Rating: 
Summary: This is book 5 in a *SERIES*, people...so SHUT UP!
Review: I just finished this book today, having tried to spend less than a week but for various reasons getting delayed longer. Spent a terrific hour whipping through about 50-odd pages of pure excitement, mystery and terror. Boy, was I pleased.First, and most importantly, let me state that THIS BOOK IS THE *FIFTH* IN A *SERIES*. Immediately that dismisses the opinions of all the imbeciles who whine about "not getting it, it's got no beginning or end, blah blah...". Okay, so maybe a book or movie is confusing simply because of the title not being "THE ADVENTURES OF SO-IN-SO, PART 2" or whatever you might prefer, but if you think about it, WHO CARES WHAT THE TITLE SAYS? If there are characters that seem to come out of nowhere, situations that seem to be existing as long as time yet make no sense, or even a scar on someone's skin that doesn't get explained, just remember: even if you haven't read the previous books in the series (which would be a far smarter idea than simply delving into this book as your first one), this book is part of a *series*. Other things have happened. And as for all the people who have a problem with this book being either 1--too short, 2--too many chapters, 3--too many short chapters, or 4--the prose/points of viewed use are weird, think of it this way: MAYBE this author is trying to use something called "O-R-I-G-I-N-A-L-I-T-Y". You see, this makes for something ENTERTAINING; something new and exciting. James Patterson doesn't waste too much time with ridiculous situations or drug-busts that relate nothing to the case on hand, he doesn't make the characters over-the-top with their own gloated arrogance; he simply makes a rip-snorting, quick and easy read. He wants to have any and every kind of person be able to--and WANT to--read his books. This is a smart thing to do. And anyone who has a problem with short chapters is truely unaware that this is such convenience on their part; some authors have had hundreds and hundreds of pages of simply one chapter; it's truely ridiculous how long chapters can get. James Patterson knows better. He gives quick and easy chapters that you could read at a stoplight (well, maybe not, but you get my drift). He's an ENTERTAINER; not a super-duper Hitchcock-level investigation-plotter. And finally, what I thought of the book: I cannot even begin to describe how incredible it was. Here we have the story of two geniuses--Alex Cross, Washington, DC police detective trying to solve a series of robbery-murders in his city; and the dark, faceless, otherwise nameless figure known only as the Mastermind, the culprit behind these crimes. As their wit and wisdom engages them in an increasing game of cat-and-mouse, the plot gets so thick and dark--without being confusing nor a turn-off--and what do we get by the end? A shock--no, TWO shocks. Some shocks can "make you jump out of your seat" or "gasp" or "rock the world", etc. This one flips you upside down and smashes your head through the floor! But unlike far too many of the idiotic reviewers out there, I won't give away the ending. You'll have to read the book yourself and find out. And if you were smart enough to REALIZE that this is part of a series, let alone have READ it, I'll just say that the ending is even more shocking then. Oops, too much there. My conclusion: for new readers, please, do yourselves a favor and read ALONG CAME A SPIDER, *then* KISS THE GIRLS, *then* JACK AND JILL, *then* CAT & MOUSE, *then* POP GOES THE WEASEL, and finally this. It will save you a lot of (stupid) confusion, and will help you care about all the characters far, far more. And as for the dumb readers who read this book and nothing else by James Patterson and thought this was trash because they were stupid enough to read the fifth book in a series, don't complain about it on Amazon.com. If you don't like something, why even bother wasting your time complaining about it? MOVE ON! Enjoy ROSES ARE RED, and after, read VIOLETS ARE BLUE, then FOUR BLIND MICE. Both are very good additions to the series.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyed It
Review: I have enjoyed all of the Alex Cross novels. I reccomend this one as well. Over the last 2 years I have quickly become a fan of Patterson.
Rating: 
Summary: I Loved It
Review: OK, either I'm a besotted Alex Cross groupie (not out of the question) or I have lost my powers of perception (I don't think so), but I loved this book. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I did NOT see the end coming, and I DID perceive a reason for the serial killer to be doing his unspeakable thing. The Mastermind is as horrible as they come, and God knows, Alex Cross has faced some of the very worst of "humanity." This killer is no more diabolical or even more smart than the rest, but he is harder to catch, because he is always one step ahead of the law enforcement community. And of Alex. And his psychotic pleasure in the deaths of his victims, up to and including sexual release with the dead, is, in my opinion, the reason he murders. Patterson's choppy chapters never bother me. I feel that they heighten the pace, heighten the excitement, and give the reader the feel of the chase as it is really happening. Real-life detectives do not go smoothly from clue to clue until they catch the perpetrator(s), and neither do the ones in Patterson's books. Rather, they are sometimes distracted, misinformed, impatient, and, pun notwithstanding, clueless. Therefore, the choppy chapters reflect in particular Alex Cross's inner self as he tries so hard to nail down the killer while his personal life unravels at his feet. Alex is unable to solve the Mastermind murders, and he is equally unable to stop the disintegration of his relationship with Christine. It is that secondary plot that caused me to remove a star from this book's rating. I simply could not believe the situation, even with the halfhearted explanation of post-traumatic stress disorder, fear of being with a homicide detective, fear of the killer returning, and so forth. I will not be a spoiler and detail everything that bothered me, but Christine's behavior was out of character and unworthy of her as the woman she is supposed to be, trauma or no trauma. And the totally predictable demise of Alex's budding relationship with his female FBI partner was much too pat. This reader saw it coming from a mile away. Nevertheless, I found "Roses Are Red" intensely suspenseful, high quality, and well worth my time. I recommend it as highly as I do all the others in this terrific series.
Rating:
Summary: This book is awesome!
Review: I'm only 16 and i totally hate to read.. but this book really got my hooked shortly afta i started reading it... now im on my 4th book by james patterson and i just cant get enough of it!! i really think this is a good book, i dunnow why anyone wouldnt... i would totally reccomend it!...
Rating:
Summary: The Best Cross book so far
Review: I went through and read a few of the other reviews of this book. What I found was that if a person has read one or more of the Alex Cross books, then he or she probably appreciated this book a great deal. However, people who read this book as their introduction to the Alex Cross series may have not enjoyed this particular book as well as one of the prior books like "Along Came a Spider" or "Kiss the Girls". In short, this is a great book, but not a good introductory book. There has already been so much that has happened to Alex in previous books, that it is necessary to the story that the reader have some sense as to where Alex has come from. If the reader understands what the protagonist and his family have already gone through, then the reader will better understand the motivation behind what the supporting characters are doing. I don't want to give anything away, but this is one of those books that keeps you hanging on until the last sentence of the last paragraph of the last page of the book. You will really ruin it if you cheat and read that first, but just know that this book has one of the best endings J.P. has ever put to paper. Without reservation I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: I can't connect the dots
Review: Roses are Red is a thriller featuring Patterson's favorite cop Alex Cross. I should note this is my first Patterson book, and while it may not be my last, I'm not racing to the bookstore for more.
The plot is interesting: a series of bank robberies planned to the most minute detail and ending in chilling murders. There is no obvious bad guy here, and Cross and his beautiful FBI cohort Betsey chase up weak to weaker clues trying to make a case. In the meantime, on the home front, Cross' girlfriend is leaving him, and his daughter is struggling with a brain tumor.
I found all these subplots to be a bit distracting, almost more than Cross does. No wonder his girlfriend is leaving.
This is a very fast read, with plenty of plot twists. There are not really any red herrings such as those that usually exist in mystery thrillers. The case appears to resolve more than once, but that's part of the fun. However, when we really do get to the real and final ending, it is extremely disappointing, and more than a little implausible. I'm guessing we'll meet this bad guy again in the sequel, which I may or may not read.
I need to mention that I find the 3 page chapters highly annoying. 414 pages in 124 chapters. In reality, this is a 300 page book.
Light reading, likeable characters. A good book for a short flight, say Seattle to LA. For really good thrillers, stick with Ludlum.
Rating: 
Summary: TALENTED
Review: This is a work of a very tallented person. Good all around. A very enjoyable reading.
Rating:
Summary: Roses Are Red
Review: Roses Are Red, James Patterson's sixth Alex Cross thriller, opens with the District of Columbia detective attempting to mend his nearly unraveled family.
Rating:
Summary: Too Sloppy (as usual)
Review: There is a vicious killer loose on the East Coast who calls himself the Mastermind. He is behind several bank robberies that turned into multiple murders. Once again, Alex Cross is called upon to help solve this high-profile case. While I have enjoyed several James Patterson novels in the past, I have noticed that his more recent stories have been very sloppy. This one is no exception. There were several events that took place that did not flow very well with the rest of the story. It was almost like Patterson was trying to make the book longer by adding nonsensical events. Also, unlike in most thriller novels, there does not seem to be a clear killer. I thought the story looked completely resolved, then there was a surprise twist at the end of the book that did not seem to make any sense whatsoever. It is hard to explain exactly how sloppy the story was without giving away too much, so I will just leave it at that and say that I was pretty disappointed. Although I find Patterson's writing quite easy to read--he uses quick short chapters that encourage you to keep reading because you do not have to tackle 20 pages all at once--the stories are really starting to get repetitive. Alex Cross appears to be this superhuman hero who can work 12-hour days, raise his perfect kids, and be involved in intense romantic relationships. Patterson needs to go back to his earlier novels like "Along Came A Spider" and "Kiss the Girls" so he can remember how to write good stories that actually make sense.
Rating:
Summary: a nail biter
Review: This was my first book by James Patterson and I thought it was good.The ending did shock me and I don't always surprise that easily.Lots of twists and turns and I also enjoy the short chapters.Makes for easy reading when the brain is tired.I don't always like books written in the first person but this one was written in the first person and also in the third person, and I enjoyed that.I will read the sequel because I have to find out what happens.
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