Rating: 
Summary: WOW!
Review: When's the 8th book due...??
I waited for months for this book to be released in Australia after I red "Roses are Red"...but it was worth it. The only bad thing is that I finished in a matter of hours and now I'm back to waiting for he next installment. I totally loved this book, as good, if not better then, the rest of the series...I've read as many J.Patterson books as I can and they're all the same high page-turning standard...It's just not fair that a writer this talented makes his loyal fans wait so long in between parts...
Rating: 
Summary: BIG let down
Review: Violets Are Blue was terrible. I couldn't finish it. Good thing I bought it used. Roses are Red leaves you pumped up, ready to go on, only to pick up Violets are Blue and be let down.
Rating: 
Summary: ANOTHER TRIUMPH
Review: James Patterson continues to be one of my favorite authors, whether he's writing in the Alex Cross series or when he branches out to write books with different characters and subject matter. Many of the negative reviews point to the fact that the identity of the Mastermind was revealed in Roses are Red. I may be in the minority, but I definitely believed that it was an advantage to know who it was. Knowing this information, you kept waiting for the shoe to drop and being dangled until the very end. As far as the short chapters, what's wrong with that? The book grabbed you from the beginning, and the short chapters made it an easy read without sacrifing quality. Believe me, I've read other books that took me forever to read because the plot development was a little too long. That's OK when you have nothing else to do, but when you live a fast paced lifestyle, you appreciate this writing style. The only negative was that there were a couple of loose ends left from the vampire plot. Sorry naysayers, this is a great book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Effort, but not his best work.
Review: I am of the opinion that James Patterson should let the Alex Cross series end with one more book. When I first started reading the cross novels, I could not put them down, one after the other I read and enjoyed. Now I look forward to the Cross novels as a quick read that requires little thinking.It might be that I am growing tired of the same old story lines with hardly anything new showing up in the personal life of Alex Cross. Or maybe I just am starting to find it really hard to believe that this detective would not ever make a mistake. I really enjoyed 1st to Die and I think that it was because it was Patterson's same style but new and refreshing characters. All in all this was a fair book. Easy to read and fast. If you like the Alex Cross series you will like this book. But I think that it is time for Dr. Cross to retire.
Rating:
Summary: This book stinks!
Review: I was sort of a Patterson fan, but no more. This book is silly. No plot, no suspense, no mystery, no nothing. Vampires and the "Mastermind" (who we already knew)? Please. He must have got a huge advance from the movie people for this piece of junk.
Rating:
Summary: Roses are red and violets are blue...
Review: Watch out Cross they're out to get you! "Roses are Red" set the stage earlier in 2001 by revealing who the Mastermind is. "Violets are Blue" kept me suspended in raw tension. By introducing vampires to the mix with another grisly murder case and the Mastermind so close, Cross has never been so paranoid. Patterson elluded to the retirement of Dr Cross... I sincerely hope this is not the case as Cross is an extraordinary character as are the secondary characters as well. If you enjoy psychological thrillers and vampires you'll be in heaven with "Violets are Blue". (It would probably be helpful to have read "Roses are Red" before)
Rating:
Summary: predictable--but a decent escape for a plane ride...
Review: OK, so we already knew the identity of the Mastermind...but we do experience Alex Cross's crisis regarding his increasing dissatisfaction with his work / family balance. While many of us can identify with that, it is not why I read Patterson's books! The vampire storyline is poorly developed, and lacks the great Alex Cross analysis into the minds of the killers. I missed the keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller that we've experienced with other Cross story lines. No surprises, no waiting to see what unexpected turn you'll face in the next chapter. This is not anywhere close to Patterson's best effort, but it does provide a mindless escape for a few hours. I feel bad for any new readers who mistakenly pick up "Violets" first; this is definitely not the place to start with the Alex Cross series! Here's hoping Patterson can breathe new life into the next one, and bring back the intuitive detective we know & love!
Rating: 
Summary: a disappointed Patterson fan
Review: i've read most of Patterson's books and I can't believe this one was even published -- I guess if you've got a history of bestsellers, anything goes. Seems like I heard that he has a contract to produce 3 or 4 books a year right now, and it shows with Violets are Blue. It's as though he was rushing to get a book out in a week or two. Who cares about content, believability, building suspense, character development -- just get it published so we can make some bucks! I've read first-time authors who did a much superior job - including Patterson himself.
Rating:
Summary: Sick book...
Review: I thought I was a true James Patterson fan, but this was the worst book I have ever read. I will not read another one of his books. The violence was disturbing and there was absolutely no character development. Usually I can't put Patterson books down, but with this book, I STRUGGLED to finish it. Save your money.
Rating:
Summary: Violets are Blue
Review: I was thoroughly disappointed with James Patterson's newest book. There was almost no substance to the story. The book was doubled-spaced with a couple of paragraphs becoming a chapter and tons and tons of white space to get the book to size. Patterson seems to be grinding out books that are absolutely nothing like his earliest ones (which were quite good!) I do wish he would review his old books and starting writing "for real" again.
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