Pop Goes the Weasel

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Summary: Another Exciting Alex Cross Book!
Review: After Patterson's last disaster, When The Wind Blows,he has redeemed himself with his newest book, Pop Goes The Weasel. This story is very exciting but light in terms of character develoment, narrative style and basically most other literary elements which make for a well-written novel. However, these are not elements I, and I think many other readers', seek in a James Patterson book.With this said, I think you will enjoy Pop Goes The Weasel very much and find it a very, very fast read. The one minor flaw that I've found in this and other Alex Cross books is the totally unrealistic maturity level and dialogue voiced by Cross's seven year old daughter, Jannie. I'd suggest that in doing research for future books, Patterson should spend a little time finding out what real seven year olds are like.

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Summary: As Always Cross is entertaining but...
Review: Alex Cross is one of the best detectives I have read, I have always enjoyed this series this novel left a little to be desired though the ending seemed a bit rushed and didn't really satisfy me. As I closed this book I saw myself thiking that none of this was plausible or possible. If you enjoy detective novels then this is a good read, If this is your first Patterson novel please pick something else.

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Summary: High suspense and drama, low reality.
Review: Alex Cross, a psychologist and detective with the Washington D.C. police department, is investigating a series of murders in the D.C. area. The suspect is a British diplomat named Shafer, who has become involved in an on-line game that he has carried over into the real world. Shafer gets his kicks by killing people in twisted ways, and Alex is hot on his tail. Proving that Shafer is the murderer implicates Alex in the crimes, and Alex's fiancé is abducted and missing for over a year. Just as Alex gives up hope on ever finding his fiancé alive, the case starts to turn around. This book his high on action and drama, and it was a quick read with very short chapters. But I fail to understand how Alex was able to get so much time off of work to devote to tracking down Shafer, since that crime was not one that he was assigned to. I wish I had a job like that.

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Summary: Okay, so it's 'Formula'--but THIS formula WORKS...
Review: I've been a big Alex Cross fan since I decided to pick up 'Kiss The Girls' while waiting in line at a Grocery Store several years ago, and I haven't been disappointed in one of these thrillers yet. I'll admit I didn't particularly enjoy 'Hide & Seek'--but that wasn't an Alex Cross novel. Authors can work their entire lives before finding a particular 'formula' that works for THEM, and for James Patterson, his talent comes from his amazing ability to breathe life into the character of Alex Cross...but not just HIM, we also get to know a collection of other great fictional folks, like Nana, Sampson and Alex's children, not to mention Christine, his girlfriend/fiancee. Patterson has found the perfect 'formula' that works for his particular style of writing and for the same reason we pick up a Clive Cussler adventure novel with same action, different local and different bad guy, he consistently gives us what we crave when we fork out $8.00 to buy these novels (I'm cheap, I wait for paperback): PURE ENTERTAINMENT.

'Pop Goes The Weasel' captured my attention from the very beginning...however it DID slow down somewhere near the middle, and I had to force myself to pick it up again after I had stopped reading it for about a week--but I am certainly glad I did. Patterson keeps the plot moving at a feverish pace (aside from a small lull in the middle) with miniature chapters that propel us onward where you end up saying to yourself: 'I'll stop reading after the NEXT chapter...' only to cheat on your goal and stop when you realize you have to get up in just 3 hours... I have to admit I ended up liking our bad guy (Geoffrey), but you could see his falling into madness pretty easily so many of the things that ended up happening were predictable...but like I said, its ALL formula, and with Patterson's style, it all works rather well. I enjoyed the courtroom scenes very much, and wonder whether or not Mr. Patterson will ever come out with a full-blown legal-thriller one day? In a nutshell, if you are bothered with Patterson's style of writing in his previous Alex Cross novels, this one doesn't offer much--BUT if you enjoy them, count yourself lucky that 'Pop Goes The Weasel' is YOUR next purchase. Go ahead, you'll enjoy it.

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Summary: Thanks again Mr. Patterson!
Review: James Patterson is just good! Anyone who has read his Alex Cross novels know that. Pop Goes the Weasel is soooo good. The moment I started reading it, I could not put it down. I took it to work with me and would actually read it in my cubicle. If you have never read an Alex Cross novel, you can start with this one. Patterson does not give away information on previous novels that would ruin those stories, so please read them. This book is not for the squeemish. There are some graphic parts so be forewarned. Although this is not as graphic as Kiss the Girls, if Kiss the Girls was hard for you to read, then you may want to reconsider this one. I doubt this one will dissapoint you on those lonely, cold winter nights coming up. ENJOY!

Rating:
Summary: Interesting villain, nothing much else
Review: Reading a Alex Cross book by Patterson means that you will get a pretty good characterization of the villain while every other character in the book , including the protagonist, is glossed over and given very superficial coverage. The plot is OK , but falls apart in the end, and dialogue doesn't seem to be one of Patterson's strong points. What is one of his strong points is, like I said earlier, the in-depth look he gives at his bad guys, explaining the motivations and origins of these characters. If Patterson seemed to be half as interested in exploring Cross and his supporting cast as he is the villain, his books would be a lot better. Also his plots usually hold up better than they do this time around. If you have to read every Alex Cross novel just check this out from the library, otherwise don't bother with it.