Aaron Hernandez was a college football All-American who became the youngest player in the NFL and a Super Bowl veteran. He was a star on the league-dominant New England Patriots, who extended his contract for a record $40 million. Hernandez's every move as a professional athlete played out in the headlines, yet he led a secret life - one that ended in a maximum-security prison. What drove him to go so wrong, so fast? Hernandez was the best athlete Connecticut's Bristol Central High had ever produced. But by the time he arrived at University of Florida, he was already courting trouble. As his fame grew and he joined the NFL, trouble followed him. Between the summers of 2012 and 2013, Hernandez was linked to a series of violent incidents culminating in the death of Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro American football player who dated the sister of Hernandez's fiancee.
James Patterson is one of the best-known and biggest selling writers of all time. He is the author of some of the bestselling series of the past decade: the Women's Murder Club, the Alex Cross novels and Maximum Ride, and he has written many other number one bestsellers including romance novels and stand alone thrillers. He has won an Edgar award, the mystery world's highest honour. He lives in Florida with his wife and son, seen pictured here.
Best known for his thrillers he also writes for children and is passionate about encouraging children to develop a love of reading. In 2014 he donated £250,000 to help independent bookshops with a children’s section in the UK. Rafe from the Middle School series also features on the first ever children’s ‘Books are my Bag’ rucksack.
