Book Review: Now You See Her by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Another in the James Patterson novels to complete his mega-deal and this one shows a bit. The book is nicely written but the suspension of reality is too much really.

The plot centres on a young woman who is deceived by her boyfriend, gets drunk then takes his car. She kills someone while driving drunk and a friendly policeman covers up for her and takes her under his wing.

They get married and everything seems set fair. Then she finds out some things about her husband and he is too good to be true. She escapes from him and a serial killer and starts a new life with her daughter.

Her past catches up with her and she is dragged back to Florida Keys to face up to reality and her own past. Plenty of thrills and spills on the way and I am sure that you would enjoy this as a holiday read, but not one of the better James Patterson novels.

7/10 for me.

Book Review: The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo

Happy Christmas!!!

I have felt that some of James Patterson's recent novels have been like a production line and not really lived up to the quality of the early Alex Cross novels or the Women's Murder Club novels.

However, this book is really sweet, well written, cosy and warm. You want to know who the main character is going to marry and about the trials and tribulations of her family.

They are all coming together for Christmas and her wedding, you can almost smell the turkey and the fun that this season brings. It is like all the best of Christmas there on the page, Home Alone, family, friends, steamed up windows, Dickens and Disney all rolled into one. It tugs at your emotions and your heart strings.

A 9/10 for me for sure.

Book Review: Private London by James Patterson and Mark Pearson

This is the second of the series featuring the organisation Private that is like a super police force. This one is set in London and involves kidnappings, drugs, organised crime and all other sorts of misdemeanours. In the background there is also money and terrorism for good measure.

I quite enjoyed reading this novel as it was set in London and I knew most of the places so I could envision this pretty well. However, the series is not a patch on the Alex Cross or Women's Murder Club that James Patterson writes. In places it got a bit tedious but there were some genuinely interesting parts to the novel.

For me 7/10

Book Review: 10th Anniversary by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

At the beginning of this novel, Lindsay gets married to Joe and at the end the 10th anniversary of the meeting up of Lindsay and Claire gets celebrated. Inbetween we have the usual concurrent storylines to keep us interested.

One storyline is the schoolgirl who gives birth and puts her baby up for adoption through a website. She is underage and this situation takes some unravelling.

A taxi company is chief suspect in a series of rapes around San Francisco. Cindy takes one of their cabs and takes on more than she bargained for. Having a boyfriend in the police helps to get her rescued.

Yuki is on a court case where Lindsay appears to be batting for the other side. Some sparks fly at times until the truth is told.

For me this one has not been one of the better Womens Murder Club.

Therefore I would say this was a 7/10

Book Review: 9th Judgement by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Another in the Women's Murder Club series. As usual there are two main threads to the story. One is someone who is an Iraq vetran who has been deeply affected by the death of his best friend in combat. He takes out his form of revenge on women and children, gunning them down indiscriminately.

The other thread concerns a cat burglar who is a sort of To Catch A Theif good thief, who is robbing from the rich in the hope of getting a better life for herself and her fancy woman.

The women in the Murder Club all move on in their lives too and this is of interest to me as I have got used to the characters now. Lindsay makes her mind up, Cindy move on in her relatiohship and Yuki is still at the pinball stage of moving from one potential to another.

A nice read and 8/10 from me.

Book Review: 8th Confession by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Another in the Women's Murder Club series, number 8 (the clue is in the book title :-)) As usual set in San Francisco and featuring Lindsay Boxer from the SFPD and her friends.

There are two criminal threads here. First of all there is somone killing very rich people. However there are no obvious clues to how these people have died, there appears to be no trace of how and by whom they were killed. By pulling her resources, Lindsay cracks the case and chases down the killer.

The other thread is a street man who is murdered and Cindy champions his cause. However as the facts about the man, Bagman Jesus are uncovered all is not what it seems.

We are also interested in the relationships of the women and for three of them their love lives change for the better or worse.

A good read and 8/10 for me.

Book Review: Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson

This book I read very quickly in a few hours. I enjoyed it a lot, it is a romantic novel that tells the tale of a man recovering from the death of his father and being very cautious about getting married. However when he does it is all whistles and bells in his life although there is a cloud in the background.

The diary though is from a mother to a son. The diary is given to a woman who has just been jilted by her boyfriend. The woman is also pregnant with the man's child and she takes the time to read the diary.

We are led along a nice path that contains tragedy, love and the human spirit and the lesson to live each day as if it will be your last as one day you will be right.

8/10 for me.

Book Review: The Postcard Killers by James Patterson and Lisa Marklund

A pair of serial killers is on the loose in Europe killing newlyweds. A father of one of the victims is on their tale from the USA. He befriends a reporter and together they try and track down the killers together.

The murderers send postcards of their killings and bizarrely they pose their victims as great works of art.

We are slowly dripfed information about the killers and it is apparent that there are precedents in their lives to these killings. Once this becomes known it is all a bit predictable. At one point the killers are arrested and the pretty unbelievably realeased.

Cannot say I enjoyed this too much, the middle (the release of the killers) is not explained very well, their backgrounds would also lead an idiot to arrest them (although half of Europe and the USA's cops missed this angle!) and it is all a bit silly. I get the impression that with this novel James Patterson is just filling his book deal.

Not good for me and 5/10

Book Review: Don't Blink by James Patterson and Howard Roughan

This novel is set in New York and I was there on holiday so I read it right on set so to speak. A young reporter called Nick Daniels get the scoop of a lifetime to interview a top sportsman who has not been interviewed for years. When he turns up at the restaurant he witnesses a mob killing at the next table. The sports star disappears only to commit suicide some time later in the novel.

Nick endeavours to sort out the mystery but he is soon in personal danger as well as endeavouring to help the love of his life see that her boyfriend is not what he seems. Russian and Italian gangsters are involved in this novel too.

Worth reading and 8/10 for me.

Book Review: Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson

Read this on holiday in New York so I was nearly in Washington DC where the novel is set. Another in the Alex Cross series by James Patterson. As ever with this series it is nice to know what is happening in his personal life and family as much as the action parts. The family seems relatively quiet at present but it was nice to catch up.

With regards the action, Alex Cross is called in to help find the two children of the US President as they have been kidnapped. He is personally invited by the President's wife to help but it is clear that there is someone who does not want Alex Cross on the case. He manages to get himself onto the inside track eventually.

We are also led into the terrfying world of terrorism as well, Cross and his colleagues also have to cope with this too.

Pretty good but the series is beginning to get a bit tired now, the book in some ways seems to be a parody of some of the earlier novels. However it is as well written as ever.

8/10 for me.

Book Review: See How They Run by James Patterson

This is one of James Patterson's early novels and is one of the better ones from that era and you can see the early seeds of the writer he has become. This novel was also called The Jericho Commandment.

It is set very much in its time of 1980 and the conflict between the Jews and the Nazis. The novel concerns a young Jewish doctor David Stauss who's brother and grandmother are murdered in a series of bloody crimes in the USA. He sets out to find out why they were murdered and by who.

He gets back together with a girlfriend who is not all that she seems and he stumbles upon a plot of the Jews to get revenge for the Holocaust and the murders at the Munich Olympics. The trail leads him across Europe.

Quite good and 5/10 for me.

Book Review: Toys by James Patterson and Neil McMahon

This is a novel set in the future and that is not exactly my favourite genre but this novel was easy to read. It concerns a society where there are Elites and humans, with the Elites ruling over the humans. It concerns an Elite who discovers he is a human and his changing sides, fighting his family and generally setting wrongs to rights.

Some of the futuristic touches I did not really like but I did see that there were parallels between this novel and the dictators in the world where elites are created and the population is generally kept down by toys. This novel was envigorating as the humans strove to overcome their oppressors, and good overcoming evil.

Not really my cup of tea so only 7/10 for this one.

Book Review: Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson and Marshall Karp

I believed that I was reading a nice easy James Patterson thriller but then about halfway through there was a nice little twist to the plot that I did not see coming. I enjoyed the story of the art student caught up in a diamond theft.

The part where he was on the run with his girlfriend in Paris and Venice was great and also learning how his pursuers from the Russian underworld were on his tail. He got the support of his father in keeping the bad guys at bay.

How he escaped his pursuers once and for all was good, or is the door still open for a sequel?

A well paced thriller that you will enjoy a few escapist hours reading.

8/10 for me.

Book Review: Cross Fire by James Patterson (Alex Cross 17)

Alex Cross is getting married to Bree but you cannot sit back and enjoy the ceremony. Two assassinations of Washington DC's hierarchy postpones the nuptials. The victims are a corrupt congressman and a shady lobbyist. Then the killer starts to take out other undesirable politicians.

Is the criminal doing everyone a favour? Hardly, he is a murderer and Cross is on the trail.

Cross is assisted by FBI agent Max Siegel who Cross battles with for control of the case. With the wedding pressure, the case and dealing with Siegel, Cross has his hands full. Then he gets a call from his greatest adversary Kyle Craig.

Craig is coming for Cross and his intention is to take out Alex Cross and his family. How can Craig get so close to Cross's family. Cross already had his hands full and now has Kyle Craig hounding him down too.

A great page turner and very much a return to form for James Patterson's Alex Cross novels. I look forward to the next one when it is published.

9/10 for me on this one.

Book Review: I, Alex Cross by James Patterson (Alex Cross 16)

After a couple of recent diversions for Alex Cross novels – one trip to Africa and the other a historical dip back into the Cross family history 100 years before, we are back on track with this novel.

The novel opens with Alex Cross's niece being murdered and he is out to find the killer with a vengeance. This time it is personal. However he soon discovers that he is up against some important and dangerous people who have carried out this crime. There are also many more victims.

Cross and his girlfriend Brianna Stone (herself a detective) move into the shady world of fantasy laced with crime.

How will Cross take down his niece's killer? This novel has many twists and turns before we discover how he does.

Getting back to form for me 7/10.

Book Review: Sail by James Patterson and Howard Roughan

For some reason I was not looking forward to reading this book but it spoke to me from the bookshelf and I was pleasantly surprised. It is a good page turning adventure read with plenty of suspense and action.

It concerns a mother facing her failings in the past and trying to reconcile her life with her three children and their uncle. They decide to go on a voyage on their yacht for two months. The dysfunctional family set off and unknown to them their stepfather is set to kill them all and inherit all the money that the mother has, that is in excess of $100 million.

The boat is sabotaged and they endure storms and many nightmarish episodes. However it does bring the family together and forces the truth out into the spotlight.

We see good triumphing over evil and it is a satisfying read.

8/10 for me.

Book Review: 7th Heaven by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

This is the 7th in the Womens Murder Club series (the clue is in the title!!!) and I found this one to be a thoroughly entertaining read. There are four members of the Club and the main character is Lindsay Boxer who works for SFPD.

In this episode a pair of serial killers is on the loose and Lindsay and her fellow cops are endeavouring to track them down. In parallel to this plot there is another storyline concerning the death of a well known son of a rich man. This gives one of the other members of the Murder Club to her day in court as a member of the prosecution.

It is not only these two storylines but it is also what happens to the characters that also concerns us. In this episode we are not disappointed with the challenges in their lives. Lindsay's love life moves on seemingly for the better but she has doubts. Her role in SFPD is changed too at her request then she considers she may have made an error of judgement.

These personal issues are left hanging for the next novel and I cannot wait for number 8!

This novel I feel is better than the last couple in the series.

9/10 for me.

Book Review: 6th Target by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

I am enjoying these series of novels and this is the 6th out of ten (so far as at August 2011). I like the characters in the Women's Murder Club and it is interesting to see the changes in their lives. I also like the setting of San Francisco that I have visited once.

This novel concerns a killer on a ferry boat. There is no doubt he is guilty of the killings but is he sane or insane? I liked the way the novel played on this theme and put forward very well the questions that both sides in the resultant court case played their cards.

The other case that was part of this novel was a child abduction. This was a bit weaker I thought but again I enjoyed the way that the facts revealed themselves and the killers were hunted down.

The women's lives are on the move again. Yuki changes sides in this novel, Claire gets a bad case of lead poisioning and a little surprise, Cindy moves apartment to the block from hell and Lindsay gets what she wants at work but then realises she doesn't want it, she also gets Joe too but is also wondering about this relationship too. Lindsay appears to be at a crossroads so I will just have to read on to book seven to see how it pans out.

8/10 for me.

Book Review: Alex Cross’s Trial by James Patterson and Richard Dilallo (Alex Cross 15)

This takes a leap back in time to the early 1900's when the USA was a very different place to now. America was still segregated on colour and the black man was oppressed and discriminated against.

A Washington DC lawyer called Ben Corbett takes on an assignment from the President to face up to injustices down south. Corbett returns to his southern home town and uncovers disgraceful prejudice and violence, with the spectre of the Klu Klux Klan on the warpath.

Ben has the help of Abraham Cross one of Alex Cross's ancestors. Alex Cross learns of the story from his Nana Mama (grandmother). We get to learn a bit of the Cross family history and also a depiction of some US life at the time.

Not really a full Alex Cross novel for me as he is hardly in it at all and also we learn nothing of his family life moving on either. If you are expecting a novel with Alex Cross bona fide novel then you will be slightly disappointed. However if you want a good yarn of good triumphing over evil with a historical flavour then this is right up your street.

A 7/10 for me because I missed Alex Cross.

Book Review: 5th Horseman by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

This is the fifth installment in the Womens Murder Club series. I enjoyed the first couple of novels and now I am reading them as I like the characters and I want to know what is going on in their lives. So it was good to catch up with Lindsay, Claire, Cindy and now Yuki.

As ever, personal tragedy affects one of the Club and the women all pull for each other. There are a number of threads or stories that run through the novel. One concerns a hospital malpractice and the court case that goes with it. This was pretty good although the ending seemed a bit rushed and weak. However the story in the telling was entertaining and maintained my interest.

The other part of the story that seemed to me to be unconnected concerned a couple of strange lovers who were killing escort girls. This story ended part the way through the novel and although it was quite interesting it too ended a bit abruptly.

Not as good as the earlier novels in the series.

7/10 for me.