Rating: 
Summary: Jack and Jill Make One Hell Of A Thrill
Review: This is the third novel in the Alex Cross series by Patterson. In this novel Alex finds himself on the trails of two serial killers. The first killer has been murdering little childen outside of the local school where Alex's son attends. Then on a more national level two assassins calling them self "Jack and Jill" have come to Washington in order to kill prominent officals in the government. Cross is torn between the more local case and the one involving even the President himself. He will choose to take on both cases and in between that he even has time to take on a new love interest. This book is great for anyone who enjoys detective books even if you have not read any of the novels from the Cross series. The book will keep you guessing until the last page.
Rating:
Summary: Blew me away
Review: Patterson had delievered us outstanding books, and Jack and Jill continues the pattern with Jack and Jill. This book blew me away.Someone has killed a young black girl and there are no clues. To make matters worse, the killer is killing kids, and again no clues. Alex Cross has his hands full with these murders, but his plate will get fuller. Two killers are killing famous people in the Washington area. The FBI and Secret Service call on Cross to help catch Jack and Jill. Why do they want Cross to help? Because that's what Alex Cross does best. Catch butal and violent killers. Cross soon learns the truth behind Jack and Jill, and who thier target really is. Can Cross burn the candles at both ends as he tries to solve the murder of kids, *and* try to stop Jack and Jill? Patterson is an amazing writer. He has wonderful characters that you have to read about and you want to read about. The bad guys are so interesting, that you want to read more about them. You can't believe the things that they do, but yet, you want to read more about them. Patterson keeps the reader glued to the page with outstanding plot twists. If you haven't started this series, you have to. This is the third book in it, and they keep getting better and better. I highly suggest you read it. You won't be sorry.
Rating: 
Summary: Left Me Breathless
Review: If you like fast-paced, nonstop thrills in your mysteries, this is the book for you. I felt like I had to stop and breathe every now and then; the plot twists, suspense, surprises, and sheer horror of the plot had me so mesmerized, I almost forgot to do so! Like other Patterson novels, this one, the third in the Alex Cross series, features two parallel horrors, both of which involve the detective in a very personal way. First, a crazed killer is murdering young black children in Cross's own neighborhood, children from his own son's school. The sheer brutality of the murders bespeaks a rage that strikes terror in Cross's heart. But the Washington, D.C. powers that be don't seem to be overly concerned with the horrible happenings in the black neighborhood--they're much more involved with the high-profile, equally mysterious Jack and Jill murders that have captured all the headlines. Jack and Jill are assassins. We're in on their nefarious doings from the beginning, but we don't know who they really are. And neither does the FBI, the CIA, the Secret Service, or the police. They are on a murderous timetable, assassinating increasingly well-known people as part of a single-minded, and seemingly unstoppable, track that leads to the assassination of the President of the United States. Can Cross et al. catch these fiends in time? And what of the child killer? He's got Cross's own children in his crosshairs. Will he strike at Cross's very heart and soul? The sheer humanity and decency of Alex Cross--his intelligence, his love of his family and friends, the piano he plays on the porch to soothe his soul, the grief he still feels for his dead wife--all serve as a counterpoint to the inhumanity of the killers. Cross despairs of the human race as he encounters the horribly murdered bodies of the killers--but any world with Alex Cross in it can't be all bad. Cross sardonically refers to himself as "The Dragon Killer," and indeed he is. But this time, he just may be up against a force more evil than anything or anyone he has ever encountered before. As I stated in a previous review, I am new to the Patterson bandwagon, and now I have no intention of getting off! On to the next book in the Cross series. Can it be as good as "Jack and Jill?" It boggles the mind.
Rating:
Summary: Come on, lay off of JACK & JILL, people! It was GOOD!
Review: I had started reading ALONG CAME A SPIDER earlier this year as a result of seeing the DECENT movie (I won't get into that now). And you know what? I LOVED IT! The plot twists, the turns, the characters...just...all perfect! I was very impressed. So, naturally, I delved right into KISS THE GIRLS...whew, scary! Also very good! Unguessable...and so, thirsty for more, I delved right into JACK & JILL. Now this book, I will admit, was not AS good as ALONG or KISS, *however* it still deserves all five stars, if not more. By the way, you know how the synopsis of the book mentions "...Washington, D.C. homicide detective Alex Cross is brought in to try to find a connection between the two murders..." Okay, since this isn't REALLY a plot spoiler, I'll tell you right now, there isn't any real connection between the murders. The synopsis of the book leads you on--it did with me. It's more like, Alex Cross is trying to solve the murder of a little girl that has occured right near his home, when all of a sudden, the FBI are hiring him to help solve the Jack & Jill murder case. Now while he *wants* that to get solved, too, he doesn't want to just leave his original case, which nobody seems to find significant compared to the murders of the United States Senator, a movie actress, and others. When he gets the time, he goes back home and tries to solve the little girl's murder, but the Jack & Jill case just keeps getting worse. As I said, the book wasn't as good as ALONG or KISS, but not bad or anything. I found that the plot dragged on for a while, with occasional glances at Jack & Jill as they plot their next move, and withOUT any *big* leads as to solving their case. But the characterization was rich and interesting, and the plot thickened--oh, how it thickened. So give the book a chance; you might like it, you might not. Oh, and, only read the book if you've read ALONG CAME A SPIDER *and* KISS THE GIRLS. It *IS* a series, remember. If you read this one first and whine, "I don't get it...", just...don't even bother reviewing.
Rating: 
Summary: THE ROT BEGINS...
Review: After two brilliant novels, James Patterson has written a book that is both unoriginal, and doesn't make sense. (Warning: the next few paragraphs will give away the whole novel and all it's plot twists) The story is about two CIA agents (you don't know that in the beginning) who sets their sights on killing the president of the US of A. Yes, I know, in films and novels, the presidents life is ALWAYS in jeopardy, despite the thorough protection of the secret service. Patterson must have thought that that one storyline wouldn't bring the novel to a sufficient length, so he gives us another serial killer. When the killers identity is revealed (the killer is a twelve year old kid whose name I've forgotten) you'll be laughing...Well I laughed anyway. And last but not least, where would a Patterson novel be without a tender romance. This time our mate Alex falls in love with the kiddies principal. How romantic!
Rating: 
Summary: It is ok.
Review: I do not read such kind of books. It was not very good at first, but after the half of the book it is getting better and easy to understand.
Rating:
Summary: Here we go again
Review: I really enjoyed ALONG CAME A SPIDER. It was original and suspensful and had a great twist at the end. Patterson used this same formula in KISS THE GIRLS to somewhat lesser effect but it was a good book none the less. Now Patterson returns to the well yet again in JACK AND JILL. Enough already. If he can't find new ways to present Alex Cross's cases then he should retire the character. As I read this book I knew perfectly well that the male/female team of killers was not who the author was trying to focus our attention on. Once again the same plot device is used and it just gets weaker and weaker each time. I don't plan on reading any more Alex Cross novels... I've read them already.
Rating:
Summary: Cross Becomes the President's Man
Review: After having thoroughly enjoyed the first two novels in the Alex Cross series, I eagerly devoured "Jack and Jill". Like its predecessors, "Jack and Jill" follows Alex Cross as he tracks down serial murderes or criminal masterminds. Described as the "Last Southern Gentleman" in a previous novel, Alex Cross is a DC homicide cop and psychological profilist. He lives in the impoverished Southeast of DC with his grandmother and two children. He is often described as looking a little like Muhammed Ali, but the movie versions of the first two books, featuring Morgan Freeman, make it hard to keep this visualization. In "Jack and Jill", Cross and his partner, Sampson, set out to solve mystery of the Sojourner Truth School murders. Along the way, Cross gets dragged into the "Jack and Jill" case, in which a male/female team are randomly targeting celebrities and murdering them in a spree that seems to be leading upto an assasination attempt on the President of the United States. As a result, Cross is drafted into a special team designed to protect the President. One of the features of the Cross series that I like is that the chapters that focus on Cross are told in first person narrative style. Although Cross doesn't have many flaws, he is a fairly dynamic character that has some personal losses from previous novels, societal problems, and a personal stalker (again from a previous novel) to deal with. Not to mention that the chapters told from Cross's point of view usually have the most interesting commentary on American society and pop culture. Other chapters, especially those featuring the killers, are told in third person. This is especially effective in that it allows Patterson to share their thoughts and actions without giving away the identity of the killers. Not to mention, Patterson has away of setting the reader up only to dash expectations with an unexpected plot twist. And there are plot twists. Just when you think the only thing left to do in the novel is for Cross and Sampson to find the killer, circumstances change and its not so easy or straight forward anymore. This may sound vague, but any more detail would spoil the story. Like its predecessors, "Jack and Jill" is hard to put down. Its quick narrative style makes it an engaging read. Well distributed plot twists and murders keep your attention and turning the pages. However, this book almost starts to establish a formula for the Cross series (opening scene with the killer, enter Cross, start investigation, plot twist, another murder, etc.) Another issue that nags at me with this novel is that a lot is left unexplained at the end. I don't need everything spelled out for me or the future of the main characters laid out cleanly, but I do like to have the major plot questions answered. Circumstances at the end of the novel prevent that from happening and left me frustrated. Hopefully, these events will be visited again in future sequels, otherwise (and potential SPOILER, you may want to skip to the next paragraph) we are talking potential JFK level of conspiracy. Overall, I enjoyed "Jack and Jill" and will continue on with the series. Neither this novel or "Kiss the Girls" were as good as "Along Came a Spider", but they are worthy successors. I'd recommend this to any mystery or thriller enthusiast.
Rating: 
Summary: A boring serial killer? Sad, but true.
Review: Practically every author of popular fiction has taken a stab at a 'serial killer' novel, widely varying in both execution and results. From the grimly effective depths of Rex Miller's SLOB, through the more successful mainstream attempts of Thomas Harris, and into the literary gore-fest of Joyce Carol Oates' ZOMBIE, serial killer narrative has blossomed into its own sub-genre of fiction. But of all the attempts thus far, you'd be hard-pressed to deliver serial killer novels as downright boring as the numerous works of James Patterson. JACK & JILL is yet another entry into Patterson's Nursery-rhymed world of brilliant police investigators, matched up against equally brilliant homicidal maniacs. Except in Patterson's world, the brilliance of its protagonists and antagonists only hold up if you decide to part with any form of common sense or belief in effective story-telling. If you value such personal traits, JACK & JILL is a complete bore. JACK & JILL provides the astute Washington police detective Alex Cross a pair of unrelated homicides to investigate. On the one hand, professionals are being murdered, with no pattern to
speak of, save similar notes found on every body, signed "Jack & Jill." On the other, schoolchildren are being bludgeoned to death in Cross' own neighbourhood. Somehow, he must discover the identity of both, through his own innate knowledge of the psychopath psyche. Patterson, it must be admitted, manages to keep the tale moving quickly. He wastes no time in moving the plot from A to B to C, so that the average reader can finish the novel in an afternoon,
if need be. Unfortunately, he skips on such basic elements as character development, or even effective narrative. What he contributes in lieu of such petty annoyances are thinly-sketched
characterizations, delivered through banal, sit-com-like discourse. In addition to Patterson's many inadequacies as a writer, most prominent is his utter incompetence in presenting anything resembling realistic dialogue. Cross' family life, his oasis of sanity in an insane world, is such that it makes THE COSBY SHOW feel like Chekov in its complexity. Complete with adorable kids and a wise-cracking grandmother, it's a family more akin to Bob Saget than Michael Slade (GHOUL). And what of Cross' fabled 'brilliance?' Everyone in the novel continually praises his keen insight, while the reviewer's blurbs on the cover remark on his legendary skills. However, Cross does absolutely nothing to earn such congratulations. Nothing. Nada. He never conceives of the identity of the killers, or deciphers their many clues, or provides one instance of genuine deductive reasoning. Instead, everything happens around him, and he takes the credit for it. Not once does he commit an act anywhere near intuitive or insightful. He just happens to be around when events occur. It is a sham and a disgrace to consider him to be anything resembling a detective. Patterson's view into the minds of serial killers is equally banal. Jack and Jill are boring and one-dimensional, providing no real thrills. The inner dialogue Patterson is all-too-fond-of reveals his creations as the products of a hack, dependent upon pop culture cliches and questionable motives. The only thing more annoying than their constant prattle and self-satisfaction is Cross' reaction to their crimes, as he laments the depths to which society has fallen, yet provides no discernable reason to care. Patterson isn't even considerate enough to be consistent with his style of presentation. He writes the character of Cross in the first person, yet writes the rest of the novel in the third. Not only is this maddeningly inconsistent, there's no reason for it. Cross' first person narrative reveals just as much (or as little) as the third person narrative of every other character, so why even bother with it in the first place? Patterson is not a good writer. He has plotting skills, but no literary ones. JACK & JILL is not only bad literature, it is bad writing, period. Even is viewed as a mindless read, it insults the reader with page after page of tripe. Considering the wealth of novels available on the same theme, to waste one's time on this garbage is the true crime.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Mistery
Review: He has done better in the past, I felt like he rushed this through because the strong continuity he has had in past books did not seam to be here in this one. The story had some good aspects for example there was no shortage of interesting characters to get into (how many killers can there be in DC?). The one thing that I did like is the speed of the book; I think it is the short chapters just make me feel good, like I am really accomplishing something. Not a bad book, just not his top game.
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