Rating: 
Summary: An EXCELLENT Read
Review: First of all, I don't understand why so many people didn't like this novel. This book is engrossing, thrilling, and the emotions are portrayed so true to life. True, this book has flaws. What did you expect? It's the first Alex Cross book. The first always has some flaws, then it gets better as the series continues. I do agree, maybe sometimes Alex's kids should do something wrong (so they aren't so picture-perfect), but besides that, the character is quite believable and so are most of the other characters in these novels. The writing style is precise and to the point. No boring details that don't really matter; short chapters make the reader more interested than drawn-out boring ones. Alex Cross is a very relatable character, and the emotion he goes through in this book is described SO WELL!!! JAMES PATTERSON IS SOOOOO GOOD AT HIS WRITING!!! Gary Soneji is a little bit like Hannibal Lector in the sense that he can penetrate through your mind. He is a terrific serial killer. His brilliance and his utter madness makes him very intriguing. The twists throughout the plot make it a very engrossing read. I'd recommend this book for anybody. :)
Rating: 
Summary: Good God, the agony!
Review: Maybe I should have given it 1 star instead of 2, but I thought I'd be generous. The plot is not terrrrrrrible, but even before the "twist" at the end it's hard to swallow. And the twist - why do some authors think that making the most unlikely character the ultimate villain will make a book better? Is it just that they can't figure out how to end the things otherwise? (I guess the villain wasn't the MOST unlikely - it could have been the grandmother, but Patterson'll probably save that for a later book.)
Rating: 
Summary: Along came a spider
Review: I really had a fun time reading this book. I would probably recommend it for those who enjoy reading suspense and mystery novels. This book was very thrilling and well written and thought out. It was unpredictable and kept my interest the whole time, something not all books can do. It's about a psychopathic guy who kidnaps and kills innocent people. Beginning with the character who is some kind of crazy guy by the name of Gary Soneji, who seems to have different personalities along with being completly off the wall because of his horrifying childhood. Gary Soneji pretends to be a school teacher at a day schoold for rich kids when his plan is to really kidnap and kill Maggie Rose Duane and Michael Goldberg. Two kids from families who are known to be rich and famous. Finally, one day he gets the children into his van and kidnaps them, drugging one and finally killing the other. The kidnapping has the whole area stunned and Alex Cross, a well known detective tries to work day and night to capture Gary Soneji. The whole thing throughout the book is that Soneji wants to be somedbody for once. He is supposedly the king of murder and enjoys doing it.Alex Cross tries to help as much as he can. Along the way, he finds himself in many surprises. He finds that people are not always what they seem to be and you should never be sure on who to trust. Alex falls is love with a female detective on his team, not realizing that she is actually the number one person behind all of these problems with the kidnapings and knows what happened to these children. Somehow everything works out in the end. Really exciting, I enjoyed it a lot.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but great?? I don't think so
Review: I picked up this novel with high expectations after the release of the movie and the adulation from writers such as Demille on the back of the edition proclaiming it "masterful". Despite a good story and pacing, however, I didn't find much about this novel to live up to the hype it has received by come. Many of the major characters, notably the "mysterious" FBI agent Alex Cross falls for and the children kidnapped, seemed undeveloped and hollow and didn't add anything compelling except to serve as filler characters. The serial killer featured was the lone high acclaim I have...reminiscent to the portrayal by Edward Norton of a killer in the movie Primal Fear, the antagonist in Along Came a Spider is compelling and intriguing, forcing the reader to make decisions that set up the later resolution. The actually "twist" ending, however, was disappointing to me as well. Most endings have elements that were at least SOMEWHAT foreshadowed earlier in the novel. Patterson's ending, however, seemed to come out of left field and was completely arbitrary, with no connections to earlier in the story; in effect it didn't do the madman of the story justice. It isn't a bad read...but after Baldacci's The Winner, Along Came a Spider paled in comparison
Rating:
Summary: Along Came a Slightly Hack-Like Page Turner
Review: Edition Reviewed: Warner Books Paperback, February 2001, 520 pages (including the brief excerpt from _1st to Die_ at the end of the book) My personal enjoyment rating: 8 out of 10 My recommendation rating: 7 out of 10. Explanation of recommendation rating: "Genre fans should enjoy it as well as a lot of people with a more passing interest in the genre. Flaws are starting to show. Serious literature fans (someone who reads a few books per month but doesn't have special feelings for the genre) should give these more consideration before spending their time or money. Casual non-genre readers (who read one book per month or less) should generally stay away from 7's or anything lower." The good news is that James Patterson's _Along Came A Spider_ is fairly unpredictable, and quite a page-turner. It is also very interesting structurally. The bad news is that, at least in this book, Patterson's writing style occasionally comes across as mildly hack-like. However, some of the hack-like mannerisms are peculiar enough that they almost become endearing by the end of the book, and if indicative of Patterson's writing style overall, could turn out to be an attractor for long-term fans rather than a set of annoying quirks that would turn a reader away from his work. _Along Came A Spider_ is Patterson's introduction to what has turned out to be a continuing character in a series of suspense/mystery books, "Detective/Doctor" Alex Cross (to date, the character continues in the novels _Kiss the Girls_ (1994), _Jack & Jill_ (1996), _Cat & Mouse_ (1997), _Pop Goes the Weasel_ (1999), _Roses are Red_ (2000), _Violets are Blue (2001), and _Four Blind Mice_ (2002)). In _Along Came a Spider_, we begin with Cross investigating the latest crime executed by a serial killer who is striking targets in the ghettos of Washington, D.C. Cross, who still lives in the ghettos himself, despite the fact that he's a bigwig on the D.C. police force and has a Ph.D. in psychology, is suddenly called away, with his partner John Sampson, to investigate the kidnapping of two rich and famous kids by one of their teachers, and it all happened right under the nose of Secret Service agents. Patterson weaves all of these threads and more together as we delve into the mind of the kidnapper, discover whether maybe there's some connection to the ghetto serial murders, and discover whether there is more than one villain. Structurally, _Along Came a Spider_ is very interesting in that for quite a few chapters in the beginning of the book, Patterson alternates one chapter of first-person, writing as Cross, with one chapter of the more traditional third-person omniscient, which at first is primarily concerned with the villain, Gary Soneji. On the negative side, for some readers, this technique might be distracting as it breaks up the flow more than a mere change of setting does, and at first Patterson seems to have laid out a plan saying, "All of the even numbered chapters will be first-person; all of the odd numbered chapters will be third-person". However, as the book progresses, one gets used to the flip-flopping perspectives, and Patterson eventually finds a more natural flow to the changes, letting a number of chapters at a time continue from the same perspective, as fits the story. For a first-time reader of Patterson, at least--and that includes me--the first few chapters might also prove to be relatively rough going because of Patterson's hack-like quirks. One place this is easily evidenced is in his titles. We could even come up with probable future names of Patterson books on our own. _Kick the Can_, _Follow the Leader_, _Hickory Dickory Dock_, and _Pocketful of Rye_ are likely titles, if they're not already taken. Patterson puts many "slangy" and clichéd phrases in his writing, like "Cool beans", "Cold as a meat locker", "A lot of sound and fury, signifying _nada_", etc., and they often come across as if he's thinking, "I need to put some slangy, hip, street lingo in the story here". His descriptions meant to provide character depth often seem calculated and choppy, and he gives characters odd quirks like playing Public Enemy songs on a piano, which seems like maybe Patterson just quickly did an Internet search for urban bands that were supposed to be hip at the time. He also has a middle-aged black man wear, say, a Hoodoo Gurus baseball cap, with no character background that would give it a believable context. It ends up reading like maybe Patterson likes, or knows someone who likes the Hoodoo Gurus, and decided to stick the name in the book. These kinds of quirks occur very often--a few times per chapter on average. We might also count as a flaw that there are too many characters, and some, such as Sampson, seem like they should either have been fleshed out more and made more important or dropped altogether. On the other hand, when we get down to the bare bones of the narrative, Patterson certainly knows how to compose, and more importantly, propel, a good suspense/mystery novel. The overall flow of the writing works well enough, and the basic plot is well constructed enough, that you keep reading despite the flaws, and you soon get hooked on the story as well as the characters. The hack-like quirks almost start to become charming in a goofy way. And even though Patterson occasionally slows things down with a chapter or two, his chapters tend to be very short, so it's not long until you get back to "action", exciting plot developments and revelations, including a few nice twists. The most telling comment, however, is that I just finished _Along Came a Spider_ this morning, after reading it fairly quickly, and this afternoon I'm going to stop by the bookstore to pick up _Kiss the Girls_. That overrides any negative criticism about _Along Came a Spider_ being a less than perfect book, and should be compliment enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Finally a suspense book that I couldn't anticipate!
Review: This was an interesting book with no slow parts. The villain was written well and always kept me on my toes. I really didn't know what to believe until the very end. I also liked that I kept changing my guesses about what was going on--it wasn't one of those books where I have it all figured out after the second chapter and then just nod along while they explain things to me that I'd already discovered. I'm curious about seeing the movie now, but reading the plot summary at imdb.com I'm a little worried... it looks like a totally different story!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book-Fast Pace
Review: I would strongly recommend this book even if you never read any Alex Cross novels, as was the case with me. It is a fast pace book which means you will never put it down. It also keeps you alert while you read it, and before you know it the story will end.
Rating:
Summary: I can't believe how many people rated this book poorly...
Review: I can't understand how many people hate this book! I find it extremely entertaining, suspenseful, exciting, and I'm not "illiterate", nor am I a "12 year-old". I think some people take these books way too seriously! Was I wrong in thinking that books were all about losing yourself in the story? I'll admit some things in the story annoyed me, but that happens with every book. I have enough of reality everyday, I like a little unrealistic getaway every now and again. If you want to be entertained and just forget about reality for a while, I definitely recommend James Patterson.
Rating:
Summary: intro to alex cross - a good read
Review: our introduction to alex cross, a character that i love. this book is well developed; good plot and i really like the writing style.
Rating:
Summary: Great Writing!!!
Review: This is the start of many books of James Patterson about Alex Cross. I have read them all and could not put them down. You may feel that if you have seen the movie you need not read the book but you are wrong. You get so much more out of the book. The movie did not do it justice. Thankfully i watched the movie first and then read the book or the movie would have been a total letdown. I have read this and the others in 2 to 3 days each tops. Every chance i got i picked it up and read. I hated to have to put it down.
|
