Jack & Jill

I'm so glad that James Patterson went for less sickening murders/torture in this story when comparing to the first two books in the Alex Cross series. Yes, assassination attempts on the President of the United States are still sickening, but might not fall in the disgusting realm. I won't go into much detail, but as always Patterson does a great job describing characters (sometimes you wish he gave you more so that you weren't left wondering until the last chapter who the real killer or brains behind the killings are), and also moves the plot along quickly enough that if I attempt to read before bed, I end up reading at least an hour longer than I had planned and end up feeling less tired than when I first laid down.

If you like fast-paced, nonstop thrills in your mysteries, this is the book for you. I felt like I had to stop and breathe every now and then; the plot twists, suspense, surprises, and sheer horror of the plot had me so mesmerized, I almost forgot to do so!
Like other Patterson novels, this one, the third in the Alex Cross series, features two parallel horrors, both of which involve the detective in a very personal way. First, a crazed killer is murdering young black children in Cross's own neighborhood, children from his own son's school. The sheer brutality of the murders bespeaks a rage that strikes terror in Cross's heart. But the Washington, D.C. powers that be don't seem to be overly concerned with the horrible happenings in the show more black neighborhood--they're much more involved with the high-profile, equally mysterious Jack and Jill murders that have captured all the headlines. Jack and Jill are assassins. The ending will keep you guessing which is nice for a change. Patterson seems to realize that a real thriller, like real life, doesnt have an ending with no loose strings. This book will keep you wanting more James Patterson and More of his hero Alex Cross. show less

After reading this one close on the heels of "Kiss the Girls", I decided that it had gotten into my head and I needed to take a break. It's an intense thriller about assassination, the "ghosts" of the CIA, and a murder in the Southeast section of DC. Cuz the contrast between the search for the high-level assassins and the crazy who is killing school kids is one of the elements that makes Patterson's mysteries so relevant: when are funds given to search for the murders of the poor?

Still, the plotlines are twisty, the moments you think you know what's going on aren't, and it really does grip you until the very end.

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 show more 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. show less

Jack and Jill is the third in the Alex Cross series and once again we witness more twisted deaths, so much so that one has to wonder about Patterson’s mind. It really does take some special mind to come up with thrillers with great plot lines.

Alex Cross is awoken by his friend and partner John Sampson to inform him there has been a murder a few blocks from his family home. A young girl’s body had been found outside the Sojourner Truth School, a murder outside his son’s own school.

At the same time someone is travelling around Washington DC picking off the capital’s rich and famous. Whoever it is they seem to be ice-cold killers leaving behind a short poem for the police to find. Cross and the rest of the police department just show more cannot see the connection or connections if there are indeed any.

Cross has been dragged into the Jack and Jill murders by the chief of detectives as he is happy to lend him to the FBI, and therefore be out of his way. The twists still keep arriving even with the resource rich FBI at the helm. When a meeting at the White House has been called by the Secret Service do things become far more complicated. Especially as Cross was already aware that he was running two very big and competing murder investigations.

With more twists than a rollercoaster, when you think you know what is going on there is another twist, especially if you think you have identified the murderer. Patterson clearly has one very twisted mind which he uses to great effect here in Jack and Jill. A fantastic read. show less

My first venture into the world of Alex Cross/James Patterson and I have to say that on the whole I was very impressed. Despite not being my usual genre (this was a, 'choose a book off your bookshelf for me' request to a colleague) I found that this book was well written, well paced, exciting at times and intriguing. Some of the plot twists I saw coming, but then it did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. Love Alex Cross; he's human, compassionate, caring, strong, intelligent, impulsive... There's a reality to this book that some authors struggle to create. You can see this happening, put yourself right in the school playground, or in their homes. The two investigations run seamlessly side by side throughout. Yes there are parts show more where it's a little too descriptive/wordy, but you're never far away from a significant event and the short chapters make light work of quite a lengthy book.
So, why four stars? I don't want to spoil it for anyone but the ending left me perplexed, with a few questions I wanted answered. I think it was by design but for me I wanted everything wrapped up in one neat bundle. Apart from that, it was an enjoyable venture into a different genre. I'll probably read more James Patterson, but not just yet. show less

After finishing "Kiss the Girls", this was great. It was hard to stop reading.

This simultaneous murder investigations is a bit strange. The storyline involving the truth school killer seems as if Patterson added it as an afterthought and to prepare for a future book. The two investigations are unrelated except for the envy of getting the media attention that the other killers are receiving. It seemed the only reason for adding this part was to introduce Christine Johnson and make her a possible love interest to Dr. Cross.

The namesake of the book was the storyline that kept the book flowing and had me yearning for more. About halfway through you see the true intentions for Jack and Jill and their ultimate target. Shortly after that I show more figured out who Jill was, or I thought I did until Patterson toyed with my mind. Ultimately, I was right after all. show less