Rating: 
Summary: What a Waste
Review: of time and money!! I surely will not even be tempted to buy his next--he doesn't get better, he gets worse! I'd bet the reading level is maybe--4th grade.
Rating: 
Summary: Easy to read, typically disappointing
Review: Alex Cross returns in Patterson's latest thriller, the Big Bad Wolf. As with all Patterson novels, they are easy and quick to read. In this thriller, Cross has joined the FBI and his involved in searching for who his behind a bunch of kidnappings. The FBI and Cross are soon on the trail and have several hit and misses as they try and find kidnap victims before they are killed and try and find those involved in the kidnapping scheme.Although part of the novel involves Cross's personal life, it isn't as dominant as in recent efforts. Most Patterson villians seem to be smarter than those after them, but the Wolf actually is believable as a super criminal. A few complaints: Patterson never includes enough details of anything, so just read and go with the flow and don't think you missed something, because you didn't. Also, the conclusion is incredibly frustrating. This book isn't worthy of a sequal, although it'll probably have one. Patterson still throws in the required twists and turns, yet he has lost the ability to make me care about the characters in his novels.
Rating: 
Summary: I could not put this book down!
Review: This book was exciting and full of suspense! The details kind of reminded me of "Kiss the Girls" (one of his best) with a very different twist. Patterson did leave me wondering, "What just happened," after a few chapters, but I still could not put it down - page after page, I NEEDED to know what happened next! The ending, like a few of his novels, was a bit disappointing - again, it left me thinking, "What just happened?" But all in all, the book was great. I was able to finish it in about 12 hours, and I have a toddler who doesn't like when I read! I can't wait for James Patterson's next book.
Rating: 
Summary: ALEX CROSS IS BACK!!
Review: Alex Cross is back, and with a brand new nemesis; his nickname is Wolf, and no one seems to know his true identity. All that is certain is that he is fearless, very dangerous, and Russian Mafia. In addition to a host of other illegalities, he is also involved in the disappearances of many women nationwide--and the disappearances look as though they may have connections to White slavery (hence the case's nickname--White Girl). But there's not just murder and mayhem here. In addition to trying to track a killer, Alex is adjusting to life in the FBI--and all of the red tape that accompanies life as a federal agent. He misses the gritty street action that made his career on the DC police force the success that it was--and he is resented by many in his new federal home for the preferential treatment that he receives. To further add to the confusion, ex-love Christine Johnson is back--ostensibly for their son,little Alex. Having left the boy in his father's care well over a year ago to live in Washington state, she has apparently succombed to her maternal instincts and has decided that she wants him to live with her. Patterson, as is the case with all of the Cross novels, does not disappointment. Just when we think we know who the Wolf is, we realize that we don't. There are also quite a few surprises that will certainly leave the reader breathless--and wanting for more. I feel certain that the Wolf and Mr. Cross will meet again--sometime in the near future.
Rating: 
Summary: Has Patterson become too big to edit?
Review: Lake House was one of the few books I've ever dropped in the middle and just forgotten about. I read Big Bad Wolf (what a rotten title, it brings to mind the stupid Werewolf books by Cornwell of late) in a few hours and came to a couple of conclusions: 1) Patterson is great at developing sketches of characters I'd like to read more about (ie. Lili the hacker). In fact, Patterson has a world of great characters now in the "1st to Die" Murder Club gang and the Alex Cross books. and 2) Patterson has apparently become too big to allow a decent editor to help him. When the Wolf tried to assassinate Sterling under the noses of the FBI and Cross pushed Sterling behind a car to save him.... how could that be dropped? A big old limo tries a drive-by shooting with the cops all over the place and nothing happens? How could the threat to Cross' family be dropped (the threat to his family is even in the book description). As someone else mentioned, in a house full of cops, why was it Cross who had to break down the closet door? And then, to top it off, the identify of the Wolf was changed on us in a cheap cheat.
Rating:
Summary: Easy Read
Review: This is the first book I have read cover to cover in one day. Alex Cross is one of my favorite characters and he does not disappoint this fan. Some ends are left open, but Alex Cross is in top form.
Rating:
Summary: Will the real James Patterson start writing books again !!
Review: I swore after reading "When the Wind Blows" that I would not give James Patterson another chance. He used to write such wonderful thrilling books. I can't believe the same man who wrote "Kiss The Girls" is writing his recent books. I feel like one of the other readers who was angry over the bits of plot being suddendly dropped and never heard from again. I don't understand, if Alex thinks the real Wolf is still at large, is his family suddenly not a tartget anymore? We are led to believe that the Wolf will destroy anyone who has negatively crossed his path. What about a few words at the end as to how the Connely woman has faired her enormous problems of late, what was the deal the Sphinx made, what about that 14 yr. old girl who hacked into the sight, what about Nooney?
My biggest problem of all though is how idiotic this book makes the police and FBI look. Every suspect they surround with all of their FBI powers, suddenly gets away ??!! Why does is come down to the very end before an FBI agent thinks to take out a kneecap to capture a suspect alive ??!! Do they not watch TV ??
Rating:
Summary: What's happened?
Review: I am a fan of James Patterson's. I love his Alex Cross series of books and get very excited when a new book in the series is released, but lately, I've found his books to be less than engaging (even though I'm still going to buy them). After finishing "The Big Bad Wolf," I went back and looked through all my other Alex Cross books, to see just where Patterson's talent and skill started to disappear. I believe it began in "Roses are Red," which also boasted a horrible hanging ending like this novel. And his novels can't really be considered novels much anymore, more like novellas. The type is (created word coming up) gynormous, which allows him to fill 400 pages very easily, when if written in normal style, the work would probably not hit 200 pages. Not to mention the multiple uses of italics to convey sometimes entire paragraphs and the hilarious use of exclamation points!!! I just don't believe I can take an author seriously who relies on exclamation points (!) to convey emotion. Exclamation points (!), to me, have no place in the prose of a work. Use of (!) is acceptable in quotations, but in prose? "Come on!!!" (I put that last sentence in quotations so I could justify myself.) And now we arrive at the issue of plot. Some reviewers have pointed out that the plot of this novel is fast-paced. They can't possibly have read the same book that I did. True, the sections involving the kidnappings, the Wolf, his accomplices, and the other men from the chatroom are engaging and make the reader want to know a little more about the villain, but the sections involving the FBI are slow and drawn out; the one exception being when Alex and his partner are chasing Sphinx, but even then, the revelation of Sphinx's identity is a bit of a betrayal to the reader. (SPOILER AHEAD) If Patterson had planted little clues when Alex met Brendan Connelly, then the reader wouldn't have felt cheated (like I did). (END SPOILER) That tidbit aside, I did think the plot was interesting. Sure, it was a bit far-fetched, but how many plots of mystery and suspense novels aren't? Now I want to address my largest complaint of all, and then, I promise, no more complaints. My biggest complaint? The lagging holes. Okay, I get that the Wolf's this sadistic, insane man who will kill anyone that gets in his way, but could there have been a little more depth to the character? (SPOILER AHEAD) When he's first introduced, he's introduced as the Wolf, and Ari Manning (his name in America), and as Pasha Sorokin (his given Russian name). If all that was true, then why, once the FBI found the Wolf/Ari/Pasha, did he deny everything: him being the Wolf, him even being at the house in the first place? (if I'm wrong, I apologize, but that's what I understood) If he weren't the real Wolf, wouldn't Alex have recognized that it wasn't the real Pasha or Ari or whoever he was when they apprehended the man at the store? And then Pasha, or whoever, says he'll give up the real Wolf, only to have himself blown to bits in a hilariously bad open ending. So, if Pasha weren't the real Wolf, then why did he call himself such? And if he simply wanted to be the Wolf, and pretended he was, then does that mean the reader never actually saw the real Wolf? That's a bit disconcerting, when the real villain doesn't even appear until the very last page. And one more thing, when the Wolf shot at Alex from the limousine and Alex dropped to ground to avoid being shot (somehow he knew), why was that not addressed in the next chapter? I'm sure the FBI would've destroyed a passing limo in which someone was firing a gun at an agent. If the gun were silenced, then why wasn't there any reference to that, and just how did Alex know -- that never was addressed.(END SPOILER -- I know, it was a long one) All in all, though a few parts were disappointing, the book as a whole was pretty good. Never did I want to put the book down and not finish reading it (if only because I feel a need to finish a book once I start it), and I really do like James Patterson's work (the Alex Cross series and the Women's Murder Club series being my favorites -- which leads to another problem: Patterson's work was especially great in "1st to Die" (I wonder if he had a good ghostwriter?) so why can't he continue to do that in the Alex Cross books? I know, I know, I said no more complaining, but I lied.). If you like James Patterson and can forgive his simple sentences and sometimes mediocre writing, then you'll enjoy "The Big Bad Wolf." It's a nice addition to the Alex Cross series; I just hope that the next book will tie up these loose ends with a bit more of a bang than did "Violets are Blue" with the Kyle Craig/Mastermind case. Also Recommended:
Anything by Jeffery Deaver
Anything by Chuck Palahniuk
"A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by Dave Eggers
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Story
Review: Patterson has created another outstanding Alex Cross fast paced thriller. This story now portrays Alex taking training lessions to become an FBI agent, but things are not what he expected. Alex has to much street smarts and natural abilities to be told to do tasks that he knows are not correct. You will see a clash between Alex and the top FBI people in trying to capture a Red Mafia killer, the WOLF! The Wolf's character is a brutal portrayal of an evasive, self admiring individual that Alex has a personal vendeta to put down.
A great story, one that you don't want to put down!!!
Rating:
Summary: Cheated
Review: Yes, that sums this book up in a word. I felt cheated of a good story and a solid ending. It's not fair to plunk down money for a hardcover and find that the book doesn't end, that it is clearly setup for a sequel. To me, that is cheating. What is also cheating is that he simply isn't writing as well as he can anymore. Someone else commented that this feels like a first draft, and I agree. And I'm so disappointed because I really liked his earlier books, this man clearly has talent, but he doesn't have to work as hard anymore, his books will still sell. What I have noticed about this book and his more recent ones is that the pace is faster, but at the expense of believability and character depth. Everything is surface level, cardboard people doing wildly implausible things. His supervisor at the FBI is very antagonistic for the first half of the book, which you think is going somewhere, but then he just drops that story line. I'd rather have one book a year from him that is really good, than multiple books that are bad. All I can say for this one is wait for the paperback.
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