Roses Are Red Abridged

Rating:
Summary: If you work in the banking industry, DON'T BUY THIS BOOK!!
Review: I will say the book grabs your attention right from the start. Several murders of bank employees and their families (kids included) leave you with nightmares until you finish the book. Even then it doesn't satisfy you with the whole "Justice Will Prevail" thing. The real killer never gets caught! Roses Are Red leaves you feeling like there really could be a mastermind out there who COULD get away with the perfect crime. If you enjoy this type of "criminal gets away" story, then by all means buy it. I, for one, will be trying to rid my mind of the images it has created for me.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed!
Review: I have always eagerly anticipated the next Alex Cross book and could hardly wait to get my hands on "Roses Are Red". To be fair I must say that I did find it to be a page turner to the very end. But I felt cheated and deceived by the ending. It was just not up to par. It almost seems as if someone else slapped on the last chapter or Mr. Patterson felt he had to come up with the most surprising ending he could think of to throw us "off the scent". If this was meant to entice us to read the next book I have to say it has had the opposite effect on me. I read because it offers a better stimulation of the mind than TV viewing. This ending seems to better suit a TV movie of the week. Weak. I expected better.

Rating:
Summary: avoid reading if intelligence is an issue
Review: I picked up the book due to the high ratings it got by some reviewers only to be so disappointed by the glaring lack of intelligence in the plot, the writing, and the characters. I cannot begin to imagine how a book such as this could ever be on a best seller list. simply disappointing. Will not consider reading for the author again.

Rating:
Summary: Roses Are Red
Review: This was an excellent read, wonderful mystery and exhilirating climax..James Patterson has really outdone himself. I am waiting on the next book. Please Mr. Patterson hurry up and complete the next

Rating:
Summary: Puzzling in more ways than one
Review: This book has all the trappings of an Alex Cross thriller -- violent crime spree, Alex Cross and John Sampson on the case, Cross and Sampson butting heads with the FBI, Cross sidetracked by some personal angst. I'm afraid the story just didn't do much for me, though, because it simply never came together in the usual Patterson fashion. I thought the violence was a bit overblown and, frankly, somewhat gratuitous. There was no discernible reason for the teensy 2- and 3-page chapters, either. In short, a criminal calling himself the Mastermind is robbing banks, taking bank employees' families hostage, and indiscriminately killing some of them. The identity of the Mastermind is not revealed until the last sentence, so there is no resolution nor justice meted out. Apparently, that will come in the next book, for which this one was a marketing tool. I expected better.

Rating:
Summary: Cheap Shot
Review: The conclusion is of the genre sometimes termed "cheap shot." Beyond the fact that it has no merit, it is patently contrived to provide a jumping off for the next chapter in this unending series. Janet Reno and her successor would be thrilled to learn that their title has been changed to "Secretary of Justice." Did no editor review the MS? There are numerous similar errors, should one chose to be picky. But the fact remains that such anomalies tend to disrupt the flow for the reader, and demonstrate a lack of respect by the author for his audience. I shall not come this way again.

Rating:
Summary: A Real Page Turner
Review: From the first page to the last I couldn't put it down. James Patterson has out-done himself this time, and left room for the Mastermind to return and thrill us more. If you want a good read that will really keep you on your toes this is it.

Rating:
Summary: Out of Breath
Review: Having read several other reviews I guess I am in the minority - I loved this book. Its pace reminded me of Along Came A Spider, one of my personal favorites. I think his short chapters and short sentences work well - cut to the heart of the matter with no frills. Each chapter tantalizes you to read more. In Roses are Red Alex Cross is beset by personal crises as he tries to unravel his latest case matching wits with the Mastermind. We get more insight to the personal side of Alex Cross as his heart is broken, yet he continues to be driven by his profession no matter the cost. Paired with a new female FBI agent, Alex and Betsey, who strives for perfection, pull out all the stops to catch this Mastermind who is behind bank and insurance robberies with resulting senseless murders. The story heads up and down the I95 corridor at a frantic pace via train, plane and automobile. Once the leads pay off, the action accelerates for his/her capture. Throughout all of this Alex, the noted criminal psychologist, can't get a defining picture of the adversary nor a feeling of whom they are after and why. He does realize finally the Mastermind is after him as well. In a totally shocking ending the Mastermind is revealed; however we are left with no other motive for the crimes than power and insane jealousy. I'm still trying to decide what the title actually stands for - love, bloodshed, traitor! Perhaps the next Patterson novel will shed, not more blood, but light on this. Keep writing James. I'm waiting!

Rating:
Summary: WOW
Review: Just finished reading "Roses Are Red"! Awesome! The ending totally surprised me. The Mastermind wasn't who I expected him to be! When's the next book coming out???? Can't wait that long....

Rating:
Summary: The Best So Far!
Review: I found this book to be riviting...especially at the end. I must say...the end took me totally by surprise!