Violets Are Blue

Rating:
Summary: Weakest Effort
Review: While I thoroughly enjoyed his previos Alex Cross stories,this one seemed written without any character development or a reasonable plot.It seemed Mr. Patterson was forcing a conclusion.Unfortunately,it was telegraphed quite clearly and unconvincingly.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding resolution
Review: The plot begun in the previous book is resolved here, but not until you've been subjected to more adrenaline, more tension, more twists and turns, and more just plain enjoyable suspense. By all means, read Roses are Red first, but definitely read this book. Get them at the same time. Keep this one close at hand; you'll need it!

Rating:
Summary: Even With A Bad Story, Alex Cross Still Rules
Review: Violets Are Blue is probably the poorest James Patterson mystery I have read. Yet, when all is said and done, he has a great character in Alex Cross. Cross is a fully realized character who has become familiar in many of Patterson's other novels.

I feel that the shortcoming in Violets Are Blue is the effort to reuse previous "bad guys" again and again even when the faithful reader is pretty likely to know "who done it.". In addition, Violets is fairly unbelieveable as stories go, as well as bloodly and gruesome.

While I remain faithful to Alex Cross, I would like to see this character get some better attention in the future.

Rating:
Summary: A little bizarre...........
Review: I am a huge fan of James Patterson but his latest effort was a bit on the bizarre side. I was tempted to put the book down after the vampires came out of Golden Gate Park, but for some reason I decided to keep going, I almost regretted it. The intertwining of The Matermind and the freak of nature vampire children was very far fetched. Now, Patterson has left it that Cross is finally retiring, I wonder if in the next novel he will come out of retirement to find that Kyle Craig is still alive and stalking him.........

Rating:
Summary: Patterson's Novels are Like Cheetos...
Review: ...not particularly good for you, not really appealing to begin with, but damned hard to turn down if they're put in front of you. And you have to wash your hands when you're finished.

Rating:
Summary: No More!
Review: The first novel I read of James Patterson's was Along Came A Spider and I was caught in his web. I went on to read several more of his novels and enjoyed most of them. However, with this book, I couldn't make it beyond page 68. It sickened me. It would take a great deal of convincing to entice me into reading any of his future novels.

Rating:
Summary: Lunch and Violets don't mix
Review: Much of my reading is done on my lunch hour and I could barely devour my sandwiches on some days. Violets Are Blue delves into the murky, bloodbath lives of vampires and cults. Patterson was unrelenting in his descriptions of the multiple deaths and almost relished in making each one worse. The reader already knows the Mastermind if they had read Roses Are Red, but Alex Cross does not. How can this wonderfully brilliant detective whom I have loved throughout the previous books could not fathom or even guess the identity is beyond me. There was no suspense here - it was as plain as day. What happened to Sampson - he only appeared briefly and this is Alex's partner? Character development was shallow. If this is where Patterson is heading, I will no longer be reading his works unless they are in the vein (no pun intended) of Suzannah's Diary for Nicholas.

I still like his writing style of short chapters urging the reader on to the next one. Many readers object to this.

Being a naive person I surely did learn a lot about vampires and the activities that actually exist today. Maybe I want to remain naive!

Rating:
Summary: a good argument for book burning
Review: This may be the first Patterson book I read, but it will certainly be the last. It was incredibly boring, no character development, no suspense, no believability. I am a long time mystery fan but I actually gave up half way through the book and just left it on the airplane seat when I got off. It certainly shakes my faith in the professional trade reviewers.

Rating:
Summary: Patterson's Violets Are in Desperate Need of Some Water
Review: I used to look forward to Patterson's novels, especially the Alex Cross ones, but lately each one just keeps getting more and more unbearable. I thought Roses Are Red was bad...that is until I picked up Violets Are Blue. This book is so bad I would have called it trash but I think too highly of trash to do so. I think Patterson should read some of the previous reviews before sitting down and scribbling any more of his pseudo-thriller nonsense and drivel. I usually can finish a Patterson book, no matter how bad it is, in a day or two, but this one has been gathering dust on my nightstand for going on one full week. His plots have become so far-fetched that as a reader I am offended he thinks so poorly of his audience. I realize these books are supposed to be light fiction but to have the nerve to charge [list price] for what amounts to at most 2 or 3 paragraphs per page is rediculous.
For all of you out there who have not bought this book and are considering doing so, take some advice from Mr. Patterson's latest victim...settle for reading all of the 1 and 2 star reviews listed here. They are a heck of a lot more entertaining than Violets Are Blue!!!

Rating:
Summary: Tyger, Tyger Burning [Not So] Bright
Review: Tyger, Tyger Burning [Nearly] Bright

For some reason, James Patterson's novels about Alex Cross, the psychologist turned police detective, never seem to develop. Not that a series has to develop, but Alex Cross, for many reasons, should have more depth to him after seven novels. Especially considering the effect his investigations have on his emotional life. But he goes on about the same, with the same too perfect family, with a series of similarly unsuccessful or tragic relationships, doing the same things to the same kind of bad guys. Fortunately he generally writes well, but Patterson is in grave danger of becoming a slave to his formula.

'Violets are Blue' is actually a continuation of 'Roses are Red.' It picks up the story of Alex Cross's hunt for The Mastermind with the murder of Betsey Cavaliere a FBI agent and close friend. Next time, The Mastermind's voice assures the detective over his cell phone, Alex Cross will be next. Then, abruptly, we switch to a different set of killers, a pair of young men who believe they are vampires, and are leaving a trail of gruesome death behind them. Nor do they hunt alone, a pet tiger is a frequent companion as they seek their victims du jour.

This is really the primary plot, centering on an underground vampire cult that is not quite hidden from sight. Patterson uses it to reintroduce regulars like Kyle Craig and Sampson and to bring a new player on board, Inspector Jamilla Hughes of the San Francisco Police Department. With the romantic interest in hand, the plot is now ready follow its regular pattern of grisly killings, phone calls from The Mastermind and miscellaneous repartee. The vampire plot reminds me of those Russian containers that have containers in them, ad infinitum. Every time you get past on vampire, up pops another one.

By the time you either discover who The Mastermind is, you will be convinced that he is one of the most overblown, silly serial killers in the genre. We are assured that The Mastermind is a mysterious genius who pulls all the strings from a distance. But the reality is much less satisfying than the hype. For some reason Patterson has peopled this novel with a string of stoned egotistical killers, all of whom last far longer than they should have. One is tempted to conclude that it is the police who keep serial killers on the streets.

Sadly, with just a little bit richer plot and a dash more attention to the dimensionality of the characters, this could have been a respectable novel. Instead is simply mediocre, a pattern repeated until it begins to be tedious. I tend to blame this sort of thing on publishers, who seem to firmly believe that more of the same thing it best, especially if it is action, and that character development is a risky business. I would have thought that Patterson had enough moral fiber to resist this trend, but apparently the temptation is too great. A plague of vampires on all their houses.