Roses Are Red

Rating:
Summary: Roses are REDiculous
Review: This book was horrible. I was read it in about a day, and the plot was gripping but nothing special. Nothing was challenging about the read, either. What truly ruined the book was the extremely predictable and unexplained ending. The murderer was too obvious that I immediately dismissed the possibility that he could be the Mastermind. I was very disappointed. Don't waste your money on this book.

Rating:
Summary: Back to what we loved in the first books please
Review: We expect Alex Cross to deal with a serial killer or two, his family including the wonderful character Nana Mama, and his friend and co-worker John Sampson and this installment doesn't disappoint. With a strong focus on Cross' family in this book we swing back and forth between the hunt for a barbaric madman (or two) and life in the Cross household. Without giving out too many details, as usual, I will say that I'm starting to suspect that our hero will remain a bachelor. Every time an interesting woman character is added to the mix the plot thickens and increasingly the plots are becoming more and more farfetched-so much so that I actually sat reading this book and shaking my head. What gives it the three stars is still the wonderfully written and explored Alex Cross character.

Rating:
Summary: Cross is Da Man
Review: This is the sixth book in the established detective series of master detective Alex Cross. In this book Cross deals with many issues some of which are his daughter getting sick, Christine's mental health, and the emergence of a new killer. In this book the "Mastermind", a genius who is behind the bank robberies, is responible for the many deaths that occur. Then enters Alex Cross who is in charge of getting to the bottom of it all. This book will make you hold your breath until the very last page. This book rocks and is action packed. Get the whole collection, you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Another good James Patterson
Review: I read this in a single day while traveling over the holidays. Patterson's short chapters and easy writing style make all his books easy to read, but this intriguing storyline and interesting characters make this one very good. I kept guessing through the whole book who the Mastermind is and I have to agree with some of the other reviewers that it doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense but it was definitely a shocker! I'm hoping the follow-up Violets are Blue will help explain a few things. Additionally, the sideline stories about his family, Christine and Betsey all kept me interested. Overall, a good book for a quick read.

Rating:
Summary: Okay- if you say so
Review: This book cruises along like all of Patterson's stuff. Alex Cross finds himself confronted with a murder/robbery spree that just doesn't add up. Eventually, he discovers that a new criminal (imagine that) called the Mastermind is behind this particularily gruesome rash of murders.

So far, so good. I mean this is what you expect from an Alex Cross novel. But how many masterminds are there in this book? Two, three or more?

I just did not see where the ending came from. Having read Violets are Blue first (which is the wrong order) I knew who the real bad guy was, but I don't see the foundation for this conclusion through out Rose Are Red. It almost seems like Patterson changed his mind somewhere along the way and forgot to put the clues in.

If you like Alex Cross, then you know what to expect. I guess that's why I keep coming back for more.

Rating:
Summary: Cross is back
Review: ...Roses are Red starts with a series of bank robberies. The crimes are especially brutal, and strange, in that precision is demanded at such a level that it's almost impossible to achieve. When it doesn't occur, the criminals kill selected people involved, including a three-year-old boy. Even more ruthless is the apparent boss of the killings, a nefarious person who calls himself the mastermind. He kills his minions when they don't perform up to his rigorous standards. This makes things complicated for Alex Cross and his new FBI partner, a beautiful (of course) woman. Cross and company chase the bad guy through several plot twists, and (I hope I'm not giving anything away) don't catch him at the end. The last page tells you, strangely, who the killer is, without letting you know why he's doing things, and frankly I thought it was a bit of a cop out. You don't figure anything out or anything, he just tells you. Anyway, from the excerpt from the next book that's in the back of this one, the author takes things further, with Cross still chasing the bad guy in the next book. Hope he catches him.

Rating:
Summary: Roses Are Red = Pure Entertainment
Review: Roses Are Red is a "4 1/2" star book based on its sheer ability to keep you engrossed from the first few pages right up until the final words. Keep in mind that if you're looking for good literature and/or a strong narrative, and/or well-developed characters, this book --as well as all of James Patterson's other books -- will probably not be to your liking. However, if you're seeking a book whose story is packed with suspense, thrills and surprises, and whose writng style will keep you turning the pages at a rapid pace, then grab yourself a copy of Roses Are Red. I think you'll find that for as long as you're reading this book you'll be able to escape into the world of Alex Cross and forget about everything except what is going to happen next. While I've been disappointed in several of James Patterson's recent books, Roses Are Red has helped me to forget about the past. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: This one threw me for a loop.
Review: I won't bother writing a complete review. I have just a couple of observations to make. There are not to many endings that totally surprise me; however, this was one of the all time best endings yet. My first thought upon finishing this book was, did Mr Patterson have this ending in mind, for a future book, from the very beginning of this series and will the series end with the discovery of who the Mastermind really is? I sure hope not because I love his Alex Cross books, but I can't help but feel that he was leading up to this ending from the very beginning.

I have to hand it to Mr Patterson, this was one of the most cleverest and diabolical endings of any book I have ever read. I have the sequal, but I am going to hold off on reading it for awhile.

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: 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.