Rating: 
Summary: First Patterson Book Read And Almost My Last
Review: I just finished this book "Roses are Red" and was very disappointed in the ending. I agree with the other reviews, it just seemed like he pulled the Mastermind out of a hat. I saw the movie last week of "Along Came a Spider" and decided I would try and read all his books so this was my first. I will go now and try to read them in order and see if I like the first few books better.
Rating: 
Summary: Good until the end...
Review: Of course as most of you knew, this is one of my favorite and first JP books. Eventhough this was a good read (not as good as Along Came a spider of Jack and Jill) but you will most likely be dissapointed with the ending. In fact it was good until the ending came along. I love the Alex Cross novels. But in this one, he faces the most brillant and Complex killer ever. A mysterious criminal who calls himself the mastermind. The Mastermind goes around hiring people to rob banks for him. ONLY killers. After reading the first 22 chapters, I began to gain more interests. However, I did miss the the Two Killer in one book thing. This book didn't keep me on the edge of my seat the way Along came a spider did. The book was good until the ending, which I was very dissapointed at who the mastermind was. It didn't exactly mix with me. Alex Cross wasn't the same guy either. I began to notice that he could figure out almost anything. He was still a great detective, and this was a great thriller. What made this to be disappointing was how much the characters changed for me. After reading "Along Came a Spider", "Jack and Jill", and "Pop Goes the Weasel",I reread this book. I began to notice that the characters were different. The Mastermind was no Gary Soneji, and near the end it just got "weird" and by that I mean. They caught one guy who they thought was the mastermind, and he said "You've got the wrong guy," and then they catch another one, and another one. Though YOU may find out who the mastermind is, Alex doesn't discover this. I guess we'll have to wait until November 2001, for "Violets Are Blue," (yes that is the next Alex Cross novel) to come out. Maybe then the Mastermind will be caught. Also, you're left with a cliff hanger ending, but I am a little used to that now. Next is that Patterson is very detailed in the book, and does know how to keep me reading, (especially the Alex Cross books) But with how much the characters changed, I can say that Alex Cross fans would be just a little disapointed with this one, as well as the ending.
Rating: 
Summary: An intriguing thriller
Review: James Patterson's latest book tels the story of Detective Alex Cross's investigation into the bank robberies and murders planned by a clever crook named the Mastermind. Every crime is planned with precision and is calculated to extract the maximum of human misery from its victims. During the course of the investigation, Alex's girlfriend Christine moves away because of the kidnapping she endured as a result of her association with Alex. He is put on the case with an attractive female FBI agent and is kept guessing by the twists and turns of the case. This is a fast-paced and well-written book which keeps the reader in suspense until the very last page.
Rating: 
Summary: One for the trash
Review: Roses are Red brings to mind the old joke of the customer at the bad restaurant complaining that the food is terrible, and there is too little of it. Not only is this book lazily written, the plot is implausible, uninteresting and the chapters are too short! If one actually counted the words in this book, it would probably qualify more as a novella than an actual novel. What I particularly disliked were the holes in the plot line. It seems that in "Alex Cross"-world there is no such thing as decent police procedures. Not only that, every villian is mainly after Alex Cross and probably is someone not only close to him but in law enforcement as well. (Actually James Patterson is not the only popular author to shovel this type of drivel on his readers.) If you like believable characters, interesting well-plotted books, decent writing and a feeling of satisfaction when you've finished, this is NOT the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: Sequel must be along the way?
Review: I have been reading Mr. Patterson's 'Alex Cross' series for almost a year now, and as usual, I check out if there's a new one coming... I find Mr. Patterson's book easy to read, with those short chapters, can't put-down books and I enjoy reading them. Keep it up. Can't wait for the next one though...
Rating: 
Summary: Deeply Disappointing
Review: Having read several other Patterson novels prior to this one, I thought I knew what I was getting: an interesting plot with servicable writing and characterizations no deeper then needed. Alex Cross is such a fantasy figure that one cannot and should not approach these novels as realistic. However, Roses are Red did not even come up to my low expectations. Jurisdictional issues -(DC cops,NY cops, and FBI agents all working together with never any tension) - family issues (traumatized fiancees and brain tumors) as subplots that add nothing to the story - and worst of all - bad plotting. It appears nothing the cops do, especially Alex, results in moving the investigation forward - with one exception. But it all comes to nothing with the ending - one of the worst endings of a book I have ever read. I struggled through this book just to see how it ended and I got twist after twist after inexplicable twist. And to make it even more insulting, Patterson doesn't even hint at how his ending is even possible. Is this some crass attempt to make me buy the sequel? Patterson is populating his world with criminals who keep coming back: Soneji, the Weasel, and now the Mastermind. It's beginning to look like Cross isn't such a good detective after all. And as for Cross being African American -- if someone were reading this book quickly, I doubt they would even know Cross was black. For a look at what Washington DC is really like and at the issues of race in our city, read George Pelecanos.
Rating:
Summary: so bad it's embarrassing
Review: I had just finished a book by Robert Tanenbaum when I started reading this. The contrast between the two in terms of quality of writing, plot, characterization, and even punctuation (e.g. Patterson's bizarre overuse of italics)is so huge it seems ridiculous to even consider them as being the same genre. I don't understand how Patterson's books keep making the bestseller list. The plot in this one is poorly laid out, and the characters do things that are not only psychologically unlikely--like when the neurosurgeon chats about how much he loves his work before giving the main character the news that his daughter has a potentially fatal brain tumor--but totally unrealistic in terms of the real world. The New York cops putting a D.C. cop in charge of part of a major operation to capture a criminal in New York? Yeah, right. And since when does this country have a "Secretary of Justice?" Maybe the most annoying thing is the whole issue of race. Patterson, who is white, has created a character in Cross who seems to regard the fact that he is African American as a sort of charming hobby. Isn't anybody else bothered by this? And the ending--this kind of inexplicable plot twist appears to be just a way to eke out a few more pages, as far as I can tell. All in all, this book reminds me of the kind of story a 14-year-old boy would come up with. Maybe that's who is buying Patterson's books--perhaps they should be put in the "young adult" section.
Rating:
Summary: Patterson has still got it!
Review: Another must read from Patterson. I couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Oh My ........
Review: Read this book the day it came out. Would not have put it down if I hadn't promised friends I would meet them for dinner. I am still in shock about the ending. I can't wait for the next book. Patterson sets up the next and his final installment in the Alex Cross series with this book. And hold on to your pants, because I have a feeling the next one is going to be a wild ride.
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.
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