Rating: 
Summary: A great Cross novel
Review: I personally LOVE the Alex Cross series. Reading a murder-mystery just isn't the same if Cross isn't solving it...I loved this book like most of Patterson's novels, but the ENDING is what made me fall in love totally. I rushed out and bought the sequel, 'Violets Are Blue'. The ending will FLOOR you. A great read.
Rating:
Summary: An all nighter
Review: From the first chapter I could not put this book down. James Patterson has a way of taking us right into the story. He grabs hold of us from the first couple of pages and does not let us go until the last word. So many times I wanted to jump ahead to find out just who the Mastermind was but I did not. I am glad, it was worth the wait. I had to run out the next day and get Violets are Blue, and am now hooked on reading that. Another great read from a great author.
Rating:
Summary: Keeps getting better
Review: I JUST finished reading Roses are Red, and all I can say is WOW, what a shocker! I can't wait to read Violets are Blue now! I think Patterson gets better with every book I read! Where will Alex Cross finally end up?!
Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't put this book down
Review: I have to admit this is the 3rd book I've read by James Patterson, I think he's great. I'm a new fan of his, but I have to say that I'm going to continue to read his work as long as he keep writing it. I enjoy the Alex Cross stories the most, and this one was awesome. I found this book extremely intriguing and the plot kept twisting and turning as you got into the book. All the way through, I think I have a lock on who the "Mastermind" is, but as the end draws near...I figure out that I have no idea. James does a great job of keeping the chapters short so that you want to keep going and so that the momentum keeps building. I recommend this book for anyone who likes to read detective books!
Rating:
Summary: Alex Cross is Better than Ever
Review: "Roses are Red" by James Patterson gives us a better-than-ever Alex Cross. If you like the series, you'll love this book. Interesting plot, great characters, great dialogue.
Rating:
Summary: Patterson does it again!
Review: Patterson is a master of suspense and Roses are Red is not exception. With Chapters which average about 3 pages even most illiterate among us should be able to comprehend and enjoy Mr. Patterson's incredible tale. I have a very short attention span but was able to polish this one of in a matter of weeks. It's the story of Alex Cross' battle with "The Mastermind" a serial bank robber with a mean streak as wide as the mississippi. His techniques are as nefarious as his nickname is original. Once forgotten this tale will never be remembered again.
Rating:
Summary: Good Read
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, although there were a lot of unanswered questions, so l guess l have to read the sequel.
A good writer keeps you wanting more
Rating: 
Summary: Pacified but not Satisfied
Review: I must agree with some of the others this book was a real page-turner. I could not put the book down, in fact I read the book in one day. However, in the middle of the book I found myself guessing who the "Mastermind" was before I got to the last chapter and I was right. It wasn't too difficult to figure out. I decided not to buy the sequel (Violets are Blue) because its hardcover and I refuse to pay that much money - not because I'm cheap but because I wasn't completely satisfied with Roses are Red. Once reading books like Kiss the Girls and Along came a Spider - a reader expects that same thrill and expense in other Alex Cross series.
Rating: 
Summary: A below average thriller.
Review: On a 5 star scale like the one here, I think 5=excellant, 4=good, 3= average, 2=has some good parts, & 1=nothing good. This book for me was slightly below average. While it did have some good parts (the cliff hanger ending, the fast pace, and the well written action scenes), it fell flat on it's face most other times. To me the sex scenes just didn't hold true. It seemed like they were thrown in just to have some sex in the book. Also, for someone who is supposed to be so brilliant a profiler, Alex Cross did not do much profiling. He just sat back and let the answers fall in his lap. First there was the daughter who gave up her father, then the suspect gave Cross a description, and then Cross saw a picture that fit the description that was given to him by the previously mentioned suspect (boy it is hard to use general terms and not give away who the Mastermind is). All Cross kept saying was the Mastermind wanted "to see these people punisher." That is it. That is all the profiling Cross does in the whole book. Way to use that degree in psychology to help you track down killers. This adventure seemed more appropriate for someone like Mike Hammer or Sam Spade, a gumshoe who finds clues or gets confessions or information from a thug by threats or violence. Cross' big scene where I thought he would show off his smarts was when he and his collegues were interviewing a suspect. The interigator was "asking the wrong questions" (mind you we are never told exactly what he is asking), but this upsets the suspect. Finally it is up to Alex Cross to ask the "right" questions. What is his brilliant question that gets the right information from the suspect? "You know you have something to tell us, so why not just get it out in the open?" (Granted I am just paraphrasing the line.) That is it. No hostile witness/suspect to cross examine, and get talking. Just a simple tell us what you know. If it were that easy, I would be a cop. I would love to hear the "wrong" questions that were asked. Was it something about which shoe does he put on first in the morning, the left or the right? I have to admit this was my first Patterson book and it will most likely be my last.
Rating:
Summary: Stop on Page 398!
Review: Caution: This book contains much graphic slaughter of the innocents and the guilty. If such things offend you, avoid this book. Also, Mr. Patterson likes to use vulgar language to provide a sense of colloquial English that may also put off some. I'm serious about stopping on page 398. In fact, cover page 399 with a sheet of paper so you don't accidentally see anything on it. Reading the last two pages of Roses Are Red will reduce the attractiveness of this story to you, and eliminate most of the potential pleasure you can experience in Violets Are Blue, the next Alex Cross novel. The last two pages of Roses Are Red simply should have been edited out! Be cautious about which reviews you read of this book also, because some reviews reveal the material on those two pages . . . the ultimate in giving away a spoiler! Mr. Patterson's strength is writing plots that are well paced, varied, surprising, and unusual. I thought that his plotting in Roses Are Red was unusually good. You will find yourself racing through the book, wanting to find out what's going on and who's behind it all. The book's main theme is crime as a work of art expressing the ingenuity of a brilliant, but twisted criminal. As a result, the crimes are mentally very challenging to understand. You will think that you are reading about the criminal plans of Dr. Moriarty, Sethos, and the Riddler combined. The weaknesses of Mr. Patterson's Alex Cross novels are also present here. He doesn't really show any detection, just detectives chatting with each other interspersed with developments driven by the criminals. The characters are about as little developed as they could be and still be differentiated from one another. The dialogue often reads like detective fiction rather than real dialogue. But if you feel that you have enjoyed other Alex Cross novels, you will definitely like this one. After you read Violets Are Blue, come back and read the last two pages of Roses Are Red. Where else can less be more? Would the story, "The Lady or the Tiger," have been as interesting to you if you knew how it turned out? Grasp the exact solution to provide the most for the least effort!
| 
