Amazon.co.uk Review
Fans of James Patterson's resourceful black cop Alex Cross will be relieved to find that he's back on familiar territory with
Violets Are Blue--and (more importantly) it's one of the best Alex Cross thrillers in many a moon.
The malign criminal genius of Roses Are Red is back and fixing to give Alex a hard time once again. The FBI joins Patterson's dogged cop in a particularly unsettling investigation: two San Francisco joggers have been viciously murdered and are found suspended by their feet, with all the blood drained from their bodies. And when further brutal deaths follow in California and on the east coast, Alex is forced to contemplate the bizarre possibility of modern-day vampires, although his instincts point him to one of the many sinister religious cults that flourish on the West Coast. Aided by Jamilla Hughes, a streetwise young woman detective from San Francisco, Alex finds that he has to crack not one but two impenetrable mysteries to stop further bloodletting.
Readers of Patterson expect the extremely concise, page-turning chapters (116 of them), along with a reluctance to dawdle over details of his hero's personal life, and both characteristics are firmly back in place. If you can resist reading this one in just a few sittings, you deserve some kind of a thriller-reader's medal. --Barry Forshaw
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'If there really were human superheroes, Alex Cross would be at the head of the class ... and, with each instalment in the series, Patterson makes sure his superhero gets bigger and better while at the same time becoming more vulnerable' New York Times -- New York Times 'This superb thriller kept me reading all night. I could not put it down and read the 440 pages in two sessions.' -- Telegraph & Argus Bradford 20020727 'It's tightly written and you can't stop yourself turning the pages. No wonder Patterson's got his canines firmly into the bestseller lists.' Bournemouth Daily Echo -- Bournemouth Daily Echo 20020906 'If any writer plays cat and mouse with your emotions and fears, it is James Patterson, in a class of his own in the thriller/chiller stakes...Not many can keep the nail-biting and the nerve-shredding up until the very end, but Patterson never lets you off the hook.' Northern Echo -- Northern Echo 20020709
After the strange sidestepping into the heart-tugging 'Love Story' territory of his recent work, it's good news to find James Patterson back at what he does best - setting his detective Alex Cross (and the reader) a baffling mystery to solve. And this is quite Patterson's most bizarre outing yet, with vampirism (no less) mixed into the grisly narrative. Back again is the malign criminal mastermind of Roses Are Red, as dedicated as ever to confounding (and destroying) Cross. Alex is catapulted into a highly unorthodox investigation when a pair of San Francisco joggers are found dead, suspended by their feet, all the blood removed from their bodies. Further brutal slayings follow in California and on the East Coast. Alex, against his better judgement, begins to entertain the possibility of modern-day vampires, though he does not discount the notion of one of the many different religious cults that flourish in America. Working with Jamilla Hughes, a streetwise young detective from San Francisco, he finds that the solution to one mystery leads to another, even more impenetrable. Patterson, as ever, couches his narrative in very short cliff-hanging chapters and demonstrates his usual brisk manner with Cross's private life. Perhaps full enjoyment is guaranteed only if you're familiar with Roses Are Red (some loose ends from that book are tied up here) but this is still commanding stuff. (Kirkus UK)
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