Maxine Paetro Books In Order

Publication Order of Confessions Books

Publication Order of Private Books

Publication Order of Women's Murder Club Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Bookshots: Women's Murder Club Books

Maxine Paetro is an American author best known for her collaborations with James Patterson on the Women’s Murder Club, Private, and Confession series.

Paetro worked in advertising from 1975 to 1987 as a recruiter and EVP creative department manager at several large New York City advertising agencies. She made her debut as an author in 1979 when she released How to Put Your Book Together and Get a Job in Advertising. The book has helped many people find success in advertising over the years and has been revised numerous times.

She would then write her first novel in 1986, Manshare, and then followed it up with Babydreams and Windfall. Paetro was also the co-author of a biography about Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee, written with Dodd Darin called Dream Lovers: The Magnificent Shattered Lives of Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee. After this book, released in 1993, she took a break from writing for a number of years.

Outside of writing, she created Broccoli Hall, an English-style cottage garden, which has been featured in numerous magazines, including House & Garden, Country Garden and Country Homes. The garden is apart of the Garden Conservancy Open Days Program. She has also gained notoriety for starting a project to refine and develop a unique variety of koi known as Ki Shusui. Her project has her own cult following and is followed by many on Koiphen, a board for koi hobbyists. Maxine is married to John A. Duffy, the founder and CEO of consulting company, Manhattan Bridge, LLC.

In 2005, Paetro made her return to writing when she began to collaborate with James Patterson. Her first work with him was co-writing 4th of July for the Women’s Murder Club series. Maxine had actually had a relationship with Patterson going back to the 1970s as Patterson had also worked in advertising before becoming a full-time author. Patterson is one of the most successful authors of all time and her collaborations with him have lead her to make number one on The Sunday Times bestseller list numerous times. She ranks #16 on their all-time list of most titles at number one by an author.

Confessions of a Murder Suspect is the first book in the Confessions series by Maxine and James Patterson. The story begins on the night that Malcolm and Maud Angel are murdered. Tandy Angel, teen detective, knows just three things about her parents death. She knows that she was the last person to see her parents alive, that the police have no suspects besides her and her siblings, and that she can’t trust anyone. Now, Tandy will set out to clear the family name by looking back into her own past. Her memories will shed light on her family’s secrets and hopefully bring her closer to the truth, but digging into her powerful parents’ affairs will prove to be dangerous. She’ll learn just what the Angel family is capable of in her search for the truth.

The Confessions series continues with The Private School Murders. Numerous wealthy young women have been murdered on Manhattan’s exclusive Upper West Side, but the police aren’t looking for the answers in the right places. Tandy Angel knows where to look though and she begins to investigate. She has a personal stake here as well since her brother has been accused of his girlfriend’s homicide and another victim went to her school. Tandy believes that there is a serial killer at work, but the police aren’t listening to her. Making matters worse, she fears that she could be their next victim.

The Paris Mysteries is the third book in the Confessions series. Tandy is ready to stop investigating murders and heads to Paris to be reunited with her lost love. However, things don’t go quite as planned as he is distant and she begins to have disturbing questions about him. Like what really happened to her dead sister? Tandy isn’t sure who she can trust and decides to dig ever deeper into the secrets her parents kept from her.

Private is the first book in the Private series and is co-written by Maxine Paetro and James Patterson. The story follows a former Marine Pilot named Jack Morgan who runs an investigation company called Private. The company is where you go when you need force and discretion. The secrets of the most influential people in the world are in Jack’s hands on a daily basis as him and his team use the most advanced tools to handle their cases. Jack has big cases on his hands with a NFL gambling scandal and the unsolved slayings of 18 schoolgirls, but he gets one close to home when his best friend’s wife, and his former lover, is killed. The death nearly pushes him over the edges, but he instead decides to push back and uses Private’s powers to find her killer.

Maxine returned to the series with #1 Suspect. A former lover of Jack’s is found murdered in his bed which makes him the number one suspect. He’s under investigation for the crime by the police when the mob forces him to recover $30 million in stolen pharmaceuticals for them. Then the manager of a luxury hotel chain asks him to investigate a string of murders at her properties. Jack has his hands full as he’s fighting for his life against his most powerful enemies ever.

4th of July is the book that started her collaboration with James Patterson and the fourth book in the Women’s Murder Club series. San Francisco police lieutenant Lindsay Boxer fires her weapon in a late-night showdown which sets off a disastrous chain of events. The police are disgraced, a family is destroyed, and then Lindsay finds herself on trial. A break in the trial will take her to a picturesque town that is reeling from a string of murders-crimes that remind her of an unsolved case from her rookie years. Her and the others from the Women’s Murder Club will battle for her life at the trial and against whoever is hiding the truth about the homicides.

2 Responses to “Maxine Paetro”

1. Maxine Paetro: 5 months ago

   Hi, Sam,
   Thanks for the nice note about my mom. She influenced a lot of librarians in Dade and Broward Counties, and had a very funny sense of humor. Dad, too!
   I’m glad you enjoy the Woman’s Murder Club. The Girls live in my head and I love that so many readers enjoy their adventures solving crime in San Francisco. Sending you best wishes, Maxine.

   Reply
2. Sam Eason: 6 months ago

   Maxine, your mother Madeline, helped me get sales of library books in Miami Dade County Schools in the late 1960s. I had dinner with her and Sam in Miami once.
   She was very helpful to me in launching my career in books sales to schools and libraries with Eason Associates in the Southeast. My wife and I very much enjoy your novels with James Patterson.

   Sam Eason

   Reply