A few flaws, but most will enjoy Patterson's latest Dr. Alex Cross thriller!We're a longtime Patterson reader and definitely prefer his solo-authored series featuring Alex Cross, now a top FBI specialist, to most of his collaborations with other writers in which presumably our famous author doesn't have time to do more than sketch out the plot. "Mary" has the thrills and chills we've come to expect from Patteron's better novels: a compelling plot, where we get to follow the flow of events from both the killer's and the cops'/chasers' viewpoints; a surprise or two at the end to please; and some more about Cross's family dilemmas, especially regarding the child Alex fathered with girlfriend Christina. The enjoyable storyline is about a sicko serial killer who dubs himself/herself (?) "the Storyteller", who proceeds to knock off successful Hollywood women and mothers, with emails from one "Mary Smith" sent to the LA Times explaining the deeds in detail. The newspaper coverage only serves to feed public outcry and sensationalize all aspects of the case. Moreover, competition between the FBI and LAPD's pursuits is a common footnote to much of the proceedings. But too many murders eventually spawn clues, even if Cross is about the only one clever enough to follow them. And in the end, we're quite surprised by the identity of the perpetrator. Indeed, many readers will feel a little cheated that the killer's motives, and the clues leading to concluding whodunit, were topics poorly treated. Sometimes the bit about Cross and his kids gets a little tiresome; and how that all played out seemed a little unrealistic given the custody battle occupying much of the earlier parts of the book. But as usual, Patterson's short but active chapters create tremendous suspense and contribute to his latest being hard to put down. While some of these quibbles detract a little from this best-seller, most will enjoy it thoroughly and find this an excellent example of what propels each new Alex Cross story up the A-list!
Buku James Patterson pertama yang saya baca, awalnya saya penasaran karena james Patterson banyak dinobatkan sebagai salah satu penulis novel misteri terbaik dan dia juga menjadi salah satu penulis yang menjadi jutawan karena karya-karya nya.Buku ini memiliki tokoh utama bernama Alex Cross yang katanya memang tokoh andalan James Patterson. seperti hal nya James Bond atau Jack Ryan, Alex adalah agen FBI yang banyak digilai wanita. Dalam buku ini pada awalnya banyak membahas tentang kehidupan pribadi Alex dengan keluarganya, bagaimana hubungan dengan anak-anaknya, mantan istrinya, dan perebutan hak asuh salah satu anaknya. Saya kira masalah pribadi ini akan berhubungan dengan kasus yang sedang dihadapi Alex tapi ternyata hanya bumbu dalam kisah ini."Kasus tersulit yang pernah dihadapi Alex Cross" saat membaca itu saya berpikir bahwa kasus ini akan sangat rumit dan menarik, tapi setelah membaca buku ini menurut saya tidak ada yang spesial, dan buku ini memiliki ending khas film Hollywood. Sampai pertengahan buku saya sempat bosan membaca karena alurnya yang lambat, dan saya mulai tertarik kembali setelah cerita memasuki babak akhir dimana Alex benar-benar fokus menangani kasus ini tanpa dipotong masalah keluarganya yang pada akhir cerita ternyata masalah keluarga ini benar-benar tidak penting menurut saya.Buku ini bukan buku misteri terbaik yang pernah saya baca, dan kasus ini pun tidak terlalu rumit jika ending ceritanya seperti itu. Tapi saya tidak akan berhenti disini membaca karya James Patterson, karena masih penasaran apa yang membuat karya-karyanya banyak dibilang orang sangat menarik.
What do You think about Mary, Mary (2006)?
"FBI agent Alex Cross is on vacation with his family at Disneyland when he gets a call from the Director. A well-known actress was shot outside her home in Beverly Hills. Shortly afterward, an editor for the Los Angeles Times receives an e-mail describing the murder in vivid detail. Alex quickly learns that this is not an isolated incident. The killer, known as Mary Smith, has done this before and plans to kill again. Right from the beginning, this case is like nothing Alex has ever confronted. Is this the plan of an obsessed fan or a spurned actor, or is it part of something much more frightening? And particularly baffling, how could a woman be capable of these vicious crimes? Members of Hollywoods A-list fear theyre next on Marys list, and the case grows by blockbuster proportions as the LAPD and FBI scramble to find a pattern before Mary can send one more chilling update. Filled with the ruthless and shocking twists that make his fans hunger for more, MARY, MARY is James Pattersons most sophisticated thriller yetI generally like Patterson, yet some of his works can be a bit raunchy sexually. this one had several spots like that, so I just fast forwarded them, but overall the story was very good and entertaining. Kept me guessing who was doing what. And generally when I listen to a book I miss some because I am driving and fortunately am paying attention to my driving and therefore miss some parts. But a novel is a novel, so no great loss.
—Cheryl
I seem to read a lot of James Patterson. Hmmm... Anyway ANOTHER creepy book. How do I find these? This book has a unique point of view at times. Sometimes it is in the perspective of Alex Cross the main character and sometimes it is in the point of view of the killer (view spoiler)[Michael Bell as well as the woman who was framed for the murders, Mary Wanger. Whenever we were in Bell's point of view it always sent chills down my spine. Bell (hide spoiler)]
—Almina Orbach
I am starting to really not like this series. The line that really got me, and this is for safe eyes only, is: "I rose hardened against her leg, and I could feel moistness on my thigh." I really don't want to read that. I'm getting really tired of the same old plot about family, girlfriend, and killer. I mean, it is nice to see a plot where something happens with the family that is related to the killer (which happened early in the series), but now the series has become completely cookie-cutter, each book is the same one after the other.I am also really surprised that Alex has kept Jamilla Hughes as a girlfriend through a large number of books. One, her name is Jamilla, I honestly hate reading that name as much as I hate reading the sex scenes between her and Alex. This series, its characters, and the cookie-cutter plots are just getting out of hand that Patterson's Women's Murder Club series is a breath of fresh air. Sure there is some of the cookie-cutterness of the plot, but its not overbearing. At least that series has some originality with characters and plot.To those of you who are reading the Alex Cross series and are tired of them just as much as I am, stop reading and pick up the Women's Murder Club series. Please.
—Nicole
