Category: P

4/5, Alex Cross, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, SERIES

REVIEW: Four Blind Mice by James Patterson

Tara

Four Blind Mice
by James Patterson

Copyright: 2002
Pages: 383
Rating: 4/5
Read: Jan. 18-22, 2010
Challenge:  2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010; Finish That Challenge Series; RYOB 2010; Thriller & Suspense 2010
Yearly Count: 3

First Line: The District Attorney for Cumberland County, North Carolina, Marc Sherman, pushed the old wooden captain’s chair away from the prosecution, and it made a harsh, scraping eeek in the nearly silent courtroom.

Alex Cross is ready to resign from the D.C. police force. But there will be one last case that he simply can’t refuse before he can resign. His best friend and partner, John Sampson, comes to Alex asking him to help him prove that a good friend of John’s has been framed for murder and will be executed. His accusers are the United States Army. Tackling such a case will be more of a challenge than they could ever imagine. And this case goes deeper than either of them would have ever thought.

I love this series, and this was another good installment. While this one was not as good as my personal favorite in the series (Roses are Red) this one was still a good strong book. I like the direction that Alex Cross is going in in regards to his personal life. It will be interesting to see how things end up for John and Alex in the next few books.

5/5, Alex Cross, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, RATING, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2009, SERIES

REVIEW: Violets are Blue by James Patterson

Tara

Violets are Blue
by James Patterson

Copyright: 2001
Pages: 393
Rating: 5/5
Read: Dec. 26-27, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 72

First Line: Nothing ever starts where we think it does.

Alex Cross is still reeling from the Mastermind case and the murder of his partner in that case, Betsey Cavalierre. But in his business, murders don’t wait. When a series of strange vampire murders pop up throughout the country, Alex Cross is called in on the case. But really – vampires? Everyone is horrified and baffled by this case. What Cross discovers is unreal – a whole world of role players and secret clubs. And while Cross is trying to deal with this new case, he is still being stalked by the Mastermind. As the vampire case finally comes to a close, Alex is just getting started. He has to have a showdown with the Mastermind before he can finally rest easily. And what he finds out when the Mastermind is finally revealed to him scares him to death. Someone that he considered a good friend is the Mastermind and Alex must survive a deadly confrontation in order to finally put the Mastermind away. But what secrets the Mastermind is carrying are unbelievable to Alex. Those secrets will make Alex rethink everything he knows.

I simply love this series. I honestly think it’s my absolute favorite series EVER! This is actually one series that I can see myself re-reading at some point. And I never re-read anything! This one continued on where Roses are Red left off with the Mastermind. There were two storylines though, the Mastermind and the vampire murders. I was absolutely blown away by what Alex finds out about the Mastermind and just how far back it went in terms of his involvement with past cases. James Patterson really thought that character through when he made that particular person the Mastermind. I am definitely looking forward to continuing on with this series and seeing where we go to next.

5/5, Alex Cross, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, RATING, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2009, SERIES

REVIEW: Roses are Red by James Patterson

Tara

Roses are Red
by James Patterson

Copyright: 2000
Pages: 400
Rating: 5/5
Read: Dec. 19-22, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; Random Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 67

First Line: Brianne Parker didn’t look like a bank robber or a murderer – her pleasantly plump baby face fooled everyone.

Alex Cross is called in on a case relating to a string of pretty violent bank robberies. A man known as “The Mastermind” is behind the robberies. And he has gotten away with a lot of money. Unfortunately, people have died unnecessarily in the process. So who is the Mastermind? And why are Alex and the FBI agents assigned to this case so mystified as to his intentions? But as Alex deals with a lot of personal issues, and they take down two people who they believe to be the Mastermind, he has no real idea as to who the Mastermind really is.

Oh my goodness. This book has to be THE BEST in the Alex Cross series thus far!! I almost always enjoy James Patterson’s books, but this one was exceptionally good! And who the Mastermind really is – well it’s a total shocker! It’s not someone that you would expect in the slightest. I was completely surprised right up until the very last sentence. That to me makes a wonderful book. I read so many mystery books that sometimes the more formulaic books are easier for me to figure out. But this one kept me on the edge of my seat. And I finished this one up during some down time at work today, and I’m absolutely positive that my mouth was hanging wide open and my eyes were bulging out of my head when I finally reached the end. This book is really that good!

5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, D, Nonfiction, P, RATING, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2009

REVIEW: The Murder of King Tut by James Patterson and Martin Dugard

Tara

The Murder of King Tut
by James Patterson & Martin Dugard

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 332
Rating: 5/5
Read: Nov. 13-15, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; 2010 Countdown Challenge
Yearly Count: 60

First Line: It was New Year’s Eve as a somber, good-looking explorer named Howard Carter, speaking fluent Arabic, gave the order to begin digging.

King Tut, the Boy King. Less than a decade after becoming Pharaoh of Egypt, the boy dies mysteriously. In the years following his demise, his name is essentially wiped from the history books. Even today, the death of King Tut remains somewhat of a mystery. Howard Carter’s life mission was to uncover a virgin tomb; he wanted King Tut’s tomb the most. He began his search in 1907. It would take many, many years before he finally found Tut and the world would finally begin to understand the Boy King. In this book, James Patterson teams up with Martin Dugard to really look through all the evidence and put Tut’s life and death in a spotlight like never before – true crime and history collides in this book as Patterson unravels the mystery surrounding the Boy King.

Being a history major, I love anything history pretty much. But here recently my husband, mom, and dad, all went up to Indianapolis to see the King Tut exhibit. It really reignited my interest in Egyptian history. I was unfortunately never able to take a course in college on Egypt, but I knew some things from different museum trips and whatnot. But this book was really interesting to me. It read like a novel, which will make history interesting to a lot more people. (It also has the name James Patterson on it – which I have come to the conclusion sells a book like nothing else.) It’s really an easy read. And yet it’s historical. A lot of people don’t read historical books because they might feel bogged down or whatever the reason – however, if you are one of those people, please pick up this book!! You will not be bogged down at all. It reads like all of Patterson’s other works – like a novel. If you have any interest whatsoever in Egypt, this is an interesting book. However, I do want to add, that I’m not completely sold on Patterson’s conclusion – that it was a conspiracy of the three people closest to him. I’m not saying that it isn’t true, it very well may be, but without knowing more information regarding the mystery surrounding Tut’s death I’m not sure if this is right. Who knows if Tut was even really murdered?! However, if he was, there was almost certainly some sort of conspiracy, and it definitely revolved around the desire to have the power that Tut had as Pharaoh. But one of the three people that Patterson names, I’m not completely sold on being a part of the conspiracy. I think that there could possibly be other explanations for that person’s actions. But that’s just my opinion … I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good murder mystery, because that’s what this book is all about!

4.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, RATING, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2009

REVIEW: Silent Witness by Richard North Patterson

Tara

Silent Witness
by Richard North Patterson

Copyright: 1996
Pages: 500
Rating: 4.5/5
Read: Oct. 29 – Nov. 6, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 58

First Line: Gina Belfante murdered her husband at one-fifteen on a Tuesday morning.

Attorney Tony Lord left his hometown shortly after graduating from high school and never looked back. He left the memory of his murdered girlfriend behind. But when he returns, nearly thirty years later, it’s to defend his high school best friend of the charge of murder. Sam Robb, married father of two, was the last person to see sixteen-year-old Marcie Calder alive. And when forensic evidence reveals that she was carrying his child, he quickly goes from witness to suspect. Tony returns back to town to help his former best friend. But he has no idea what he is getting into and what the consequences of defending his friend of Marcie’s murder could be in the end.

This one was a good read in my opinion. It took me a little longer to read than it should have because I’ve been really busy lately. But overall it’s a really good read. There are some sluggish parts, and the way that Patterson utilizes the flashback style of writing could be a little confusing in parts. However, I found that the ending to be very good. Patterson really brought things back together full circle and had his characters have to face some really tough issues. I really recommend this book.

3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, RATING, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2009

REVIEW: Wait Until Twilight by Sang Pak

Tara

Wait Until Twilight
by Sang Pak

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 229
Rating: 3/5
Read: Oct. 19-21, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010
Yearly Count: 56

First Line: The sun sits flat against the blue sky like someone pressed it on there with a giant thumb.

Sixteen-year-old Samuel is looking for the perfect subject for his video project for school. He has heard rumors about these supposed alien triplets in town. With his interest picqued, he heads out to their house to find out what the real story behind the triplets is. Immediately upon seeing these deformed babies, he is physically ill. However, an intense obsession with them begins soon after.

I was contacted directly by the author in regards to receiving a review copy of this book. I was intrigued after reading a brief excerpt, I thought it sounded really interesting. However, I was kind of confused about the book at about the halfway mark. It’s not a bad book at all; in fact Sang Pak has released a wonderfully written debut novel. It was just that the overall story was a little weird in my opinion. But I’d definitely recommend others to read this book.

5/5, Alex Cross, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, RATING, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2009, SERIES

REVIEW: Pop Goes the Weasel by James Patterson

Tara

Pop Goes the Weasel
by James Patterson

Copyright: 1999
Pages: 461
Rating: 5/5
Read: Oct. 14-18, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge ; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 54

First Line: Geoffrey Shafer, dashingly outfitted in a single-breasted blue blazer, white shirt, striped tie, and narrow gray trousers from H. Huntsman & Sons, walked out of his town house at seven-thirty in the morning and climbed into a black Jaguar XJ12.

Alex Cross is back! In this installment of the Cross series, Alex is up against a guy that no one is looking for. Jane Does are being murdered in the Southeast. No one seems to care. No one seems to see a connection. Except for Alex Cross. He cares. He sees a connection with these Jane Does. He spends his off-duty time investigating these murders. But his supervisor pulls him off the case. There are more important cases in his opinion than a case that really doesn’t exist within the department. But when Alex’s fiancee is kidnapped, Alex doesn’t know what to do. As time goes on, he moves on. He dives right back into his work on the Jane Doe murder cases. He dubs the killer “The Weasel”. But when he finally catches up to the Weasel he gets the shock of a lifetime – the Weasel has diplomatic immunity. But instead of invoking his immunity, he waives it in order to try and beat Alex Cross. This puts Alex up against his most interesting character yet.

I just love this series! It is so much better than his Women’s Murder Club books are. This one was a really good installment though. It was full of twists and turns and I loved the character that Patterson created in Shafer aka The Weasel. I personally thought that he was a creepier villain than Gary Sonjei was. As a reader, I really felt Alex’s pain when his fiancee went missing. I really feel a connection with Cross’s character, and I just love his Nana’s character!! I look forward to getting around to the next one in this series to see how Alex’s relationship with Christine continues to develop. I highly recommend this series to anyone, and I felt like this was another strong book in the series.

3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, RATING, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2009

REVIEW: The Godwulf Manuscript by Robert B. Parker

Tara

The Godwulf Manuscript
by Robert B. Parker

Copyright: 1973
Pages: 204
Rating: 3/5
Read: Sept. 28-29, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; 2009 1st in a Series Challenge; 2009 Celebrate the Author Challenge; Random Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 50

First Line: The office of the university president looked like the front parlor of a successful Victorian whorehouse.

Spenser, a private detective, is hired by a local university to find a rare manuscript that has been stolen. But when a body shows up, the cops are ready to throw the book at the dead man’s girlfriend. But Spenser has a feeling that the dead man and the missing manuscript are connected. But when people start to tell Spenser to back off from this case, that only makes him want to solve it even more.

Okay, so this was a weird book. It’s been on my shelf for a little bit and it sounded interesting. But it just wasn’t my thing. First of all, I really didn’t take to Spenser’s character. I mean, I guess he was okay, he had some witty remarks here and there, but overall his character did nothing to endear me. I also felt like the plotline was a little lacking in places. It was just an okay book honestly. I suppose I will eventually read the second in this series, but if it doesn’t improve I probably won’t continue.

AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2008

REVIEW: Swimsuit by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Tara

Swimsuit
by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 391
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: Aug. 9-11, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge
Yearly Count: 41

First Line: I know things I don’t want to know.

On the beautiful beaches of Hawaii a beautiful swimsuit model disappears. Kim McDaniels’ parents immediately fly to Hawaii in order to find their daughter. Ex-cop Ben Hawkins is now a reporter for the L.A. Times. He is given the assigntment of covering the McDaniels disappearance. He starts to get the feeling that this might be the one big story that he’s been searching for. And he also realizes that the local cops just might botch this, so he begins his own investigation. But the killer has a plan in mind. He’s planning his own next move, and it has Ben Hawkins in the middle of it.

This is really a complicated story to try and explain. It is written as a book within a book. Being a pretty big fan of James Patterson, I must say that this one was a slight disappointment for me. First of all, I really did not take to Ben Hawkins’ character one bit. I felt disconnected from him throughout the entire book, and to me that connection with the narrator is a very important part of the whole book experience. Now that’s not to say that I didn’t like the book in general, there were definitely some great parts, but I just didn’t think that it was really up to par in my opinion. I don’t really know what to say about this book if you want the truth. It just really didn’t speak to me much.

Alex Cross, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2009, SERIES

REVIEW: Cat & Mouse by James Patterson

Tara

Cat & Mouse
by James Patterson

Copyright: 1997
Pages: 451
Rating: 5/5
Read: July 25-31, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 38

First Line: The Cross house was twenty paces away and the proximity and sight of it made Gary Soneji’s skin prickle.

Gary Soneji is back! And he’s back with a vengeance and out for Alex Cross’s blood. He waits patiently in Cross’s basement to kill Cross and his family. But instead, he goes on a killing rampage … knowing quite well that Alex will follow him. But what Alex finds out will shake him to the core: Soneji has nothing to lose anymore, he’s dying. That’s why he goes on such a rampage leaving the scenes gruesome. But then the two finally have a face off in the tunnels underneath NYC. Only one can survive. Cross is sure that he sees Soneji die. So when he gets attacked in his own bed he swears that Soneji is back, because he promised Cross that he would get him even if he was to die. That what he had put into motion would outlive Soneji. But while all this is going on, another crazed serial killer is at work, a madman that is known as Mr. Smith is killing randomly in the United States and across Europe. And he’s chosen Alex Cross as a worthy opponent to stop him. And that’s exactly what Alex sets out to do.

Okay, so that probably wasn’t the best description of this book. I enjoyed it, but it was really difficult for me to explain it without giving too many spoilers away. There was really two plot lines going on with both of them loosely weaved in together – see, very difficult to describe! Anyway, as always with James Patterson’s books, it was a fun and quick read. I will say that I do believe that the Alex Cross series is 100% better than the Women’s Murder Club series (which I’m up-to-date on, but burned out on at the same time). With Alex Cross, he just continues to grow and grow as a character as well as his relationship with his friends and family members. I really enjoy this series a lot. Don’t ask me why, but I know that sometimes James Patterson’s books are very formulaic; but he’s one of my favorite authors! I highly recommend this book if you haven’t read it! It’s definitely a page-turning suspenseful thriller not to be missed!