Pop Goes the Weasel/Unabridge

Rating:
Summary: A book you will not be able to put down!
Review: I am an avid mystery reader. This book is by far the best murder mystery yet. Mr. Patterson keeps you intrigued and guessing right up until the end. I found myself rooting for the hero Alex Cross and trying to give him my own personal direction. The character development is superb, you begin to feel as though you are interacting with the characters. Be prepared to shelve all other activites until finished.

Rating:
Summary: Alex needs more ?
Review: When I first discovered that James Patterson had written a new book I broke my neck to get it. After reading it though I find that it really wasn't worth me killing myself over it. Mr Patterson keep me enthralled with Kiss the Girls. "Pop goes the Weasel" makes me want to do exactly that POP! There is no depth or understanding to Alex's character, and Christine seems to get only passing mention in reference to thier relationship. If you want to make a movie out of this one you'll have to have stronger actors in order for the movie to carry it's weight. Might I suggest Laurence Fishburne or Ving Rhimes!

Rating:
Summary: I missed Alex Cross
Review: Thank Goodness! Patterson is getting back to his roots and writing about my two favorite detectives from Washington - Alex Cross and John Sampson. "When the Wind Blows" - just plain boring. The new book "Pop Goes the Weasel", is well received. Alex Cross is back and just in time for the holidays. Now, this book is not the best of that Patterson/Alex Cross mysteries but it holds its own. There is a short part of the book - that makes you want to take five, but overall it is that quick fix of fiction that you will not get reading the monthly Oprah Winfrey pick.....

Rating:
Summary: Thin, very thin.
Review: I received this book as a Christmas present and don't have the heart to tell the person who gave it to me how bad it really is. I'm disappointed with this book because: 1. Patterson delights in using graphic detail to compensate for his lack of literary style; 2. The plot is superficial and the character development is virtually nonexistent; 3. When an author writes very short chapters, it often means that they cannot provide any depth of detail...a case in point in this instance; and finally: 4. How many times can a writer overuse a theme before they're found guilty of a complete lack of imagination?

Rating:
Summary: loved it
Review: loved it,I can't wait for more!

Rating:
Summary: Hey, what the...........!
Review: What happened here? I thought my memory had failed me completely when I started this book. Having read 'Cat and Mouse' I settled down to enjoy finding out what happened to Alex's new lady love, and whether he would find some well deserved happiness outside of Nana Mama and those beautiful kids of his. However, everything was just as it was before the cliffhanger ending. Was I reading these books in any kind of chronological order here? I just loved 'Along came a Spider' and think it's Patterson's pinnacle as a writer. 'Cat and Mouse' was a worthy successor, and tied in all the loose ends nicely. Now I was floundering in mid-air again, feeling somewhat cheated. I carried on reading, and put the past behind me, when about halfway through the book suddenly reverted back to the same point AGAIN. Cheap trick, as we now seem to have wasted time reading up to the point we thought we had already reached. Half a books worth of time in fact. Now don't get me wrong, I can handle time jumps - I've seen Pulp Fiction and loved it. But this is a rip off in the context of this continuing series. I'm not unfamiliar with the concept of suspended disbelief for a book or movie - that was my way of coping with the ludicrous notion that was 'When the wind blows'. To have any chance to enjoy the story you just HAD to go along for the ride and think 'yeah, what if'...... Unhappily that couldn't be done with Pop goes the weasel, and I felt my enthusiasm waning. After this moot point very little mention was made of Christine, and you were left wondering how she could possibly survive without being in a fairy tale. And the filler all the while were the antics of the new antiChrist evil guy, and his creepy team of old buddies. These were merely incidents, not fleshed out well enough to sustain the necessary psycho/serial killer phobia that one thrives on in a book worthy of the title 'Thriller'. I don't want to blurt out too much of the whole deal, but the ending was very hard to take, reminiscent of the little girl in 'Along came a Spider' but way more exaggerated. To express my heartfelt letdown-ness I'd have to say that it was easier to believe in the ending of 'Hannibal', and that was over the top enough! How sad, I wanted to like it a lot, and I really hope more time is taken on your next Alex Cross instalment, Mr. Patterson. Do all the sidelines you need to, because 'When the Wind Blows' wasn't a bad entry into the world of Science fantasy, and I'm sure you've got a million more stories up your sleeve and in your head. But please don't do anything less than a great job of this continuing story, it still has way too much potential. Cross and Sampson are the heroes I believe in the most out of all those I've come across in crime fiction, and as previously mentioned in these reviews, the interaction of Alex with his family is always a delight. Let them have a life not so much under threat, I live in fear of losing any of them.

Rating:
Summary: Great hopes, - greatly disappointed.
Review: I was very excited to read about another Alex Cross adventure. From the beginning of this tale I was dismayed at the formula writing about the characters who had been developed so well in previous adventures. Then, to add to my disappointment, every time the story line seemed to sag, the author tossed in a far-fetched twist. Alex Cross had been such a strong character with viable and well researched story lines in the past. This book read more like a Nancy Drew mystery novel with a few bizarre red herrings. The storyline was strong enough to make into a memorable novel. I hope the author continues with more Alex Cross stories without cheating himself, his readers, and Alex Cross with another slip-shod attempt like this one. I'd recommend it to readers who have nothing else to read on a rainy day and had to borrow a loaner book. Not a keeper for a library collection.

Rating:
Summary: Page turner in a different sense
Review: This was interesting and readable, a page turner in the sense you were curious how it would resolve,not a "suspense" novel. It was rather predictable, not as exciting as previous Patterson books.

Rating:
Summary: More garbage.......
Review: Fool me once......Pop Goes the Weasel only confirmed what I suspected after finishing When the Wind Blows. Patterson is written out. Either that or he is subcontracting out his books. Never again for this reader. This makes two hardcovers I want my money back on. Pure drivel. I just finished Micheal Connelly's new book "Void Moon". If your want to read a truly great book, pick that one up. You will feel your money was well spent.

Rating:
Summary: pop goes the Weasel
Review: My favorite author failed his fans this time. Too much fluff and not enough plot.