Jack and Jill

Rating:
Summary: interesting and exciting, but too much going on
Review: kept me reading yet the element of great writing isnt there. Probably too much action going on, maybe better if less was concentrated on. I'd recommend it if you like action

Rating:
Summary: Poor dialog, wooden characters, cheap psychology
Review: None of the characters in this disappointing book came alive for me; the detective, Alex Cross, interesting in the first few of this series, was a cliche here. The book simply didn't deliver on the promise of its first few chapters.

Rating:
Summary: Patterson's Alex Cross wins "hands down" again!
Review: Of course, after reading "Along Came a Spider" and "Kiss the Girls", this book could only rate 9 1/2 as I feel Patterson's previous novels were the opening to a totally new field of detective novels and this book is more or less a sequel to them. Again, James Patterson has reintroduced Alex Cross, a widowed African-American detective living in Washington D.C. with his two children and strongwilled, educated grandmother who raised him from childhood and apparently is still trying to raise him (much as most of our grandmothers do!) The background of Alex Cross is poignant as he lost his wife to violent crime and is attempting to raise his children in a "normal" lifestyle in the midst of murder and corruption of our "real" world. I find this character, as previously illustrated, an admirable man with strong values and commitments to his family and surroundings. This, undoubtedly, is a spellbinding novel, revolving around two sets of murderers, one attacking children from Alex's son's school, and two who are attempting to assassinate the President of the United States. Patterson skillfully moves the murders along in a parallel plot sweeping back and forth in the novel and escaping the normal lulls common in many mystery novels. I also find Patterson's portrayal of our current culture's values based on the importance and accomplishments of the individual victim/victim-to-be predetermining the amount of attention to be given to a "case" is probably more accurate than the reader wants to see, but delicately dealt with and more likely truer than we want to acknowledge. Again, Patterson outdoes himself in this novel and leaves the reader on the edge of his/her seat until the ending pages!

Rating:
Summary: WOW.
Review: Okay, so Jack And Jill was not as great as Along Came A Spider and Kiss The Girls, but those two were quite exceptional. Jack And Jill was right up there, though. Like always, I was there at Alex Cross's side observing the D.C. life. In all of Patterson's novels everything is so realistic; it is so easy to get lost in the city and to experience everything with Cross. I thought I had solved the homicide cases, but I should have known. With all the eerie and suspensful twists, there is absolutely no way of predicting the novel. My advice to you? Read the book! You don't have the money? Go to the library (sorry Amazon)! You won't be able to finish it before it's due? Yeah, right. Trust me, you'll read the first page and you'll keep readin' 'till the "Dragonslayer" is finished. You don't understand "Dragonslayer?" - well, you'll just have to read the book, now won't you

Rating:
Summary: Jack and Jill
Review: Once again Alex Cross proves to engage us on his quest to uphold the law and figure out the bad guy - Top!

Rating:
Summary: Loved It!
Review: Outside of watching the movie, "Kiss the Girls" this was my first introduction to a James Patterson novel. I'm glad I bought it! I love his writing style, his character, Alex Cross, the plot, the sub-plot, the conspiracy, everything. Alex has depth and feelings. This book is definitely a keeper!

Rating:
Summary: Good plot and interesting.
Review: Overall I enjoyed the book very much. Throughout I kept wondering why child murders were needed and how they interfaced with a plot to assassinate the president. Still not sure of the answer, but I guess Patterson was trying to bring to the forefront how humans are valued or de-valued based on race and societal standing. I think Dr. Cross should have had a larger role in solving each crime. He had very little involvement in the child murders and only played a part in the Jack and Jill case late in the book

Rating:
Summary: great read..entertaining..why be critical?
Review: Patterson presented his typical entertaining style, not to be compared to previous books, but on a stand alone basis, exciting, and entertaining. Take what your given and enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Too similar to his successor, Kiss The Girls
Review: Patterson was great with 'Along came A Spider.' Even better with 'Kiss The Girls.' The next book in this series tried to copy 'Kiss the Girls' subject too much, without success. Two serial killers, the way the book was formulated. Everything related to 'Kiss The Girls.' It was a cheap copyoff of a great book. Otherwise it was still fun to read. It had all the elements that makes Patterson whats hes known for: violence, violence, and more violence. But 2 killers in D.c. operaring on different crimes, then forming together to kill the president. If I wanted to read 'Kiss The Girls' twice I would have bought it again. O

Rating:
Summary: Ridiculous mess of poorly thought-out plots.
Review: So what WAS the reason Jack and Jill murdered? And what did the "gameboard" they "played" on look like? What was its significance? The answers were never given. And the ending! It was as poorly constructed as the rest of the book. I really don't remember the last time I read a "mystery/suspense" novel where the cop didn't dust the corpse or room for fingerprints!! Not to mention, there were two completely separate plots running through the book--each of them could have been broken out and made into its own, boring short story instead of weakly connecting them in jumpy, strained sequences. I also felt like I was reading a movie version of the novel: expecially as there were so many illusions to brand names (she washed her hair with Salon Selectives--who cares?? How does that specifically add to the development of the scene or character?) Patterson's other books (KTG and ACTS) were OK reads. JAJ was just bad. It gets 1 star because Patterson at least knows how to construct a sentence.