Rating: 
Summary: The low down
Review: Along Came a Spider was a good murder/mystery novel. So good in fact, a movie has been made based on the book. The main character, Alex Cross, is some one people can relate to. The author does a nice job of letting the reader know how Cross is feeling at all times. Cross is a psychologist turned cop in Washington D.C. This book chronicles his adventures in regards to a murder/kidnapping case. The reader knows right at the beginning who is responsible for committing the crimes. There are many subplots that are developed throughout the story that keep the reader guessing. It was easy to tell who the culprit was from commencement; however, that was about all anyone knew in this story until the end.
The kidnapper, Gary Soneji, led Cross and company on a wild goose chase. Soneji was very much in control of the whole situation all the time. When Cross was close to catching him, Soneji was always one step ahead and able to escape.
The whole story was not just Alex Cross trying to catch Gary Soneji. Each of their lives are described. Alex's relationship with fellow cop Jezzie Flanagan is detailed. The black Cross and white Flanagan develop quite a close relationship. Jezzie becomes involved w/ Alex and his two children. They all strike up a loving relationship. Meanwhile the reader gets a look at Gary Soneji's life. He lives in Maryland with his wife and children. Gary's family is clueless to what he really does with his life. They have no idea he is who he is.
Author James Patterson is very succinct and to the point in his writing. Some of his chapters are only two or three pages long, which is good for the reader with a short attention span. This also allows the reader to find a place to easily stop reading. He also lets the perverbial 'cat out of the bag' by telling everyone who the murderer is right in the beginning. One would think this would ruin the book; however, Patterson does a nice job of developing sub plots with many different twists throughout the rest of the story to keep the reader craving more. Patterson does not dwell on insignificant items. His descriptions are brief and to the point. Some people may not like that but this reader loves that quality in Patterson's writing. Alex Cross is made out to be a super cop of sorts, which is good because the reader can really find his or herself rooting for Alex due to all of the good things he does. Patterson uses italics and exclamation points well to show emphasis in his writing. There are some big vocabulary words in the story but reading a dictionary concurrently with this book is not necessary.
This is a novel worthy of spending the time to read. This a book that a reader will not find his or herself just reading to get done with it, but they will read it because they are engrossed in the action and wondering what will happen next. This book will most likely inspire readers to see the movie. Although movies that are based on books are not usually as good as the book, this is one novel that was good enough to spark a curiosity as to what the movie has to offer.
Rating: 
Summary: No.
Review: I read this expecting something enjoyable. That was my mistake. I'm all for books that have no purpose other than to entertain, but the Cross character seems arbitrarily black, like that, by definition, gives him a personality; I didn't buy any of the rest of it, either. I think a book is cheating when the only reason you're reading it is because you want to know what happens not because you care, but because it would irritate you not to know. This book cheats. Bigtime. I recommend Ridley Pearson or Richard North Patterson if you want something in the genre that's at least decent. I would have given it no stars, but they wouldn't let me.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than the movie
Review: This book was so great, so when I saw the movie, I thought hey it would be just as good. Well, the movie wasn't too much like the book...which was disappointing. I love Morgan Freeman and he plays Alex Cross so good. If you liked the movie, read the book also...it's way better.
Rating: 
Summary: Alex the Superman
Review: After reading all of the Alex Cross novels I must confess to being solidly ambivalent when it comes to recommending them to others. Patterson comes up with some unique and compelling villains that both pique the interest and turn the stomach. But he eventually makes them larger than life and omnipotent to the point of being like Jason in the Friday the 13th movies.
Patterson also forgets his audience has most likely been exposed to a heavy dose of crime solving on TV and in the movies when he renders everyone except Cross so clueless when it comes to finding traces of the killers. Good thing for the rest of the country all serial killers find a way to involve Cross lest the rest of the nation's crime fighters spend all their time eating doughnuts while ignoring tools like DNA and fingerprints.
Will I read the next installment? Yeah probably - but only to find out how Gary Sonje will come back to outlive Nanna-Momma.
Rating: 
Summary: don't bother - try deaver instead for an actual thriller
Review: This is an 'okay' novel. It, however, never lived up to the name of "thriller" in my opinion. The 'ending' of the book was WAY too obvious -- how can you have a mystery / thriller where there is really only ONE suspect to choose from? The actual kidnapper was so obvious from the beginning. Also, the subext of race in America really just detracted from the main plot. I mean when an openly racist grandmother proclaims "...never trust white people..." it made me resent the so called "perfect family" and when their life was put into peril, it made me feel indifferent whether they lived or not. Additionally, what was really annoying was patterson's liberal use of italics -- italics were used just to highlight any important point, but rarely to convey ephasis in speech. All in all this is a disappointing waste of time. If you want an actual novel, I suggest you loctae Jeffery Deaver, such as the bone collector, coffin dancer, and the blue nowhere. Also empty chair is excellent. But otherwise, Don't waste your time.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book to become a movie
Review: James Paterson writes in a way that it is fast past, conise and to the point. I feel when you read his books there is no guess work, just let the story flow. When you get to the end, you like "Wow!!" I just couldn't believe it. All his books are very entertaining. This first book of the Alex Cross series introduce you a detective name Alex Cross who is not just a detective but an African American detective. I feel he is a hero for all people. The way James Patterson decribes Alex and his family gives you a different viewpoint than your average run of the mill detective story. This book is an excellent read, as always, read the book first before watching the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Another good Cross thriller
Review: This is my second Patterson-Cross book, after "Kiss the girls", which I really liked. Both are part of a series featuring the psychologist-detective Alex Cross, a tough Washington DC cop. "Along came a spider" is an interesting book. It's the first one in the "Cross series", where the readers are introduced to the main characters that will make part in the series, like Cross, his partner Sampson, Cross family, etc. Patterson has a very peculiar style of narrative. His chapters are usually short, wich makes the reading very fast-paced and thrilling. Also, Patterson has two kinds of narrative: one in the first-person where we see what Alex Cross is experiencing and believing, and it's a very personal and one-sided narrative; the other style is in third person, where the reader follows the steps of the main suspect of the crime the story is about. So, to be clear, we KNOW who the killer/murderer/kidnapper/whatever is from the very beggining. Does this spoil the plot or the reading? No! Patterson is master in delivering sub-plots, twists, nuances about characters along the book, all very interesting, and they make the pursuit/manhunt very enjoyable. In "Along came a spider", Gary Soneji is the kidnapper fanatic about the Lindberg case, who intents to make history by taking away two very important children. Cross and his teammates in DC Police, FBI and Secret Service have to stop him before he strikes again. This is just the first plot of the story, and it keeps changing every ten or twenty chapters. One thing I found annoying, though, is that Patterson made Cross something like a super-human being. There were times when I thought Cross was virtually invincible. But that is something minor. What really matters is that Patterson created believable characters in one really good thriller. I will surely read the other books in the series, and I'm waiting for Patterson's incursion in medieval times "The jester". Grade 8.8/10
Rating:
Summary: Notice all the 5-star reviews are by 12 year olds?
Review: If you read only one review of James Patterson novels this should be it. The bottom line is this:
1. If you like simple, easy to read novels with big type, no plot, ultra-short chapters, and no character development you will love his books.
2. If you enjoy the opposite of everything in #1 then you will be praying for the end of the book as you read. Where to start on James Patterson novels? - he writes at a grade 8 level
- his idea of describing a character when Alex Cross meets someone is "she wore khakis, a blue button-down shirt and black shoes". "He wore jeans, a t-shirt, and a baseball hat". "He wore shorts, sandals, and had a beard". This is as close to the characters as you get.
- Insanely liberal use of italics, !s and ?s.
- Alex Cross = superman. Nothing can slow this guy down
- Alex Cross' family is THE perfect family. His kids never do anything wrong, they never infight, and all he does throughout the story is talk about how incredible his family is.
- AC is the perfect father.
- The writing is flat and unemotional. In a later book cross finds out someone close to him has a brain tumour and we are treaded to "I was shaking, my world was closing in" (end of chapter). Then within 3 pages the issue is resolved. Don't waste your time, if you are looking for a good novel in this genre check out Jeffrey Deaver.
Rating:
Summary: The Spider sat down beside--HIM!!!
Review: This was a wonderful read. The book centers around a psychopath who gets his kicks by murdering people. Some are planned murders and some others are on the spare of the moment. His most recent victims were children of the rich and famous who reside in the Washington, D.C., Maryland areas. But have no fear, homicide detective, and psychologist, Alex Cross, Ph.D. is to the rescue. He stays on the psychopath's trail until he is beaten to a pulp. Additionally, I loved the way Dr. Cross does not let the young and beautiful Jezzie Flanagan trick him into believing that she had fallen in love with him. Now that does not mean that he didn't enjoy slipping between the sheets with her little creamy white body for carnal satisfaction. But that was all it was. In the end, Dr. Cross took care of business in a way that would make you proud. Read it for yourself and see if you agree.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST, GRUESOME, PSYCHOLOGICAL, THRILLING, BOOK EVER
Review: This book was great. I could not believe how good this book really was. Eventhough Patterson is a little tidious in information it was still good. The killings were so detailed I could see them so vividly. When they were in court and he is performing the schezophreniac thing-a-magig i was about to jump out of my seat. The book only took me three days to read. The high suspension and fast-pacing blew me away. I have read more gritty and grisly books but this book kept the right balance. I recommend this book to anyone. (Not children) A-
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