393 pages, Paperback
First published November 13,2006
The main character, a homicide detective. Deputy Chief of Detectives and in his mid 30s in Along Came a Spider. Has a doctorate in psychology. Works and lives in the ghettos of Washington DC. Smart and observant, hard-working, and black. Has 2 children, D...
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I read this book simply because there was absolutely nothing else available to read. The outside world was covered in 5 inches of snow, and as a result, the library was closed. Fortunately, I discovered a pile of books in the laundry room. So, I made a plan to power through all of them today and tomorrow.
I was actually pleasantly surprised by what I found. Now, this isn't some extraordinary work of fiction, and it does adhere to Paterson's "formula" to some extent. However, it does have some nice human touches within it. It managed to tug at the little heartstrings of my minuscule stone heart just a bit. Although, it could have been even more gruesome for me.
I did appreciate the little twists here and there. They added an element of surprise and kept me engaged. However, the final twist seemed a bit forced, as if it was thrown in at the last minute without much thought or build-up.
A complaint that I frequently have regarding James Patterson's books is that his most recent works lack character development. It seems as if Patterson assumes the reader is already familiar with the characters from previous books, resulting in flat and lifeless stories. The first half of this particular book, however, resembled his older works. It was filled with those little details that bring the characters to life, revealing who they are and helping the reader identify with them. I was truly thrilled to be reading this part because of that. I was completely drawn into the story, fully engaged by how a series of present crimes are relevant to those from the past, with Alex Cross caught in the middle.
Then, approximately halfway through the book, the quality of the writing took a sharp nosedive. The writing felt hasty, the character personalization decreased to almost nothing, and my interest in the story waned. I no longer felt a connection with the characters, and the story failed to maintain my attention. This was extremely disappointing because I had loved the first half of the book, but the second half received a thumbs down from me. The writing simply was not consistent.
4 stars. This is a great story indeed. Just like in the last book, I'm really happy that the storyline in this one was a bit different. It wasn't as predictable as some of the others in the series. In this book, a lot of things happened. There were unexpected twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters developed in interesting ways, and I found myself really invested in their fates. I can't wait to read more and see what else this series has in store. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story with a bit of mystery and excitement.