Rating: 
Summary: Suspenceful and Fun!
Review: This is one of the better James patterson books, it is well written has good charecters and is geuily suspenceful. It also made me angry, which was a good thing. James Patterson is a pro at wirting engaging Court Room scenes without being to long winded.The only problem I had wasd it was way to much like Along Came The Spider in some terms, and that was a little irratating, but otherwise it is enjoyable and good.
Rating: 
Summary: Death Rides a Black Jaguar
Review: At one point in the novel "Pop Goes the Weasel", Alex Cross refers to the villain, Geoffrey Shafer, as a "suicidal-homicidal maniac". What a pity it is for the reader that this lethal combination was never really used to its fullest extent. British Embassy employee Geoffrey Shafer fancies himself to be one of the Four Horsemen. Death to be precise. He's on so many different narcotics and stabilizers that it's amazing he actually has the awareness to drive, let alone murder so many people. My SMALL problem with the storyline is that Mr. Patterson; rather than delve deeper into Shafer's psychosis, spends so much useless time showing us the other members of the Horsemen. The issue of Shafer's diplomatic immunity is thrown in ever so briefly. Tightening the court battle sequence would have made the final showdown between Cross and Shafer a bit more compelling. We're left with a lull in the story immediately afterwards. The romance between Cross and Christine tends to slow the pace of the story. And the characterizations of the children seem somewhat askew. They do tend to speak far beyond their years. But that's just a tiny nitpick. The novel is a very easy read. ... But, I'll admit, it would be fun to read about Geoffrey Shafer again.
Rating:
Summary: My First Patterson Book
Review: This was my first time reading a James Patterson book and being a mystery/thriller reader I was intrigued by the way the book caught my attention right away. I found the plot captivating and different from any other book I've read. The main character, Alex Cross, who is a homicide detective with a loving family finds himself personally involved in a mind game with Geoffrey Shafer,a psychotic British diplomat who strived to live out a fantasy game. I felt that James Patterson did an outstanding job keeping the excitement going and the anticipation of how Geoffrey Shafer was going to play out his next move.I personally liked the twist and turns of this book and plan to read more of Patterson's work. next
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Alex Cross page turner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I liked this one almost as much as "Kiss the Girls". It's definately one of my favorite in the series. Have you ever seen the movie "seven"?! This book has that kind of gloomy, Gritty, big city feel to it. The chase in this book and the evil nemesis is so suspenseful and frightening. It has a lot more gore than most.I felt frustrated ..sometimes shouting out loud: Come on Alex!!!!! You've Got the Wrong Guy!!! We , the reader KNOW who the bad guy is early on but reading and waiting for Alex to trap him is thrills and chills of fun! Warning: this book has a Great ending ....so hurray up and read it and then go buy and read the next, "Roses are Red". Please read my review of "Roses are Red" before you buy this book!! My hints will make it a lot more intersesting!!!
Rating: 
Summary: What can I say?
Review: This was my first Alex Cross super detective / psychologist novel and I must say I was pretty dissapointed. The premise, British agents playing fantasy games and turning into serial killers...very lame the plot...pretty straight forward good guys always come through...but Alex Cross is so likeable that you just have to hate him. Characterisation...where did this family come from Disney land. Dialogue...tabloid newspapers have more depth. I really can't find a redeeming feature of this novel.Pulp novels make a come back from the 1930's.
Rating:
Summary: Okay, so it's 'Formula'--but THIS formula WORKS...
Review: I've been a big Alex Cross fan since I decided to pick up 'Kiss The Girls' while waiting in line at a Grocery Store several years ago, and I haven't been disappointed in one of these thrillers yet. I'll admit I didn't particularly enjoy 'Hide & Seek'--but that wasn't an Alex Cross novel. Authors can work their entire lives before finding a particular 'formula' that works for THEM, and for James Patterson, his talent comes from his amazing ability to breathe life into the character of Alex Cross...but not just HIM, we also get to know a collection of other great fictional folks, like Nana, Sampson and Alex's children, not to mention Christine, his girlfriend/fiancee. Patterson has found the perfect 'formula' that works for his particular style of writing and for the same reason we pick up a Clive Cussler adventure novel with same action, different local and different bad guy, he consistently gives us what we crave when we fork out $8.00 to buy these novels (I'm cheap, I wait for paperback): PURE ENTERTAINMENT. 'Pop Goes The Weasel' captured my attention from the very beginning...however it DID slow down somewhere near the middle, and I had to force myself to pick it up again after I had stopped reading it for about a week--but I am certainly glad I did. Patterson keeps the plot moving at a feverish pace (aside from a small lull in the middle) with miniature chapters that propel us onward where you end up saying to yourself: 'I'll stop reading after the NEXT chapter...' only to cheat on your goal and stop when you realize you have to get up in just 3 hours... I have to admit I ended up liking our bad guy (Geoffrey), but you could see his falling into madness pretty easily so many of the things that ended up happening were predictable...but like I said, its ALL formula, and with Patterson's style, it all works rather well. I enjoyed the courtroom scenes very much, and wonder whether or not Mr. Patterson will ever come out with a full-blown legal-thriller one day? In a nutshell, if you are bothered with Patterson's style of writing in his previous Alex Cross novels, this one doesn't offer much--BUT if you enjoy them, count yourself lucky that 'Pop Goes The Weasel' is YOUR next purchase. Go ahead, you'll enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: new fan of the author
Review: Having recieved the book for Christmas, I decided to give it a whirl. Good character, Alex Cross. Honest, hardworking, smart. You can feel his goodness with his family as the book goes on. The turmoil in his Force, his partners, boss is evident as well. The villan, Shafer, is a rather interesting chap as well. The battle of wills between he and Cross are as good as i've read in awhile. Good, solid detective work in this one. If you like murder-mystery, with a few twists, check this one out. I look forward to more Patterson books.
Rating:
Summary: Mediocre
Review: This was the third Patterson novel that I've read, and the first involving Alex Cross, and I have to say, I was disappointed. The premise of the story is that a British dipomat with a taste for role-playing games is becoming increasingly violent and is playing out the fantasy game in real life, murdering innocent victims and then bragging about it on the internet. An idea with promise, but unfortunately Patterson uses far too many sterotypes to make it anything more than a run of the mill crime novel. We have the obstreperous police chief who thinks the murders are nothing more than random killings, the feisty black nana who's chock-full of traditional recipes and good advice, and of course, Cross himself, who is so wholesome that he makes milk look like straight scotch. This isn't a bad book, but if you have any kind of imagination at all, it is not going to light your candle.
Rating:
Summary: A bit like Ann Elk's description of a dinosaur!
Review: This was a book I received for my birthday so I would not of necessarily picked this one off the shelf, so to speak. I have not read James Patterson before and to start it was refreshing to read a book with a different style of delivery. Although the story was good it was a little slow to start, good in the middle and then went a little flat at the end, hence the cryptic reference to Ann Elk. With regards to the end, surely, judging by one of the main characters, if I read the character correctly, something else should have taken place. However I am prepared to read another one of his books, the sequel possibly, as there were to many loose ends in this one for my liking.
Rating: 
Summary: Classic Cross
Review: Pop goes the Weasel is another classic Alex Cross novel. It is what you have come to expect from James Patterson in this series. Alex Cross is the like the guy next door. He has the perfect family. His kids almost seem to be to perfect. They act as if they are 30 but they actually are much younger than that. If this is the first Alex Cross novel you have read you won't be missing anything. You can pick up here and not feel that you need to have read the other books to know what is going on. Pop goes the Weasel has snappy dialogue, which you come to expect from any Patterson book. The pace will leave you breathless. It's hard to stop anywhere in the book because every chapter ends with suspense and will make you want to read more. The villain is very unlikable. Sometimes you would feel like you would want to get your hands on him. He is exactly what the titles says- A weasel. Patterson is able to mix enough graphic details to make you cringe and enough heart-warming material to make this an all around good read. 5 Stars
| 
