Rating: 
Summary: ANOTHER DISAPPOINTING DRAMA
Review: I am beginning to wonder if the person who wrote such wonderful, thoughtful, and insightful books as DEGREE OF GUILT, EYES OF A CHILD (totally excellent), THE FINAL JUDGMENT, and SILENT WITNESS(excellent) is the same author who wrote NO SAFE PLACE and DARK LADY. I did not like NO SAFE PLACE but in comparison to DARK LADY, it was almost good. At least in NO SAFE PLACE you cared about Kerry Kilcannon and Lara's secret and how their problems were resolved. Where has Richard North Patterson's sensitivity and passion gone? In DARK LADY I could feel nothing about any of the characters. The characters never seemed to fully develop so therefore I could have cared less who killed whom and why. Stella could have been a very interesting character but she was cheated out of having a personality or a life. Her conflicts with her family never were resolved, and I am not so sure she and her new boyfriend have a lasting relationship. And actually who even cared if they did? This book lacks passion except for the descriptions of death and horror. Truly DARK LADY was "dark", and I think the author should get back to more human interest stories that contain all the twists and turns that he is so good doing. I love how R.N. Patterson brings back former characters and gives them life, but he certainly failed with Stella. What a shame since she had such an interesting background.
Rating: 
Summary: Dissapointing,but...
Review: Being a fan of Mr. Patterson's work, this book dissapointed me. It is clear that Mr. Patterson is a very good writer. There is nothing wrong with the dialogue and the settings. The story, however, is quite boring.It is all a bit too kinky and big mob to be really the basis for a thriller which pretends to be based more on psychology than action.The but... is for the main character, Stella and her newfound boyfriend. They are two quite interesting characters and a would love to see them back in a new book.
Rating:
Summary: A Disappointment
Review: Glad I got this one from the rental rack at the library! No courtroom drama, characters you don't care much about, and predictable local "intrigue" all make for a disappointing read. Hardly what I expected from the author of Degree of Guilt and Silent Witness. Too bad.
Rating: 
Summary: Where's the Suspense?
Review: I found the book to be slow, the characters to be uninteresting. The book seems to be more of a character book, with characters that one does not care about, than a mystery. It totally lacks suspense! The only reason I was determined to finish is that I paid for it. If I had checked it out of the library, it would have been returned months ago.
Rating:
Summary: Read Better
Review: This book started out slow -- petty politics and not really understanding who the players are and how they are related. Story pick's up about half-way through for about 70 pages or so, and then down hill again. You are left with the feeling, who cares and what did all this mean? Why was this story interesting to us? Die hard fans will probably still enjoy this book, but after No Safe Place and this one, I don't plan on picking up another hard back of his soon.
Rating: 
Summary: The fine line between cop and criminal
Review: If you've read one of Richard North Patterson's previous suspense/crime novels (among them, "Silent Witness," "Eyes of a Child," "Degree of Guilt"), you know him to be a first-rate storyteller. His law degree guarantees fine details of prosecution. His experience as a fictioneer shows that every time he asks himself "What if?" he comes up with a stunning new plot line. Patterson has special talent for terse and telling dialogue. As real-life crime becomes more bizarre, crime writers must dream up more complicated and grisly narratives. Patterson succeeds here, too. The setting of his new novel is the fictional city of Steelton. Stella Marz, the narrator and heroine, is a determined lady who works her way out of a turbid working-class background and through law school to become an assistant county prosecutor, head of the homicide unit. The "Dark Lady" of the title, she's an intriguing female who can hold her own in an all-male enclave. Jack Novak, Stella's onetime employer and former lover, is first introduced as a mutilated corpse dangling from his closet door. He's wearing a garter belt, stockings and high heels. Next, an officer in the development company building Steelton's stadium is found dead in bed from a heroin overdose. He's got a needle in his arm and a dead prostitute at his side. What's particularly horrifying is that victims' lives and reputations do not match their modes of death. Political corruption in Steelton and deceitful colleagues in the homicide unit make Stella's self-appointed task of solving the two murders a formidable challenge. Let the squeamish reader beware: Patterson's novels are always hypnotic, with in-your-face situations that make you blink. On the other hand, fans of psychological/suspense drama will relish the good read Patterson always provides.
Rating:
Summary: This book is very lightweight compared to his others.
Review: After reading DARK LADY I felt very relieved that it had finally come to an end. I have read many of Mr. Patterson's books and hated to get to the last page (The biggest compliment one can give a good mystery.) This was just a chore. Sorry Mr. P!
Rating:
Summary: Am I missing something?
Review: Again, I was greatly disappointed with this book as I was with Patterson's A Safe Place. I used to love his books, but I am bored beyond belief now. Am I the only one who has seen the change in his writing! I long for another Silent Witness. I doubt if I will buy another of his books.
Rating:
Summary: The book is boring and the writing is poor.
Review: Really enjoyed most of his previous books, but this one is really boring. The writing does not seem coherent and obscure references are made. Really regretted purchasing it.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely weak
Review: Having read all of RNP's books, I was expecting a lot more. I even "saved" the book to savor on a long flight to Bangkok, thinking that it would provide ample divertissement. Wrong. The first two thirds just dragged and dragged. (Hey, the idea was to keep me *awake* and reset my internal time clock, not bore me into somnolence!). The denouement is tricky and brings together all the disparate plot elements, but by then I coulda cared less.
|
