James Patterson Kills Stephen King in His Latest BookShots Thriller

Notoriously prolific author James Patterson announced in June a new publishing imprint called BookShots, which focuses on short, 150-page novels meant to be read in a single sitting.

The latest BookShots thriller from Patterson is eye-catchingly titled The Murder of Stephen King. The book follows a “a fictional Stephen King character” whose stalker is recreating the horrific events from King’s books.

Patterson said of the book in a press release:

I’ve been a Stephen King fan for many years, and writing this book gave me the opportunity explore what happens when an author’s own novels put him in danger. The story is entirely fictitious, and a product of my imagination. Readers will be surprised by the outcome, and I hope that my fans – and all mystery fans alike – will enjoy it.

The release didn’t provide a quote from King himself and as of this writing, he has yet to post about the forthcoming book on his social media, so it’s unclear how much involvement, if any, he had in the novel. It may be important to note that King has been rather critical of Patterson in the past, saying he’s “a terrible writer but he’s very successful.” Patterson once responded to King’s criticisms by telling The Wall Street Journal, “I read his stuff. I like breaking his balls by saying positive things about him,” so maybe this is another way of riling King up.

The Murder of Stephen King will be released on Nov. 1 for just $3.99 in trade paperback, e-book, and audiobook. You can pre-order it here.