If you liked
Books like The Jester
by Andrew Gross
Andrew Gross and Patterson's The Jester is one of the strongest medieval-thrillers in contemporary commercial fiction: 1096 France, Crusader returns home, court-jester infiltration, real research under the airport-thriller branding. These five next.
The shortlist
What to read next
The Chaseby Clive Cussler
“The Chase by Clive Cussler 2007 review. A Van Dorn Detective Agency historical thriller set in 1906 about a bank robber called the Butcher Bandit and the man hunting him.”
The Wreckerby Clive Cussler
“The Wrecker by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott 2009 review. Isaac Bell hunts a saboteur targeting the Southern Pacific Railroad in this second Van Dorn historical thriller.”
Make Meby Lee Child
“Make Me by Lee Child 2015 thriller review. Reacher rolls into a Mother Wells, South Dakota for a single name on a sign and stays for the bodies underneath the wheat.”
15 Secondsby Andrew Gross
“15 Seconds by Andrew Gross 2012 review. A standalone thriller about a Florida cosmetic surgeon framed for a cop killing and forced to run as the noose tightens.”
The Murder Houseby David Ellis
“The Murder House by David Ellis and James Patterson 2015 review. A Bridgehampton detective with a tarnished badge investigates a brutal mansion killing that mirrors a sixty-year-old open case.”
FAQ
Common questions about The Jester read-alikes
- Are these all historical thrillers?
- Two of the five. The Chase and The Wrecker are early-1900s Van Dorn Detective Agency historicals. The other three are contemporary thrillers in the procedural-clarity lane that defines Gross's solo work.
- I want more medieval thrillers specifically. What else?
- Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth and Sharon Kay Penman's When Christ and His Saints Slept are the two best non-Jester medieval thrillers outside our review catalog.
- Should I read the rest of the Gross-Patterson collaborations?
- The Jester is the strongest of the early ones. The Lifeguard and The Blue Zone are the natural next reads.
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