The final takedown was a bit of a disappointment.

It felt like it could have been more exciting and intense. However, everything else about the story was so spooky!

The atmosphere was palpable, and it really got my heart racing.

I especially love it when there are two concurrent bad guys.

It adds an extra layer of complexity and danger to the plot.

You never know which one will strike next or what their ultimate plan is.

It keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Overall, despite the slightly underwhelming ending, I still thoroughly enjoyed this spooky tale.

The spooky elements and the presence of two bad guys more than made up for it.

I can't wait to read more stories like this one.

I had to say that this was truly one of my absolute favourite installments in the Alex Cross series. The story was incredibly creepy, sending shivers down my spine at times. I could vividly picture it all unfolding as a thrilling movie on the big screen. What I really liked was how it neatly wove in and touched upon some of the significant events and details that had occurred in the previous books. It added a layer of depth and continuity to the overall narrative. However, I still find myself wishing that I loved this series even more than I currently do. But despite that, I hold onto the hope that with each new release, it is going to continue to improve and get better and better. It's definitely a good read that keeps you on the edge of your seat and leaves you eagerly anticipating the next adventure of Alex Cross.

Violets are Blue was truly an excellent closure book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book more than Roses are Red. The reason for this is that it offered the much-needed closure that was conspicuously absent in the first book. In Roses are Red, there were many loose ends and unresolved storylines that left me feeling a bit dissatisfied. However, Violets are Blue managed to tie up those loose ends in a very satisfying way. It filled in the gaps and provided a more complete and fulfilling narrative. The author did a great job of bringing all the different elements of the story together and giving the readers a sense of resolution. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has read Roses are Red and is looking for a more satisfying conclusion to the story.

I'm not really into books that have the culprit's POV. The main reason is that when the story is told from the culprit's perspective, the essence of suspense is simply gone. It's like giving away the big secret too early. And let's face it, only rarely is it done properly.

Aside from that, this book was, well, readable. It had its moments of being interesting. However, to be completely honest, I did not feel connected to the characters at all. They just didn't seem to come alive for me. But still, one has to admit that it's a pretty good plot. It had enough twists and turns to keep me engaged, even if the lack of character connection was a bit of a drawback. Overall, it's an okay read, but not one that I would rave about.

I guess it all comes down to personal preference. Some people might love books with the culprit's POV and really get into the minds of the bad guys. But for me, it just doesn't do it. I prefer my mysteries to be full of suspense and surprises, with characters that I can root for or against. Maybe this book just wasn't for me.

This is my second novel by the American author James Patterson. The first Patterson novel I read was "HIDE AND SEEK", which I rated two (2) irreplaceable and stinky stars. It failed to court my inner bookworm side. I'm a merciful (lol) critique, so I decided to give the author another chance. And I must say, he failed me again.

Right now, the efficiency of what Stephen King said about James Patterson's writings during an interview for USA Weekend is starting to sink in me. I quote Stephen King, he referred to James Patterson as "a terrible writer [but he's] very successful". And don't forget Patterson is also a popular author. Just because something is popular doesn't mean it's good.

Here is the list of major disappointments and irksome instances from the novel:

1. James Patterson uses TOO many common or simple words. They are so common that the novel became uninteresting and dull. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the over-rated sayings that go beauty lies in simplicity, but there's always a line between everything that goes too much. There's a fine line between applying the beauty of simplicity and using it excessively.

2. The character's lines are awful. I remember a scene where Alex Cross and a lady detective began to seriously examine a dead body. Of all the things Alex Cross would think during that moment, it's the weather. I mean, I know the novel's genre is mystery, but umm, I can't seem to find the connection of the weather to the mystery they're supposed to solve. And it doesn't stop there. There are many more awful instances.

3. The character's dialogues are overly monotonous. Have you ever read a novel with characters saying the same thing over and over again? Not to mention having a protagonist whose blahs and blahs are exactly the same in every effing chapter?

4. The novel started with a threat to Alex Cross's life. And in the middle of the story, it just became an old memory, like it never happened, like James Patterson just accidentally wrote and pasted the wrong side of the story in the novel.

5. Lastly, I like Alex Cross because I have a weird detective-fetish (hello Sherlock Holmes! Hoho), but he's the first one I forced myself to like. lol. I know it's complicated, it's a woman's intuition after all. Hoho.

From this point on, I'll quit reading some of James Patterson's works. I will give him a chance soon, but it might take a while.

Violets are Blue is indeed a remarkable book that offers an enjoyable reading experience.

The plot is engaging from start to finish, never once becoming dull or stagnant. It unfolds at a steady pace, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. This detective/crime story is truly immersive, thanks to its baffling murders and captivating plot.

The main character, Alex Cross, is a renowned detective who has a reputation for solving even the most complex crimes. However, when faced with these particular cases, he finds himself stumped. The victims are not only killed but also drained of all their blood, leaving Alex scratching his head. This is where I began to suspect that vampires might be involved in the story.

While I found the overall story to be intriguing, the inclusion of vampires was a bit of a let-down for me. It seems that these days, a large number of books targeted at young adults feature vampires in some way. This overuse of the vampire trope has become a major turn-off for me when it comes to reading.

Nevertheless, once I was able to look past the vampire aspect, I was able to fully appreciate the story for what it was. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good murder mystery with a touch of the supernatural. However, it should be noted that due to the excessive use of swear words, it may not be suitable for younger readers. Despite this flaw, I still found myself enjoying the book after getting past the initial shock of the frequent use of the f-word.

Overall, Violets are Blue is a worthwhile read that offers a unique blend of mystery, crime, and the supernatural.

I must admit that as I delved into this particular piece, there were moments when I might have cringed a couple of times. However, it also had an undeniable allure that had me completely captivated, sitting on the edge of my seat throughout. The story seemed to unfold in the most unexpected ways, keeping me constantly on tenterhooks.

Every turn of the page brought a new twist or revelation that left me gasping for more. The author's writing style was both engaging and immersive, drawing me into a world that was filled with excitement and anticipation. I found myself completely invested in the characters and their fates, eager to see how their stories would ultimately play out.

Despite the few cringe-worthy moments, this article was truly a page-turner that I simply couldn't put down. It had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a thrilling read.

Alex Cross, the head detective of the Homicide Department in Washington and the liaison between the FBI and the Washington Police Department, returns with a completely different case. Are there vampires in our era? How come the bodies that start to appear have bite marks on the neck and no blood spill? Maybe all these are a masquerade for satanic rituals? And if not? What human plasma has such sharp fangs and such insatiable thirst for blood?

After the tragic death of Betsy Cavalierre and the difficult case of the previous book, "The Big Bad Wolf", Alex Cross now wants to finally withdraw from the police and the FBI, go private and live with his family: his three children (eight-year-old Jannie now - six-year-old in "The Big Bad Wolf", hmm...-, ten-year-old Damon - of the same age in "The Big Bad Wolf", again hmm...- and just one-year-old Alex Junior - he remained intact) and his grandmother, Nana. At the same time, the fact that another woman lost her life perhaps because of him or because of his job has made him more distant and introverted. Yet the FBI agent Kyle Craig assigns him another case that will lead him to Los Angeles, Charlotte, Las Vegas, far from his family and the important moments of his children.

The case itself has all the familiar ingredients of the author: the murderer is named from the beginning, we follow him committing crimes while Cross and other agents are on his trail, continuous travels across the States, a new female acquaintance, Jamilla Hughes, a police officer from San Francisco, with whom he falls in love, we know the victims and their stories, etc. The only difference is the central idea, since the tendency of some to act and look like vampires is something original from what I have read so far. So there are descriptions of scenes with magicians, bars and other places where people with implanted strong fangs, dressed in latex and other strange clothes, with red contact lenses, generally a closed society full of cultists that I would not like to know!

In the atypical second part of the book, the case of the Brain, the man who occupied us in the previous novel, "The Big Bad Wolf", is solved. His true identity is something that surprised me before and tried to be justified now. Yes, it is a person beyond all suspicion, but his extremely intelligent past, his family background, etc. was not something that could create a person unfit for an FBI agent? Or was he really so satanic that he could cover his tracks? Finally, I will not analyze it too much, because overall it is a key character, thanks to whom I reread references to all the previous books of Cross, it was revealed how well he knew Casanova from a previous case of the series but above all I understood very well why there was such a strong obsession between the Brain and Cross. James Patterson closes a big circle of stories of the famous multicolored detective, writes about how those we met in the previous books and remained alive until the end of the adventures (Kate McTiernan, Naomi Cross, even Christine who discovers that nothing has changed in the daily life of her former husband) developed while at the same time this whole experience led the detective-psychiatrist to his final decision to resign from the police.

"Vampire Weekend" is a thrilling police novel in the descriptions of the murders and at the same time a settling of accounts between Alex Cross and his past. The author still has me on tenterhooks while overall his adventures so far have kept me in suspense regarding the development of his character and his family and professional relationships. To move on to the next one, "Four Blind Mice"!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The story was engaging and held my attention from start to finish.

However, I have to admit that I was quite surprised by the ending. It took a turn that I wasn't expecting, which made the whole experience even more interesting.

Despite the unexpected ending, I'm still looking forward to moving on to the next book in the series. I'm curious to see how the story will continue and what new adventures and challenges the characters will face.

I have a feeling that the next book will be just as exciting as this one, if not more so. I can't wait to dive in and find out!

Violets Are......Purple!!!!

I usually make it my business not to read any books related to werewolves or vampires. In fact, I stopped reading Patricia Cornwall's Kay Scarpetta series precisely because werewolves had invaded the pages. Since I like to read all my series "in order", Violets Are Blue was the next in line in the Alex Cross series. Little did I know that it would have the "dreaded" vampires as the main characters.

This book had two parallel stories - the vampire invasion and the return of "The Mastermind". One thing Patterson is really good at is bringing readers up-to-date with what happened in his past books, so you're not completely lost when reading his current work. I appreciated all his reminders of how much The Mastermind had taken over Alex Cross' life with his threats and supposed killings of people close to Alex. Another thing Patterson excels at is writing short chapters. I read this book while on the beach in Mexico, and it's the perfect type of book for vacation as it can be read quickly. I finished it in two days and was able to give it to a friend with me who also finished it on the same trip.

Now, back to the vampires. As much as I dislike reading about them, I did find it quite fascinating yet scary at the same time. Just the thought that something like this could potentially exist (please tell me it doesn't) is enough to prevent me from reading another vampire book in my lifetime. But in the typical Alex Cross style, the vampires didn't have a chance against our hero. The Mastermind, however, was a different story. I do have an issue with how this part of the story played out, and it's something many authors do that really bothers me. I can't go into details because I'd give it away, but it's a cop out I don't appreciate. Wow, did I just use a pun there? I actually didn't mean to, but if the shoe fits, wear it.

Next up is Four Blind Mice. I know there are really only three blind mice. I can just imagine who this fourth mouse is going to be.

3.5 stars

The follow-up book to its immediate predecessor in the Alex Cross series had a promising start. It began strong and was highly intriguing, immediately capturing the reader's attention. However, as the story progressed, it unfortunately lagged in the middle. What was once a captivating narrative started to feel repetitive and dragged on. There were too many side stories and random people being brought into the mix, which somewhat derailed the main plot.

For a while, I was really enjoying "Violets Are Blue" as much as, if not more than, the previous read "Roses Are Red". The main case involving vampire-style murders was fascinating to me. The high-octane nature of the criminals made it a real page-turner. But then, things took a turn for the worse in the middle. What had initially held my rapt attention devolved into just an okay read.

I also found myself disappointed in the lack of connection to the previous book. "Roses Are Red" had ended on such a great cliffhanger, and I had expected it to play a more prominent role in this story. Thankfully, it finally did in the last 70 pages, which helped to redeem the book overall for me.

There were still many things to like about the book. Alex Cross is a really great character, and I love everything about his family, friends, and demeanor. He remains a strong protagonist throughout. Some of the side characters also added great dialogue, and as always, the quick pacing of the chapters did help to keep me engaged, even when the story faltered.

Overall, it wasn't as good of a read as I had hoped for, but I am grateful that the ending delivered. I'll definitely be reading more Cross novels in the future.

Alex Cross is on the hunt for the gruesome vampire killers who are terrorizing Los Angeles. The case is both riveting and grotesque, filled with bloodcurdling details and heart-pounding moments.

Cross, a seasoned detective, is determined to solve the case and bring the killers to justice. His personal interactions with the victims and their families add an emotional depth to the story, making it not just about the hunt for the killers, but also about the impact their actions have on the lives of those left behind.

However, in a shocking twist, someone close to Alex turns out to not be who he thought. This revelation throws Cross' world into chaos and forces him to question everything he thought he knew about the case and the people around him. As he continues his investigation, Cross must navigate this new reality and find a way to solve the case before more lives are lost.

Will Cross be able to overcome this obstacle and catch the vampire killers? Only time will tell in this thrilling and suspenseful story.