Originally on my book blog!Can I just flail instead of write a review? This was a masterpiece and you should believe me because I don’t use that word often. Everything was fabulous in this book. The characters (that’s nothing new), the plot (also nothing new), the plot twists (go figure), and the ending (SHOCKER, THAT).No really, this book was like fictional quicksand (as opposed to real quicksand that actually takes a really long time to swallow you up.) This book took a full two minutes, if that, to make me want to read the rest of it in one sitting. I read the back of the book before I started reading it and I saw that they put Shafer’s name on the back and I was like “um??? I know who the killer is so???” but it’s so much more than that. I wanted to keep reading to find out WHY he killed them, WHY he was such a creepo, and WHY he picked him victims.Alex and Christine are ~in love~ and they are perfect together. They have a very grown up relationship and they took their relationship slow. I love them together. I love Christine’s relationship with Jannie and Damon because that’s a healthy relationship. Parents: if you are going to have step kids due to a marriage with previous kids from it, read about this relationship. They are doing it right. There are some books that if they aren’t filled with suspense, they may get boring or tedious, but this series is not like that. When the suspense is not happening, I still greatly enjoy the books because of how well the relationships are written.This series has shed a lot on how marginalized groups feel about cops and the justice system as a whole. Patterson doesn’t go out and say “the cops don’t care about marginalized groups” because he doesn’t have to.“The police won’t do nothin’. You never come back here again after today. Never happen. You don’t care about us. We’re nothin’ to nobody.”I know not everyone spends their days reading articles of things like this, but I try to keep up on important things and I see things like this frequently. It may be uncomfortable for other people to read, but I think it’s important for Patterson to put these things in the books, especially when Alex Cross lives in a place where it happens daily.BUT THE PLOT TWISTS. Okay, if you’re not really into the personal lives of Alex Cross and his family, or the ties to Real Life Issues, you can skim those and still enjoy the book because the plot twists are incredible. I don’t remember the last time I read a book where the plot twists surprised me this much. If you’re a fan of plot twists, you’d be a fan of this book.The ending was as perfect as a book with several murders and sadness could be. I wasn’t sure how they would end a book like this, but the ending was better than I thought it would be. Probably the best ending of the series so far. As soon as I set the book down, all I wanted to do was go grab the next one and start reading it but I can’t because it’s a 3 hour drive from here.I totally recommend this book to anyone that doesn’t mind murder and some gruesome scenes.Have you read any books in this series? If so, did you like them?
Book Review : Pop Goes the Weasel James PattersonMy rating 4 starsBlurbDetective Alex Cross is back-and he's in love. But his happiness is threatened by a series of chilling murders in Washington, D.C., murders with a pattern so twisted they leave investigators reeling. Cross's pursuit of the killer produces a suspect, a British diplomat named Geoffrey Shafer. But proving he's the murderer becomes a potentially deadly task. As Shafer engages in a brilliant series of surprising countermoves, Alex and his fiance become hopelessly entangled with the most memorable nemesis Cross has ever faced.My opinion The novel is tense and fast paced, chilling, with a villain most diabolical. Evoked joy and sadness, and disgust, loathing in the four horsemen and their wicked game The story is about a detective who is looking for a serial killer who (usually) uses women as his victims. but it is all a game to him and uses dice to pick how he kills his victims. but soon he decides to go solo and play a even more challenging game, kidnapping the detectives wife....The ending is a surprise and it really makes you look forward to the next book as we begin to really care about Alex's personal life and not just read these books for the thriller aspect.QuotesKnowledge truly is power, it’s everything; if you don’t have any, pretend you do.We come into life so easily — from somewhere, from the universe, from God. Why should it be any harder when we leave life? We come from a good place. We leave — and go to a good place.the more good things you have in your life, the easier it is to experience fear.He was wound so tight that if you stuck coal up his ass, in a couple of weeks you’d have a diamond.The players were the Rider on the White Horse, Conqueror; the Rider on the Red Horse, War; the Rider on the Black Horse, Famine; and himself, the Rider on the Pale Horse, Death.“If you have only two pennies, buy a loaf of bread with one and a lily with the other "“The American justice system is far from perfect, but it is still the very best justice system in the world.”an ancient whirring ceiling fan that looked as if it might suddenly spin out of the ceiling. It seemed a nice metaphor for modern life in America, an aging infrastructure threatening to spin out of control.cyclohymia, which can manifest itself in numerous hypomanic episodes as well as depressive symptoms. Its associated symptoms could include inflated self-esteem, a decreased need for sleep, excessive involvement in “pleasurable” activities, and an increase in goal-directed activity — in Shafer’s case, maybe, an intensified effort to win his game.Alea jacta est, he remembered from his schoolboy Latin classes—Julius Caesar before he crossed the Rubicon: “The die is cast.”
What do You think about Pop Goes The Weasel (2000)?
I really liked this book a lot. Life was on the upswing for Alex Cross. He is a widowed Washington psychologist and homicide dectective. His newly engaged girlfriend Christine. The only hitch is the disturbing spate of Jane Doe murders in D.C.'s southeat section. Cross and his partner John Sampson are convinced its the work of a serial killer,and their investigating on their own time and risking the ire of chief and suspension. In another part of town life was growing more intensely for Geoffrey Shafer. He is involved in a fever pitch game of fantasy called the Four Horsemen. Leading a Jekyll and Hyde existence,the master of disguise turns into a savage killer finding pleasure in each violent deed he commits. When Shafer discovers Cross and Sampson are hot onhis trail,he decides to expand his game. His strategy is to follow Alex and his fiancé on a trip to Bermuda and claims Christine as his next victim.
—Catherine
James Patterson- Pop Goes the Weasel (Warner Books 2000) 3.75 StarsAlex Cross is finally engaged, and yes it is to Christine! Cross is after British diplomat Geoffrey Shafer, a serial killer having fun while playing a deadly game of dice. For the first time we see Cross in court trying to prove Shafer’s guilt, which may not be as easy as it seems. The two go back and forth moving and counter-moving, all in the effort to gain control of the situation.Once again I enjoyed Alex Cross. He is a very deep and lovable character. I do get a little bit tired of how most of his serial killers seem to somehow involve his family. I am sure that this does happen, but not as much as Patterson is making it seem. The villain was very interesting as well, as we knew who it was the whole way through, which Patterson does not always do. The case work and investigative skill of Alex Cross was intriguing to read about and watch how his mind works out the details. I wasn’t as fond of the ending as it didn’t quite seem realistic, but up until that point I was enjoying the book immensely.I recommend Pop Goes the Weasel to Patterson/Alex Cross fans, and mystery/thriller enthusiasts. For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.comTony PetersKids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnappinghttp://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/
—Tony
Geoffrey Schaefer--a bureaucratic spy with diplomatic immunity at the British embassy in DC--is our villain. He is a member of the "Four Horsemen," an online "game" that involves describing gruesome murder scenarios. Little do the other members know, Schaefer aka The Weasel aka the character "Death" is playing out these ceremonies in Southeast DC, where the police let murders go unsolved (that social critique was one of the most interesting aspects of the book). Schaefer drives an out-of-date ta
—Andrew
