Roses Are Red Abridged

Rating:
Summary: Cross your fingers...
Review: I really enjoy James Patterson and could hardly wait to get my copy of Roses Are Red in the mail. Roses Are Red is worth the 2-3 days it will take you to read it. It reads very quickly, and you probably won't want to put the book down. This isn't the best Alex Cross story, and even though The Mastermind is evil, he is no Gary Sonji. As a bonus,I like the way The Weasel was mentioned a few times in this book...exciting things to come from this I'm sure.

Unlike some reviews of the book, I enjoyed reading how Cross reacts to the tough situations he is faced with concerning his family.

I really wanted to give this book 5 stars, but I couldn't because I saw the ending coming. Unfortunately, it wasn't such a huge surprise to me. But it is still a good ending. Overall, I thought the book was pretty good, and I sat there thinking that I really want Dr. Alex Cross to be happy, whatever that means for him.

So, Cross your fingers and read like mad!

Rating:
Summary: Not Much Effort
Review: Patterson's latest book, ROSES ARE RED, is a huge disappointment to me. It falls far short of his previous books. Very little character development, very little plot development. Jim should be ashamed to push such a simple story line and cheap ending on his readers. Too bad. This is the last time I will buy one of his book in hard cover. I'll wait for the garage sale, 50 cents, copy in paperback. I won't be burned twice.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoying James Patterson
Review: I have read almost all of Mr. Patterson's books and have enjoyed them. I was a little disappointed in this one. I felt like it lacked three little words at the end of the story...to be continued. I really do not like to read to be continued stories until the next installment is out. If I like the book, I want to be able to go to the next one right away. If Mr. Patterson's intentions were not to make this a two-parter, then I was left with a "and then..." feeling.

Rating:
Summary: A quick ride to nowhere
Review: The best thing I can say about this book is that it reads very quickly. The title makes no sense. The revelation on the last page is contrived and an obvious set up for the sequel. No clues along the way. I'll continue to read Patterson's books because of this track record but Jimmy! Get it together!

Rating:
Summary: Possibly Patterson's Best
Review: A very intelligent fast read, with possibly the most evil villian yet. Be sure you are sitting down for the ending, as its quite a mindblower. You'll have a hard time putting this one down.

Rating:
Summary: Great attempt, crappy execution
Review: This book had the potential for his usual greatness...BUT... it should have been completed. The ending was nothing more than the beginning of his next book. (I am not happy about the trend from popular authors to serialize their works. Fine. WARN US!) This is as incomplete a book as Black Notice was without The Last Precinct (Patricia Cornwell). The ending here was AWFUL. The book itself was good. Very disappointing that we, the faithful fan, should have to cough up [...] bucks for something that isn't done cooking yet. Put this thing back in the oven. It just ain't done yet.

Rating:
Summary: Roses Are Red
Review: Disappointed in this one. They had to stretch it to get enough pages to call it a novel. Waste of money in the hardcover. Advise waiting for the paperback.

Rating:
Summary: A Fast and Enjoyable Read
Review: I started this book the day I got it, late in the afternoon. I was halfway done by bed time. I didn't get back to it until the afternoon the next day. I finished the book by 9:00 pm.

I didn't know who mastermind was until the very last sentence of the book! I was blown away. I usually guess the end long before I finish a book, but this book was spellbinding until the last sentence.

I recommend this book highly, you'll be turning the pages very quickly. I also bet you won't guess who did it either. ENJOY!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed James Patterson fan
Review: After being an avid James Patterson and Alex Cross fan since "Kiss the Girls" and then having to go back and read "Along Came a Spider", I was very excited when this new book came out as a sequel to the Alex Cross thrillers. However, I must say that I was very disappointed with the outcome of this novel. Yes, the last line does say it all and the twist and turn plots keep you guessing, but what happens next? I hope James Patterson continues this story with the next novel he writes about Cross. Otherwise, we readers are just left hanging, wondering if the bad guy went free. JMHO

Rating:
Summary: Patterson stays 'Crossed' up!
Review: Dr. Alex Cross is back in yet another thriller by master-writer James Patterson. In "Roses Are Red," Patterson himself seems to be back, as his latest seems a notch above his last few, in suspense, in thrills, in intrigue, in development! This time, our Washington D.C. psychologist and police detective faces The Mastermind, a wicked, evil psychopath whose specialty seems to be in arranging clever bank robberies--so clever that the families of the robbers are held hostage (and executed!) if anything goes wrong. Psychotically cruel, he also taunts the police with phone calls and letters--he prides himself in being called The Mastermind! As in previous Patterson novels, Dr. Cross is accompanied by some of his own personal "baggage"--his relationship with lover Christine is precarious, at best; Jannie, his daughter has a brain tumor; and, of course, Betsey Cavaliere, his FBI partner on the case, is, well, distracting.

Most important, perhaps, too, is the fact that The Mastermind has targeted Dr. Cross as his next victim. While, indeed, quite suspenseful, Patterson's works are engrossing and sometimes disturbing, as he seems to be able to "capture" the mind-set of such a twisted maniac as The Mastermind. His style of writing is fast-paced and by the time the final pages arrive, the climax arrives, explosive and vibrant. ([e-mail])