Violets are Blue (Alex Cross 7)
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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 becomming more vulnerable.'
(New York Times )'Patterson knows where our deepest fears are buried... There's no stopping his imagination.'
(New York Times Book Review ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Well, it was probably about time to wrap up the Alex Cross franchise. The man just couldn't take anymore, nor could we. "Violets are blue" definitely keeps the pages turning, but ths is more because you 'll want to find out how the two stories end, rather than being intrigued by some intelligent writing.
Patterson weaves a fairly-researched plot (mmmm...vampires. What would be next? Aliens? Alex Cross the X-filer?), though it gets a little obscure somewhere in the middle. The characters - as with all the other Cross novels - are straight out of TV, but at least the maudling level, much like every chapter, is kept to a minimum, and the author manages to keep the pace going. And yes, it is annoying that Cross falls in love again.
So, it's an average novel, but the whole thing has been turning average after "Kiss the girls". Worth reading if you 're a fan, more like a Sunday afternoon flick. Read, enjoy the ride, and then forget about it.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This seems to be so by the numbers. What to expect? Short chapters/ Unstoppable villains/ Torn Alex Cross/ Beautiful female counterpart. But Patterson seems to be at the stage where the books are almost a pastiche. The main plot line here once again concerns killer(s) who are unstoppable, arrogant and killing for no discernable reason. Whereas in the earlier books this would at least be explained, here the villains are cardboard. They're not scary, they're not motivated, it's just let's get through murder one, move onto murder two etc. The final showdown between them and Cross is dreadful; no tension. Yes, it's all building up to the climax with the Mastermind, but I'm sorry- that too I found to be boring by the time I got to the end of this book. By the end it looks as if Patterson is giving some closure to Alex Cross. I don't think that's a bad thing. Hopefully he can return to the character in a few years and have something original to say as he did in Along Came A Spider or Kiss the Girls. This struck me as a lazy book where Patterson knew readers were interested in the conflict between Cross and the Mastermind of Roses are Red, but had no idea how to fill a novel with the conflict, so instead introduces a new light weight adversary to take up three quarters of an already short novel before the final denouement.
Massively disappointing.
Massively disappointing.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The last two pages of Roses Are Red, the prior Alex Cross novel, reveal the identity of one of the bad guys in Violets Are Blue. Your enjoyment of Violets Are Blue will be vastly reduced if you know who did it in advance. If you decide to read that book, stop at page 398 and cover page 399 with a sheet of paper so you don't accidentally see any material on it. Then read this book. After that, go back and read pages 399 and 400 of Roses Are Red. Also, be careful which reviews you read of both of these books. Some reviews reveal this information as an ultimate spoiler, harming your enjoyment of two books.
"You're next, Dr. Cross." The hunter becomes the hunted in this unusual novel about finding mass murderers. How would you feel if your cell phone caller told you that you were the next person to be mutilated and murdered? That's part of the suspense of this book.
The main story line in Violets Are Blue is locating and stopping a murder spree being conducted by people who kill others so that they die from loss of blood. The way they lose this blood is not for the squeamish. Variations on this grossness are developed to be sure you get the maximum shock value. I found the story contrived, unrealistic, and unappealing. On the other hand, if you like old vampire movies, you may see this as high camp and a lot of fun. Who knows?
What Mr. Patterson does best is write plots, so with a weak plot here, there's not much good I can say about the book. It has the usual hard-to-differentiate characters, uninspiring dialogue, lack of any police procedure worth mentioning, and description of crime in mostly amoral terms.
Now, if Mr. Patterson were to write locked room mysteries, he would really be something. In his concept here of trying to describe being a metropolitan detective dealing with Stephen King figures, his talent just doesn't work.
If you really love Alex Cross books, go ahead and read this one. But remember that I warned you that you probably wouldn't like it! If you have read Roses Are Red, you will probably like this book much less. If you have read the last two pages of Roses Are Red, you may actually find this book annoying. I did. Be forewarned!
Where does providing too much, make something less? Certainly, eating more when you are already overstuffed is one example. Having a gruesome murder or crime occur every few pages may be another.
Seek the right balance in all that you do, so you can have the clear perspective to see the best opportunities for improvement!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent buy
This book arrived package well and in excellent condition. The book is a good buy and excellent value for money. Love this author and have nearly all his books.
Published 8 months ago by Carol Yates
fab books
I have been reading the Alex Cross books, and i am really enjoying them. The books lead on to the next one, but you can still pick it up if you have not read any of them.
Published 12 months ago by michelle
Another good Patterson book
Having read a lot of the "Womens murder club" series I wondered what these range of books would be like, but I have to say that I have been very impressed ... Read more
Published 14 months ago by GolfBoy1971
Violets are Blue
This was the follow up to Roses are Red, and like that book I could not put Violets are Blue down, it was absolutely riveting. James Patterson is an amazing writer. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Luvlykay
James Patterson - Violets Are Blue
So here we are again, joining police detective/apparant super hero Alex Cross, as he battles yet another new serial killer. Read more
Published 18 months ago by molko
Krispy Kreme Ads with a cheap plot to connect them.
This book is just a vehicle for product placement. A main character who likes donuts? Yeah? But how many times does Krispy Kremes have to get a very blatant mention? Read more
Published 18 months ago by Waning Moon Conrad
not yet received
hello, I ordered this item one month ago and I haven't received yet. maybe the italian post service had messed up something. can you check this up please?
Published 19 months ago by tomas
RATHER DISAPPOINTING...
After the let down at the end of "Roses are Red", I swore that I would not move on to "Violets are Blue", however, I relented and took the plunge. Read more
Published 23 months ago by L. Hay
AVOID!
It took less than ninety pages to realize James Patterson had gone off and left his Garbage Man to ghost this for him. Trash, bloody trash. Come back Gary Sonejit all is forgiven. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Mr. Robert J. Steven
So so
Violets is rather like a middle chapter of a trilogy where plot elements are second fiddle to character development, although here the development is really just repetition and... Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2010 by Mr. G. Battle
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