Michael Crichton Died with an Entire Spare Novel in Reserve

While writing Next, his last published novel, author Michael Crichton simultaneously (and unexpectedly) wrote Pirate Latitudes, about "a pirate named Hunter and the governor of Jamaica, and their plan to raid a Spanish treasure galleon."

The novel was found in Chrichton's computer files by his assistant and will be published by HarperCollins November 24, the New York Times reports.

Crichton, who action novels tended to be grounded in science and technology, was also one-third done with the technological thriller he was under contract to write. HarperCollins is seeking "a high-level" thriller writer to finish it for release in fall 2010.

Crichton died in November following a long battle with cancer. They're still going through his computer files, so there's no telling how many more bestsellers he'll leave in his wake — or how many competing authors he'll continue to leave frustrated and jealous.