Hardcover Books - Page 4

Kiss the Girls

James Patterson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 346 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Over the top 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

As is the case in nearly all James Patterson's novels, the villains are over the top here--geniuses, handsome devils, phi beta kappas--and the crimes they commit over years are well beyond belief. There are no crimes in real life to compare with those in this book or in other Alex Cross novels. Not even Jeffrey Dahmer or Jack the Ripper could compete with Casanova and his sidekick, The Gentleman Caller.

And Alex Cross, the psychologist police detective, is perhaps just a little too good in places and a bit naive, even blind, in others. Coupled with his character flaws are more serious plot flaws. Casanova has captured a good many women and is holding them in a cellar at a remote rural area. He parks his car some distance away and visits regularly to have his way with them. But when Cross goes looking there, he finds no path, and there surely must have been one with all the foot traffic in and out. Another flaw: Casanova gets some nasty karate kicks when he captures one victim, bone crushing kicks to the face, as they are characterized. Would there not have been clear signs of his injuries next day when he resumes his public persona? Didn't anyone notice that his nose was purple and bent sideways? It seems to me that the laws of physics apply in fiction, the same as in real life. There are other flaws as well, but two will suffice here. Certainly there are many readers who like crime fiction that goes far beyond reality, but for me it just gets funny, rather than scary, when the laws of nature are abrogated.

I have to add one observation with respect to this book and other Alex Cross novels: it is very dangerous for any woman to become closely involved with our hero. Such women get shot, raped, cut, traumatized for life, kidnapped, tortured, electrocuted, etc. Cross's love affairs are not to be envied, despite the fact that he keeps meeting gorgeous and willing females. Perhaps he should consider celibacy for the sake of society.

Editorial Review:

As two serial killers terrorize different regions of America, the FBI begins to suspect that the two are competing with each other, and Washington, D.C., police detective Alex Cross embarks on a personal quest to find the perpetrators. 275,000 first printing. $250,000 ad/promo. BOMC Main.

Violets Are Blue ~ Detective Alex Cross Series

James Patterson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 331 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Fans of James Patterson's resourceful cop Alex Cross will be relieved to find that he's back on familiar territory with Violets Are Blue--and, more importantly, that this is one of the best Alex Cross thrillers yet.

The malign criminal genius of Roses Are Red is fixing to give Alex a hard time once again. The FBI joins Patterson's dogged cop in a particularly unsettling investigation: two San Francisco joggers have been viciously murdered and are found suspended by their feet, with all the blood drained from their corpses. And when further brutal deaths follow in California and on the East Coast, Alex is forced to contemplate the bizarre possibility of modern-day vampires, although his instincts point him to one of the many sinister religious cults that flourish on the West Coast. Aided by Jamilla Hughes, a streetwise young woman detective from San Francisco, Alex finds that he has to crack not one but two impenetrable mysteries to stop further bloodletting.

Patterson fans expect the extremely concise, page-turning chapters (116 of them here!), along with a reluctance to dawdle over details of his hero's personal life, and both characteristics are firmly back in place. If you can resist reading this one in just a few sittings, you deserve some kind of a thriller reader's medal. --Barry Forshaw, Amazon.co.uk

2nd Chance

James Patterson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 258 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

2nd Chance reconvenes the Women's Murder Club, four friends (a detective, a reporter, an assistant district attorney, and a medical examiner) who used their networking skills, feminine intuition, and professional wiles to solve a baffling series of murders in 1st to Die. This time, the murders of two African Americans, a little girl and an old woman, bear all the signs of a serial killer for Lindsay Boxer, newly promoted to lieutenant of San Francisco's homicide squad. But there's an odd detail she finds even more disturbing: both victims were related to city cops. A symbol glimpsed at both murder scenes leads to a racist hate group, but the taunting killer strikes again and again, leaving deliberate clues and eluding the police ever more cleverly. In the meantime, each of the women has a personal stake at risk--and the killer knows who they are.

2nd Chance speeds along at a Formula One pace through many tight curves, but unlike recent entries in the Alex Cross series, it doesn't sacrifice good characters to a twisted plot. Lindsay's the star, but there's a fine esprit de corps among the four women, who are even better developed here than in the first book. What makes them both convincing and interesting as a criminal-justice juggernaut is their willingness to stick their necks out, even if they suffer for it. If you haven't picked up a James Patterson novel in a while, this is a great time to start anew. --Barrie Trinkle

Pop Goes the Weasel (Alex Cross)

James Patterson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 362 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Likened to a "young Muhammad Ali," Alex Cross, the Porsche-driving profiler, doctor, detective, and father of two has seen his fair share of vicious killers. From a bloodthirsty butcher who came after his family (Cat and Mouse) to a devilish duo working cross-country (Kiss the Girls), Cross has managed to outmaneuver all of his enemies. Until he meets the Weasel.

A series of killings in the forgotten, crime-infested ghettos of southeast D.C. has sent Cross and his 6'9" 250-pound partner, John Sampson, in search of the "Jane Doe" killer. However, their racist, tyrannical boss George Pitman orders them to stay out of the southeast and investigate the high-profile murder of a wealthy white man. Cross already has suspicions that the murders are linked, but when Sampson's ex turns up in an abandoned southeast warehouse kicked to death, the two detectives carry on with their original investigation. Meanwhile, Cross's longtime love, Christine (Cat and Mouse), has taken prominence in his life, and it looks as if the two will finally get hitched--with one glitch: Cross puts everything he loves in jeopardy as he obsessively goes after the Weasel.

Akin to a slick Hollywood action flick, Pop Goes the Weasel doesn't have time for meaningful character development or thoughtful moral analysis. And it doesn't need to. Its winning formula is based on short scenes (chapters average about 3 pages), addictive plot progression, and mean dialogue: "Sampson sighed and said, 'I think her tongue is stapled inside the other girl. I'm pretty sure that's it, Alex. The Weasel stapled them together.' I looked at the two girls and shook my head. 'I don't think so. A staple, even a surgical one, would come apart on the tongue's surface.... Crazy glue would work." --Rebekah Warren

Four Blind Mice (Alex Cross)

James Patterson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 240 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Repetitive & Over Familar 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

James Patterson's "Four Blind Mice" is yet another Alex Cross novel that is only 383 pages and you can read it in a couple of hours...And like all the Alex Cross novels it contains the same formula that have made up the foundation of all the other ones. "Four Blind Mice" is neither the best Cross novel nor the worst. It's an entertaining read, but I've read all but three Cross novels now (Violets Are Blue, Double Cross, & The Big Bad Wolf in case you're interested). Am I the only one who thinks that these novels are getting a bit repetitive? I mean, yeah, they're entertaining enough for me to give it 4-stars...But every Cross book has the same plot line. Cross has to catch a killer, neglects his children regretfully, searches for the killer, almost finds the killer, killer finds him, Cross gets laid, Cross catches the killer, Cross realizes that the whole puzzle hasn't been put together, and Cross goes back to put the rest of it together. That's not to say Patterson's novels aren't worth reading; if you have nothing to do, they're a good way of passing the time. I'm giving "Four Blind Mice" 4 stars because it was entertaining and vastly superior to the three-star "Cat & Mouse," but it's still weak. I wish Patterson would come up with an original plot...The Cross novels are terrific for the first two or three books, but now they're kind of old...

GRADE: B-

Editorial Review:

In this latest thriller from perennial bestselling author James Patterson, Washington cop Alex Cross gets involved in his partner's effort to save the life of an old Army buddy who's facing execution for a horrendous and inexplicable murder spree in North Carolina. The Army's evidence against Sergeant Ellis Cooper, a decorated Vietnam vet, is overwhelming, which isn't surprising since it's all been planted by a quartet of killers whose reason for framing the erstwhile hero isn't revealed until long after they are. The big secret is who set the murderers loose, and in true cliffhanger fashion, Patterson keeps it under wraps until the very end. Meanwhile, his usual blend of action, violence, fast pacing and uninspired-though-serviceable prose prevail, and will probably do so all the way to the top of the bestseller lists. --Jane Adams

The Beach House

James Patterson, Peter De Jonge

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 261 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

James Patterson and Peter de Jonge's The Beach House opens with the death of a handsome townie on Memorial Day weekend in the Hamptons, where being a single-digit millionaire is laughable and being poor is unthinkable. Peter Mullen is a high school dropout who parks cars at the private bashes of the superwealthy Barry and Campion Neubauer. When Peter is found dead on the beach, the Neubauers and their friends insist that he drowned, but his brother Jack, a law student who saw Peter's body, knows he was beaten to death. As Jack uncovers evidence of his brother's secret life, he begins to realize that the very rich are indeed different from the rest of us. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and Jack's patiently plotted payback for Peter's death is one that the Hamptons will not soon forget.

There are no big surprises in The Beach House, but it's vintage Patterson, with plenty of action, villains with hearts blacker than obsidian, and a working-class hero who pulls himself up by the bootstraps. Patterson and de Jonge previously coauthored the inspirational golf romance Miracle on the 17th Green, but this new game of money, mayhem, and murder clearly suits them to a tee. --Barrie Trinkle

Thriller: Stories To Keep You Up All Night: James Penney's New Identity\Operation Northwoods\Epitaph\The Face In The Window\Empathy

James Patterson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 40 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Thrilled to have this one available 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

There are a few reasons you should read this book. First, it is likely you will get a taste of the writings of authors you otherwise would not have ever tried.
Second, there are variations here on what defines a "thriller." Don't be prejudiced by your own definition of the term -- read these with an open mind to possibilities.
Third, if your life is as hectic as mine, it is great to be able to dip in for 20 or 30 minutes and enjoying a complete quality story; there are many of them in this collection.
Finally, many reviewers here write about how the collection was weak except for... and then they name the few stories they think were best. Peruse the reviews and you will see they are not all the same few stories... all in all, most of the stories were enjoyed by someone here! Which is to say that the lower ratings are because of TASTE, not QUALITY. Enjoy the breadth, indulge in your favorites, and don't be deterred by the selective ratings of the reviewers here.
A quality anthology -- can't wait for Vol 2!!

Editorial Review:

Be prepared to be thrilled as you've never been before

Featuring North America's foremost thriller authors, Thriller is the first collection of pure thriller stories ever published. Offering up heart-pumping tales of suspense in all its guises are thirty-two of the most critically acclaimed and award-winning names in the business. From the signature characters that made such authors as David Morrell and John Lescroart famous to four of the hottest new voices in the genre, this blockbuster will tantalize and terrify.

Lock the doors, draw the shades, pull up the covers and be prepared for Thriller to keep you up all night.

The Big Bad Wolf

James Patterson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 276 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Well after reading the previous books in this series and really not liking Four Blind Mice, I have to said this book probably ranked just above that one. Even though the book was a quick read, I don't really understand what's going on. The book takes you from NY, to DC, to FL, to TX, to CO then back to DC. I felt that Alex would eventually connect with "The Wolf" only he never did. I didn't like how the book ended with Christine and Little Alex or with the Wolf. Other than the ending, I have to say the book was a quick read, I still love all the same characters. I hope that John Sampson joins the FBI with Alex, that would make for some interesting writing. All in all the book wasn't totally bad, but really not one of my favorites that in a year I'll remember reading.

Editorial Review:

Alex Cross' family is in terrible danger-at the same time that his new job with the FBI brings him the scariest case of his career.A team of kidnappers has been snatching successful, upstanding men and women right before their families' eyes-possibly to sell them into slavery.Alex's knowledge of the D.C. streets, together with his unique insights into criminal psychology, make this mindbending case one that only he can solve-if he can just get his colleagues to set aside their staid and outdated methods.With unexpected twists and whiplash surprises, this is another brilliantly irresistible novel from America's bestselling suspense writer.

3rd Degree

James Patterson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

One of James Patterson's best loved heroines is about to die. Detective Lindsay Boxer is jogging along a beautiful San Francisco street when a fiery explosion rips through the neighborhood. A town house owned by an Internet millionaire is immediately engulfed in flames, and when Lindsay plunges inside to search for survivors, she finds three people dead. An infant who lived in the house cannot be found - and a mysterious message at the scene leaves Lindsay and the San Francisco Police Department completely baffled. Then a prominent businessman is found murdered under bizarre circumstances, with another mysterious message left behind by the killer. Lindsay asks her friends Claire Washburn of the medical examiner's office, Assistant D.A. Jill Bernhardt, and Chronicle reporter Cindy Thomas to help her figure out who is committing these murders-and why they are intent on killing someone every three days. Even more terrifying, the killer has targeted one of the four friends who call themselves the Women's Murder Club. Which one will it be? While the investigation rages furiously, Lindsay works very closely with a federal officer assigned to the case. At the same time, she learns that one member of the Women's Murder Club is hiding a secret so dangerous and unbelievable that it could destroy them all.

The Season of the Machete

James Patterson

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