Wowzers!

I wasn't expecting that at all. It was truly very entertaining and gripping from start to finish.

Now I fully understand how this particular work put James on the map.

He did an absolutely fantastic job in creating this story.

The way he developed the plot, the characters, and the overall atmosphere was simply remarkable.

Moreover, he managed to surprise me with his extraordinary talent.

His writing style is engaging and keeps the reader hooked until the very end.

After experiencing this piece, I'm officially a fan of James.

I can't wait to see what else he has in store for us in the future.

I'm sure it's going to be just as amazing as this one.

Overall, this was a great read and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an entertaining and thought-provoking story.

Well, I wasn't disappointed at all with this one.

I had been reading the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson and had been seriously struggling for the past 4 - 5 books. So, I decided to go back to Alex Cross, and I am so glad I did! I was starting to think maybe James Patterson wasn't for me. After reading this, however, it's obvious that the later Women's Murder Club books were ghost written.

This book was set at such a brilliant pace. It was fast enough to keep me reading through the night and slow enough so I could take in all the details of this awesome thriller. In true Patterson style, the chapters were short and snappy.

"Have faith and pursue the unknown end.” Oliver Wendell Holmes said that. I have faith. I pursue the unknown. That's my job description."

"That's the problem with stun guns, even an expensive eighty - thousand - volt Tensor. They don't always bring down a big man. Especially a crazed one with a sense of purpose."

Kiss the Girls follows Alex Cross as he tries to find his missing niece. Along the way, he is faced with not one but two psychopaths. As the story continues, we learn that both of these killers are twinning from each other, and this causes a creepy and dramatic dynamic. Sampson is Alex's partner, and they have such a beautiful relationship, not unlike the killers in a sick, twisted way.

I don't want to give away any spoilers, but what I will say is if you're after a little gore, a lot of action, and plenty of heartfelt moments, then this is the book for you.

We also learn how unlucky in love our dear Alex Cross really is. I would highly recommend that you read Along Came a Spider before delving into these books otherwise you will catch some spoilers.

I was debating a 5 - star review with this one because there really isn't anything wrong with it, but it just didn't quite hit it for me, and I'm not 100% sure why. It might have been because I felt the ending lacked just ever so slightly only because the 100 pages prior were so full of DRAMA! This book has definitely reignited the love I have for James Patterson.

I can't wait to read the next!

Alex Cross is a cop, and not just any cop, but a damn good one. Standing at 6'3", his body is taut with muscles, and his striking good looks are impossible to ignore. He's also a doctor, a damn good doctor at that, specifically a psychologist for the slum kids.

His washboard stomach glistens in the afternoon light as he plays the music of Nora Jones and Coltrane on his piano, gently stroking his children's heads with his other hand. The phone rings, and he can't help but wonder if it's the FBI again, offering him that job to run the DC police. He lets it ring again, and again, and again. He really doesn't have the time for the FBI because he's a damn good father too.

What utter, utter, utter trash this all is.

Just like in "Like Water For Elephants," every character in this Mills & Boon spinoff action novel is beautiful, perfect, confident, without a hint of doubt or flaw, cultured, smart, handsome, and sporting a six-pack. Every honorable character knows exactly the right thing to do, when to do it, how to do it, and why it needs to be done. Take, for example, the black-belt karate expert / Cormac McCarthy-reading academic / honors med student / model who gets kidnapped and repeatedly raped by a serial killer, then falls 30 yards into a shallow rocky stream, and yet hours later joins the FBI on the killer's manhunt.

What sniveling, pathetic, horrid trash this is.

I picked this up hoping for a complex and addictive Dragon Tattoo thriller, or perhaps even some cheap and fun David Goodis-styled pulp, but no. This was nothing more than Mills & Boon trash.

Okay, I am truly getting hooked on Alex Cross.

It has reached a point where I may now have to read this entire series straight through without any breaks.

I really, really enjoy the pace of these books.

The way each short chapter seamlessly jumps straight to the next is simply brilliant.

It doesn't give the reader even a moment's opportunity to put the book down.

In fact, I read this particular one in just one day.

I stayed up far too late into the night in order to finish it, but I loved every single minute of it.

However, it should be noted that there is a significant amount of violence against women in it.

After all, that is its main theme since the murderers are insane rapists!

So, if that kind of disturbing content offends you, then by all means, do not read it.

Otherwise, I wholeheartedly recommend Alex Cross to anyone who has a passion for a good, thrilling murder mystery.

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

The second installment in the Alex Cross series by Patterson is truly a step up from the first.

It's a story filled with heart-pounding thrills and spine-tingling chills, yet there's a certain sense of realism that makes it all the more terrifying. Young women are disappearing across the country, and this isn't just a figment of the imagination. There are no supernatural demons or creatures lurking in the shadows. This could happen in real life. As I delved into the book, I couldn't help but wonder, what if I were in that situation? What would I do? Naturally, I'd fight to the death, hoping for the bad guy's demise.

Alex Cross is still recovering from his previous case when a new set of problems casts a dark shadow over his daily routine. His niece Naomi has been missing for a few days, and the local police didn't see fit to notify anyone until four days had passed. This forces Alex to rush to Carolina and conduct his own investigation. Upon arrival, he discovers that Naomi is just one of many young women missing from the college campus. Somehow, there seems to be a connection between them and the few mutilated bodies found in the nearby woods. A collector of sorts, who calls himself Casanova, is preying on the loveliest of the bunch for his personal harem. But Alex's leads reveal that the killer isn't acting alone. He has a partner on the west coast, and the two predators seem to enjoy comparing their hunting techniques and bragging about their conquests and what they consider perfect crimes. Humans can be incredibly cruel and evil, but their arrogance will eventually give them away, and Alex Cross is there to catch them when they make a slip. When one of the captured women manages to escape, it unleashes a manhunt that puts her life in even greater danger. The killers won't forgive or forget, and a battle between the innocent and the hungry sadists begins.

As always, the smooth and charming Cross finds his heart getting entangled with one of the women on the case. He just can't seem to stay away! The relationship leans more towards friendship, but Cross is hopelessly unable to shake off the ladies. This is a pattern that I'm already noticing, and this is only the second book. I'm curious to see if this pattern continues. I also appreciated all the red herrings that Patterson threw in. By the end of the book, I had my own ideas about the suspect, and I noticed how clever Patterson was in only referring to him as Casanova, never revealing his true identity. This way, the reader doesn't even realize that perhaps the person being chased is actually someone else. It might not make much sense until you've read the entire book. After devouring it at record speed, I went back and re-read some parts, now knowing who Casanova was, and the story was even better. I often do this to ensure that I've caught every detail in the book, especially if it's a good one. I can't wait to read the rest of the series. It looks extremely promising.

Kiss the Girls (Alex Cross, #2) by James Patterson is truly a masterpiece.

It has been a long time, many years in fact, since I and my colleagues from the library went to watch Kiss the Girls at the movies. March was the birthday month for all of us, and we were indulging ourselves with a nice dinner and a movie. It was a wonderful night out. I have never forgotten this movie from all those years ago.

Recently, I finally made the decision to listen to the audio version of Alex Cross on CD, which was narrated and performed by Michael Kramer. He is an excellent narrator, bringing the story to life in a captivating way.

This book continues to be a remarkable piece of work written by an author who rightfully deserves the reputation he has achieved. If you haven't yet had the pleasure of reading this book, do yourself a favor and treat yourself to this masterpiece. You won't be disappointed.

They had shared their heinous and forbidden secret: They had a sick and twisted penchant for kidnapping, raping, and at times, even torturing women. Somehow, in their deranged minds, they came up with the idea of creating a harem of very special women, those who were not only bright but also fascinating enough to hold their warped interest.

They had never had anyone to whom they could confide their dark secrets before. Then, suddenly, they found each other. He knew exactly what he was doing. He was a despicable slime who had deliberately chosen to abduct beautiful young students in the prime of their lives. He had repeatedly chosen to rape and murder, being completely obsessed with perfect young women, which he absurdly called "loving them."

I don't know how many times I've been filled with rage, cussing and feeling my blood boil with the sick thrill and heat of the committed crimes.

Horrifyingly thrilling, 4.8 ⭐️ I don't rate it 5 ⭐️ because there are some scenes of Dr. Alex's personal life which, in my opinion, are not bad but I'm just not interested. Maybe it's because I'm so deeply attached to his case that nothing else interests me other than the case itself.

I thought I had read this book a long time ago. However, someone recently informed me that she had to stop reading after "the snake scene", and I didn't recall any such scene. She told me that I definitely would remember it, and now I do. So, I had to determine if it was as bad as she made it seem. To me, it didn't strike as being any more graphic than any other Patterson book. Moreover, it was Patterson before he became a corporation, which made it significantly better than the last awful book of his that I read.

It was an interesting situation because this is an early book, and the later books mention something that I continuously remembered while reading this one. This knowledge made me aware of who the killer, "Casanova", was. I wasn't fooled just once, but twice. And in the end, I was as surprised as everyone else.

The plot centers around two serial killers, "The Gentleman Caller" on the West coast and "Casanova" on the east. As bodies surface and their methods are compared, it is finally determined that the two killers are collaborating. Alex Cross becomes involved in investigating the abduction of his beloved niece. In the meantime, he finds love, sort of. He also works with local law enforcement and the FBI to apprehend the bad guy(s). Plot points include a disappearing house, the underground railroad, and a plethora of other elements that all come together eventually, as they always do in Patterson books.

Except for the murder victims, of course!

(Oh... and if you're squeamish, you might want to skip any scene that involves a snake.)

Let me commence by stating that I felt it was my professional obligation to peruse a James Patterson book, given that it is what a significant number of people relish reading. I selected ‘Kiss the Girls” as it was an older title penned before Patterson evolved into a ‘brand’ and wasn't formulaic, nor was it written by someone else.

I can fathom why individuals enjoy reading these. The action sequences were rather good, and the plot twists were engaging. The book also boasted 123 CHAPTERS, averaging approximately 5 pages per chapter. It was, at the very least, a page-turner.

I endeavored really hard to like this book. I actually did to some extent for a while until everything and everyone became exasperating. I was even on the verge of awarding it 2 stars for keeping me entertained. Then I simply ceased to care about any of it. I didn't give a hoot about Alex Cross or Kate or their “friendship” or even the previously interesting killers. I just desired it to conclude, yet it seemed to persist indefinitely.

The writing was excruciating to endure. I never truly accustomed myself to the first/third person alternation. I also grew weary of hearing ‘Kate McTiernan’ countless times. From what I've heard, this was one of the better-written ones. Oh dear.

Moreover, the characters were overly perfect. Alex was handsome, fit, intelligent, proficient at his job, and always apprehended his man. But he appeared to have no flaws save for being a yelling jerk in his mind and having some sort of trauma that induced nightmares (yet that was never delved into). Since I never read 'Along Came a Spider', I missed some background, but a modicum of it was disclosed through inner dialogues.

Kate was also stunningly beautiful, intelligent, strong, and was able to escape when no one else could. And, of course, Casanova adored her the most.

Some of the decisions made had me pulling my hair and shouting. Why on earth would the police permit Kate, a crucial witness and the sole link to locating Casanova, to be hauled around by Cross, who was technically not even part of the investigation??!!! Why did he drag her along even after learning that the Gentleman Caller and Casanova were two distinct individuals? Did he even care that she was traumatized? Where were her armed escorts? Why was she permitted to remain at her home, which, incidentally, was the scene of her kidnapping, without supervision? WHY WAS SHE NOT IN A SAFE HOUSE???? I dislike that all of this was disregarded so they could be thrown together for the development of their “friendship”. I understand this was the nineties and things were different, but really, where was the common sense?!

*sigh*

Well, at least I can assert that I read a Patterson book, and I never have to do it again.

This book is indeed intense.

I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire time I was listening to it.

The book is centered around violence against women, so it won't be suitable for every reader.

I listened to the audiobook, and I must admit that I had to stop it more than once.

It's not because the book is bad; in fact, it's actually fantastic.

It's very graphic and extremely violent, and no one can write about a psychopath like Patterson.

Cross finds himself in the middle of a search for abducted women after his niece goes missing.

To avoid spoilers, I'll leave it at that.

I love Alex Cross as a detective, and I fully intend to read or listen to the rest of this series.

The story is engaging and keeps you on the edge of your seat, constantly wondering what will happen next.

The characters are well-developed, and you really get to know and care about them.

The violence and graphic nature of the book may be a bit much for some, but if you can handle it, it's a great read.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery and thriller novels.

I obtained this through giveaways.

Although I haven't read the first Alex Cross book, I really liked this one. It turns out that having read the first one wasn't all that crucial.

The story had me completely engrossed and there were some truly cringe-worthy and messed-up elements in it. However, the plot was good and not overly predictable.

I might consider reading more of these books in the future.

(I can't recall if I've seen the movie. If I have, I remember absolutely nothing from it, lol.)

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this book and look forward to potentially exploring more of the Alex Cross series.

Like all of Patterson's work, this is a truly sickening pulp thriller.

The dialogue is crappy, the characters are as flat as cardboard, and there is enough sympathy for the devil to really make you wonder.

This potboiler features a pair of sexy, enticing, yet ludicrously smart and impossibly prepared sickos. They torture and kill impossibly smart and ludicrously attractive women.

It's extremely hard to tell where Patterson's misogyny starts and where his sadism begins.

All I know for sure is that he is easily one of the most repulsive, reprehensible, shameless, and embarrassing genre authors in America. His works seem to lack any real depth or substance, relying instead on shock value and gratuitous violence to吸引 readers. It's a shame that such books are so popular, but perhaps it says something about the state of our society that we are so drawn to this kind of trash.