Rating: 
Summary: Lost me with the ending
Review: I LOVE Patterson's series and this book was as captivating as any other of Detective Cross' cases...UNTIL the end...It seemed all to rushed and out of nowhere. Usually Patterson ends his stories well and yet leaves enough room to wonder about the next book. But this one lost me with the ending. I guess it was a good plan in that I HAVE to read the next one...when it comes out in paperback of course!
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of Time and Money
Review: Bad book. This guy's talent has entirely dissipated. He just goes through the motions.
Rating:
Summary: James Patterson is the best of the genre
Review: James Patterson is the best writer in the "cop chases brilliant serial wacko killer genre" period. His writes in short chapters and never ever loses the readers attention. The reader is compelled to finish the book. I have read all of his "Alex Cross" books and a couple of his other ones. All of them have been very good, and very fun and easy to read. This one is no exception.
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Summary: Gripping and Suspensful!
Review: This is the first "Alex Cross" book by Patterson I have read and I can't wait to read more - I am "hooked"I found this book to be wonderfully suspenseful and I flew through each and every chapter. It was impossible to "stop" reading - "just one more chapter"!!! That day nothing whatsoever got done that was supposed to! I love the way Patterson leaves you hanging from chapter to chapter and the suspense of a serial killer was gripping! Knowing who the killer was in the beginning of the book was great in that you were trying to figure out what the next move was going to be and it was always a surprise! The dark, sick, and twisted mind of Geoffrey Schaffer was graphically and excellently portrayed in the book. I was intrigued also by Cross trying to psychologically figure this guy out throughout the trial of murders as Schaffer was playing "the game". The suspense kept masterfully building. I was expecting some show at the end of the book by Geoffrey Schaffer, but never expected that shocker of an ending!! Phew! Give me more Alex Cross!! I would love to see this book as a sequel! I became a Patterson fan with Cradle And All, and now I am hooked completely! This book will grip you from the outset and will not let you go until the very last page!
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Summary: for the Thriller Junkie
Review: Pop Goes the Weasel was intense and I just couldn't stop reading. A sucker for a good novel about serial killers, I thought the book was engaging and I got deep within the characters. My complaint is always that a book like this is easy to digest but leaves you still wanting more. If you are a thriller junkie you will love this book even if you haven't read any of his other books.
Rating: 
Summary: Too many family sidebars
Review: I love James Patterson books..they are quick reads with a nice quick pace and lots of suspense. However, one criticism I have and it really comes into play in this book--is his overuse of the family of Alex Cross. It is really too "cutesy" for my taste. The bad guy in this book was really cool and I loved the premise of the guy being untouchable, but let's lose the bogged down family interactions. Keep it to a minimum please!
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Summary: Frustratingly Disappointing
Review: I had read Patterson's "Kiss the Girls" a while ago and was hoping for something of similar quality in "Pop Goes the Weasel." However, this work was incredibly disappointing. While the villain is diabolical and the premise -- that he's acting out fantasies that are part of some sick role-playing game -- is interesting, there's absolutely nothing about the rest of the plot that's any good. There's no mystery, since you know who did it in Chapter 1; that's okay, you could still have a compelling crime/puzzle story where you know the details but the hero doesn't. Nope. There's no clever legal maneuvering or climactic trial: the court scenes don't make any sense and don't have any of the drama of an LA Law rerun. There's no good detective work -- stuff just happens (like, a guy in the FBI hands them some needed details, or, a kid on the Internet knows who the killer is). And there's not even any witty banter by a clever protagonist that keeps you amused while the plot just sort of blahs along. A very disappointing read...
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Summary: Great Story -- But The Trial???
Review: Patterson weaves a great story, but he needs a legal advisor. Since I am a trial attorney I found it bizarre to be reading a sequence about a criminal trial where the defendant has the burden of going forward with presenting evidence to prove his innocence. Did I miss something? In many criminal trials under the US system of justice the defendant presents no evidence because he is presumed innocent and has no burden of proof to prove his innocence. In this book, the only testimony given by Cross at the trial is in response to defense questioning. Ordinarily, he would be considered the government's lead witness sitting with the prosecutor all during the trial! However, take away the strange trial sequence and this spins into a very good story.
Rating:
Summary: POP GOES THE WEASEL
Review: "POP GOES THE WEASEL" HAS TO BE THE BEST YET FROM JAMES PATTERSON. I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING JAMES PATTERSON'S WRITINGS FROM THE BEGINNING AND ALL OF HIS NOVELS ARE EXCELLENT. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WHO IS LOOKING FOR MYSTERY, THRILLER, DRAMA, AND SUSPENSE. JAMES PATTERSON IS AN AUTHOR WHO NOT ONLY KEEPS YOU IN SUSPENSE BUT AT THE SAME TIME DOES NOT LET YOU ASSUME "WHO DONE IT".
Rating: 
Summary: Good but not great
Review: Alex Cross has lost his edge in this book, but this is understandable as his fiancee has disappeared. However, he isn't dealing with a criminal genius here, just a wacko who leaves a trail a mile long behind him. But there are a lot of loose ends and pointless dramas. Christine doesn't make much of an impression either (was this really the same person Damon Cross described as 'tougher than you, Daddy'?), and we have to believe that a man who killed his own wife and daughters would simply abandon his hated enemy's woman with a group of refugees and not harm a hair of her head. What made this book better than the last couple Cross novels was that we didn't have to read about Alex and Christine having dinner and sex in every chapter. Let's hope the next book brings us the old Alex-and better yet, have Christine move away and bring back Kate McTiernan. That relationship had a LOT more pizazz-and Kate was much more likeable.
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