Rating: 
Summary: What a disappointment
Review: Alex Cross has been one of my favorite fictional cops since Along Came a Spider. That is the only reason for 0ne star. I was excited about reading the latest installment in the series... I should have read something else. This book was a huge disappointment. Alex Cross is named well because he has one cross to bear after another. He is struck by one personal tragedy after another. The sub-plot involving his children had no relationship to the story at all. Does Patterson have children? If he does I'd like to meet them. These children were totally unbelievable and alarmingly perfect! The plot involving the "Mastermind" was non-existent. One murder after another committed with no insight into the Mastermind's reasoning or ultimate plan. The final revelation left my jaw hanging. An obvious set-up to a sequel, I just wanted to throw the book at the wall. I had already purchased 1st To Die, before I read this. I hope I am not disappointed again, because that will be the end of my reading Patterson.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Patterson's Best
Review: I have been a fan of James Patterson's "Alex Cross" novels since Along Came a Spider and I usually enjoy them. This book, however, was a little disapointing. There are several large red herrings as to who the criminal known as the Mastermind really is and Patterson throws the reader a bone and shows who the Mastermind is in the next to last sentence of the book. Of course, the criminal is still at large and James Patterson will probably get a fat advance for the next book.Another bother is the love life of Alex Cross. So far, two of his women have died, one was a criminal and two were victims of the men Cross was after. I may have missed a couple too. Does anyone REALLY have that much bad luck with women?
Rating: 
Summary: Cross is Back With a Vengeance!
Review: This is the latest book in Patterson's Alex Cross series, and it follows the same pattern as the other books in the series--short chapters and constant switching from Alex's first-person narrative to a third-person view inside the head of "The Mastermind", the criminal responsible for planning a series of brutal bank robberies. As the book opens, Alex Cross, along with the FBI, is investigating a series of bank robberies where the victims are killed, along with their families, if the robbers' instructions are not followed PRECISELY. The pace of the action never slows, from the first to the final pages, and the reader can't help but feel sorry for Alex Cross as he tries to track down the killers, all the while dealing with two separate personal crises. He continues to slog on through it all, chasing down one false lead after another. Patterson is in fine form, with one incredible plot twist following another. Perhaps the most thrilling moment comes when Cross and "The Mastermind" come face to face, only Cross is completely unaware of it. My biggest problem with the book is Patterson's failure to resolve the situation at the end, but that has been his style with most of his Alex Cross novels, and I guess it's his way of making sure you buy his next book! Please note: If you are one of those readers who likes to flip to the back page of a book and read it first, DON'T DO IT! It will spoil the whole book!
Rating:
Summary: Pass the Chianti, you're not getting away before I do.
Review: ROSES ARE RED is the first book by James Patterson I've read. Based on the status he enjoys as a best selling author, I can only assume this particular effort is not indicative of the usual quality of his works. However, I am hesitant to try another even though a sequel to this one is unavoidable. To my good fortune, I will not feel a sense of incompletion if I do not read it since curt character descriptives, abbreviated sentence structure, implausible storyline and general lack of positive emotional engagement left me not caring what happens. The presentation of Alex Cross and his "Stepford children" was at first laughable, and later infuriating. I came to expect his daughter Jannie, who I visualized as some sort of mocca-complexioned reincarnation of Shirley Temple to hop off the operating table and break out into tap accompanied by great grandmother/Nana, spouting pearls of African American wisdom, while older brother Damon (think Webster) takes up the collection. Mr. Patterson infers Alex Cross bears a strong resemblance to Muhammad Ali but he choses to write him like one of the Wayans' "Brothers Brothers" characters from "In Living Color." After reading some of the other reviews, repeating many of the criticisms of the main storyline is unnecessary. I realize nothing mentioned here will influence Patterson fans in the least. However, for those searching for a quality work of fiction in the detective/thriller/mystery genre by an author you have not sampled before, skip this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not that great
Review: Lame. Patterson's other works are much better. This seemed rushed, full of holes. The Amtrak scene was terrible. The author should have taken Amtrak so he would know what he was writing about. I was disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Off Key
Review: Alex Cross continues to play his piano at night but James Patterson is off key with this sixth edition of the adventures of Det. Cross. I have dearly loved the Alex Cross series. Each book has stood on its own and resolved its plot line logically and had closure. This book has neither. The ending is off the wall. I felt violated as a reader that there were no clues leading to this unbelieveable conclusion. There is no closure. The reader is just left hanging for the sequel which hopefully will explain this pitiful ending. Paterson has broken his trust with his readership. The story doesn't stand alone. If one hasn't read Pop Goes the Weasal, then he is in the dark. If he has read Kiss the Girls, then the ending is a real sucker punch to the intellect. Alex Cros was like the melodies he plays on his piano, classics. This one is just plain off key. I've lost a lot of respect for Mr. Patterson. I thought he wrote for reasons other than commercial success. Obviously, I am mistaken. Don't waste you time on this book. His editors didn't do him any favors either by letting him get away with such a weak effort.
Rating:
Summary: fun to read
Review: I can honestly say that this was a fun book to read. There was little socially redeeming qualities, and character development was not an issue. This was just fun to read on a rainy weekend. I look forward to his latest, which I just purchased.
Rating: 
Summary: Patterson at his best.
Review: I read this book straight through in one sitting. I absolutely could not wait to find out who "The Mastermind" was. And what a shock! Patterson has thrown all us Cross fans a curve with this one. I will be snatching up the next Cross installment as soon as it is printed.
Rating:
Summary: !!!!!!!!!
Review: This was the most unexpected and traumatic ending ever!I Sure hope the sequel comes out soon! It was criminal to leave us readers like that!
Rating:
Summary: DO NOT read the last page first!
Review: If you read the last page first you will spend the whole book looking for the clues to the identity of the archvillain - and there aren't any!! If Patterson keeps going like this, someday he'll write a book where his grandmother turns out to be a killer! I assumed his next book would be the sequel, but it turns out to be about an entirely different character. Maybe Patterson painted himself into a corner by finishing off Roses are Red in a hurry with the surprise identification of the villain - and now can't figure out a plausible back story for the character so he can write the next book! Regardless of the stupid ending, I give it three stars because I actually DO like reading about Alex Cross and his rather snakebit life, and it was a fun and easy read (got through it in about four hours). Maybe I'm being charitable because I didn't buy it - got it at the library.
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