Rating: 
Summary: Great Read!
Review: The book Violets are Blue was a very good sequal to the book Roses are Red, but it was not Patterson's best work.
Rating: 
Summary: not his usual good work
Review: In the past my only complaint with James Patterson was I read he books faster than he wrote them. But after reading this one I'm about to change my mind. This book is a real disappointment. Very weak plot, truly unbelievable. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: A sad sequel
Review: Violets are Blue picks up where Roses are Red leaves off. And then it fades. This is the most disappointing book in the Alex Cross series. You know who the Mastermind is from the beginning. It's hard to beleive Alex Cross couldn't figure this out earlier!The "vampire" killers are incredibly unbelievable. Though this book is a sad sequel, it's a must for the Alex Cross fan. Hang in there Alex! Perhaps your next case will be more realistic!
Rating:
Summary: violet are blue, this book is predictable, the series is too
Review: A bit long. After reading all the Cross books, It is obvious who the villian is and a predictable read. Patterson rushed this book and gave away too much from Roses are Red. It takes 150 pages before Cross profiles the Mastermind. Patterson repeats previous sentences from other Cross novels: "Alex Cross crashes into a table, his full weight falling on the villian." At least with Cat and Mouse we get a new narrator. Jamilla Hughes was interesting and I would have liked to have seen a romantic developemnt similar to Cat and Mouse. Bottom line: Cornwell and Deaver are better writers on the subject of forensic profiling.
Patterson's movie casting is all wrong. Morgan Freeman is too dry. He does not come close to conveying Cross's wit. A better choice would have been Chi Mcbride from Boston Public. The obvious choice for Sampson is Michael Clark Duncan. If Violets are Blue becomes a movie I would cast the guy who plays opposite Gillian Anderson on X-Files as the Mastermind.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointment
Review: This book seems to have been hastily done, more or less, trading, if you will, on the success of ROSES ARE RED. At times, it seems to evidence a flavor of "a bit too fantastic" which detracts from the overall story. The solid plotting of JACK & JILL, and of KISS THE GIRLS is sadly lacking in this latest offering.
Rating: 
Summary: Alex Cross, the Mastermind, and Vampires
Review: James Patterson has an unequaled ability to grab you on the first page and immerse you in a whirlwind of a story. In Patterson's previous thriller, Roses Are Red, detective Alex Cross pursues the Mastermind, a brilliant killer. In Violets Are Blue, the Mastermind is back, and Alex is his target. At the same time, Alex and FBI agents investigate a nationwide series of murders by a pair of killers who believe themselves to be vampires. I'll let you imagine what happens in each murder. The killers are bold, clever, and fast. They give Alex and the FBI a bad time, while the Mastermind lurks nearby, waiting for his chance to kill Alex. The story will keep you reading. It's ideal for a long trip by plane or a weekend of relaxation.
Rating:
Summary: Avoid the End of Roses Are Red!
Review: Caution: This book contains much gross violence of the sort that appeals to teenage boys. If such things upset you, definitely skip this book. Much of the violence is not essential to the story. The language is frequently vulgar, expressing Mr. Patterson's way of capturing colloquial English.The last two pages of Roses Are Red, the prior Alex Cross novel, reveal the identity of one of the bad guys in Violets Are Blue. Your enjoyment of Violets Are Blue will be vastly reduced if you know who did it in advance. If you decide to read that book, stop at page 398 and cover page 399 with a sheet of paper so you don't accidentally see any material on it. Then read this book. After that, go back and read pages 399 and 400 of Roses Are Red. Also, be careful which reviews you read of both of these books. Some reviews reveal this information as an ultimate spoiler, harming your enjoyment of two books. "You're next, Dr. Cross." The hunter becomes the hunted in this unusual novel about finding mass murderers. How would you feel if your cell phone caller told you that you were the next person to be mutilated and murdered? That's part of the suspense of this book. The main story line in Violets Are Blue is locating and stopping a murder spree being conducted by people who kill others so that they die from loss of blood. The way they lose this blood is not for the squeamish. Variations on this grossness are developed to be sure you get the maximum shock value. I found the story contrived, unrealistic, and unappealing. On the other hand, if you like old vampire movies, you may see this as high camp and a lot of fun. Who knows? What Mr. Patterson does best is write plots, so with a weak plot here, there's not much good I can say about the book. It has the usual hard-to-differentiate characters, uninspiring dialogue, lack of any police procedure worth mentioning, and description of crime in mostly amoral terms. Now, if Mr. Patterson were to write locked room mysteries, he would really be something. In his concept here of trying to describe being a metropolitan detective dealing with Stephen King figures, his talent just doesn't work. If you really love Alex Cross books, go ahead and read this one. But remember that I warned you that you probably wouldn't like it! If you have read Roses Are Red, you will probably like this book much less. If you have read the last two pages of Roses Are Red, you may actually find this book annoying. I did. Be forewarned! Where does providing too much, make something less? Certainly, eating more when you are already overstuffed is one example. Having a gruesome murder or crime occur every few pages may be another. Seek the right balance in all that you do, so you can have the clear perspective to see the best opportunities for improvement!
Rating:
Summary: One of his Best!!
Review: I must admit I've been disappointed with the last few books in this series, so I was reluctant to read this one. I'm glad I did though, this book reminds me of how much I love James Patterson! There's non stop suspense and action from beginning to end.
Alex is traveling across the country trying to catch a team of Vampire Killers and at the same time being taunted by the Mastermind. Anyone who has read the last installment, Roses are Red, knows who the Mastermind is, but it's fun trying to figure out just what he'll do next. I loved how this story flashed back to some of Alex's earlier cases and tied in with them too. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a suspenseful read. Just be warned, you won't be able to put it down!
Rating:
Summary: SICK-ROTTEN
Review: THIS IS BY FAR THE WORST BOOK THAT I HAVE EVER READ IN MY 70 YOUNG YEARS..THE TRASH WAS TO GOOD FOR THE BOOK, SO IT WENT INTO THE FIREPLACE!!
Rating:
Summary: Violets Are Blue
Review: This is a terrible book that I kept wishing would get better, but only got worse as the plot tedium wore on. For starters, the title "Violets Are Blue" has absolutely nothing to do with the plot, the characters, or the action and the title (or the context of the title)is never mentioned once. Call the book "Mastermind", or "Vampires", or "Mass Murderers", but "Violets Are Blue" never applies here. And the plot and the whining of Alex Cross that he keeps getting weird phone calls from the Mastermind that can't be traced despite the full electronic technology of the FBI is silly. By the way, someone has been committing gruesome murders for eleven years with the distinct modus operandi of hanging victims upside down and drinking their blood. Not to mention white bengal tigers (two in the beginning but only one is killed in the end. Where is the other tiger?) who bite their prey to kill on command but never feast? And goulish teen-agers by the hundreds across the country who revel in blood, gore, killing, and mayhem circus acts? In the end, the vampire murders are unrelated to the Mastermind character that has been stalking Cross (we are told) for years and turns out to be his best friend in line to become the Director of the FBI. Huh? The Mastermind is also a mass murderer in his own right who's killed a number of Cross's female detective partners in the past. In short, none of the story hangs together, there is no cleverness, no plot twists, and nothing to recommend this novel. Unless, of course, you're really into macabre, fifty or so vicious murders where the victims have their throats slashed, are tortured, hung to death, or bled upside down in a purported feeding fenzy.
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