Invisible

FBI researcher Emmy Dockery is convinced that a series of fires around the country are not accidental even though each investigation has found no indication of arson. They are, she believes, the work of a serial murderer. But no one else sees any connection between the cases. Could they be the work of a monster or is Emmy seriously delusional?

This hold-your-breath, edge-of-your-seat thriller doesn’t disappoint. A strong plot filled with unexpected reveals and twists and turns readers won’t see coming work together to keep the reader involved in the telling of the tale. The unfolding narrative ratchets up the tension; suspense builds with every short chapter and readers will be hard-pressed to set this one aside before turning the show more final page. Don’t miss this one.

Highly recommended. show less

This was my third Patterson novel, and I didn't like the first two. However, this one, I liked! It still has the element that I hated in the first two - 116 chapters for 385 pages? That's less than 4 pages a chapter! And most of the chapters are just two or three pages, but with the spacing and margins, I can't even call those actual pages! And the quality of the writing reads like it is at a 7th grade reading level (or lower) , which leads me to believe that this Patterson fellow really want us to feel accomplished by "getting through" a 116 chapter book! Even if it took only one day...

There's a decent story in here though! Arson, murder, and the NFL too! And a nice surprise near the end! The cover reads, "This book will make your jaw show more drop", and while it did not do that, it did keep me entertained. I really didn't like the heroine (at all!) but I did like the villain (quite a bit!) and I think the "Graham Session" chapters really worked well! And hey, my hometown, Novato, CA, is mentioned on the last page of chapter 20!

With all the extra spacing and blank pages, this is more like a novella, but priced like a novel. Still, it' a very quick read, so if you are into a light snack, a very light snack, this could be for you.

On a personal note, I just have to say that the first sentence of the author's page has to be one of the most conceited, and incorrect, things I've ever read! It reads, "James Patterson has created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist writing today"!?!? Ok, I've heard of Alex Cross, but then... um.. who is he speaking of? Geez, the guy doesn't even write the books by himself! For someone doing half the work, at most, I'd think he'd be a bit more modest. I don't even know if he created Cross, or if he co-created it with one of the many authors he "works" with! Boy, I wish that bio was "invisible"! show less

One of the best psychological thrillers I've read in a long time. This has the gruesome murders, psychotic murderer and a surprise at the end that I really did not see coming.

Emmy Dockery is a research analyst for the FBI on leave due to a problem with her superior. She has been compiling data on an arsonist who she thinks is the worst serial killer of all and a genius to boot. She feels that her sister that died in a fire was a victim. Everyone thinks she's nuts and that these are just random fires all over the country.

However, they are wrong and she is right. It is a frustrating uphill battle to get people to believe her but once they do a tentative task force is set up. A forensic pathologist that works for the FBI backs up Emmy's show more deductions and also gives details of the forms of torture the victims have to endure before death.

This book got some bad reviews on Amazon but I think the story was great and different. show less

This book started fairly slowly and the plot rather plodded along for the first half of the story. Emmy, a FBI research analyst, discovered a link between fires and took a long time to convince her boss to launch an investigation. Her sister had died in one of these fires and that kept coming back to haunt her which was a bit tedious. However, the story explodes into intense drama and, together with a superb twist in the story, left me in no doubt that JP does not disappoint in his writing and always leaves the reader in a state of satisfied exhaustion at the end of the book.

Invisible is an excellent novel. It is the telling of an FBI investigation into what initially seems like a bunch of unrelated fires that are being strung together by a bereaved analyst which upon someone actually looking into them turn out to be in fact related. As the narrative develops it is interspaced with the diary of someone named Graham who seems a little unhinged, and slowly becomes more so as the story continues.

I really enjoyed the story and the way things developed, the initial slower opening that builds up to quite a frantic pace, the seeming resolution with the target characters out of harms way only for the story to twist around in an unexpected manner.

My only real gripe, which is common among Patterson material, is the show more fact that there is 116 chapters for a mere 385 pages, this adds a heck of a lot of page breaks and the line spacing, whew. Essentially this would be a vastly shorter book if it were set out in what one could call standard format. I guess he's trying to promote reading with the sense of accomplishment that comes from knocking over a near 400 page book in one evening, except it's false accolades because really it's not that long. Regardless, the story within was well written and enthralling. show less

Lately it seems I've been reading a lot of books featuring women doing dumb things that ought to get them killed. This is another such book -- Ellie, a FBI research analyst who is on suspension for refusing to give in to her boss's sexual advances recently suffered the death of her sister in a house fire ruled as accidental. A few things didn't sit quite right -- the fire was caused by a candle, yet her sister kept no candles. And bedroom where the fire started was rearranged from the way it had been for a long time before. With nothing better to do, Ellie spends her idle time searching -- and starts to compile a rash of accidental fires claiming single victims over a one year span. Her ex-fiancé, "Books" a former FBI special agent and show more now proprietor of a book store, agrees there might be a pattern. He appeals to a director, who agrees to allow an investigation provided Books leads it, and Books subsequently requests reinstatement of Ellie.

Meanwhile, every few chapters we have the arsonist/killer creating his "Graham Sessions". audio recording describing the methods in his madness.

Graham turns out to be very good at what he does, so good that even when told there might be reason to believe the fires aren't accidental, inspectors are still unable to find evidence. It takes a FBI forensic superstar to discover a reason to believe Ellie just might be right.

As the investigation goes on, theories are created, conclusions reached that turn out to be wrong or misinterpreted. At one point, the investigation is nearly shut down and Ellie put back on suspension when her boss is caught acting inappropriately. Eventually, they ID Graham, figure our where he ought to be, and it's just a matter of time until...

Well, until another big plot twist. But I said enough. This isn't a cerebral thriller by any stretch, but a fine tale if you can get past Ellie. show less

This has been the best book by Patterson book by far in my opinion. But I haven't read all the gazillion books by him either!

I listened to the audiobook version of this and loved it.

What made this story great was having a worthy antagonist. It made the hunt that much more enjoyable. As far as serial killer crime fiction goes, this was truly an original plot from the start. Having an FBI analyst involved in the case, and a unique serial killer who employs arson to cover his tracks was amazing. Loved it.