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Summary: Patterson just doesn't stop!!
Review: I am an avid reader of James Patterson. I really enjoy his main character, Dr. Alex Cross. To truly enjoy the "Cross Experience" you should start with "Along Came a Spider" and "Kiss the Girls". While it is not necessary to understand this story, it does piece things together a little better.Patterson tells the story from both Dr. Cross' side and from the Killer's point of view. He is so detailed and descriptive that I felt like I was inside the killers head, and in the killer's mind, everything he did made sense. Amazing story. A must read.
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Summary: Same old, same old!
Review: If Gary Soneji doesn't come back and exact his revenge on Alex Cross then I will! Same old Alex. Same old kids. Same old grandmother. Same old EVERYTHING. I ended up skipping parts of this book just to get through it and still didn't miss a beat. Alex Cross has more lives than that cat that Gary Soneji mysteriously sent to the Cross family in a previous novel. While I liked the others in this series, this was, by far, the worst! Maybe the next character won't be so predictable and in-your-face smart.
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Summary: another superb thriller!
Review: Patterson has done it again with another page-turning thriller! This one is especially interesting because it hits on political assassination conspiracies, which makes you start thinking about the real ones like JFK, etc. I don't want to give away too much, but please read it! If you love Patterson's surprises and you like politics or conspiracy theory, you'll fall in love with this book.
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Summary: JACK AND JILL - WHAT A THRILL!
Review: With this third entry in the popular Alex Cross series, James Patterson firmly establishes himself as the master of great mystery/thrillers/suspense books. Cross returns to face the bizarre killings of "Jack and Jill." They start out killing recognizable "celebrities" of different areas, and then we realize the real target: The President of the United States. Meanwhile, children in Alex's neighborhood school district are being killed; do these murders relate? The pace as always is rapid-fire; the dialogue crisp and economic; the characterizations rich and complex. There are some really unique plot twists and the identity of Jack and Jill should come as a surprise. The Sojourner school killer likewise. This is mystery fiction at its best. Patterson just keeps getting better!
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Summary: A great thriller
Review: This was a very good book, and I enjoyed reading it. Alex Cross [again] is faced with two killers. Actually from 2-4. One who is running around killing kids who go to the sojourner truth school, and the other who are a team called "Jack and Jill" who go after celebrities. They talk about Gary Soneji a lot (from Along cam a Spider) and it introduced a new character. The last killer I won't say, it'll spoil too much of the book. With similes and metaphors that are great, and Alex Cross being back. Patterson goes onto my list of favorite Authors. I think this book is good, and you'll want to enjoy it. So get on this out of control train, and let your mind go away for a few days
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Summary: Original, intense, Patterson...
Review: Patterson is back to his usual tricks in this double plot thriller. With his usual knack of giving enough detail to give the reader a good feel for what is happening, but not so much that it has to be trudged through like deep, wet snow, Patterson delivers a fast paced, easy to follow, multi-plot thriller using his favorite good guy, Alex Cross, the same detective from "Along Came A Spider" and "Kiss the Girls." Even though the meat of the plot(s) is not directly dependant on the previous books in the Cross series, READ THE OTHERS FIRST. Following Cross through his adventures adds a certain bit of "human experience" to the books as you start to really get to know Alex Cross and his family. "Jack and Jill," while not on the same stellar level as the previous two, is still a definite must read. For readers that thrive off detail-heavy mammoth books that are slow to unwind as they paint an extensive picture of what the writer is thinking, may not enjoy Patterson, but for the reader that likes just enough detail to be able to paint his/her own picture, but not so much that any amount of imagination on the readers part is usless, Patterson is the man for you. Personal interpitation, that's what books are all about, aren't they. We have television for those times when we want it all laid out for us, and we have books for when we want to add our own details. Also good by Patterson, even though they do not include Cross, are "When the Wind Blows" and "Midnight Club."
Rating: 
Summary: so so
Review: I enjoyed the story until the end. I did find it a bit formulaic and initially it reminded me alot of Along Came a Spider but it diverged. The only problem was the ending was disappointing for me. I guess its a matter of taste but I would have liked to know a little bit more about why all this happened and the ending was not satisfying enough. I must agree with another reviewer that Patterson has a particular style in the three books I've read. If badly done, as in Cradle and All, it can be a pain to get through. I loved Along Came a Spider but am tired of his formula already after three books.
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Summary: My first Patterson novel......not impressed
Review: Usually, there is some merit when a lot of hype surrounds an author, so, reflecting upon that, I decided to give "Jack and Jill" a read. Maybe I should have started with another of his works, because J & J was a disappointment. I don't intend for this to be a scathing review, just honest. I felt Patterson's prose was extremely juvenile and anything and everything about the story, the characters, the pacing was cliched to the hilt. Cliched to the point of becoming an unfunny joke. I found his constant "namedropping" to be exhaustingly irritating. For instance, his description of one of the villians was, "vaguely reminiscent of the actor Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard." I personally believe this is a lack of imagination at play, and because it happened frequently in this novel, I have a hunch it infects his other works. I actually finished this book to see just how stale it could possibly get. Upon finishing, it ranked fairly high on the "stale scale." The main reason I'm writing this review is because this was a number one bestseller, and I read it...and I just don't understand how that became so. The Hardy Boys Mysteries I read as a child were more mature and better written than this particular novel. I am considering reading another of his works to compare, but this book left such a bitter taste, it'll be a while before I get around to it..if at all.
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Summary: Getting Better...
Review: Despite following the same formula that seems to have worked in his previous Detective Cross novels, Patterson has managed to establish himself nicely among the ranks of Grisham, Deaver and Harris. In "JACK & JILL," Alex Cross faces two mysteries (again). Cross is torn, though (again). Does he continue to work on the slayings of murdered school children close to his home or does he help solve what might be an assassination attempt on the President? And Alex Cross also falls in love (again). This time around, however, the detective discovers not just two serial killers but three, as one of the serial killings is being committed by a team. And he doesn't necessarily get the girl, either. In a nice change of pace, Alex Cross is tossed into the world of politics, the CIA and assassins-for-hire reminiscent of Clancy but without the techno-babble. After much disappointment in "HIDE & SEEK," I was thrilled to return to the world of Alex Cross and also pleasently surprised by the return of Soneji!
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Summary: Not His Best Work!
Review: I really enjoy reading the Alex Cross series of books by Patterson but this book just did not excite me like the others I've read (Along Came A Spider, Kiss The Girls, and Cat & Mouse). I personally wish that he'd quit writing the "two-killers-in-one-book" stuff. Switching back and forth between the child killer and Jack & Jill was really getting on my nerves and this book just didn't give me the suspense or the adrenaline rush that I've gotten from his other books. I think Patterson, when he's at the top of his game, can write very exciting and suspenseful stuff. I haven't read Pop Goes The Weasel or Roses Are Red yet but I'm hoping they're both better than this one.
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