Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A great read!
Fans of the James Patterson's "Alex Cross" series will absolutely love "Roses Are Red"! The novel is steeped in suspense with plenty of human emotion thrown in. All of the familiar characters are present and true to form. I disagree with the Amazon reviewers who criticize the book's ending and predictability. There are more than a few twists and turns throughout the book and, the ones that you do figure out ahead of time make the book no less entertaining. "Roses Are Red" ranks with Patterson's earlier Alex Cross books, "Along Came a Spider" and "Kiss the Girls". He does a great job getting the reader quickly involved in the story. Try if you must, but you can't help but get caught up in Cross' pain and suffering as he tries to cope with the changes in his personal life, while trying to track down a killer who's aptly named the "Mastermind". Patterson's style of writing short chapters make this a whirlwind of a read. Rarely, do I find books that I literally "can't put down", but there's no question that "Roses.." fits that category. If you're new to the series, I would recommend that you start with "Along Came a Spider", but even if you do start with "Roses..." you'll find it a terrific "stand-alone" read. I can't wait for the next installment, "Violets Are Blue"!
Rating: - Crisp, Short, Chapters Full of Suspense
What a book! James Patterson is one of my favorite authors, and I have not read a bad book by him. Some are not up to par with his better books, Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider, but how can anyone top those two? Roses are Red comes close, however.Alex Cross, our favorite detective-hero has his heart broken, fixed, and only to be broken once more. And to complicate matters he is involved in a horrid manhunt for a man called the Mastermind. Patterson has created some fairly creepy characters, Gary Soneji, Casanova, Mr. Smith, The Weasel, all smart pyschopaths who were in the end outwitted by Alex Cross. But the Mastermind tops them all with his sheer brilliance. Cross finds himself three steps behind and when he thinks he's gotten somewhere, the next chapter reveals stunning new information to prove otherwise. Don't bother trying to figure out who the Mastermind is; that's impossible. But I will let you in on a little secret, any Patterson loyalist or a Patterson reader of the first time will be absolutely tounge-tied when they read the last sentence. I know I was.
Rating:  - Fan? NOT
Let me first admit that I have not been a James Patterson fan in the past and don't know Alex Cross from previous novels. That said, I was looking forward to becoming a fan as I am an avid fan of the genre. Bolstered by the best seller status and psychological cop thriller format I purchased this book with high hopes. Oh, how I wished I had read reader reviews before spending my money. I will surely do so in the future. I felt that the character development in the book was sloppy. No one became real to me. The reference to Christine's previous nemisis was insufficiently developed as a red herring clue. It was simply dropped into the story for the readers of Pop Goes the Weasel leaving new readers wondering what was going on. The previous nemisis should either have been developed as a legitimate red herring or eliminated in favor of real clues that could contribute to the story. I have never encountered such a poorly constructed mystery and been presented such an implausible ending from such an accomplished author. On the bright side, the action was fast and the story gripping until the disappointing ending. It felt like the author had reached his word count and then just ended the story with a manufactured surprise ending. Like one previous reviewer, this novel's ending angered me and I feel it is in insult to the intelligence of Patterson's readers. I doubt that I will ever buy another James Patterson.
|
