Jodi Picoult’s 30th Book Brings Back a Fan-Favorite—Plus 6 Other Characters You Missed
From Jordan McAfee to Jesse Fitzgerald, here are the Jodi Picoult characters who won’t stay away!
New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult recently announced she is releasing her 30th book later this year. The book, Hollow Bones, follows Molly Fitzgerald, who lost her mother on 9/11 when she was just 2 months old. Now an adult, Molly has dedicated her life to emergency preparedness, but when an unexpected crisis occurs, she finds herself confused and knocked off balance. Also featured in the novel is Jesse Fitzgerald, a fan-favorite character who first appeared in Picoult’s bestselling 2004 novel, My Sister’s Keeper as Kate and Anna’s older brother.
“I had a blast catching up with his [Jesse’s] life, and it felt like giving a little gift to my longtime readers,” the author told People magazine earlier this month. “I’ve been waiting a long time to write this book. In a time when the world feels increasingly uncertain, I wanted to explore how we try to keep the people we love safe—even when it means lying to ourselves.”
And while some are excited to see Jesse—and meet Molly—others begin to wonder, are there other books that feature a character from another Picoult novel? ? It turns out there are! From the lawyer in Nineteen Minutes to the detective in Perfect Match, here are the most memorable characters that have appeared in multiple Jodi Picoult books.
Jordan, Selena and Thomas McAfee
Lawyer Jordan McAfee is a beloved lawyer Picoult introduced in her 1998 mystery The Pact, then brought back in her 2001 drama Salem Falls, her 2007 banned book Nineteen Minutes and most recently her 2022 suspense novel, Mad Honey.
Also appearing in some of those novels is his wife Selena, who can be found in The Pact, Salem Falls, Nineteen Minutes and Mad Honey, and their son Thomas, who popped up in The Pact, Salem Falls and Nineteen Minutes.
“For Jordan—as soon as I realized that I had a murder trial in New Hampshire, I started thinking of who might defend Peter. And Jordan happened to be free,” Picoult told Book Browse. “It’s always great fun to bring a character back, because you get to catch up on his/her life; and you don’t have to reinvent the wheel—you already know how he speaks, acts, thinks.”
Patrick Ducharme
First appearing in Picoult’s novel Perfect Match, detective Patrick Ducharme became a much more prominent character in Nineteen Minutes. Not only was he the lead investigator on the school shooting case, but he was also the love interest of Judge Alex Cormier.
“Okay, I’m just going to admit it to the world: I have a crush on Patrick DuCharme,” Picoult told Book Browse. “And of course, he DIDN’T get the girl at the end of Perfect Match. So I really wanted him to star in another story, where he was front and center.
Ian Fletcher
In Picoult’s 1999 novel Keeping Faith, Ian Fletcher is an atheist with a television pulpit determined to prove that faith is a hoax. But when a miracle happens, Ian begins to question everything. This plotline is mentioned again in Picoult’s 2008 love story, Change of Heart, which is far less philosophical than Keeping Faith.
“Ian’s arc as an atheist was especially fascinating and so well done,” one reader said of Keeping Faith. “It’s more than just a story—it’s an experience that makes you question, reflect and feel everything. That ending? Absolutely gut-wrenching. A stunning, unforgettable read that’s earned a spot among my favorites. I highly recommend it!”
Frankie Martine
Appearing in Salem Falls, Second Glance and Perfect Match is Frankie Martine.
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