Short fiction can be a tough sell these days, which is surprising in our lightning-fast times when a quick read should appeal. And, alas, some people have stopped reading altogether in favor of various device-driven entertainments. Mega-best-selling author Patterson aims to buck those trends with his new BookShots line, which offers brief, reasonably priced books meant to be read in a single sitting—“they’re like reading movies,” said Patterson in a New York Times interview. Introduced at BookExpo America with a one-hour takeover at the Hachette booth, BookShots titles will start appearing in June. Among the November BookShots titles are James Patterson with Jeffrey J. Keyes’s Killer Chef (BookShots: Hachette. 144p. ISBN 9780316317245. pap. $4.99; ebk. ISBN 9780316361538. lib. ebk. ISBN 9780316361545. CD/downloadable: Hachette Audio), featuring chef and homicide cop Caleb Rooney's efforts to find a killer poisoning New Orleans diners; and James Patterson with Maxine Paetro’s Kill or Be Killed: 4 BookShots Thrillers. (BookShots: Hachette. 560p. ISBN 9780316320047. $19.99; ebk. ISBN 9780316431187; lib. ebk. ISBN 9780316431194), an anthology of four titles each meeting the BookShots criteria. Also arriving: Elizabeth Hayley’s Dazzling: The Diamond Trilogy, Part 1 (BookShots: Hachette. 144p. pap. $4.99; ebk. ISBN 9780316276412. lib. ebk. ISBN 9780316276443. CD/downloadable: Hachette Audio), with striving artist cum restaurant hostess Siobhan falling for tech billionaire Derek; and Jessica Linden’s Bodyguard (BookShots: Hachette. 144p. ISBN 9780316320146. $4.99; ebk. ISBN 9780316361699. lib. ebk. ISBN 9780316361705. CD/downloadable: Hachette Audio), with bodyguard Abbie Whitmore protecting eligible Congressman Jonathan Lassiter. The last two titles are romances in the “BookShots Flames” series and carry forewords by Patterson.