What a truly fantastic and thrilling instalment in the Alex Cross series!

From the very first page, I was completely hooked and simply couldn't put it down.

The story was filled with intense action, heart-pounding moments, and unexpected twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

The characters were vividly brought to life, and I found myself deeply invested in their fates.

Alex Cross, as always, was a heroic and complex protagonist, and his adventures never failed to capture my imagination.

The author's writing style was engaging and流畅, making it a pleasure to read.

I can't wait to see what the next instalment in the series has in store for us.

This is definitely a must-read for fans of the Alex Cross series and anyone who loves a good thriller.

The book I am reviewing in this post is "Pop Goes The Weasel" by James Patterson.

I purchased this very good book from a car boot sale. It presents a quite interesting story that delves into the morality of diplomatic immunity.

The story begins with someone enjoying diplomatic immunity flagrantly ignoring red lights and driving the wrong way on a freeway for a thrill, and astonishingly getting away with it.

The narrative revolves around an online role-playing game involving 4 people who call themselves the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse. Alex Cross, who is investigating the case, unwittingly becomes the 5th.

The main antagonist is an ex-soldier who now works for Mi6 and has been moonlighting as a hitman while also being a serial killer. I think it's a clever choice to make his cover that of a British diplomat. Since the two countries have a relatively good relationship, it would have been a bit stereotypical if he were, for example, Russian.

There is a person who runs the online game but is unaware that it is being used for murder, and he ends up helping the police. It's also interesting to note that in most of Patterson's works, there are usually 2 criminal cases running in parallel, but that's not the case in this novel.

Of course, there is a happy ending, and the British government isn't too pleased about how diplomatic immunity has been abused.

I had my first encounter with James Paterson's work, and to be honest, it didn't quite meet my expectations.

The crime presented in the story is rather complex, which indeed adds an extra layer of interest. However, the fact that the murderer is identified right at the beginning of the book significantly reduces the element of mystery. Throughout the entire reading process, that sense of mystery that usually keeps readers on the edge of their seats is lacking.

Moreover, there are numerous instances where details about the personal life of detective Alex Cross are included. While these details might seem like an attempt to flesh out the character, they don't always fit seamlessly into the narrative. In fact, at times, they become rather unnecessary and seem to disrupt the flow of the story.

Overall, based on this first experience, I would rate this book a 3 out of 5. It has its strengths in terms of the complex crime, but the lack of mystery and the somewhat disjointed personal life details of the detective prevent it from being a truly outstanding read.

This is an extremely well-written book!

I first read it 20 years ago, and upon rereading, I found myself enjoying it just as much as before, if not more so.

In fact, I think I liked it better than the previous books in the series.

One of the most interesting aspects of this particular installment is the presence of a truly nasty "weasel." This character is causing some seriously significant damage, adding an extra layer of excitement and tension to the story.

If you haven't started reading the series yet, I highly recommend beginning with "Along Comes A Spider."

What makes this series so engaging is that prior villains often make appearances in subsequent books. This allows readers to have a deeper understanding of their backgrounds, especially their family interactions, which in turn adds even more pleasure as you progress through the stories.

Overall, this book is a must-read for fans of the genre.

Despite this being the very first James Patterson/Alex Cross book that I have ever delved into, I am of the opinion that I managed to acquire all the essential elements necessary to fathom how this detective operates, thinks, and feels.

Ordinarily, I am not particularly inclined towards mysteries, and I resisted and complained through a significant portion, approximately a third of it, before it finally managed to capture my attention.

The story itself accomplishes what it is intended to do; it instills a sense of discomfort within me regarding the killer, making me loathe him due to his insanity and his complete lack of empathy towards those around him. This feeling intensifies as the narrative progresses, and I find myself experiencing a sense of anxiety for the characters whose lives he is destroying and terminating.

Overall, I consider the book to be a great piece of work. The reason I did not award it five stars is that there were moments when the writing struck me as being a little juvenile. This is not necessarily a negative aspect; it was merely something that slightly irked me on occasion. The only instance when I believe I truly appreciated it was during the courtroom scenes, owing to my lack of in-depth understanding of them and the proceedings that take place. Once again, this is a personal quirk of mine, and many others will probably not mind it at all.

If you have a penchant for mysteries, I believe this book would pique your interest, especially if you are partial to truly deranged antagonists. I will likely pick up another Alex Cross book in the future, but I require some time to recuperate first.

What can one say that hasn't already been said? This is yet another exciting thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's another page-turner that makes it impossible to put down. And it's yet another piece of Patterson poetry in the form of a captivating novel.

I have a deep love for the Alex Cross saga. However, at this moment, I just need to take a break from him. The amount of pressure that Patterson subjects him to is truly incomprehensible. It's almost as if he is constantly being pushed to the brink.

I'm truly embarrassed to rate this book with three stars. The writing is simply atrocious.

However, I have to grudgingly admit that I did enjoy POP GOES THE WEASEL, despite my belief that Patterson squanders numerous great opportunities within it. I thought the RPG aspect was interesting, but it was dreadfully underused. All the character does is throw a dice! How unexciting is that? The same goes for the murder trial angle, the kidnapping angle, and the "The Four Horsemen" angle.

Virtually everything suffers from the same problem.

Nevertheless, it was a definite step up from the previous couple of Alex Cross novels. (Why, oh why, do I keep reading them?) The second half of the book, in particular, managed to hold my interest reasonably well. So, I will give credit where it's due and assign Mr. Patterson a passing grade of three stars. Even though I feel that doing so might make me seem less intelligent.

I embarked on reading this series during The Great American Read. I was acquainted with James Patterson, mainly due to the fact that his name is prominently displayed on numerous books, whether as the author, co-author, or in whatever capacity his publication style entails. However, I had never actually delved into one of his books. I soon discovered that I truly liked Alex Cross, a Washington D.C. psychologist who transitions into a detective. Cross delves into some gritty and hard-hitting cases. The series reads like a television thriller series or an over-the-top movie, almost like a cop soap opera. There are devious serial killers, crooks who continuously resurface in Cross' life to wreak havoc, bad cops, and thugs. And every single time Cross gets a girlfriend, bad things occur. Every. Single. Time.

Despite the plots having some cheesy moments in certain places, I am thoroughly enjoying reading through this series. Pop Goes the Weasel presented me with some difficulties, but not because of the plot, characters, or writing. In fact, I had a hard time locating a copy of the book. I am currently on a personal ban from buying books (I own far too many physical books - thousands of them - so I'm not purchasing anything that I'll only read once), so buying this book was out of the question. My local library and its various branches do not possess a physical copy of this book. So, I turned to the digital offerings. The ebook had an incredibly long waiting list (Drat! People have discovered the joy of the library's digital site! lol). I finally managed to check out the audio book version only to find out that it was abridged. Heavily abridged. The full audio book is nearly 10 hours long, while the version I listened to is only 5 1/2 hours long, meaning they cut out half of the story. Rather than wait weeks in a queue for the ebook, I opted to listen to the abridged story. I found it rather annoying that they chose to include a steamy sex scene between Alex and his girlfriend Christine while clearly omitting a significant portion of the substance of the story. Sigh. But at least I can now progress with the series rather than waiting in a queue for a couple of months for an ebook.

Pop Goes the Weasel is the 5th book in the Alex Cross series. There are 26 books in the series, with a new book, Criss Cross, set to be released in 2019. I have a considerable amount of reading to do to catch up with this series - another reason I didn't want to wait for the library's ebook. This time, Cross is investigating a series of violent murders in D.C. The killer is being called The Weasel. Just as Cross is zeroing in on a suspect, his girlfriend is kidnapped (Please stop dating, Cross... it never ever ends well!). It turns out that this killer will be one of the most gruesome and diabolical criminals that Alex Cross will ever encounter. And he's playing a game of life and death with Alex Cross.

I enjoyed this story... well, the parts that I got to hear, that is. This version is just too severely abridged. The narrators give an excellent performance, the plot was interesting (despite the girlfriend in danger plot device emerging yet again... sigh), and the investigation was filled with action and suspense. I'm giving this one a middle-of-the-road rating just because half of the story is missing. I'm perplexed as to why both libraries that I use (my local and a nearby large metro library system) only have an abridged audio version of this book while the rest of the series is available unabridged. Frustrating! Especially since the aftereffects of this story carry on throughout the remainder of the series. Grumble, grumble.

On to the next book in the series - Roses are Red.

I truly adored it!

It was outstanding from the very beginning all the way to the end.

The ending was astonishingly crazy and completely awesome.

It had me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire experience.

The story was engaging, the characters were well-developed, and the plot twists kept me guessing.

I couldn't put it down until I reached the final page.

The way it all came together in the end was just mind-blowing.

I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for an exciting and unforgettable read.

It's one of those rare gems that leaves a lasting impression.

I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next.

Alex Cross, after much hesitation, finally musters up the courage to ask Christine to marry him. Overjoyed, Christine accepts, and they decide to embark on a romantic trip to celebrate this new chapter in their lives. However, their idyllic plans are brutally shattered when Christine is kidnapped during the trip. Devastated and frantic, Alex Cross does everything in his power to find her, but to no avail.

Finally, he is forced to return home, only to discover that there is yet another serial killer on the loose. This killer is truly terrifying - an average looking man who hides a dark and deadly secret beneath his unassuming exterior. He is a master of his game, carefully planning and executing his murders with precision and skill.

As Alex Cross delves deeper into the case, he realizes that this killer is not like any other he has faced before. He is cunning, intelligent, and seemingly one step ahead at every turn. With the help of his team, Alex Cross must race against time to stop this killer before he strikes again and claim more innocent lives.

Pop Goes the Weasel was truly an outstanding read. In this captivating book, Alex takes a significant step and proposes to the love of his life, Christine. Initially, I wasn't overly invested in their relationship. However, as I delved deeper into the story, this book managed to make me develop an even greater affection for his family. I didn't have any qualms about Christine becoming a new member of it. The ending was beautifully crafted, bringing a sense of joy and happiness to his family.

But then, that damn epilogue came along and it was simply amazing. It had a dual effect on me, making me both sad and intrigued. The new villain in this book is Death. He is part of the Four Horseman and has a sickening penchant for killing on a daily basis. Death's real name is Geoffrey Shafer, and he is a deranged individual who views his nightly hunting expeditions as some sort of twisted game. He is extremely creepy, and the epilogue mainly focuses on his desire for revenge against Alex's family.

Throughout the entire process of reading this book, I wholeheartedly wished for Shafer's demise. I'm really frustrated that he is still alive at the end. If he is mentioned in the next book (or any other book within this series), I sincerely hope that his fate will be sealed and he will finally meet his end.

Wow! That book really kept me engaged and reading non-stop.

It was truly a great book. The story was so captivating that I couldn't put it down.

Every page turned was like uncovering a new mystery or adventure.

The characters were well-developed and relatable, making me feel as if I was a part of their world.

The author's writing style was engaging and流畅, which made the reading experience even more enjoyable.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good read.

It's one of those books that you'll remember long after you've finished reading it.

Overall, I'm so glad I picked up this book and can't wait to see what else the author has in store for us.