Review: Kiss the Girls by James Patterson

Title: Kiss the Girls (Alex Cross, #2)

Author: James Patterson

Format: Hardcover, 451 pages

Published: 1995 by Warner Books

ISBN: 0-316-69370-7

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Adult

Rating: 5 Stars

Read Count: 1

Synopsis:

This time it's personal for Cross. The most elusive of killers has abducted Cross's niece, Naomi, a talented law student. Only such a devastating blow could bring the detective back - this time to the Deep South, where old slave prisons are buried in the forests, and houses of horror can disappear as in your worst nightmare. Naomi's kidnapping rips Alex Cross away from his kids and his jazz piano and sends him south with several questions burning in his mind. Why did the police wait seventy-two hours before beginning their search? And what is the head of the FBI doing at the scene of a small-town crime? Meanwhile, somewhere out there Casanova is living a secret fantasy. In his private hideaway, the world's greatest lover has assembled seven of the South's most extraordinary young women for his personal use. It's an accomplishment he can share with only one other soulmate - and that's definitely not his wife back in suburbia. But Casanova doesn't count on the exceptional abilities of one of his harem - or having Alex Cross as a nemesis.

In Los Angeles, a reporter investigating a series of murders is killed. In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a beautiful medical intern suddenly disappears. Washington D.C.'s Alex Cross is back to solve the most baffling and terrifying murder case ever. Two clever pattern killers are collaborating, cooperating, competing--and they are working coast to coast.

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 My Thoughts 

Kiss the Girls was another fun thrill ride full of surprises. It follows Detective Alex Cross as he searches for his niece after learning she's disappeared from her college campus in North Carolina. Our psychopath on the east coast is Casanova, self proclaimed ultimate lover of women as he kidnaps the most beautiful and talented women to add to his harem. He kills and tortures easily. The Gentleman Caller is on the west coast and he likes to keep very personal souvenirs from his victims.

This story keeps you glued to the pages and it had me thinking terrible thoughts about what the wackos deserved to get in return for the things the did to their victims. I loved Alex and Sampson as usual and escaped victim Kate was a feisty, kick ass woman.

Warning though, there are some disturbing scenes (Chapter 54 for me) in the book so if you don't like violence much then you should probably skip this one.

Overall I thought Kiss the Girls was a fantastic read with great mystery to it and I'm enjoying learning more about Alex Cross.

 About the Author 

James Patterson has created numerous enduring characters in novels that showcase the intertwined power of plot and emotion. He is the world's most popular writer, with over 240 million copies of his books sold worldwide.

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Review: Along Came a Spider by James Patterson

Title: Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross, #1)

Author: James Patterson

Format: Paperback, 449 pages

Published: 2003 by Grand Central Publishing (Originally published in 1992)

ISBN: 0-446-69263-8

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Adult

Rating: 5 Stars

Read Count: 1

Synopsis:

A missing little girl named Maggie Rose . . . a family of three brutally murdered in the projects of Washington, D.C. . . . the thrill-killing of a beautiful elementary school teacher . . . a psychopathic serial kidnapper/murderer who is so terrifying that the FBI, the Secret Service, and the police cannot outsmart him - even after he's been captured.

Gary Soneji wants to commit the crime of the century. Alex Cross is the brilliant homicide detective pitted against him. Jezzie Flanagan is the first female supervisor of the Secret Service who completes one of the most unusual suspense triangles in any thriller you have ever read. 

Alex Cross and Jezzie Flanagan are about to have a forbidden love affair--at the worst possible time for both of them. Because Gary Soneji is playing at the top of his game. The latest of the unspeakable crimes happens in Alex Cross's precinct. It happens under the noses of Jezzie Flanagan's men. Now Alex Cross must face the ultimate test: How do you outmaneuver a brilliant psychopath?

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 My Thoughts 

Along Came a Spider is the first adult book I've read by James Patterson. I've read part of the Maximum Ride series and a couple of the Daniel X books so this was a big change but I absolutely loved this book.

The story takes place in Washington, D.C. as Detective Alex Cross takes on psychopath Gary Soneji who in his own words "wants to be somebody" so he decides to get the attention he thinks he deserves by kidnapping two rich kids and murdering whoever gets in his way or strikes his fancy pretty much.

I will admit that I didn't realize how many characters Patterson kills in his books so I was a little disturbed by the murders and gore but it really does take you into Soneji's crazed mind. Alex is a nice character, he does a few things that made me want to smack him but for he has a good heart and wants to protect the innocents no matter what and his partner Sampson helps keep things light sometimes with a smart ass remark or joke.

There are twists and turns along the way and brilliant characters so if you love a good mystery and an interesting main character I definitely recommend Along Came a Spider.

 About the Author 

James Patterson has created numerous enduring characters in novels that showcase the intertwined power of plot and emotion. He is the world's most popular writer, with over 240 million copies of his books sold worldwide.

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Review: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Title: The Lovely Bones

Author: Alice Sebold

Format: Paperback, 328 pages

Published: 2004 by Back Bay Books (Originally published in 2002)

ISBN: 0-316-16881-5

Genre: Fiction, Adult

Rating: 5 Stars

Read Count: 1

Synopsis:

"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973." So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her--her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling. Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, The Lovely Bones succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy.

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 My Thoughts 
How I am after finishing The Lovely Bones...let's take a look at the gif, shall we?

No book has ever made me feel so happy, sad, weepy and hopeful as The Lovely Bones did. The first chapter starts with hardest part of the book. the rape and murder of Susie Salmon; the girl who will be your guide through the book. Now, I don't normally read anything so depressing but after this I have learned that people need books like this. You feel the fear and pain that Susie suffered, the loss and anger that her family and friends felt and Sebold gives us hope that even after such tragedy it doesn't mean the end.

Overall, if you hate sad books don't read it but in my opinion you'll be missing out. The story is beautiful, moving between Susie's heaven and back on Earth as she watches the years pass and Sebold writes each character with a deep sense of purpose, whether it's one of Susie's fellow victims or a neighbor.

 Quotes 
“Nothing is ever certain.”

“Sometimes the dreams that come true are the dreams you never even knew you had.”

“Each time I told my story, I lost a bit, the smallest drop of pain. It was that day that I knew I wanted to tell the story of my family. Because horror on Earth is real and it is every day. It is like a flower or like the sun; it cannot be contained.” 

 About the Author 

Alice Sebold is also the author of Lucky, a memoir. She lives in California with her husband, the novelist Glen David Gold.

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