Good, but gorey

This is a typical James Patterson thriller, with twists and turns all the way. On the one hand, he is trying to stop a pair of celebrity-stalker killers whose ultimate target is the President of the United States, and alongside that he is trying to solve the murderer of small children in his neighbourhood.This book is a rollercoaster ride, flicking between the two cases, and is a good entertaining read. ( )

I don't care much for James Patterson's books, and I wouldn't read him at all, but I was given quite a few of his novels, and I'm making my way through them. This was one of the more distasteful Alex Cross stories for me.

First, and foremost, Alex Cross is one of THE most boring and unrealistic detectives in fiction I've read, and I've read lots of detective fiction. He and his buddy John Sampson are supposed to be a hunky pair of he-men who women would swoon into swamp mud for. Except that Sampson often calls Cross either "sugar" or "sweet". I have no idea what that's about, and I don't want to know.

Second, I cannot stand Nanamama. She's a bigoted woman who gets away with far too many stupid observations about white people. Just because she can cook doesn't mean someone shouldn't wash her mouth out with the same water used to wash her dishes when she repeats yet another intolerant and idiotic opinion that white people don't care about dead black babies. I don't know to whom James Patterson is pandering with his racist granny... liberal white people or bigoted black people. Whomever... I don't want to read that garbage, and I find it appalling it's repeatedly on the best seller list.

Last, Alex Cross defines himself in this book as "Dragonslayer". Had I not recently seen the reality series Survivor: Tocantins, I would have only been mildly amused at Cross' ridiculously macho description of himself. But now that "Coach" and Dragonslayer and forever linked in my mind, Alex Cross is nothing more than an annoying, irritating joke. ( )

I am not sure about this book as I felt elements of the plot were blindingly obvious, but then I wanted an easy undemanding read, which it definitely was, but I am not sure that Patterson deserves his status as a top writer as I have read better. ( )

Another masterpiece in the Alex Cross series. Alex is drafted to the FBI to help solve the 'Jack and Jill' murder spree. Their final target is the president who must be protected at all costs. At the same time someone in Alex's neighbourhood is killing young children from the local school. Two plots for the price of one! This is an excellent novel with shocking twists in both of the crime scenarios. ( )