2006

Mary, Mary is the eleventh installment in James Patterson's riveting thriller series of FBI Agent Alex Cross.

Alex Cross has finally got away to a family vacation and having fun for once at DisneyWorld, a rare treat for Agent Cross due to his busy life. Yet, the fun is short lived as a new murderer emerges, called Mary Smith. In the opening chapter, the reader learns of the Storyteller's first 'practice' murders, to this point it is unclear whether or not the Storyteller or Mary Smith are in fact the same murderers.
The murders continue totaling up to a reckless seven or so murders within the first fifteen chapters. Although I have only ever read one other James Patterson books (which was Lifeguard) I believe Patterson is a little reckless with how many murders occur in his books. I remember totaling about fourteen murders in Lifeguard, and that's just a rough total.

Regardless of this I still enjoy Patterson's books, their easy to read, quick to read, the storyline is never too complicated (however absurd) and his characters are well put together...most of the time. Alex Cross, the protagonist in the fifteen volumes of the series is very a mysterious, yet still interesting, character.Little tiny snippets are revealed about Cross' life throughout Mary, Mary and one ridiculous asset of the character, he seems to be undeniabley desirable. I recount about three, if not four partners throughout this book. In the beginning of the novel, Cross is involved with a woman called Jamilla, and Patterson manages to slip in a sex scene (if their called sex scenes in books I don't know but...) yet again.

I feel quite annoyed with how many sex scenes Patterson puts in his books, yeah only one a book, but one a book in EVERY book. Lifeguard had one in the first chapter, Mary, Mary had one in the third chapter I think. In the back of Lifeguard I read an excerpt of Honeymoon and guess what was in the first chapter...

However, I do enjoy James Patterson's books, the Alex Cross series more than any of his others, as his writing style and technique seems to have improved in the Alex Cross series since Lifeguard. I also have the following volume of Mary, Mary which is Cross. I plan to read that soon and somehow find some other of the Alex Cross series, hopefully read them all :D ( )

Although I didn't find MARY, MARY as riveting as the first Alex Cross novels KISS THE GIRLS or ALONG CAME A SPIDER, I was still glad to see Mr. Cross back in action--in his private and professional life.

While on a long-awaited, and definitely well-earned, vacation at Disneyland in California with his family--Nana Mama, daughter Jannie, teenaged son Damon, and three-year-old Alex Jr.--Alex wants nothing more than spend some quality time with those he loves. Yes, the fact that James Truscott, an investigative journalist who has been hounding Alex for months, shows up on their vacation is an annoyance, but nothing that can't be handled. He even gets to meet his current love interest, Jamilla Hughes, an officer with the San Francisco PD, for a little one-on-one R & R. But then his vacation is brought short, yet again, by a phone call from his boss, summoning him to a crime scene at the home of a famous actress right there in L.A.

Detective Cross is inevitably drawn deeper and deeper into a case that he was only supposed to have to give his initial impressions on. Someone is killing famous and wealthy mothers in the entertainment business--someone who claims to call herself Mary Smith, and who sends an email after each death detailing the crime to L.A. Times entertainment writer Arnold Griner.

As Alex gives chase to "Mary Smith", interviewing the victim's families and trying to find any clue as to the killer's identity, his personal life takes a downward spiral--his ex, Christine, little Alex's mother, is suing for full-custody, and Jamilla informs him that she's found someone new. As Alex tries to put his family first once again, he realizes that the job always seems to get in the way--and this case is no different.

In typical fast-paced James Patterson style, MARY, MARY is an engrossing thriller that will have you turning pages quickly to find out what happens next. ( )

I’m on a roll with the Alex Cross series. With Alex having finished his latest serial case, he’s finally on a decent vacation with his family. But you can always anticipate what is coming up next, when Alex gets called to check out a homicide in Los Angeles.

But one murder mystery turns into more as the rich and famous start to die under tragic circumstances. It becomes the case that tests Alex’s family the most, causing rifts between all the loves of his life.

Alex is forced to make choices that compromise not only the case but his personal life, which could leave him unemployed and without family.

This may have been one of my favorites so far. Lots of mystery and intrigue, different from some of the others, but a great combination of the storylines.

Mary Mary is the 11th book in the Alex Cross series. Once again he gets dragged into chasing down a serial killer. He is first asked to look into the case and give advice while he was vacationing at Disneyland with all 3 of his kids and Nana Mama. Someone is murdering high profile people in and around LA, all related to the movie business. I would classify this as an average book for the Cross series. A legal battle is thrown in near the beginning and a lot is made of it and then it disappears and becomes a non-issue once the rest of the story takes hold. An irritating reporter is also thrown in just to keep the waters a little murky. I was fooled until the end about who dun'it other than I knew one person who didn't do it. If you've read Agatha Christie this next line will be a spoiler, the murderer pulled an ABC Murder. You don't see this one very often and it was a pleasant surprise.

Overall it was a decent book and if you like the Cross books you won't be disappointed, but like most of them there are plenty of plot holes and what not, so don't think about it too hard.

I also think the readers did an excellent job. ( )

I needed something formulaic that wouldn't tax my brain too much and friend passed this book to me and this was perfect. I think Alex Cross is an inspired creation, but its a shame that Patterson doesn't do more with him. ( )

Alex Cross

Journal entry 2 by SKingList from New York, New York USA on Friday, December 30, 2005

Much as I love Patterson and Alex Cross, I wasn't a huge fan of this one. Yep, the ending still managed to surprise me and it had its usual twists and turns, but it's still getting formulaic. It's a bit of fill in the blanks for his girlfriend/the person he'll piss off and the agent he'll work closely with. New names, same story. And the very ending? WTF!? A bit of the editor saying 'you forgot to tie up this loose end' and Patterson going 'oh oops. Here, all done.'

That said, I still couldn't put it down. Quick read as always, but not one of his best. I think Alex needs to listen to what Nana said, and maybe this is Patterson's way of letting him relax? ( )

Although filled with twists, lacked some of the razor sharp character insights as previous works. Did not grab at me as some Patterson novels have done. ( )

http://angelofmine1974.livejournal.co... ( )

I found this book to be one of the most exciting books of Patterson. I could not put it down, and skipped lunch and a nap to finish it. The ending was a complete surprise and a reason to keep reading until the end. A murderer is loose, and killing celebrities. Who is doing it and why? Do yourself a favor and read this book and you will run to get the next Patterson book, I'm sure. You will be hooked.

The human side of the "brilliant" detective. Alex Cross has moved from the New York police department to the FBI but continues to have problems conflating his family with his jobs. He, of course, leaves them at the most awkward of moments as he rushes off to solve one bizarre case or another. In this book it is the Storyteller he is chasing. A serial killer and the added twist is the question is the killer a man or a woman. I enjoy the Alex Cross stories but find his love life exhausting as he seems to start with one woman who perforce leaves him in the lurch but he then finds another, at this stage of the stories, usually one from a previous adventure. ( )

What can I say, I like Patterson and it was a good story and a fast read. ( )

I like the combo of romance and thriller. Kept me hanging. I liked it! ( )

The characters lack depth at this point and I feel that Patterson is just cranking these books out to make some money. ( )

I don't often read murder mysteries or detective stories. They are not my favourite genre. This book was fast-paced and had enough twists and intriguing connections to hold my interest. The characters were mostly two-dimensional, but this is the kind of book that depends on plot, not character development. And the plot is well developed. ( )

Patterson writes in short chapters, but sometimes seem to be disjoined from the rest of the work. However he usually manages to connect. This is one of his Detective Cross series, so there were previous plots alluded to and persons to sort out.
This murderous novel has the LAPD and the FBI struggling to find a serial killer who sends e-mails after killing and disfiguring celebrities and leaves A and B kid's stickers at the scenes of her brutal murders. Cross isn't sure it is a woman doing the crimes, but in the end his research shows him the reasons behind the killings, and almost gets him killed as well. ( )

While I found the conversations between characters and the rate at which women throw themselves at Alex Cross corny, I couldn't put this book down. The mystery itself kept me reading and it did have a nice little twist as I was hoping at the end. It has been too long since I have read a mystery novel and I would definitely read another by Patterson. ( )

FBI Agent Alex Cross is on vacation with his family in Disneyland when he gets a call from the Director. A well-known actress was shot outside her home in Beverly Hills. Shortly afterward, an editor for the Los Angeles Times receives an e-mail describing the murder in vivid details. Alex quickly learns that this is not an isolated incident. The killer, known as Mary Smith, has done this before and plans to kill again.
Right from the beginning, this case is like nothing Alex has ever been confronted with before. Is this the plan of an obsessed fan or a spurned actor, or is it part of something much more frightening? Now members of Hollywood's A-list fear they're next on Mary's list, and the case grows by blockbuster proportions as the LAPD and FBI scramble to find a pattern before Mary can send one more chilling update. ( )

Compared to the earlier Alex Cross, Mary, Mary’s Alex turn out to be a dull characterization. Is Patterson losing his touch? ( )

I believe I've attempted Patterson novels before and found them wanting...I'm kind of surprised at the enthusiastic praise his work collects. On the plus side, the pace is consistent and doesn't lag. Cross is likeable and sympathetic and the first person narrative works well. Issues with his relationships (love interests, family) which I found choppy, unsatisfying and unlikely, I'll chalk up to the book being well into the series, which is hard for anyone to maintain.

On the down side, I couldn't get excited about the plot, the bad guy, the intrigue. The good guys were too flat to provoke much concern, the bad guys too thinly drawn to really scare. And, like so many authors, JP gets the kids' voices so horribly wrong...spend an hour with a teen (I'll loan him mine) and he'd see how far off the mark he is. ( )

Listened to this title as a cdbook. I discovered I enjoyed reading about Alex Cross more than hearing his tale. ( )

Adult thriller. Another Dr. Alex Cross book. If you like reading about serial killers, the FBI, and catching the bad guys, this book is for you! Vacationing in Disneyland with his family when he receives instructions to investigate an actress's murder outside of her Beverly Hills home, FBI agent Alex Cross learns that the attack was the latest in a series of celebrity killings linked to the elusive Mary Smith, who proves more challenging than Alex anticipates. ( )

Uff! This one was really better that the previous one in the Alex Cross series. I'm a big James Patterson fan but was getting a little disappointed by his last books, now I've hope again! There's still something missing from some of his other books, the unstopabale twists, the amazing surprises, but it's definitly a good thriller and I didn't find the "bad guy", not even close.
As usual, Alex Cross personal life's a mess, and even though we know it's part of the story and keeps another point of interest to it all, he's such a good guy, he deserved a nice woman at his side! ;o) ( )

This is that last James Patterson I'm reading (and I mean it this time). ( )