Rating: 
Summary: Thank goodness I did not pay for this book!
Review: What has happened to James Patterson? The PR, on this book, professed that it was going to be the best Alex Cross story, yet. ....it wasn't! I guess it serves me right for paying attention to PR! I didn't understand why the inclusion of the custody suit was handled the way it was...was this supposed to satisfy readers who want more of the detective's personal life included in the story? The ending is one of Mr. Patterson's well known tricks for supposedly making you want to buy his next book....I won't even borrow that one, the way I did this one. James Patterson is capable of writing really well....I wish he would try doing it, again. (Alone, without a co-author!)
Rating: 
Summary: Fast paced and intriguing, open ended tale.........
Review: Big Bad Wolf brings to life a horrible bad guy with enough money and enough connections to make just about anything happen. When Alex Cross joins the FBI he hopes to be home with his family more, but you and I know that this is not going to happen. When innocent women disappear in the middle of the day and no ransom is demanded and no bodies appear, the FBI calls on new member Alex Cross to assist in deciphering the events and locating the unbelievable mastermind behind these kidnappings. Cross's personal life takes an unexpected twist when his former girlfriend Christine, shows up to see their young son. This was a typical Patterson novel, fast paced, intriguing with Alex Cross's home life as a foggy backdrop to his criminal investigations. As so often occurs with Patterson novels, the ending is a bit fuzzy, leaning towards a sequel. For those who seek a final resolution to their stories this may not work. For those drawn to the tales of James Patterson this one is one of his better ones in a while.
Rating:
Summary: A great read!
Review: A great read! I truly enjoyed reading this It's a rarity these days to find an author capable of such good storytelling. The story is well written and very engaging, and despite the fact that it lost some momentum in the middle, I found myself eagerly turning pages to find out what would happen next. All in all, though this is not quite a perfect novel, it comes close.
Rating:
Summary: Phoned In
Review: Patterson has thrown any attempt at character development, descriptive imagery, or even comprehensible narrative segues out the window in his haste to get from "action scene" to "action scene"; BBW reads more like a hastily-written screenplay than a novel. The books in this series have never been masterpieces from a purely literary standpoint, but it didn't matter because Patterson was a great storyteller; now it seems that that's fallen by the wayside as well. The split perspective and false endings are wearing thin, there are minor inexplicable plot threads appearing from and disappearing back into the ether, and the glut of false trails, haphazard and seemingly random conclusions, and superfluous characters makes the book seem disjointed and crowded, not more suspenseful or interesting. Also, Cross isn't really doing any detective or forensic work; what leads or breaks he gets are from people who are willing to talk, which is really what makes me wonder if Patterson is getting lazy, bored, or both. I want the old Alex Cross books back, the ones that took longer to write than to research; BBW was a real disappointment.
Rating: 
Summary: Alex Cross is Back, Hooray!
Review: After long last Alex Cross has joined the FBI. He's in training in Quantico when he's pulled out of class. A mob boss has been murdered and in different parts of the country men and women are being kidnapped in broad daylight, never to heard from again. To add insult to injury, Elizabeth Connolly, a Claudia Schiffer look-alike, has been taken from the parking lot of an Atlanta mall. She isn't just your average good looking nobody, her husband is a judge. A couple teenager saw the Connolly kidnapping and were able to tell the FBI that she was taken by a team, the first clue. The a fourteen child computer genius stumbles across an online chat room and finds men bartering to buy beautiful people to fulfill their fantasies. Clue number two and it's a big one. Meanwhile, the Russian mobster known is the Wolf, who is behind the kidnappings, is hiding in plane sight. Other than that chat room, everything Alex and the FBI know about him is based on rumor. He's fearless, Russian, wants to take over the crime families in the United States, walked into a maximum security prison and killed a Mafia don, is into everything from extortion, weapon sales, drugs and murder. Rumor maybe, but they know he's real. There are plenty of twists and turns in this book and enough red herrings to keep you guessing till the last page. Just when you think you have a handle on what's going on, you find out you don't. My advice is that you can't go wrong with this book, however the ending was a little tricky and maybe just a tiny bit unfair. I suppose there was just one too many red herrings for my money and maybe Mr. Patterson could have given us just one tiny clue that led who the Wolf really was to hang our suspicions on. Still you can't go wrong with this book. It's got Alex Cross in it, after all. Reviewed by Stephanie Sane
Rating:
Summary: What's happened, James?
Review: I have to agree with those who started with the first Cross story. Patterson gives us nothing new as to who Cross is. He has been robotic in the last novels. The "split" novel of Roses and Violets seems to repeat itself here with an unsolved crime and a bad guy on the loose..... to be continued. Ican only give it one star because its a Cross novel but very little else. I'd rather he abandon the character than toture him to death with these less than honest efforts. Robert PArker has kspt Spencer fresh and entertaining a lot longer than Cross has been around.
Rating:
Summary: Same book different title
Review: James Pattersons' Alex Cross books were good for the first 3 or 4 volumes in the series. Now, they all feel the same and they are really very shallow as far as the depth of character or plot development. Very little substance, but I suppose that's all they are supposed to be. Oh well....
Rating:
Summary: Big Bad Russian
Review: James Patterson continues the Alex Cross saga in this thriller. I think Patterson does a great job of drawing the reader into the mysterious and frightening world of the Red Mafia, which I hope he'll discuss in more detail in the next book. I couldn't help but feel, though, that he failed to "connect the dots" and provide adequate transitions between parts of the storyline - especially towards the end. It's almost as if certain chapters were deliberately inserted to fill unintended gaps. Overall however, the novel holds true. It's a fine example of Patterson's work, which is unquestionably amongst the best of our day.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice comeback after lousy VIOLETS ARE BLUE is right!
Review: I totally agree with Sebastian Fernandez' review below. It was great to read Alex Cross again and Patterson leaves you wanting more and disappointed that we will most likely have to wait another year (or more). I did miss Sampson, who was barely mentioned, and I fear will get boring now that he's married.
I think Alex needs to move to San Francisco! Thorougly enjoyed this book.
Rating:
Summary: BIG BAD BOOK
Review: This is the last book i will read from James Patterson .I was glad the book was on loan and i didn't have to pay .Don't waste your time with the latest addition of Alex Cross.If you like a book that starts half a page down or ends at half a page up than this is the book for you and i alsolike the way Patterson doesnt finish the book,this way you can buy the next unfinished book he writes .
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