Kiss the Girls

If it weren't for two scenes in this novel, I'd add a star and a half. Patterson is no prose stylist, and his novels are formulaic, but until a few novels after this one Alex Cross got unbearably Gary Stu, with supervillain psychopaths making it their life work to take him down, I found Patterson's detective protagonist likable and the books featuring him entertaining page-turning police procedurals.

In some ways, this second book book in the series is even stronger than Along Came a Spider, the first Alex Cross novel. In this one, Cross becomes involved when his niece is kidnapped, and he believes it's a case of "twinning" where two serial killers are cooperating and competing on two coasts--"Cassanova" and "The Gentleman Caller." Cross show more teams up with a victim of Cassanova, Kate McTiernan, who escapes his lair only to find it's seemingly disappeared. The forensic psychology is more to the fore in this novel, the hunt suspenseful, the twists clever. Moreover, Kate in a lot of ways is an appealing, kick-ass heroine--a survivor who does everything to save herself, not just wait passively for rescue.

What mars this is that when I think of this novel, I think of two scenes in particular, and it's not a good memory. One is the rape of Kate by Cassanova. The other is the anal rape of another woman by Cassanova--using a live snake. Yes, you read that right. I went back and looked to make sure I was remembering the right novel. There it is in Chapter 54. Three paragraphs burned into my retinas.

The thing is I can see the rationale for both scenes. One to show Kate's resilience and bravery, so that we understand what she underwent. The other so we understand just what kind of monster Cross is dealing with in Cassanova.

But those scenes are so graphic, so explicit, to me they come across as pornography of the kind the two serial rapists are said to read and relish--The Story of O and School Girls in Paris among others named. The scenes overwhelm the story as well as repel.

Rape in fiction is a chancy thing. I'm not saying it should never be used. It's too often part of life, history, crime--but it's rarely done effectively and isn't done well here but comes across as a cheap attempt to titillate and shock. show less

After having read and really enjoyed Along Came a Spider I knew I had to read the second in the Alex Cross series. Kiss the Girls starts off where Along Came a Spider left off, but it is definitely a stand alone read. There are a few references to characters and occurrences from the first novel but nothing that would confuse a reader. The ending wraps up nicely while leaving room for the next installment.

At the start of Kiss the Girls there is a serial who calls himself “Casanova” and has been abducting and torturing beautiful and successful young women in their early twenties. Alex Cross is a Washington, D.C. homicide investigator and forensic psychologist who has been called to go to South Carolina with his partner to the scene of show more the latest murder by Casanova. This is the third victim. Cross has also just been notified that his niece Naomi Cross is missing. He fears Casanova has taken her.

As the story flows, the detectives realize there are two killers working together and that this spree has been going on for over a decade. Casanova has a partner, The Gentleman. What ensues is a thrilling cat and mouse chase with twists and turns as the detectives try to find the missing women and the case hits close to home for Cross as he tries to find his niece.

Okay, so how terrifying are the serial killers James Patterson creates? Yikes. I thought Soneji from book 1 was creepy, the killers here are stone cold terrifying. Kiss the Girls had me on the edge of my seat with my heart pounding during the abductions and chase scenes. I don’t know how I am going to get back to my other books, I can’t stop reading this series.

Casanova sent chills up my spine as did The Gentleman. What makes serial killers so terrifying is that they really exist and do things like this so reading about them is really scary. As I am finding is common with a Patterson novel there were twists and turns here, heart wrenching drama and a fast paced story-line. I enjoyed every page. I wish I hadn’t seen the movie first because I knew what was coming.

All throughout the book Cross is trying to catch the killers but hoping each victim he finds is not his niece. The author takes you right along side the detectives as they try to put the clues together. Cross is a well fleshed out character and has quickly become a favorite.

disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I purchased my copy of Kiss the Girls by James Patterson.
https://bookwormnai.wordpress.com/2018/08/08/kiss-the-girls-alex-cross-2-by-jame... show less

I shouldn't have read this on the very week I started allowing my kids to walk home from school unaccompanied. It's sort of 'The Collector' meets 'American Psycho' and a bit of a rough ride. The needle on the sickometer inched towards the red several times.

Good things about it include the short punchy chapters - a lesson in the art of conveying just enough information and getting out quick - and the tension that is built up even though the baddies are unmasked relatively early.

On the other hand the author refuses to break the rules of fiction by allowing members of the novel's central core to perish - I would have had more respect for this book if those characters didn't have 'untouchable' in flashing neon above their heads.

Also, it's show more not a cerebral workout - you can't identify the perpetrator yourself by spotting cunningly concealed clues because there aren't any. You have to wait for Alex Cross to figure things out himself (or be handed the answer on a plate)....and he's the sort that has obscure flashes of inspiration that he keeps to himself while he gets on with the next made-for-celluloid chase/shootout. Altogether a mediochre reading experience for me, though it could well be that I still don't 'get' this genre. show less

When I first learned about this series, I heard that Kiss The Girls was the best in the series, possibly the best Patterson book. I went into it thinking it would be good, but didn’t know that it would have the effect that it had. I could not stop reading it and spent most of the last two days reading. I seriously could not put it down. I felt like I was addicted to Alex Cross and the story the way he was addicted to Casanova and the disappearances.
Some people criticize Patterson’s character development through books, but I happen to think it’s a strong point. I love that Cross is a huge guy that seems to scare people but is really just a loving single father in the ghetto. I love that the more I read these books, the more I learn show more about Alex, Sampson, Nana, and Alex’s kids. I enjoy the chapters that are dedicated to Alex sitting with his family and listening to his kids talk about whatever they can think of. I love his kids like they are my little cousins and I think Patterson writes about them really well.
The plot was intense from the first page down to the last sentence. There were so many twist and turns that I could never get too comfortable thinking one way for too long because I changed how I thought so often. Some people may not like that, but I love books that I am confused all the way until the end because that makes the end that much more intense. The plot never got boring for me.
All of the books come from Alex’s POV, but there are chapters where you are with other characters. In this book, there were chapters with the killer’s thoughts on display, Naomi’s thoughts of display, and some chapters on Gentleman’s thoughts. Not many authors can pull this off so well, but Patterson does a great way of putting different characters front and center for a chapter or two and not confusing the readers or making it annoying.
His writing is superb as well. I like that Patterson has the killer’s thoughts on display right up until Cross is onto something in the case and then we are left in the dark along with Cross. It makes the book exciting and nerve-wracking. I can’t wait to pick up the next book in this series and see what happens with Alex Cross next. show less

So why did I stop at Chapter 66? Well, there's approximately another 59 more chapters to go and I just couldn't take anymore of the cringe worthy dialogue or the obvious set up for the main character getting into a relationship with the victim. A victim who was kidnapped, tortured and raped. (Don't know if that happened but it just seems like that's where it was leading). I'm very open minded when it comes to reading but I felt very dirty reading this unnecessary depravity of story telling. I have to say I just felt so weird reading the words, the sentences, the dialogue, the scenes, the plots, the characters and just about everything. It's just so weird, I wondered how is this series so popular. I surprisingly made it through the first show more book and expected it to get better but instead it just took a thousand steps further down. And oh. my. god. the narrator with the constant use of the word -- "baby", was just too creepy. I guess that's it for me with this series. show less

Alex Cross is a skilled, and dedicated, detective from Washington, DC. When he discovers his niece is missing from her college in NC and might possibly have been kidnapped by a serial killer, he jumps into the case with NC authorities and the FBI. Women are disappearing. All beautiful, very intelligent women. Some are found murdered. And others are just gone, with no clues as to their whereabouts. When one victim escapes, Alex and the FBI find out that this case might be much more complex and dangerous. The NC kidnappings and murders might be related to similar crimes in California. Alex and the FBI race to solve the case and find the missing victims before more of them are killed.

I am really enjoying this series. I read the first book show more because it was listed as part of the Great American Read, and continued on because I like the characters, especially Alex Cross. Cross is a complex character. He is a ruthless investigator, but a kind and gentle father to his two kids. The plots are interesting and very suspenseful. Kiss the Girls is not for the feint of heart. It contains quite graphic depictions of torture, rape, kidnapping and abuse. There was one scene with an assault involving a snake that made me have to turn the audio book off for awhile and watch a Disney movie. It was.......intense and disturbing. The bad guy in this story is crazier than an S-house rat....and very, very dangerous. The point of view jumps around quite a bit ..... changing from victims, to killer, to Alex Cross. I'm not usually a fan of stories that jump around like that, but for this book, it worked perfectly. It just heightened the suspense, and developed the characters. The crimes were chilling and horrible. The story definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.

I usually listen to audio books outside while I do yard work. But this one was a bit too intense and graphic. It wasn't appropriate for listening to outside because our neighbors on one side have small children, and the neighborhood gossips are on the other side. I had visions of the gossips calling around telling people I was listening to dirty sex books in my front yard. ha ha. I chose to enjoy this suspenseful story in the privacy of my kitchen, saving me from any neighbor side eye. :) Very, very good book -- just a note of caution for those who have small kids at home or have qualms about books with rape/torture themes.

Narrated by Michael Kramer, the audio book version I listened to is just shy of 11 hours long. I would have preferred a black voice actor narrating, but Kramer did a good job. I have hearing loss, but was easily able to hear and understand the entire book.

I'm definitely going to read more of this series! Very enjoyable so far! The books are bestsellers for a reason. I wish I had started reading sooner! Not sure why I never read this series. Fixing my error now! show less

A server at a restaurant I frequented always saw me with a book, and she always recommended Patterson's Alex Cross series. So when I told her I would be leaving, she bought me this book as a good-bye present. I started reading it that night and I couldn't put it down.

The formula is one that starts with the killer, then we meet Alex Cross and his re-aligned family (this is Book 2 in the series), and Sampson, and then we get gripped into the action and it won't let go. And this time it is definitely personal.

Addictive series, so much so that I bought Book 3 before I had finished Book 2 so that I would have it ready to go. Note to self: the killers get in your head, the action messes with your brain, and a break in between books is highly show more recommended. show less