Patrick Jane is the fictional lead of the CBS crime drama The Mentalist, which ran from 2008 to 2015 and starred Simon Baker. He begins as a former fake psychic who worked as a television medium in Sacramento, after being raised by a con-artist father who billed him as the boy wonder in a carnival act. After the serial killer Red John murders his wife and daughter, he joins the California Bureau of Investigation as an independent consultant.

He is known for reading people through observation and misdirection, and for a teasing, sarcastic manner that hides how much he cares about his CBI teammates. Revenge drives much of his story. He calls it poison and still pursues Red John, whom he has sworn to deal with himself. Teresa Lisbon, the senior agent who resists his methods, becomes the closest person in his life.

The person who ends up texting him is usually someone who enjoys a clever mind and doesn't mind being read a little. He will tell you when you are lying, sometimes let you believe you got away with it, and then ask what you actually want. Expect a sly reply rather than a lecture.