Rating: 
Summary: Pop Goes the Weasel
Review: After a flight in fantasy with When the Wind Blows (1998), Patterson goes to ground with another slash-and-squirm psychokiller page-turner, this one dedicated to ``the millions of Alex Cross readers, who so frequently ask, can't you write faster?'' By day, Geoffrey Shafer is a charming, 42-year-old British Embassy paper-pusher with a picture-perfect family and a shady past as an MI-6 secret agent. Come sundown, he swallows a pharmacy of psychoactive pills, gulps three black coffees loaded with sugar, and roams the streets of Washington, D.C., in a battered cab, where, disguised as a black man, he rolls dice to determine which among his black female fares he'll murder. Afterwards he dumps his naked victims in crime-infested back alleys of black- slum neighborhoods, then sends e-mails boasting of his accomplishments to three other former MI-6 agents involved in a hellish Internet role-playing game. ``I sensed I was at the start of another homicide mess,'' sighs forensic-psychologist turned homicide-detective Alex Cross. Cross yearns to catch the ``Jane Doe murderer'' but is thwarted by Det. Chief George Pittman, who assigns ... Det. Patsy Hampton to investigate Cross and come up with a reason for dismissing him. Meanwhile, Cross's fianc‚e is kidnaped during a Bermuda vacation, and an anonymous e-mail warns him to back off. He doesn't, of course, and just when it appears that Patterson is sleep-walking through his story, Cross nabs Shafer minutes after Shafer kills Det. Hampton. During the subsequent high-visibility trail, Shafer manages to make the jury believe that he's innocent and that Cross was trying to frame him. When all seems lost, a sympathetic British intelligence chief offers to help Cross bring down Shafer, and the other homicidal game-players, during a showdown on the breezy beaches of Jamaica. Kinky mayhem, a cartoonish villain, regular glimpses of the kindly Cross caring for his loved ones, and an ending that spells a sequel: Patterson's fans couldn't ask for more
Rating: 
Summary: CHILLING THRILLER ABLY READ
Review: The author of Cat and Mouse, Kiss the Girls, and others does it again. Our hero, Alex Cross, dynamic doctor/detective has overcome many adversaries, but this time he's confronting the Weasel!Serial killings in a crime ridden Washington, D.C. ghetto send Alex and his partner in search of the "Jane Doe" killer. But their bigoted boss wants them to focus on the slaying of a well-to-do white man. Patterson uses his trademark brief scenes and plot suspense to move his tale along to its proper conclusion. Able readers bring Alex to life as well as imbuing a complex villain with the proper amount of psychosis and sadism. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: Patterson's Formula Worked for Me
Review: I agree with all of the reviews that say this book (and this series) is very formula. But I have to cast my vote with the reviewers who like the formula. You have Alex Cross and John Sampson, which are two of the best detectives I've ever read about. The bad guys they hunt are serial killers of the worst sort. They range from the pathologically insane with severe mood swings, to brilliant criminals with a strong case of megalomania. There are even sociopathic children, professional assassins and detectives with split personalities. Yes, the dialog can be trite and difficult to swallow at times. And there's very little subtlety to the stories. The boundaries between good and evil are pretty well fixed, and there's no gray to be found anywhere. But lets be honest. These books are fun. When you get on a rollercoaster, what do you expect? You expect lots of sharp turns and steep inclines. Same thing with this book. It's predictable like a rollercoaster is predictable. And when you open the pages of this book, like a rollercoaster, you are immediately drawn in. In this book, the opening chapter did a particularly good job of gaining my interest. Patterson once again does a very good job of exploring the mind of a pathological killer, and builds a very solid storyline that mixes intense scenes of murder and mayhem with solid character development that you can only really appreciate if you read this book as part of the larger 'Alex Cross' series. Alex Cross is once again the brilliant detective, in touble at work and in love once again. He is still trying to be the dutiful father, friend and lover, all the while trying to catch The Weasel. The Weasel is thought to be responsible for the Jane Doe murders, which number somewhere over 100 victims. To make the story more interesting, Alex is made to struggle with some pretty significant personal loss as he tries to catch one of the more slippery killers of his career. In this book, you not only get a great detective story and a very interesting killer, but you get to learn more about this character named Alex Cross. And not only Alex Cross, but the whole cast of characters from the series. John Sampson is one of my favorites, as is Cross's family (son Damon, daughter Jannie, and grandmother Nana). Lets face it, there are lots of books out there about serial killers. But there's only one series featuring Alex Cross. And it's the very likable Alex Cross that keeps me coming back to this series. Because I know he'll be there to outwit the bad guys, no matter how heinous their crimes. So give me Alex Cross any day. No matter what criminal mastermind he faces next time, I'll be right there along for the ride. Predictable, yes. But also fun. Just like a rollercoaster.
Rating:
Summary: My first Patterson book
Review: Pop Goes the Weasel is the first book by James Patterson I've read. And I'm thinking a trip to the book store (or Amazon.com...) is in order. The main character, Detective Alex Cross, has apparently been around for several Patterson novels. But you don't need to have read any of the previous works to enjoy Weasel--it stands on it's own just fine. The title character, "The Weasel" as the cops call him, is a British diplomat who is into playing a very odd Role Playing Game--a game that he has taken beyond fantasy and into reality--brutal and savage murders of mostly "low life" types. Patterson writes in very short chapters that make convienient stopping places--if you can stop! I found this book difficult to put down. The characters are well developed, the plot has several twists and turns, and it's easy, exciting reading. The only thing that keeps this book from recieving my coveted 5 Star rating is that I don't think Patterson develops the game well enough. What could have been a *very* interesting plot aspect is just a tad weak. Yes, you know who's playing the game, and who wins in the end, but I would have liked this plot line to be "fleshed out" a bit more. It's a small weakness though. Pop Goes the Weasel has a bit of everything for aanyone--crime, horror, suspense, romance, humor--it's all in there. An excellent book, by an excellent writer that I for one plan on reading more of.
Rating: 
Summary: An Entertaining and Fast Read with Some Flaws
Review: In general,I enjoyed this Alex Cross adventure. In this one the reader understand more how Alex out together the solution. However, there were some flaws that make the book a bit unbelieveable. Like how could Christine possibly get off the little island of Bermuda without anyone knowing? What happened to the white van? Having put together who this mass murderer is, why would Cross leave only one person to watch this dangerous mad man? What happened to back up? And does anyone ever fight back (not even the detective who was supposed to be tough)? No DNA under the fingernails? Is it reasonalble to believe that in over a year Christine didn't try to escape, get to a phone - something! And why would the three other Horsemen agree to meet "Death" in Jamaica? If these guys were such good assassins, why didn't they just take him out? I hope that Mr. Patterson reads these reviews so that he can make improvements in the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Pop Goes The Weasel
Review: Pop Goes the Weasel was about Detective Alex Cross who is trying to solve a series of murders in Washington, D.C. The murderer is very skilled in covering up is tracks and it becomes very difficult for Cross to solve the case and convict the cold blooded murderer. When Alex Cross's girlfriend and family become endangered by this case, he becomes more determined to solve the murders. I enjoyed this book. It was the type of book that I found hard to put down. I thought that the book was fast paced, thrilling, and very intense. Patterson was very descriptive in decribing the setting and the actions or feelings of the characters. There were some negative aspects of the book however. First of all, right off the bat, you know exactly who the murderer was. There was no suspence in that. In addition, I thought the Patterson left no room for the reader to make their own conclusions. I think that this book is best for people who want to read a good murder/mystery book, rather than a well written novel.
Rating:
Summary: This one has some pop.
Review: I am slowly but surely working my way back through the archive of Alex Cross novel from Patterson. All things considered, Pop Goes the Weasel is a solid effort by Patterson. The author presents another supremely evil antagonist against whom Cross is pitted, with the added twist of a very personal involvement on the part of Cross. Although the Alex Cross formula makes things a bit predictable (and the references to cases solved in previous books become too repetitive), Patterson is nonetheless able to keep the reader turning the pages.
Rating:
Summary: CHILLING THRILLER ABLY READ
Review: The author of Cat and Mouse, Kiss the Girls, and others does it again. Our hero, Alex Cross, dynamic doctor/detective has overcome many adversaries, but this time he's confronting the Weasel! Serial killings in a crime ridden Washington, D.C. ghetto send Alex and his partner in search of the "Jane Doe" killer. But their bigoted boss wants them to focus on the slaying of a well-to-do white man. Patterson uses his trademark brief scenes and plot suspense to move his tale along to its proper conclusion. Able readers bring Alex to life as well as imbuing a complex villain with the proper amount of psychosis and sadism. - Gail Cooke
Rating: 
Summary: BORING & PREDICTABLE
Review: Pop Goes The Weasel was the most boring, predictable book I ever read. Very lame. I knew from page 1 that the detective's girlfriend would be kidnapped, and I knew exactly where. Very predictable, and I will not be reading anymore of this guy's novels.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book!!!!
Review: I must first say that although James Patterson has been writing for awhile I have only just acquainted myself with his writings. I find them all to be very good and this one is no exception. James Patteson creates great suspense and leaves you asking for more. His character Dr. Alex Cross finally finds happiness with a beautiful woman only to have it snatched away in the blink of an eye. Geoffrey Shafer is the ultimate diabolical bad guy. You just keep hoping that eventually he'll get his. Alex Cross' family life just makes you like him even more. I look forward to any book written by James Patterson.
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