Violets Are Blue

Rating:
Summary: Strange
Review: "Violets are Blue" is the seventh novel in the Alex Cross series. It follows as a sequel to "Roses are Red," yet it doesn't capture the thrill of that book.

"Violets are Blue" picks up where "Roses are Red" left off, at a murder scene of someone close to Alex. The Mastermind is still taunting him, threatening to kill Cross's family. Meanwhile out in California, a couple is killed in Golden Gate Park while on a night jog. Their corpses were found hanging upside down, all their blood drained. The San Francisco PD links these murders to one that took place over a year earlier. Suddenly, they've got several unsolved murders done in the same fashion, dating back to almost eleven years earlier. And Alex Cross has to deal with the fact that vampires exist and may be commiting these murders.

"Violets are Blue" has some slow points throughout the novel. For being a sequel to a novel about the Mastermind, that villain is hardly in this one. The main villains in this novel are two vampires named William and Michael. They are boring at times, but kept me entertained. Whenever the Mastermind does make an appearance before page 300, it's only in a phone call or when he's following Cross. And Patterson does something here that drives me crazy: the Mastermind has several opportunities to kill Cross. But instead of finishing Cross when he's following him alone in the dark, he waits until another time. When he and Cross finally do confront each other, it seems anti-climax.

Overall, I think the Alex Cross series has run its course. It's had its high points, but I think it's time for it to end. Patterson is already at work on another Alex Cross novel, and I hope that that one will be better than "Violets are Blue." Maybe it will even be the final chapter in the Alex Cross saga.

Rating:
Summary: Fun Read, but...
Review: I've read every Patterson novel out thus far and I would rate this as slightly lower than the top tier (Kiss the Girls, Along Came a Spider, Cat and Mouse, and Roses are Red). As with all of Patterson's books, this is an exceptionally quick read with very short chapters. This is nice if you only have a few minutes to devote to the book and don't want to stop in the middle of a lengthy chapter. That being said, knowing who the Mastermind was throughout the book really ruined the fun that Patterson normally provides his readers. Very easily, he could have ended Rose are Red without giving away Kyle Craig and then not revealed him until Alex sees Kyle outside Jamilla's apartment...now that would have knocked me out of my chair. However, Violets are Blue is still fast-paced and I enjoyed being bounced all over as the vampires appeared and then were gone, leaving death and mayhem in their wake.

Rating:
Summary: Patterson Just keeps getting better
Review: I thought this was a great book. I liked the story line and I thought the chacters were very interesting.
This book kept me glued to the story and reading with need to find out what was going to happen next, isn't what we all want in a good book?

Rating:
Summary: passable
Review: The author is at least back on track with his writing,
after a real failure or two, but "Violets are Blue"
is below the standard for Patterson. Those who have
read his previous Cross novels will come away feeling
he has knocked this one out a little too quickly, and
that maybe he was just following his own formula,
rather than developing new ground.
This story is believeable only if you buy into the
author's thesis that his hero Alex Cross is the best,
brightest and hardest-working detective in the country,
and that, furthermore, the criminals he searches for are,
likewise, the absolute worst, most intelligent, but
demented, criminals in the country.
It is a lot to expect readers to accept, but, of course,
many do.
But, despite being derivative of his own work, this is a
decent-paced story that is entertaining and worth a read.

Rating:
Summary: Don't buy this book
Review: Patterson used to be pretty good at writing an entertaining novel. No more. This is a silly book, feebly plotted, and full of gore instead of plot and character development. I finally gave up on it, about 3/4 of the way through, as the outcome no longer interested me.

Gerry Connell

Rating:
Summary: Tumbling Down At The Speed Of A Bullet
Review: There once was a time when I actually got excited to hear that James Patterson had a new book coming out. His style was edgy and entertaining. His short two-or-three-pages chapters helped at building suspenseful plots. There was very little in his novels that was superfluous and his characters were usually very belivable. All of that seems like the very distant past.

Patterson's latest in the Alex Cross series, Violets Are Blue, is a book with a very intriguing concept that is very badly actualized. Cross is faced with the most ferocious killers of all; a pack of vampires who are killing all across America. There is nothing that links the murders together save the bite marks at the victims's necks. And Cross also has to deal with The Mastermind, an unknown mystery-man who has been tormenting Cross for quite some time now. It is in this book that Cross will finally come face to face with The Mastermind and try to put an end to his murderous spree.

I liked the vampire story part of the novel. It was different from what Patterson usually does and it felt a little fresh. I thought it would actually jolt a little life in his tired series. But then, the book had to drag on with The Mastermind plot. The book is also ruined with idiotic characters, pointless twists (Alex Cross seems to be running all over the place with no aim in mind) and way, way, way too many pop-culture references (as if the country's best psychologist/cop/investigator/father has the time to see all those movies and reading all those books he keeps mentioning).

This book reads more like an outline for a movie than an actual novel. I don't know if Patterson has lost his touch (maybe that's why he is writing more and more collaborative efforts these days), but this book goes to show how a once prominent author can easily lose his touch. The Alex Cross novels used to be intellige and full of great twists and turns. Alex Cross used to solve cases with his mind and his wit. That is no more.

There is very little fun to have reading Violets Are Blue. Hopefully, Patterson is only in a slum. I can't wait to finally read another good Alex Cross novel.

Rating:
Summary: Patterson Lessons Road Rage
Review: Patterson books are my first choice for driving, in order to save myself from road rage in turn i find myself staying in the car to finish the last chapter. Familiar with his work, I was surprised that I was listening to a vampire story, I thought that was saved only for Ann Rice. I did find the plot a little silly, but I like Alex Cross so much I could get into his head and try and figure out the story. I can tell you that the end twist makes the book totally worth while. I can see from the reviews that this book wasn't a favorite read; however, I find that all of the Patterson books and the narrators chosen are fantastic for a short or long car ride.

Rating:
Summary: Going Downhill....
Review: Tom Clancy was a top novelist. His writing quality has gone decidedly downhill over the past few years. He probably believes "If you write it, they will buy". I see James Patterson going the same route. This was to be the sequel to Roses are Red and the pursuit of the mastermind. What it ended up being is a romp through vampire rituals and very little regarding the mastermind. While there may be "vampires" in modern day, the book simply didn't cut it for me. Too far out of the realm for my tastes.

Rating:
Summary: The second James Patterson book I've read so far
Review: Admittedly, I unintentionally made the terrible mistake of allowing "Roses Are Red" to have been the first James Patterson novel I exposed myself to (because, consequently, I cheated myself out of discovering the history of Alex Cross throughout the previous five books). At first, I didn't think it mattered which order I read the novels in, but I soon realized that it did make a difference because Patterson presents the characters in a way that makes the first/third-person literary past as important as the first/third-person literary present (which is the way he writes in). However, "Roses Are Red" was captivatingly entertaining, so of course I had to read "Violets Are Blue." I could *not* put either of the books down! But as for "Violets Are Blue," I feel that it was a tad more obscene and perverse than it needed to be. Ultimately, I felt the book was a satisfying conclusion to other one. The writing is impressive, as are character descriptions and settings. But since I spoiled the whole premise/character of Alex Cross for myself by starting at the end instead of at the beginning, I don't think I'll read any more of the series; nevertheless, I might start the right way with Patterson's other series. Still, overall, "Roses Are Red" & "Violets Are Blue"--two good books! But one is wasting his/her time if "Violets Are Blue" is read before "Roses Are Red". (I only wish my fiction-writing endeavors were as creative as these two books are and could hold my attention as much as these two books did.)

Rating:
Summary: A Dark Novel... But A Good One, Nonetheless.
Review: My first book by James Patterson was "Along Came A Spider". Since then, I have been hooked. I just can't wait for his books to hit the shelves. When I was in the US, I bought an autographed copy of "Cat and Mouse" and it is now sitting proudly on the top of my shelf.

This time around, in "Violets Are Blue", James Patterson writes about ritualistic killings and mind games. As usual, the protagonist in this story is Dr. Alex Cross. This book is slightly twisted and weird. However, according to the author, such events (or the existence of vampires) do occur in real life. Much research was done on this topic for the book.

I think this book is the darkest of all James Patterson's books so far. I mean, vampires and ritualistic killings really put the creeps into everyone. I didn't mind so much the kidnappers, serial murderers and schizophrenic killers. But, vampires really give me the creeps.

Overall, I still think this book is worth reading. James Patterson's style of writing makes reading his novels easy. I like the short paragraphs and quick flow of action.

If you are reading James Patterson's books for the first time, I would suggest that you get "Along Came A Spider" first before reading this, in case you think all his novels are so dark.