Rating: 
Summary: TERRIFIC AUTHOR BUT A DISAPPOINTING BOOK!
Review: Anyone who has read James Patterson's earlier books knows he is a fantastic author, so what happened here? It seems that Mr. Patterson was in a terrific rush to give us something new and wrote this in a frantic rush to satisfy our craving for a new book. The result was disappointing. Few children, no matter how exceptionally brilliant and mature for their years, think and speak like Alex's daughter. The family scenarios, and the entire book for that matter, reminded me of little more than an over-dramatic soap opera. From the abduction of Christine to the final ending, the complete episode was just too weak, far-fetched and lacked substance. Mr. Patterson is a fantastic author. Anyone who has read his earlier books, "Along Came a Spider," "Jack and Jill," and "Kiss the Girls," for example, knows how talented he truly is, but this book showed very little of the creative writing of the James Patterson we have come to know and love.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as the others
Review: I've been a fan of Patterson since the first Alex Cross book I read (Jack and Jill). I'm not a big fan of this genre, but his books are usually great. This one, however, was a bit of a disappointment. It seemed rushed, particularly in the last half of the book. Furthermore, alot of "TA-DA"s (for lack of a better word) that went without much explanation - just "and then this happened." The ending was just plain silly, if you ask me. I don't want to give any of it away (I hate it when people do that) but I never quite believed alot of what I was supposed to believe which made the "surprises" pretty unsurprising. I also agree with a previous review regarding the "Oprah-esque" home life chapters. I barely skimmed through them. I know detectives have happy homes too, but this is a murder mystery. I didn't buy the book to hear about his fireside chats with Nana. I would not recommend this one, although the premise behind the villian(s) was truly intriguing. I give it 3 stars for the villan and his morbid game.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely awful!
Review: I bought this book to review for an encyclopedia of best selling fiction, but I'm not sure I can do that because the book is so uniformly terrible. Alex Cross is a pretty decent character in that Patterson tries to make him a believable human being, but he is at a complete loss in dealing with Shafer who is simply a motiveless monster who enjoys killing. As an MI6 agent, he is also highly skilled which makes Cross seem even more bumbling.The body count is astronomical during the first part of the book which makes it difficult to understand why Shafer and his cronies would spare the life of Christine. The Shafer we have seen, and see later, in the book would have dispatched her within milliseconds. So Shafer's killings seem motiveless. The book begins with a vignette on Shafer and ends with the villain which apparently signifies that we cannot escape a malign universe. If your idea of fun is a day at a slaughterhouse, buy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: I liked it
Review: I don't really read that many books, but I have read all the Alex Cross novels. For some reason even though alot of people seem to complain about this one, I really enjoyed it. Even more than the last 2 in fact. The editing errors seem to have been corrected, and it wasn't bad. The only problem I have is with some of the dialogue he has the children using. I don't know of any children that talk the way the children in this book do. These books are a bit of a stretch, and some kind of fantasy world where everyone loves each other, and calls their best friend sugar (who does that?), but it was fun to read.
Rating:
Summary: Not his best
Review: I'm a big fan of Patterson's, but this was so weak I can't recommend it to anyone. There were an awful lot of loose ends left hanging and some solutions that made no sense whatsoever. One thing I do have to mention is references to editing errors in the hardcover version. Either they were fixed in the paperback or the other readers weren't reading carefully. Many reviewers pointed out the fact that Alex makes a major announcement in chapter 27 and then repeats it in chapter 40. Look carefully and you'll see that the second "announcement" was in fact just the family talking about the news. Jannie makes a reference to "living together first" that clearly indicates this isn't a new announcement. The other big error everyone pounced on refers to a phone call Alex receives in Bermuda. Yes the phrase he keeps remembering was emailed, but there was a phone call telling him to check email, so he had heard the voice before.Not that I'm defending what's primarily a weak book, but the editing errors aren't as bad as others have claimed.
Rating:
Summary: What Happened to Alex Cross?
Review: Pop Goes The Weasel starts out with a bang. The villan is incredibly compelling. Unfortunately, he's the best thing about the book. "Kiss the Girls" made me a fan of the Alex Cross series. This book does not measure up to the earier installments. In fact, Dr. Cross has become a very annoying, schmaltzy character. I couldn't stand to read the "home" scenes, I felt like I was reading a bad Oprah self help book on happy families. When Dr. Cross's fiancee is kidnapped, I couldn't have cared less. I skimmed through the the 2nd half of the book. This is the end of the series for me, I won't pick up another of these books.
Rating: 
Summary: A true page-turner
Review: I couldn't put this book down. The villain is scary, sick and very fascinating. You are compelled to keep reading to see what this cleverly, cunning psychopath is up to next. My only regret is that I finished the book in a week and now need something else to read. This book was so entertaining; I wished it went on for another 200 pages.
Rating:
Summary: Hmmm...
Review: The book was interesting and Mr.Patterson once again fully displayed his talent for writing a fast-paced thrillers. However, I was rather disappointed towards the end of the book. It was like the writer was in a hurry to finish the book because the story became somewhat threadbare, without much detail. Maybe we readers should stop badgering Mr.Patterson for a new book so much!
Rating:
Summary: CROSS IS BACK...BETTER THAN EVER
Review: Alex Cross returns to investigate a series a murders in Washington. The murders are twisted, and chilling, and when Cross finally finds his suspect it turns out to be British diplomat Geoffrey Schaffer. Schafer is the madman at the forefront of the horrifying killings, but as Cross learns more about the murders he realizes he has entered into a terrifying game that has more than one player, and the stakes are high...Cross's fiance Christine has been kidnapped and if he doesn't play the game carefully, she will be the next victim. "Pop Goes The Weasel" is classic Patterson; short punchy chapters complete with cliff-hangers, action, suspense, murders, and one of the most twisted killers in any of his novels. Readers will be turning the pages FAST to reach the explosive climax. James Patterson proves once again that he is the MASTER of fast-paced entertainment. A MUST read! Nick Gonnella
Rating:
Summary: an easy, fun filled read, pick this novel up ASAP
Review: Yes, some of the characters in this novel aren't well developed. Yes, you do know who the bad guy is from the get-go. No, there aren't really any big secrets (well there is one) to figure out in this book. But this is still a great novel, and has everything that I love in a thriller novel. Great scenes, great action, good storytelling, the bad guy's perspective throughout the whole plot (I love when writers incorporate this in their work), and a speedy plot. You don't have to waste brain cells trying to figure out whodunit as though the book is some mental jigsaw puzzle, you can just sit back and enjoy. It's almost like 'reading a movie,' as a friend of mine put it. Just read this one while wanting to be entertained and nothing more, and you'll love it. Great, great book.
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