Category: James Patterson

PRIVATE BY JAMES PATTERSON

My Rating: 2/5

I finished James Patterson’s co-written book `Don’t Blink’ a couple of weeks ago and thought that I would never be able to read a book as bad as that with his name on it. Boy was I was wrong!

First off there are so many plots and sub-plots that you’re constantly thinking “Who”? That’s just the first gripe. The story itself is told in such a manner that it is almost rushed. You never get to connect with any of the characters because they don’t appear for long enough.

Plot wise you would think that a school-girl serial killer and Jack’s best friend being murdered would be enough but clearly not for James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. In addition to this we see Jack’s twin brother in trouble because he owes the Mob $600,000 as well as American Football Referees fixing matches. In my eyes this sort of level of plot detail is far too much for the style of writing many of his fans are used to.

Jack is the main character and all we seem to hear about is his war-torn past. Now don’t get me wrong if it’s relevant to the character and/or story then fine, but this just seemed to come across as rambling at times.

In addition to the plot and character problems there is the believable factor. I am fully aware that any fiction novel, especially one with James Patterson as co-writer, will have a certain element of things that are slightly outside the normal realms of life. However, this book really went overboard with the mention of a crime lab owned by Private that is better than the FBI has?!? There are also a number of scenes where Jack randomly turns up at the home of one of the leading figures of the Mob un-announced. I think there was too much of this type of scene which took it from being over the top to laughable.

There are very brief moments where we see Jack’s love life come to the forefront. Unfortunately for the ladies in question it is so brief that they probably weren’t even aware of it. The story felt rushed, incomplete and totally ridiculous.

All in all I was AGAIN disappointed with a James Patterson book. I still debate in my own mind whether the reason is because JP doesn’t contribute to the co-written books that much, or whether I am just tiring of his work. I think it must be the former as recently he has produced a reasonable offering with Worst Case featuring Michael Bennett. Like a fool I have pre-ordered his next book due Postcard Killers which is a co-written book due for release early September 2010. I am pinning my hopes on this particular one a little more as Lisa Marklund is the co-writer and as I understand it, has not co-written with JP before.

DON’T BLINK BY JAMES PATTERSON

My Review: 1/5

I pre-warn you, I am on a serious case of getting on my soap box here so if you don’t want to listen to 50% opinion and a 50% rant to the author then please feel free to read no further. The fact that I read this in a day and a half, and then spent a 20 minute walk moaning about it to my sister speaks volumes. You read the jacket and find yourself thinking “it sounds pretty good”. How wrong could I have been?

The story is the most important part of a book closely followed by the writing style and talent of the author. Clearly James Patterson though both these things were irrelevant. There has been a lot of hype over the deal between JP and his co-authors with some people claiming that JP contributes very little to these books, however nothing has ever been confirmed or denied from the Publishers.

This story was just awful and to be truthful so farfetched and ridiculous it made the plot from the film Crank look realistic! I have to mention in particular the first major scene which is the murder of a mob lawyer. Now you have to bear in mind that this scene is set in one of New York’s most `happening’ restaurants which is full to the brim. This `assassin’ manages to walk in (obviously he knew the Maitre D’) walk past all the packed tables and manages to approach the table and cut this man’s eyeballs out. I have no knowledge, but I am guessing that this sort of killing in real life takes a little more than a minute or so. But still this killer manages to do all of this in an exceedingly short space of time. Once the task is complete, the whole restaurant is screaming but luckily there are two off duty police officers who `draw their weapons’. However, the killer manages (with two guns pointed at him remember) to produce two guns of his own. Not only does the killer manage to retrieve his two guns before the police discharge their weapons, he also manages to kill them both with a single bullet to the middle of the forehead. Following his miraculous shots he exits the building through the kitchen and vanishes! Now do you see what I mean about the ridiculous storyline? I know this is fiction, but come on!

Aside from the major flaws of the story being so farfetched it’s ridiculous it also lacked any real oomph. The characters are one dimensional and the dialogue between them is laughable. The only good thing about this whole book is the fact that the chapter layout and style is the typical Patterson special. Short and sharp, it’s just unfortunate that it’s the only positive I can find. The ending was predictable and everything wrapped up like a perfect Christmas gift.

Never before have I read a Patterson and hated the characters as much as I did in this one. The main character Nick Daniels is like a modern day Indiana Jones but even Indiana doesn’t get as unlucky as this guy. Nearly every chapter produces a scene where the guy is ‘nearly killed’. His so called relationship with another character in the book Courtney was like something out of a teen flick and made me cringe. Never one to give up I read the book from cover to cover and found that the nearer to the end I got the happier I felt. The sooner I finished this mess of a book the better. If this was a debut novel with no authors name on the front I would be surprised if many readers bothered finishing it, let alone reading another.

This may seem ridiculous to people that I feel so strongly about a book, but I just feel…..well robbed would be the best description. I have personally contributed a lot of my hard earned cash to a man that is an excellent writer with an extreme talent, who for some reason seems to enter into any deal that has his name on the cover?

I still believe that James Patterson is a one of the most talented authors out there that can produce books that all his reader’s love. However, I am beginning to think that JP maybe doesn’t care what his readers/fans think? I mean he is hardly doing this for the money now so why does he continue to co-write such a vast number of books? I would rather have to wait a year for one book that would be his work and his work alone.

Mr Patterson, your readers deserve a refund!

9TH JUDGEMENT BY JAMES PATTERSON (WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB #9)

My Rating: 3/5

The women who have all been part of the `Women’s Murder Club’ do all appear in the story but to varying degrees.

You have Lindsay Boxer the lead character who is meant to be a feisty detective and she works alongside Rich Conklin. Cindy is a reporter and not only does she cover the case of Hello Kitty she is also in a relatively new relationship with Rich Conklin. Yuki is a lawyer and isn’t directly linked to the cases but appears in the story albeit briefly. Claire is a Medical Examiner and has a family of her own. She features more prominently in this story as she attends all the murder scenes.

The story itself is a vast improvement on the last one in the series. I have said before, and will say again, I wonder at the speed in which James Patterson produces books. They come out frequently and some books tend to have that slightly `unfinished’ feel to them. This one had some great twists in it and like I said before the actual storyline was pretty captivating. It made a change to have two stories running parallel through the book that eventually intertwine at the end. The chapters were written in the classic Patterson style; short and sharp. I have personally found that this makes the book very edgy and easy to get pulled along with.

The characters themselves are another matter altogether. As I have read every single one of the series you find yourself knowing the characters that bit more than a stand-alone novel. All I can say is WHAT HAPPENED? Our leading lady Lindsay Boxer has had a personality transplant, and not one that I like all that much. She has always been a very strong woman that has had to fight her way through the usual politics within law enforcement. Although she is involved in a long term relationship with Joe, she has always been fiercely independent. Suddenly she has become this wimpy woman with no backbone?!?

The other women characters are all pretty strong too but with the author and co-author suddenly `finding’ Yuki a man it seemed … well… just wrong. It didn’t fit, as the relationship between Cindy and Rich just doesn’t fit. I felt like the characters have changed too much and I can’t see many fans of this particular series liking it all that much.

Overall I am glad that the story and writing itself was a vast improvement but the characters lost so much that it made the book that little bit less enjoyable for me. I would still recommend.

WORST CASE BY JAMES PATTERSON AND MICHAEL LLEDWIDGE (MICHAEL BENNETT #3)

My Rating: 4/5

Detective Michael Bennett works in the busy city of New York. His wife died two years ago leaving behind their amazing ten adopted children. Michael Bennett’s life is solely his work and his children. Thankfully he has the help of his Grandfather Seamus and Nanny Mary Catherine. Apart from his children the most important thing in his life is his work. He had previously come up against killers and cases that he has solved and this year is no different. A young man who has one of the wealthiest set of parents in New York is snatched and held hostage.

The only problem is that this killer doesn’t want money. The killer insists on questioning the young man and it dawns on the hostage that money can’t help him, only the correct answers can. Michael Bennett is called to the family home of the boy and then starts the race to find the boy before the killer makes it a murder case. Drafted in to help is Emily Parker an FBI Agent who is an Abduction Specialist. Between them they try to figure out the killer’s next move. What they aren’t prepared for is a killer that takes his beliefs to the extreme. Michael is not prepared for this case as well as managing his family brood without incidence. What he is even more shocked at is when his love life suddenly becomes part of the mix.

I have read all of James Patterson’s books and to be frank they can be hit and miss. Sometimes he can produce fantastic stories but in recent years it seems like he churns out so many books that sometimes the story doesn’t have the author’s whole focus. The Michael Bennett series is co-written with Michael Lewidge. This particular book I really enjoyed. I have also read the two previous Michael Bennett novels so I already had some background on the characters which always helps.

The second book in the Michael Bennett series (Run for your life) I rated at 4 out of 5 and to be honest this book was no different. The character himself is pretty good, he is clearly a family man but one who lobes his family and that comes across well with the writing. The added bonus of this book is the angle of the love life interest. The only thing was with this angle is that it felt very rushed, almost like JP/ML felt they had to introduce somebody. We don’t hear as much about Michael’s family which is a shame because his Grandfather Seamus was featured a little more heavily ion the previous book and he is a great character.

As for the killer himself, we see the story written from his perspective and to be honest this was the weakest are of the book. It almost felt a little rushed and there was no real depth to him. However as usual, James Patterson manages to balance out these flaws with his style of writing. His chapters are short and sharp and always paced quickly meaning they keep you a little hooked. I always find that no matter what my opinion of the story or characters I am always compelled to keep reading. Maybe this is why his books are such a success? Up until the release of `I Alex Cross’ which was quite recent, I actually preferred the Michael Bennett series. After that recent release I again became latched with the Alex Cross character. I must say though that after reading this Michael Bennett book, he may not be my favourite of the JP characters but I definitely want to see more of him.

All in all James Patterson hasn’t failed to deliver a good book. My only concern is that I never feel like it’s a five star read lately like I have with other authors such as Dennis Lehane. I think that he produces so many books in such a short space of time that the reader never quite feels like he has immersed himself fully with one character and concentrated on that one book. Overall he is still a great author and I would recommend his books to anybody as they are an enjoyable read. JP had better watch out though, recently some great authors have been producing 5 star books which may threaten his status as the number one Crime Writer.

I, ALEX CROSS BY JAMES PATTERSON (ALEX CROSS #16)

My Review: 4/5

Alex Cross is a character that has been one of James Patterson’s longer running themes. He returns in this blockbuster along with a few familiar faces.

They are celebrating Alex’ birthday in the opening chapter, but as usual are interrupted with the phone call they always dread…Work! Alex and his long-time girlfriend Detective Briana Stone along with his kids Ali and Jannie (who live at home), and the ever faithful Nana are welcomed back. Nana and his children have been the one consistence in his life that has brought him stability, support and love, however his love for his job sometimes gets him putting his priorities the wrong way round. The call he receives becomes personal as Alex finds out that a killer has got to one of his own. His niece has been murdered and they want him in on the case. He throws himself into the case head first and discovers that this serial killer won’t be so easy to catch. This is no ordinary serial killer and Alex soon discovers that the whole case is wrapped up with some high rollers who are protected by those around them. That means breaking the rules and doing what needs to be done to catch the killer. Alex realises that to do his job he has to trust nobody and do things his own way.

I have on a few occasions’ mentioned that I was unsure what James Patterson was doing to quality of his own work, due to the sheer volume of novels he seems to produce or complete with a co-author. My opinion has been in the past that his novels (especially the Cross ones) seem to decline the more books he produces. This book showed me glimpses of some of the great work that he has produced in the past, however still left me undecided as to whether his work is back to its usual quality. His chapters are short and sharp but keep the pages turning. The story was a good one and flowed throughout, with the added bonus of ending the book on a great opening for the next one.

I did enjoy this and think it is better than his last Alex Cross Novel (Cross Country). However, although still an avid James Patterson fan I find that I am leaning towards his other follow on books with the lead character of Michael Bennett (e.g. Run for your life). I will continue to read James Patterson’s work and can only hope that the Alex Cross books continue to catch the audience. This book can be read as a standalone but I would advise that if you enjoy this, that you try some of his other earlier books.

8TH CONFESSION (WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB #8)

My Rating: 2/5

My Review – James Patterson has been writing a series of books which are part of the ‘Women’s Murder Club’ series. They involve four women who have all featured heavily in previous books. They are Lindsay, Cindy, Yuki and Claire.

The story for the 8th Confession focuses on two main threads. The first is a murder of a “saintly” homeless man and Cindy who is a journalist finds her senses telling her to keep on at this, and she is convinced there is a story there. The other thread features the serial murders of the rich society movers and shakers in the strangest manner. It appears they have all been killed by a snake bite. Lindsay and her partner Rich Conklin need to investigate the murders to find who is behind these strange killings. Yuki meanwhile is juggling her job as an attorney and falling for what she thinks is the man of her dreams.

I read this book just as quickly as other James Patterson books and found the pace pretty good but think that is down to the writing style as opposed to anything else. However I have to say I still felt that it was still a disappointment. The plot just didn’t seem to be there. It seemed to lack any substance and the four main characters that have featured in this series seem to have all changed personalities. What I loved about this series of books is that with each book you read you learn a little more about each of them. With this book, not only was the storyline lacking but so were the characters of the four women that we fans have come to know and love.

Usually the girls are brought together and fight together. This time round, you get glimpses of them all and only Lindsay and Cindy really stands out as being part of the plot line. Yuki and Claire barely get a mention. I am beginning to wonder if James Patterson has lost his touch with this series or if he is churning them out far too quickly?