is married to his next best friend, Ben, who serves as the local law enforcement. They have all been friends since they were kids, and are the tightest threesome there is.

However, Silas unwittingly finds himself in trouble on multiple fronts. First, teenage girls and young women are going missing in the county, which piques his interest and concern. Second, he finds himself unwittingly pulled into the middle of the Southern Mafia business matters, creating a fight that cannot be avoided if he is to help save his hometown from the criminals. Before he knows it, Silas isn’t only hunting a killer, he’s fighting to just keep himself alive…

Let me start off with a personal comment. After struggling through Patterson’s previous novel – “Rocket’s Red Glare” – earlier this Summer and finding myself frustrated with the ending, this novel was a breath of fresh air and provided a nice recovery from the bad taste still lingering with me.

Let’s go with the good stuff, which starts with the characters, focus on family and small-town values, and the power of friendship that drives the conflicts in this novel. Patterson seems to be able to pick from movies, TV shows, and other popular novels or successful writers and then create his own version of a story that usually provides interesting characters and storylines to maintain our interest. For me, I found this book to be very reminiscent of recent novels by one of my favorite authors, S.A. Cosby. It has his distinctive southern setting and themes, style and rhythmic atmosphere, in which characters are put in a pressure cooker and forced to face incredible adversity and challenges. Never has small towns been so dangerous and filled with low life expectancies. To me, Silas is very much like a lead protagonist from a Cosby novel – in over his head, but stubborn enough to not give in or give up on what he believes is right.

I found this to be a good summer read. Briskly paced tempo. Interesting and well-developed mysteries to solve. Likeable characters with depth and layered family relationships. Villains that are easy to hat and root against. Patterson did a pretty good job of developing the two major plotlines and bringing them together in the end in a pretty decent, but predictable, climactic showdown. Still, Patterson and Lupica deliver an escapist novel that’s worthy of being read as long as you are willing to suspend some of your basis in reality on several occasions.

Overall, I found this to be one of Patterson’s better novels published this year. Not necessarily one of his best, but better than average, and if you treat it as an escapist Summer read, you should enjoy it. I know that I did. A guilty pleasure that hits the spot.

I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars (and yes, Goodreads doesn't round off, so I rounded down).

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots and lots of bad people running awful things and controlling a town. Allowed to get away with it by murder and power. The end is weak for such terrible people. More 1 1/2 stars than 2.

[R L HERSKOWITZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If you only had one more game to play in life, how much would a game like that be worth to you?”


Baseball
Football
Country music

Small town Western North Carolina

“Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong….” - John Denver

Drugs, drug overdoses
Human trafficking
Southern Mafia
More country music

“In my mind, I'm gone to Carolina / Can't you see the sunshine? Can't you just feel the moonshine?"
- James Taylor

More football


“You know what’s just about the best kind of big game in this world? Page one and chapter one of a book you really want to read.”

[Maxine · Rating 5 out of 5]

High school principal, Silas Tucker, stops at what appears to be a motorcycle accident, the rider lying beside it wearing his school’s jacket. As he leans over to check him, the boy looks up, smiles, and shoots him in the face.

Ten years later, the murder is still unsolved. Silas’s son, also Silas, has been picked to play for the Steelers but a car accident ends his career before it has started. He returns to his hometown of Cross Rivers, N. Carolina, known mainly for its high crime rate, mostly drugs but, recently, several young girls have gone missing. When Silas sees what is clearly a drug buy going down at the local school, he steps in. However, when local law enforcement makes it clear they aren’t going to do anything about the problem, he starts looking into it himself. Soon he receives threats as do his friends and family but, with their support, he refuses to back down.

The Country Road Mysteries by James Patterson and Mike Lupica is one compelling thriller that grabbed my attention from the first page and never let go. Thanks to Patterson’s signature short paragraphs, crisp dialogue, and plenty of action, it moves at a fast but steady pace, keeping the reader immersed in the story. The mystery is interesting with plenty of twists and the characters are well-developed giving the reader plenty to root for or despise. Definitely a high recommendation from me both for fans of Patterson or anyone who likes gripping thrillers and, if you are a sports fan, well, even better.

I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Little, Brown & Company in exchange for an honest review

[Mary Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story could have been 200 pages shorter. It was predictable and trite. It spent too much time on painting a stereotypical picture of Southern small time life and egos. Just because James Patterson's name is attached to a book does not automatically mean it is 4*. Waste of my time.

[Robert Alexander Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐💫 3.5/5 ## A Strong Read That Became Too Predictable

I received an Advanced Digital Copy of The Country Road Murders by Mike Lupica and James Patterson, and was immediately intrigued by Lupica’s involvement. I remembered his work as a sportswriter, and seeing his name paired with James Patterson made the novel particularly appealing. The book ultimately proved to be a brisk and accessible thriller, one that combines sports, family history, small-town power structures, and a developing murder investigation with considerable ease. Its short chapters create a quick reading rhythm, even though the central mystery unfolds more gradually, and that contrast between fast pacing and slow revelation worked well for much of the novel.

Cross Rivers is one of the book’s strongest elements. The town feels shaped by recognizable pressures: economic decline, old family influence, agricultural communities, addiction, and the uneasy intimacy of a place where people know one another’s histories. Silas is equally effective at first as a protagonist because his identity extends beyond the investigation. His athletic background, physical injuries, family connections, and attachment to the region give him a degree of complexity that helps balance the crime narrative. My principal reservation, however, is that the novel repeatedly allows him to overcome adversity with relatively little lasting consequence. His recovery, his investigative progress, and his ability to navigate dangerous situations begin to feel increasingly assured, which weakens the sense that he is ever truly vulnerable.

The mystery remains sufficiently murky for a significant portion of the book, yet its broader trajectory becomes easier to anticipate as the story develops. Several of the central ingredients, including missing young women, drugs, influential local figures, and buried small-town secrets, are familiar conventions within contemporary crime fiction. They are handled competently, but not always in ways that generate sustained surprise. Initially, I found the limited involvement of state and federal authorities difficult to accept. Given the number of disappearances and the seriousness of the criminal activity surrounding them, the absence of a more substantial outside investigation occasionally stretches credibility.

Its limitations ultimately kept the novel from reaching a higher rating, though they did not prevent it from being an enjoyable and satisfying read. The Country Road Murders succeeds through atmosphere, readability, and the effective integration of sports with a rural crime story. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy accessible thrillers built around Southern small-town intrigue, even if the narrative becomes somewhat predictable and Silas occasionally seems protected by the momentum of the plot. Reading The Country Road Murders felt like a fast drive through a troubled Southern town, full of mystery and atmosphere, even if the man behind the wheel seemed destined to make it through every obstacle.

Thank you to NetGalley, authors Mike Lupica and James Patterson, and Hachette Audio | Little, Brown & Company for an Advanced Digital Copy in each for an honest review.
#TheCountryRoadMurders #NetGalley

[Daniel Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straight forward and predictable but still entertaining.

[Robin Loves Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silas Tucker was once a collegiate sports hero with dreams of playing professional baseball or football. Those dreams came to a devastating end after he is seriously injured in a car accident. Looking for a fresh start, Silas returns to his hometown of Cross Rivers, North Carolina, hoping to his life, find a new purpose, and finally discover some peace.

Instead, he finds a town in turmoil. Young women have begun disappearing, and Cross Rivers has fallen under the grip of a powerful Southern mafia organization. As the investigation unfolds, it becomes clear that the criminal organization is involved in far more than anyone imagined, and the missing women may be connected to something much bigger.

While the police work tirelessly to stop the violence, Silas finds himself pulled into the center of the investigation. Determined to protect his community, he also hopes to uncover the truth behind his father’s murder years earlier, a crime that has haunted him for much of his life.

The Country Road Murders is a fast-paced, action-packed thriller filled with suspense, danger, and a relentless search for justice. The tension steadily builds with each chapter, leading to an exciting and satisfying conclusion. Listening to the excellent audiobook narration definitely pulled me deeper into the story. James Patterson once again delivers a story that kept me turning the pages. It was nearly impossible to put down, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

Many thanks to Little, Brown and Company and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

[Carol Jones-Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this recent book, "The Country Road Murders" by James Patterson and Mike Lupica. It was a book I felt invested in, became involved with the characters, and found myself rooting for the home team.

With a cool guy like Silas Tucker, a very focused man, he has always had a vision for his life, and sticks to the discipline it takes to keep him focused. His father, Sheriff Silas Sr., was a great big tall and wide guy, 6'6", a tank and an ox rolled into one. Silas Jr. is a major football star, an All-American quarterback, that so excitedly led North Carolina to its first collegiate national championship, and now he is the #1 pick for the NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers! Much like his dad, a big strapping guy, same basic height and build.

He wins a jazzy new Porsche, and with his buddy and teammate Mitchell, he (Mitchell) drives the brand new car way too fast, loses control and rams into a big fat tree. It is a miracle that Silas lives at all, but the physical therapy and working really hard just so he could walk took a long time. His right shoulder is his throwing arm, and it was completely blown out. He decides to go home to NC, and stay with his grandmother, Emma Jean (EJ) to help with their farm, for continued physical therapy, and work on his fractured and oh-so-painful shoulder.

I chose to listen to this book by audio, narrated by Tom Pelphrey, and I thought he did an exceptional job to create a great performance of and for this story.

Cross Rivers, North Carolina is well known for it crime and the Southern Mafia. With Silas' strong moral direction, he can no longer overlook the guns, drugs, sex trafficking, crooked cops, and most of all missing girls. He takes a more proactive approach and starts beating the drums in asking questions. It's frightening as he is threatened, along with his family and very important friends. Not being a guy to give up, he keeps working and fighting for what is right. He also reconnects with his two best friends, Taylor, his former love interest that he still cares for very much, and her husband Burt, the local law for the area.

This all builds up to a very satisfying conclusion. I better stop here and I don't want to spoil for you, good stuff ahead! I've read some recent reviews, and perhaps I enjoyed this book more than others, but I did enjoy it very much. Yes, there a couple parts that were kinda slow, just passed through them and enjoyed the rest. I rated this book 4.0 stars. I will recommend. Thank you!

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised that I was unable to put this book down! I think the partnership with Mike Lupica contributed excellence to this novel! Short action-packed chapters moved the story along quickly. If you've given up on JP, read this book!

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silas Tucker is a college football hero who loses his chance at a professional career due to an accident. He returns to his hometown that seems to be ruled by a drug dealing, bullying family. Personally, I would have left that town. Judging by crime novels, the small towns in the South seem to be a singularly bad place to live. However, Silas remains, continues with his football conditioning and becomes embroiled in the case of missing girls.

This was ok. I don’t think that there was a particularly good fit between the parts of the book dealing with football and the crime story. Despite the blurb, this wasn’t a thriller, nor was it action packed. 3.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

[LindaPf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silas Turner, hometown football hero of Cross Rivers, North Carolina, has returned after his professional career was crushed even before it began after a tragic accident. Trying to physically heal and figure out his future, he’s living again with his grandmother EJ (EmmaJean) and her struggling soybean farm. Silas’ father was the school principal, murdered by persons unknown ten years ago. Cross Rivers is overrun by the evil* Crockett family, known as the Southern Mafia, and at least five young girls from around the county have recently gone missing. Silas is young, but very tired of being bullied by the Crocketts who are openly dealing drugs at the high school and have the county sheriff in their pocket.
*evil enough to try to run over Silas’ fairly immortal dog, Bumper.

Joining Silas is his longtime childhood friend Taylor McCarter Webb, married to her high school sweetheart Burt Webb, the very young interim police chief of Cross Rivers (also at odds with the county sheriff). Eventually the kidnappings and corruption come to the attention of the governor and he sends fierce and formidable special agent Helene Mayes to form a task force to take down the baddies.

The action is non-stop and we get treated to scenes from a championship game, probably thanks to co-author sports columnist Mike Lupica.

The audiobook, voiced by Tom Pelphry with a sharp southern accent, is a performance unto itself. Bravo!

Silas is one of Patterson’s nearly perfect heroes — handsome, caring, strong, ethical, determined, law-abiding and worth a sequel or two, possibly with Helene as well. 5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Taylor has blue-green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO We are in soybean country in eastern North Carolina.

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Audio and NetGalley for advanced copies!

[Tammy Lunsford - Escape to Books By Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Southern Mafia has instilled fear in the hearts of the people of the small town of Cross River, North Carolina, for many years, along with corruption in the law enforcement community and poisoning the young people of this town with their drugs.

Their reign is about to be tested. Hometown hero Silas Tucke, along with some outside law enforcement, are ready for war with this crime family with Helene Maye leading the charge. This woman was tough as nails; a wonder woman who led with no fear, but with her own brand of intimidation. She had no fear, only a sense of justice.

This is another new style of book for James Patterson and Mike Lupica. This one is a sports drama/mystery jam packed with plenty of personal loss and tragedy, emotional land mines and a sense of evil simmering just below the surface. It’s another winner for 2026.

Thank you to Little Brown and Company and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Michelle Skelton · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Country Road Murders" is fast, entertaining, and easy to keep reading, but the more I thought about it, the less the story held together for me.

Silas Tucker is clearly meant to be a likable, stand-up kind of protagonist. I understood why we're inclined to connect with him. He admires his father, wants to do the right thing, and is deeply loved by his community. But after a while, that admiration started to feel a little unearned. Outside of football, his father’s influence, and the fact that everyone seems to adore him, I never felt like I knew Silas especially well.

The plot also asked me to accept too many leaps in logic. Important relationships are introduced without much emotional development, major deaths barely seem to register, and some of the law-enforcement scenes stretched credibility well beyond what I could comfortably ignore.

By the time the story escalated from a local criminal network to something approaching a special-operations response, I was entertained, but no longer convinced.

One character jokingly asks whether Silas is “Walking Tall,” and honestly, that felt pretty accurate. The book leans into the fantasy of the righteous local hero who can step into danger and somehow become central to everything.

I can absolutely understand why people enjoy this. The pacing is strong, the chapters move quickly, and there is enough action to keep the story humming. It just did not click for me the way I hoped it would.

A readable thriller, but one where the plot moved faster than the character development and internal logic.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of both of these authors, I was excited to start this one. Per usual, they did not disappoint. The story was very well written and gripped me from the absolute beginning, keeping my interest the entire time. I was fully invested in the outcome of Silas, as well as the other characters of the story. I felt as though I was helping Silas investigate the disappearances of all the young women that were disappearing in their small town. The secrets, lies and deception ran deep! They picked the perfect narrator for this audiobook as he had the perfect tone and diction for this setting. Overall an excellent read that I would recommend. Thank you NetGalley & Hachette Audio for an advanced listening copy.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much sports -- football, to suit me. The book was much longer than it needed to be and only moderately succeeded as a thriller in my opinion. If this was a true story those Southern Mafia creeps would have been rounded up or killed by chapter 3.

[Adam McNamara · Rating 2.25 out of 5]

Plot written by ChatGPT. Story continually repeated itself and the main character just threatening everyone constantly got old quick. 2.5

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up. This was an entertaining summer read that I could easily see being made into a movie.

[Gary Parkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast and fun read with some things that reminded me of the Alex Cross books! I hope there are more books with these characters!

[jordan Woood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book!! Fun mystery but felt like it was not very deep!

[Emelie Gaughan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not an interesting read. I imagine Lupica did his best writing in the last chapter, and that was cliche. It is elementary, unrealistic, and uninspired. This book was just too lightweight for my taste, and I think Patterson is over-commercialized. I recommend a hard pass.

[Rich Cattarello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars. Another James Patterson book finished. This one is good if you can suspend reality and just go with the storyline. There (like always from Patterson) is lots of action. A southern Mafia crime rig gets taken down after killing a cop and blowing up a federal investigatior's truck with a car bomb.

The Story follows Silas Tucker, a local football legend whose career ended after an accident that should have killed him. Being back in his hometown of Cross Rivers, he has other problems besides not being able to play football. Young girls are going missing, and there is a horrible drug problem. All signs point to the Crockett family, who are basically like the Southern Mafia.

Not the best James Patterson book. But pretty damn good. I recommend that you read it.

[Pam Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Patterson book. I love all these books that he’s written with a second person.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the duo of Lupica and Patterson. Always sports involved. .

[Patsy Metz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small town football player gets into accident and his career ends. Ends up working on the farm. Town is corrupted by drugs and taking young teenagers. Thriller murder plot

[Julie Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A different kind of James Patterson book. Set in North Carolina and in a small town that is full of crime. The characters are Appalachians and I can picture this town. The story is very good and I listened too the audio version and the narrator sounded as if he was from this small town

[Becky Flanagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by the 2 authors.