I had an extremely difficult time making up my mind about whether to rate this book as "I did not like" or "it was okay."

Overall, I suppose I'd have to say it was okay.

I had actually borrowed this book under the impression that it was by Dean Koontz. I had a rather extensive list of books by Dean Koontz, so I simply assumed this one was among them.

However, I didn't get very far into it before I began to wonder why there were so many inappropriate words and detailed sex scenes.

In fact, I even exited the book (it was on my Kindle) and checked the author. When I saw that it was James Patterson, it made a lot more sense.

Bad words and sex scenes are more characteristic of his style.

I continued reading because it was interesting enough, but to be honest, it wasn't that outstanding of a story.

Moreover, the way the main character was portrayed as being "best friends" with her daughter seemed a bit strange to me.

I would definitely not recommend this book. I would say that there are likely many much better books available by James Patterson.

But if you're looking for something cleaner (yet no less scary), I would suggest going for Dean Koontz.

James Patterson, if you are reading this, I must say that you are indeed a great storyteller. However, this novel of yours was a real disappointment for me.

The story did flow relatively well at the beginning, and it managed to capture my attention about halfway through. But then, unfortunately, it completely lost me, and I found myself just wanting to finish it to be able to tick it off my reading goal.

Firstly, the title was extremely misleading. When I think of "hide and seek," I envision the childhood game or perhaps a novel where a person is hiding from a menacing killer who has been stalking them throughout the story. But this novel was nothing like that.

Secondly, it felt like the story had no real point after chapter 100. If I were the one writing this story, I would have delved deeper into the character of the first husband and continued with that storyline instead of introducing the guy with the boat and the jealous son.

There are a few other aspects that I would have changed to make the story more engaging. But then again, I'm just a writer who struggles to finish my own novels. I truly hope that when I pick up future novels by this author, I won't be as disappointed as I was with this one.

Best wishes,
Cindy

Wow, this book was truly BAD!!

I'm completely shocked by all the great reviews it has received. I'm a huge fan of Patterson, but this book is an absolute embarrassment for such a talented author.

Let me start with the ending. It was not believable at all and made no sense whatsoever. I can't get specific due to spoilers, but it was hands down the worst and most ridiculous ending I've ever read in a book in my entire life. There's no way this could have happened in real life.

The book is about a girl named Maggie who is on trial for killing her ex-husband Will. It turns out she has a history of killing husbands, which doesn't bode well for her. The book goes into excruciating detail about the relationships Maggie has with these men. In fact, most of the book is dedicated to these relationship stories, which I found really boring.

Finally, we reach the jury trial, which is about 70% into the book. I thought the story would pick up at this point, but I was left both shocked and disappointed. The trial went by so quickly that it was almost a blur. We barely heard any evidence or witness interrogations. There were just a few snippets here and there. I was hoping the excitement would build, but unfortunately, it did not.

I've said enough. This book will simply be a forgettable memory. I cannot recommend it to anyone.

This was my first encounter with James Patterson novels. Personally, I could really relate to and loved Maggie. The story initially seemed very interesting. However, what unfortunately happened was that it started to lose its momentum and become rather dull nearing the middle of the book. It became slow-paced and felt quite predictable. This state of affairs persisted for a considerable period of time until the last few chapters, after a twist in the story.

Overall, that captivating ending was what led me to raise my rating to 3 stars. Nevertheless, there were numerous plot holes and questions that I felt remained unanswered. It was a bit disappointing in that regard. Despite the engaging start and the exciting conclusion, the middle section really dragged the story down. I hope that in future novels, Patterson can work on maintaining the pacing and filling in the gaps to create a more seamless and satisfying reading experience.

What can I truly express?

I am an unwavering James Patterson fan, from the very first page right through to the last. I am completely and utterly addicted to his unique style of suspense.

Although there are certain passages that touch upon the topic of sex, it is not overly graphic. Patterson does an outstanding job of constructing the story that lies behind his main characters. He also provides subtle hints of detail regarding those who surround them.

Wait for it. Wait just a little bit longer. Wait patiently. And then, bam! A shocking scenario unfolds that one believes they know is on the horizon, but suddenly discovers that they have been blindsided.

The chapters are short and snappy, constantly keeping the reader turning the pages, deceiving themselves into thinking, "Just one more chapter...". It's this addictive quality that makes Patterson's works so captivating and impossible to put down.

His ability to build anticipation and then deliver a surprise twist is truly remarkable. It keeps readers on the edge of their seats, eagerly devouring each word and eagerly awaiting what comes next.

Whether you're a long-time fan of Patterson or new to his work, you're sure to be drawn in by his engaging writing style and thrilling storylines. So, pick up one of his books and prepare to be taken on a wild ride of suspense and excitement.

I truly adored the manner in which Patterson introduced me to this captivating tale. It's about a woman who becomes a celebrity after being exonerated of murdering her first husband.

She is then accused by some of killing her second husband, and when her third husband meets his demise, I was convinced I had cracked the case.

However, I was completely wrong. The astonishing twist at the conclusion of this story will probably leave you as shocked as I was.

This book is masterfully written, and Patterson deftly employs the voices of his characters to craft a remarkable sense of suspense. I devoured this book, all 400+ pages of it. If you have a penchant for a great mystery and suspense, you will absolutely love this book. Kudos, James!

I've read several Patterson novels up to this point.

Among them, this one left me the least impressed. The plot fails to offer many surprises.

Moreover, there are simply no likable characters in the book. I couldn't muster any sympathy for Maggie.

She selects guys who are blatantly jerks, even obvious to a three-year-old.

And then we're expected to feel sorry for her? Not just one, but two husbands she had, and both met their deaths.

The in-between guy, with whom she had a child but didn't marry, was "nice" and also filthy rich.

So what can we conclude? She has a penchant for either jerky bros or rich guys, and she comes across as a social climber.

Of course, I didn't feel any sympathy for any of the victims either.

This novel just didn't manage to engage me on an emotional or intellectual level.

It seemed rather lackluster compared to some of Patterson's other works that I've read.

I am a huge fan of James Patterson's books. I usually look forward to reading his latest works with great anticipation. However, I must admit that I was truly disappointed with this particular one.

The description on the cover seemed really intriguing, making me eager to dive into the story. But as I started reading, I quickly realized that the plot was extremely flat and lacked any real excitement or depth. It failed to capture my attention and keep me engaged throughout.

Surprisingly, I found myself more interested in the other secondary characters than the main character, Maggie. They seemed to have more interesting backstories and personalities. Additionally, there were a ton of extra characters introduced who didn't really contribute much to the overall story. It felt like they were just there to fill up the pages.

Another aspect that bothered me was the excessive focus on Maggie's career as a singer. There were so many useless details about it that just dragged on and on. It would have been much better if the author had explored different points of view (POV) to add more variety and complexity to the narrative.

The sexual assaults described in the book were not only gruesomely detailed but also very hard to read. It made me feel uncomfortable and almost put me off from continuing. And the scenes involving killing a dog for fun and having sex with his biological aunt at 15 were just plain weird and disturbing.

The ending did have a bit of a twist, which was somewhat decent. But it was also very predictable and filled with a lot of unrealistic scenarios. Overall, this book was a huge letdown for me and I was really disappointed with it.

This book was truly filled with an overwhelming number of extremely disturbing and awful events. There was rape, which is a heinous crime that shatters lives. Murder, taking away someone's life brutally. Incest, a taboo and immoral act. Child abuse and child sexual assault, which are beyond comprehension and cause untold harm to the innocent. Domestic assault, creating a cycle of violence within a home.

Despite all these intense and disturbing elements, large sections of the novel still dragged on slowly. When Will killed the dog, I seriously considered stopping reading. However, I ultimately decided to persevere. It took me quite a while to get through the book because at times, I simply didn't have the heart or the will to pick it up again. By the end, nothing seemed shocking anymore as the entire story was just an excessive amount of horror and violence that numbed my senses.

This was my very first James Patterson book, and unfortunately, it didn't leave a great first impression. I have seen some of the movies that were based on his other novels and actually enjoyed those. So perhaps I will give those novels a try in the hope that they might offer a better reading experience.

This is a truly excellent, fast-paced thriller that had my heart pounding like a drum and had me flipping through the pages at breakneck speed, desperate to find out what would unfold next.

To my great surprise, I completely failed to anticipate the final twist. I usually pride myself on being more perceptive and astute when it comes to such things.

However, this book had an iron grip on me from start to finish. It held my attention captive and refused to let go.

I found myself completely immersed in the story, living and breathing the characters' experiences.

The author's skill in creating tension and building suspense is truly remarkable.

Overall, I really liked this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good thriller.

Hide and Seek was a mixed bag for me.

I truly enjoyed the first half of the book, which delved into the entire backstory of Maggie. It was engaging and had me hooked. However, the second half of the book took a turn for the worse and became what I would describe as ridiculous and far-fetched garbage.

Patterson's books are indeed easy to read, and I'll give him that. The storylines are often interesting, but then everything just becomes way over the top and so unrealistic that it completely loses me. I find myself switching off and no longer invested in the story.

There are several examples of things in the writing that simply weren't believable. For instance, when Maggie was with her second husband Patrick on his yacht during a storm, he had a heart attack and the waves were crashing over them. But somehow, as she held him in her arms with the wind, rain, and waves all around, she could see sweat beading on his forehead and upper lip. Really?

Later, when Maggie was in the garden and heard gunshots in the woods behind the house, she immediately ran towards the shots without even thinking to call for help. She said to herself, "who would I call anyway?" Umm, how about the police on the telephone?

The whole trial and courtroom part of the story was a fiasco. It was almost laughable how far from reality it was. For example, in a high-profile murder trial, the accused is marched through the front doors of the courthouse, the public entrance, past all the TV cameras and jeering crowds. In my experience, someone on trial for murder would be brought to court in a prison vehicle and driven to a secure and private rear entrance of the courthouse.

The prosecuting attorney had met the person on trial for murder personally, and the defence attorney had socialised regularly with the murder victim. In my opinion, even a juror would be excused if they knew the participants in a trial personally. This seems like a ridiculous conflict of interest that would rule out a fair trial. Surely, in a city as big as NYC, they could have sourced attorneys with no prior relationship with the participants of the trial.

During the trial, one of the witnesses, while being questioned, completed a sentence by saying, "that's probably why she murdered him." Firstly, the purpose of the trial is to establish whether she did or didn't murder him. How does a witness get away with saying that? There was no objection from the defence, and neither did the judge ask the jurors to disregard what the witness said. Witnesses are supposed to answer the questions and stick to the facts.

Then there's the idea of a "Mens Club" where they bring in blindfolded girls (some still teenagers) for the sexual entertainment of the rich and powerful. I understand that this has shock value and serves its purpose in the story, but it's completely preposterous in reality. Maybe if it was a bunch of rich crime lords or gangsters, it might be more believable, but not with rich men in respectable positions in society. It just doesn't make sense to me.

The story also went too far in other ways. Maggie shot her first husband in self-defence because he was abusive. She was on trial for shooting her third husband for physical abuse and was acquitted. And then, at the end of the book, she actually did shoot him again for abuse. And yet, she supposedly didn't know anything about guns and didn't like guns.

Even though her second husband died of a heart attack as evidenced by an autopsy, it kept being implied that she had somehow magically brought his heart attack on. Even the prosecuting attorney in her later trial mentioned it and implied the same thing. This seems crazy to me. He can't just get away with that when the death is a closed case of a heart attack. Surely he needs evidence to the contrary before he can start throwing around accusations.

And for the life of me, I have to laugh at the fact that Will shot his younger brother, dressed the body in his own clothes, and everyone is fooled by his cleverness. He has faked his own death. But who identified the body? Sure, the brothers had a likeness, but they weren't identical twins. Don't they check DNA or dental records? Surely there's some way to identify the victim apart from the clothes he was wearing.

Finally, I understand that Will is a psychopath, but he's killed people and then successfully faked his own death. Everyone thinks he's dead. I think most people in his situation would get away to a fresh place, a new start where no one knows him. But no, Will goes back to murder Maggie and her kids once and for all. It makes for a very dramatic ending to the book, but it's also eye-rollingly over the top and far-fetched. I have more Patterson books in my library, but I'm not sure if I can handle any more.

I'll give the book two stars for the backstory of Maggie Bradford.

This remarkable book completely swallowed me up heart and soul.

It was truly a masterpiece in evoking emotions within me, which is an incredibly important aspect for any book in my eyes.

I found myself completely unable to put it down until I had devoured the very last words. And I must admit, the ending was not only satisfying but also fulfilling in ways I couldn't have imagined.

Patterson's unique style of writing was yet another factor that kept me firmly hooked. The twists and turns in the story added an extra layer of excitement, making it impossible for me to predict what was going to happen next.

I have always loved a book that keeps me guessing until all the secrets are finally revealed. I despise cliffhangers that leave me hanging and unsatisfied.

Thankfully, this book by James Patterson fit all the criteria that I look for in a great read. It was an absolute pleasure to experience and I will definitely be recommending it to others.

Thank you, James Patterson, for creating such a wonderful literary work!