Rating: 
Summary: My first Patterson/Cross - expected better
Review: I really expected a better thriller after reading so much about Patterson's Alex Cross novels. Maybe not many people will share my opinion but I was going for a suspense novel about a detective against a deranged psychopath and all of a sudden the detective is kneeling side by side with a strike team who's hunting the killer down on the other side of the world.....The idea of the four horsemen was really good but Patterson didn't exploit it. There's Schaffer alright and then there's a chapter that mentions this wannabe who's also going for a kill and that's it. The other Horsemen are just mentioned here and there. I also think Patterson could have worked a little further on Schaffer. In the end I don't get the impression of a fearful, God-don't- ever-let-me-bump-into-him villain. I just see a brat. And it's not that a "brat" would make a bad villain, but he's not treated as such. IMHO there should have been a stronger focus on Schaffer's Delusions of Grandeur. But presenting him driving reckelessly at full speed against oncoming traffic and then going "Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah you can't touch me, diplomatic immunity" just makes him look like a brat. Take a look at the way Gary Soneji's delusion is depicted on the Prologue to Along Came a Spider (my 2nd Cross novel). That tells me so much more about the character. And speaking of Along Came..., don't you find these two books incredibly similar? Stark Raving Mad megalomaniac who poses as a loving family man while secretly imagining his wife and kids murdered, tries to "be the best", get's nailed by Cross, becomes obsessed with making the good detective go to hell and back, goes to trial, get's away with it, only to go back to his old deeds, and YET remains available for the sequel. Now... which book am I talking about? I bet some of you can't tell. (Just please, PLEASE, somebody tell me the "Mastermind" in "Roses are Red" (my reluctant 3rd) is not another family guy with bloody delusions who goes to trial in the middle of the book. PLEASE!)
Rating:
Summary: Book 5 in a series of 8 with no end in sight?
Review: I read this book because I'd already read the rest of the series, and I'm in the process of reading Roses are Red and plan to read Violets are Blue as well as the upcoming Four Blind Mice. The story never really develops like it should in regards to Alex Cross's fiancee and the ending is all too convenient and rather hollow. If you read it you'll know what I'm talking about. Not a page turner like previous books in the series. I haven't bought a single of Patterson's books yet, I've allowed my local library to provide the free service of providing me with his works. I'd recommend you do the same, as you'll soon figure out if you haven't already, the Alex Cross series is all too predictable and you might soon find yourself where I am. Following the series out of mere curiosity to see if it's going to go somewhere interesting, and you don't mind spending a few evenings to read through the book. I'm tiring of Cross's fairytale family life which conflicts drastically with his unstable rollercoaster professional life. I'm going to stick this series out, but if you've not started reading the series, read the first four and quit while you're ahead.
Rating: 
Summary: This Game Is Deadly...
Review: Alex Cross is drawn into a diabolical computer game similar to Dungeons and Dragons, but on a much more sinister and sophisticated level. The Four Horsemen play their increasingly ingenious game on encrypted computers around the world. The stakes are very high and rising daily, as one of the players, the self-named Death, spirals out of control. Death, in the person of minor British diplomat Geoffrey Shafer, has crossed the line between fantasy and reality, and his madness has intruded on Cross's life just at a most wonderful and happy time for Alex and his family--his beloved Christine has consented to be his wife. There's not much time for merrymaking, however, before Cross is inexorably drawn into the game, accused of a murder he did not commit, and derided in the media as an out-of-control, murdering cop. Cross would be able to fight with a cool head in just about any circumstance, but Christine has disappeared, perhaps taken by one of the Four Horsemen, and she is presumed dead. It's more than Cross can deal with, despite the help of his family and his dear friend John Samson. There is no time, however, for normal grieving or even self-pity. The game has heated up to a point of excruciating finesse, all at the hands of one of the most dangerous killers ever. And now that killer, the seemingly mild-mannered Geoffrey Shafer, has focused on Alex as an opponent worthy of being part of the game. I read this book in one large gulp. To my mind, it was the best yet in the wonderful Alex Cross series, and I'm sticking to my opinion, even though I know that some reviewers do not agree. I recommend it to anyone who wants a great, suspenseful read. I'm glad there are more books in the series, because I'm hooked and I cannot stop!
Rating: 
Summary: THIS TIME IT'S PERSONAL...
Review: This audiobook starts out as an intriguing thriller. A series of murders is sweeping Southeast Washington, DC. Detective Alex Cross, psychologist and expert profiler, nicknames this remorseless, stealthy, and psychopathic killer "The Weasel" and is itching to capture him. From the beginning, the reader knows who the killer is. He is none other than urbane, British diplomat, Geoffrey Shafer, who is playing a macabre, role playing game through the internet with some of his former buddies from British intelligence. His role, appropriately enough, is "Death". The problem is that for Shafer it is no longer a game. It is an obsession. Meanwhile, Detective Alex Cross and his long time main squeeze, Christine, have decided to get married, despite his relentless pursuit of "The Weasel". Just before they actually do so, however, this diabolical fiend creates a serious hitch in their wedding plans. Cross carries on, as "The Weasel" plays a cat and mouse game with him. There are a number of surprising moves and countermoves, though it seems that Detective Cross is always on the receiving end. Unfortunately, while the book starts out with a bang, it sort of ends with a whimper. The author simply fails to realize the promise inherent in the book. The resolution of the issue involving his fiancee, Christine, is simply unrealistic. The final ending, however, with regards to Shafer is somewhat intriguing, as it leaves open the possibility of a sequel with this most intriguing killer. This audiobook is made most engrossing by the virtuoso reading by narrator Michael Kramer. He is simply superlative. He takes this book and makes it come alive. While the content of the book rates about a strong three, Michael Kramer's reading rates a high five, which is why I am awarding this audiobook four stars.
Rating:
Summary: First Disappointment from Patterson
Review: After having tore through 'Pop Goes the Weasel' in three days, you would think I would have been really pleased with the fifth installment of James Patterson's Alex Cross series. Unfortunately, I feel let down. 'Pop Goes the Weasel' tells the story of a British diplomat, Geoffrey Shafer, that is engaged in a brutal Role Playing Game with three other MI6 (British Secret Agents) from around the world. He develops a taste for killing and can't stop. This is not a spoiler, you find this all out in the first twenty pages of the book. One of the great things about the preceding four novels in the series is that there are some great plot twists that really make the reader sit back and rethink what is going on. In each of the four previous novels, at some point I thought I had it all figured out, just to be stunned by a new development. That didn't happen in 'Pop Goes the Weasel'. Everything kind of moves along in a straightforward fashion. There aren't many surprises. Another complaint is that Patterson didn't have Cross do much to solve this case. It seemed like everyone knew who did, but there was nothing they could do about it, which was partly due to the fact that Shafer had diplomatic immunity and was above the law most of the time. Still, Cross is suppose to be a world reknowned profiler, but those skills got virtually no use in this novel. My last problem with the novel is that it all seemed to have been done before--by Patterson himself. I felt as if I were re-reading the earlier novels over again. The villain makes things personal with Cross. Cross gets strung out and thinks about killing. Even the social commentary about the racism of the police department is getting a bit tiresome. Overall, this was just a subpar effort by Patterson. There was some monumental developments in the Cross family, and interesting as those were, I'm more interested in developments in the plot. Despite my complaints, I am still glad I read this novel. Patterson is an expert at keeping the reader's attention with snappy dialogue, short to the point chapters, and pop culture references. I just wish he could have come up with something new to surprise the reader. I'd recommend this book to readers new to the series, since it wouldn't seem like a retread, and to those readers that have read everything from the Cross series in order so far. I hope the next novel in the series is a bit fresher.
Rating:
Summary: Pop goes the Weasel
Review: Fantastic book! Easy to read because chapters are 2-3 pages and with a busy schedule short chapters make it easy to keep up with. Stongly recommend any of the Alex Cross series.
Rating:
Summary: Pop the Weasel
Review: James Patterson contiues with the series of Detective Alex Cross in this book. However, it is not one of the best of the series, but still satifies the reader's taste for more of the detective.
Like always, Detective Cross must go up against a serial killer, this time a British Diplamate and like always the killer goes after someone close to Alex. One thing the book does have is an interesting court session with the British diplamate.
Not Patterson best work to date. It doesn't come close to Kiss the Girls or Along Came a Spider, yet I can't wait to read Roses are Red, the next book in the series.
If you like series books, these are good ones.
Rating: 
Summary: Yawn
Review: If you consider McDonalds and Adam Sandler "great", then you're among the 5 star reviewers here and would think Pop Goes The Weasel is "great". The Alex Cross narrative is painfully amatuerish, the villian is flat, even the murders are dull. Although I'm sure its all just fascinating for anyone first learning to read.
Rating: 
Summary: First poor Alex Cross novel
Review: Patterson's slide into unequivocable decline was most obvious here. It is merely a retread of previous Alex Cross plot devices cobbled together under a different title. I was sorely disappointed. Please, Jim: No more Cross family members and love interests getting killed, kidnapped, or attacked. It couldn't possibly happen on EVERY case. It's old. You've done it. Stop it. Now! Please!
Rating:
Summary: Surprise!!!!
Review: Hey everyone - If you haven't read this novel by Patterson then you have no idea what you are missing. Not only does 'Pop Goes the Weasel' keep you reading but it takes your mind through some loops. If your asking yourself 'Should I take the time?' The only answer I have for you is - buckle up and enjoy the ride.
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