Along Came a Spider

Creepy. The audio reader could convey evil well & the book came across like a thriller movie script.
The characters were shallow and the action formulaic. Came with a characteristic gratuitous sex & violence.
I could see a striking parallel between the author and his writing for audience and money & the Mastermind killer and his desire for media coverage and money. Easy kill.

I have read 8 James Patterson books and many of them had the killers POV somewhere in the book which I am very fond of. This book did it the best thus far. I felt like I was two steps ahead of Alex Cross and I'm trying not to yell at the book "NO YOU'VE GOT IT ALL WRONG, THIS IS ACTUALLY WHAT HE IS DOING." I also liked that Patterson knew exactly where to cut off the killers POV so we could be in the dark and have to wait until the truth was revealed. The characters were well thought out and well written and I can't wait to read more from this series. The thing that I liked most about this book and that I will like about this series is that the main character is a POC.

I was expecting good things from this as I had chosen specifically to go back to the beginning of the James Patterson craze. I had struggled (am still struggling) to get through a later James Patterson so this was me trying to kick off a writer I had not enjoyed in past.

I liked the book. A lot. It was a great summer read - light and quick moving. I am liking the main character which was the point of reading this book so I can get to know an evolving character (much like why I enjoy tv characters who develop over movie heroes who get one shot). Alex Cross is being carefully unveiled which I am enjoying.

Once I got used to the style which I liken to Stephen King in that the ideas are amazing but the descriptive language can be a bit boring show more at times. This doesn't make it hard to read it just makes it feel a bit like a teenager writing you a letter that they have just unloaded everything in their head rather than carefully chosen prose. It is however a snappy story and doesn't drag. Not entirely the ending I was expecting but not a disappointment at all. I would recommend this and I am now off to read "Kiss the Girls" show less

I was blown away by the first book in the Alex Cross Series.

Alex Cross is an intelligent Police Officer and Psychologist, with a heart.
I was happy that he was a person of colour as more courageous main characters
need to be. This book does discuss racism in subtle bursts in the ways of inter-
racial relationships, and how the murders of people of colour are not always
deemed as important as those of the two rich white kids that go missing early
on in the story.

I love Cross' determination to fight for justice, to ensure that the murdered
African-American family is avenged. Patterson covers many important themes
in this novel and I can't wait to read the rest of the thrillers in this series.

Recommended for those that care deeply about justice show more in the world, and for those
with an interest in abnormal psychology. show less

Chilling and very fast paced, almost too fast. I would've liked more fleshing out of the characters, but that will come in later books, I'm sure. I did like that the story was very precise. No deviations into flowery dialogue, etc. Just a clear, plot driven crime mystery, with some exciting twists and an unexpected ending. Has Alex heard the last of Gary Soneji / Murphy? I think not.

I really enjoyed this thriller introducing a complex character, Alex Cross. I liked the core characters in the story and the thriller kept me on the edge of my seat. The complexity of who was the "good guy" and who was the "bad guy" kept me interested in the story. Definitely a great introduction to a character I enjoy reading about in each new episode.

Incredible! Mostly Murder says, "Patterson has created a fast-moving, character-driven roller coaster of a thriller. The best thrillers leave the reader thinking about what scares them besides the obvious." Patterson creates sheer terror between the pages of his novel with his portrayal of a psychopathic serial killer. The novel is to terror as the television shows of "Dexter" and/or "Criminal Minds". I can watch neither show. They're too 'dark' for me. And each time I read a James Patterson novel, I tell myself never again. But if there are long intervals between I seem to drift back to his suspenseful thrillers placing my hope that justice will prevail and the world will be safe for another night's reading. And if I start one of his show more novels, I will be unable to stop reading until the final period. show less