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Summary: New Life for the Cross Series
Review: Like many others, I was beginning to think that James Patterson's Alex Cross series was beginning to become stale. Plot elements were beginning to repeat, and less detective work was showing up in the novels as the series progressed. This came to a head in 'Pop Goes the Weasel', the fifth novel of the series. However, Patterson seems to have bounced back with 'Roses are Red', the sixth novel of the series, and perhaps the best since 'Kiss the Girls' and 'Along Came a Spider'.'Roses are Red' finds Alex Cross dealing with the events of 'Pop Goes the Weasel'. His fiancee, Christine Johnson, has become incapable of dealing with her kidnapping at the hands of Geoffrey Shafer. In the meantime, someone has been organizing the robberies of several banks in the Virginia and Maryland area. The crook behind it all refers to itself as 'The Mastermind'. Alex Cross gets brought into the case to work with the FBI by his friend Kyle Craig. Finally, Cross gets to do some real detective work after just chasing criminals for much of the previous two novels. Cross helps the Senior Agent on the case, Betsey Cavalierre, build a list of suspects, track them down, question them, as well as piecing clues together. It was a refreshing change. Patterson's style of short quick paced chapters and plot twists help move the novel along as well. This has been a hallmark trait for the series. Just when you want to put the book down and take a rest, he leaves you hanging at the end of a chapter, and you must pick the book back up and read a couple of more to find out what happens next. And, just when you thought you had it all figured out, one well conceived clue or red herring changes everything. This novel is an addictive read. A warning to the reader though, the case does not get wrapped up in 'Roses are Red', only part of it does. Things move on and continue in the next novel 'Violets are Blue'. If you have been disappointed by the last novel or two in the Cross series, then 'Roses are Red' should rejuvenate your interest. I'd recommend this novel to any suspense and/or detective novel fan.
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Summary: PLOT TWIST SAVES A SLOPPY 'THRILLER'
Review: As time goes by I feel my admiration for James Patterson slipping away. His books aren't exactly groundbreaking, and every book in the Alex Cross series seems to be a repeat of the last one. As for our hero, Mr Alex Cross, he seems to be the Ally McBeal of the crime/thriller genre. Just how many times have his girlfriends been killed? When he's not locking away serial killers he seems to be reminising his lovelife, and dating even more women. Roses Are Red yet again takes us to familiar territory... If you don't pick this novel apart like I did you might get some enjoyment out of it. If you do, read something else, there are so many good books out there that it feels like a waste of time reading junk like this.
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Summary: Frustrating book.
Review: I've enjoyed many of Patterson's books in the past, but I have to agree with many of the posts here. Roses Are Red is a complete let down. The surprise ending did nothing but make me angry at the writer. The last thing a writer should do is make thier readers feel cheated, and that is precisely what he did to me. Hope Patterson learns this lesson before his next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Great suspense and a cliffhanger ending!
Review: This was my first Alex Cross book and I loved it! Paterson knows how to dole out the suspense and keep you guessing. A rash of violent crimes take place around the DC area sending Alex Cross into a investigation with the FBI. Who is this criminal known as the Mastermind, and why is he killing innocent families even when his demands are met to the letter? The investigation team has little evidence to follow and as more crimes take place, things really heat up. If I had to give the book one complaint it would be the little digressions into the personal life (or past personal life) of Alex Cross: the ex-girlfriend who doesnt like his job, the grandmother and children who worry about him, and his daughter's medical condition. I understand giving a little character background, but it became very distracting later in the book. The ending of the book is surprising as you do not know who the Mastermind is until the last paragraph. Now I have to go get Violets are Blue to read the conclusion! Excellent suspense!
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Summary: I once loved Alex Cross books
Review: I am utterly appalled at how far the Alex Cross series fell with this one. "Pop Goes the Weasel" was a retread but this one was absolutely just mailed in. And the ending is not only a cliffhanger but a cheap one at that. The identity of the killer is completely out of left field and totally unimaginative. Who's gonna be the next villain? Nana Mama? And not only that, more Cross family members and/or love interests get killed, mortally ill, or injured. It couldn't possibly happen on EVERY case, ...
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Summary: Loved the book, hated the ending
Review: This review discusses the end of the book and may contain enough to spoil it for you, so don't read this if you care about the ending. Before I axe the end of the book, let me say that I loved everything right up to the last page. I think Patterson is one of the most skilled writers out there. I've read all his books and have enjoyed all but one (I thought Cradle and All was wretched). One of the reasons we love clever villains is the "how does he do that" factor. After reading the end of this book we know how he does it, but we also know that any moron could have stayed ahead of the police if he were in the killer's position. For this reason, the ending cheats the reader and we realize that the Mastermind isn't necessarily smart at all. In fact, had he been unable to elude the police he would have been more aptly named the Moronic-mind. The killer's identity just seems unlikely. It's as if Patterson didn't know himself until the end who-done-it and just pulled the most unlikely name he could think of out of a hat in order to shock us. The killer's identity doesn't track with what we know from reading the other books in the Cross series. Perhaps it will make more sense when the story line concludes in Violets are Blue, but the explanation had better be good.
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Summary: If This Were My First
Review: If this were my first James Patterson novel, I might give it a five for suspense alone. Since this is my fifth or sixth book in the series, I can only give him four. This book is not as good as some of his earlier attempts, most notably KISS THE GIRLS, in that the ending does not merit (provide a payoff for) the kind of suspense created in the book itself. Furthermore, I have a hard time accepting the identity of the Mastermind. I accepted it a bit more after I read Violets Are Blue, the conclusion of the story--but I do not like books that cliffhang. It's not really fair to loyal fans. I just had to be honest.
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Summary: The beginning of the end....
Review: Let me preface this review with two points: first, I read this book when it first came out but never reviewed it until now. Second, I am and always have been a huge James Patterson fan. With that said, Roses are Red was certainly a lackluster effort from the muder-mystery/suspence master. I thought that Along Came a Spider was a brilliant beginning to the Alex Cross series. Kiss the Girls was close to a masterpiece. Jack and Jill is my personal favourite. Cat and Mouse was still a great book, but certainly not quite as exceptional as his previous efforts. Pop Goes the Weasel was good, but no where near the standards Patterson had set. I was, however, willing to call Pop Goes the Weasel just an abberation (he's allowed a sub-par book now and then, right?) and not part of a downward trend in his novels. Roses are Red, however, officially marks the beginning of the end. When I read it, I knew unequivocally that this was his worst effort at an Alex Cross novel. The suspense was lacking, the plot was convoluted and did not make much sense at times. Bank Robberies by a mastermind that made no mistakes just didn't cut it for me as a story or villian. The whole story was just "off" and it almost felt like Patterson knew this and attempted salvage things and tie it up with his identification of the mastermind at the end of the story. An identification that makes little or no sense when one considers everything. It seemed as if Patterson just grabbed the name that would stand out the most as the mastermind. Although intriguing, this little wrap up didn't do much for me and still left the book as a poor effort; almost seeming as if Patterson just needed to meet a deadline and punch something out. In vintage Patterson style, Alex Cross find and arrests (or attempts to arrest) the villan, only to find out that he is not the culprit. I enjoy this, but my concern was that Patterson did this a bit too much in this story (three times if memory serves me). Doing this, at times, left me baffled as to who or what this mastermind was...and the true identity did not help clear anything up (quite the opposite actually). How could so many people be confused for the mastermind? Got me. I am all for romance in novels, but with yet another woman that Alex Cross falls in love with in another novel, it grew tiring rather quickly. The suspense was nearly missing: bank robberies by people working for the mastermind are just not the same as murders by the actual murderer. It had suspense, but nowhere near the level obtained in previous novels. And when it was all said and done, the story did not really wrap up. It was almost like half a story. Even in two-part books, there's usually some closure or resolution in one book. All in all, the book was decent. Worth reading if you just want to read it for Alex Cross. It won't deter me from reading future Alex Cross novels simiply because I adore his character (I give it 3 start because of that!). It was, however, a poor effort for Patterson. His attempt to salvage things only made the book poorer. I would say, "I hope Patterson recovers from this book and reverts back to what made him so great" to conclude, but I have already read Violets are Blue...........
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Summary: Twist and Turn Time
Review: This novel will keep the reader at the edge of his seat. You'll never know who the bad guy is until the last paragraph of the last chapter. TALK ABOUT A TWIST!!! I not one to be shock, but bravo 'Mr. Patterson' - the ending you chose was not only the right one, but chilling. And my husband wonders why I like to read your books.
Rating:
Summary: Lousy
Review: I didn't finish it. Patterson's search for ever-more-horrible villans makes these books more horror stories than detective novels. There is very little reality: criminals can't act like Patterson's bad guys because they need to sleep, need cash, can't anticipate every eventuality, ... His criminals aren't. Also, the number of cops who have had 2 partners killed in succession is zero, much less partners who were lovers. Label it FBI-wet-dream fantasy, but not detective fiction.
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