This was a crazy book! It was very spiritual and insightful. basically there were supposedly 2 virgin pregnancies. One mother was to give birth to the devil and one to the savior. Anne is a private investigator who takes up with one of the mothers named Katherine. She is almost fooled by the devil into killing the girls baby because it was Satan. But, it turns out the other girls (named colleen) baby was Satan and Katherine's wasn't. Colleens baby was almost murdered but lived. The book ends with Katherine was not actually a virgin mother. She was raped and could not remember. Then Anne finds out she is actually a virgin mother and gives birth later to the savior. Anne's child does miracles and at the very end we find out that the Satan baby is actually alive. He plans to destroy Anne's family. This book was confusing at times but for the most part I understood it. It had lots of mysteries and at the end everything was explained. I hated the ending because it was a cliff hanger! Now a sequel needs to be made. Overall this was a great book and I would recommend it to anyone!

Category: Books
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author: James Patterson

Di Boston seorang gadis remaja berusia 16 tahun ditemukan mengandung dalam keadaan perawan.

Di Irlandia, gadis remaja berusia 14 tahun ditemukan hamil dalam kondisi yang sama.

Dan disetiap sisi penjuru dunia tejadi bencana dimana-mana banjir, kebakaran, epidemi virus mematikan semuanya terjadi tanpa alasan yang jelas dan tidak masuk akal. Seolah-olah semuanya itu terjadi sebagai pertanda kiamat.

Anne Fitzgerald, seorang mantan biarawati yang kini menjadi detektif swasta di tunjuk langsung oleh vatikan untuk menyelidiki kasus ini.

Kala pertemuan pertamanya dengan dua gadis tersebut Anne merasa takjub sekaligus terpesona. Kedua gadis itu luar biasa cantik,luar biasa polos dan sangat memakau. Melihat dua gadis ini mengingatkannya akan bunda Maria.

Ditengah usahanya memecahkan misteri ini Anne dihadapkan pada fakta mengerikan yang diinformasikan oleh pihak Vatikan. Masing-masing gadis perawan yang mengandung tersebut mengandung bayi yang tidak biasa. Yang satu akan melahirkan bayi titisan setan yaitu sang lucifer sendiri dan satunya lagi akan melahirkan bayi Sang Juruselamat. Anne harus bisa memecahkan misteri yang mana diantara kedua bayi tersebut yang merupakan bayi setan dan bayi Juruselamat.

Gaya penulisan Patterson yang pandai menyembunyikan misteri hingga akhir cerita memang membuat saya yang membaca buku ini menjadi semangat membalik tiap lembar halaman buku yang lumayan tipis ini. Sayang kisah misteri ini disudahi dengan cepat. Meskipun menurut saya cerita bisa berkembang lebih jauh dan panjang mengingat kepiawaian Patterson mengotak-atik cerita.

Sono stato molto tentato di dare il minimo dei voti a questo libro di James Patterson, “l’autore più venduto al mondo!”, come riportato in copertina… uhmm
Sorvoliamo su questa affermazione - non ho proprio voglia di andare a confutarla – e veniamo alla trama. Si, mi è piaciuta, punto. Ecco qui l’unico lato positivo che ho trovato nel libro. Deluso? No, un po' me l’aspettavo…

Dunque, cosa succede quando si viene a sapere che una ragazza incinta è a tutti gli effetti ancora vergine? L’investigazione vaticana si mette all'opera per capire se si tratti di una truffa o se la notizia sia da confermare. In tal caso, potremmo essere di fronte a qualcosa di straordinario che non si verifica da quasi 2000 anni… E se di vergini incinte ce ne fossero due??
Patterson descrive uno scenario apocalittico attorno queste due figure, due ragazzine di 14 e 16 anni che vivono ai capi opposti del pianeta ma che condividono una strana situazione… verginale. Chi mente? Come mai nel resto del Mondo si verificano epidemie, carestie e altri terribili disastri?

Dai, fin qui non è male, invoglia la lettura, la trama sembra ben impostata e di scenari possibili ce ne sono a manciate eppure… lo stile di questo autore è orribile… non l’ho potuto soffrire da subito, con tutte quelle domande che i protagonisti decelebrati si auto-pongono senza un minimo di riflessione, tutti quei capitoli da 3 pagine e poi le descrizioni ai minimi termini!
Per non parlare dei personaggi assolutamente bidimensionali, se non mono! Per esempio la detective laica, ma che ci sta a fare in questo libro, che cosa centra? E’ una lagna continua, si spaventa per cretinate, non capisce un ostia e non fa nulla se non nel finale dove con una svolta pirotecnica e letteralmente “caduta dal cielo” non si ritrova un ruolo chiave… ma perché??
Le 2 vergini… una è ricca, bianca, bionda, statunitense e al centro dell’attenzione mondiale. L’altra è una ragazza poverissima che vive in una cittadina infame in Irlanda dove tutti la odiano, a cui vengono dedicate 20 pagine sì e no in tutto il libro… mah...
Poi troppi punti in cui il lettore si chiede “ma perché non hanno fatto semplicemente così?”

No dai non ci siamo. Non capisco come l’autore sia diventato famoso… potrei quasi riscriverlo meglio io (ed è tutto dire…)!

Well, aside from the ending (which was just odd and felt incredibly rushed), I really liked this book! I'm not a religious person (in fact, I usually avoid ALL religious crap), but I didn't feel like this book was jamming it down my throat.

The story was told at a great pace and the writing was good! I found myself being disappointed whenever I had to put this down and really excited to pick it back up. Which virgin would bear the child of Satan, and which would bear the Savior?

As I said, the ending was a bit out of place and rushed when compared to the rest of the novel, and there was a bizarre 'Prologue' at the end of the book that COMPLETELY confused me. I still have no idea what purpose it served as (at least to me) it had nothing to do with the book. In fact, I thought it was a preview of another James Patterson book (you know how authors will sometimes include a few chapters of another book at the end of one?) but it wasn't. Very strange.

Anyway, overall it was a good story and it kept me coming back...maybe more of a 3 1/2 star book, but I'll round up.

Boy, does James Patterson write short chapters. That was my first thought, this from someone who writes short chapters herself, but not quite that brief. This style of writing moves the story along rapidly and doesn't require the author to put in transitions in between scenes or even mid-scene. But it doesn't create suspense. The plot itself is suspenseful -- for about a third of the way in. Then we know what the mystery is about. Still, the main story is engaging enough to keep one reading to find out who is whom, but Patterson resorts to predictable techniques to create suspense, which don't work too well because they are predictable. My objection to his style of writing is it's loose and has rather a feel of being dashed off. It's OK to zip through the writing as long as it doesn't feel like you did. Also things happen and then everything goes back to normal and you're left hanging, wondering what happened to so-and-so.

The romance was OK but it didn't move me. I wasn't rooting for the couple. Perhaps the rapid shifts in point of view kind of broke that spell. The revelation in the final chapters is unexpected, so it has that going for it, but there's no sense of "oh yeah!" to it, which IMHO, a good mystery or thriller ought to have especially when you absolutely don't see the solution coming. And the very ending at the very end was truly disappointing. It's supposed to make you hear that doo-doo doo-doo music. But it is unbelievable. And it is such a cliche, the eyes roll heavenward.

It's too bad Goodreads doesn't have half stars, otherwise I'd give it 2.5 stars. I did give it 3, but then on reflecting back that I didn't look forward to reading it like I do an Agatha Christie, I downgraded it to 2.

I bought this book on last Sunday. It was a second hand book with good condition. I didn't plan to buy this book, cause actually i was only interested because the book store is the one and only second hand book store in that mall. But, i still remember James Patterson. And I still remember Alex Cross, the charismatic detective in his books.
So I grabbed this book, start reading it when I got home and beyond my expectation, I get hooked with this book. Maybe because the plot, maybe because the theme or maybe because it's James Patterson.

The story is about 2 virgin girls in 2 different countries who got pregnant. So Vatican send its priest to investigate the situation. And also a Cardinal hires a PI, Anne which used to be a nun.
A priest from Rome get a clue from Pope, one girl bear Savior and other girl bear Satan.
And both virgins are pretty and seem innocent.

Twisted ending, rapid fire plot. interesting. The other reason I wont get disappointed for this book because I bought it only for Rp 30.000,- :)

Of virgin/immaculate conceptions, it's a moving story.

In Boston, a young woman finds herself pregnant--even though she is still a virgin.

In Ireland, another young woman discovers she is in the same impossible condition.

And in cities all around the world, medical authorities are overwhelmed by epidemics, droughts, famines, floods, and worse. It all feels like a sign that something awful is coming.

Anne Fitzgerald, a former nun turned private investigator, is hired by the Archdiocese of Boston to investigate the immaculate conceptions. Even as she comes to care about and trust the young women, she realizes that both are in great danger. Terrifying forces of light and darkness are gathering. Stepping into uncharted territory where the unknown is just the beginning, Anne must discover the truth--to save the young women, to save herself, and to protect the future of all mankind.

Curses James. Why did you have to intrigue me with this book. I may end up reading one of your works lol

he plot outline was simple: Two virgins find themselves pregnant. And around the world, it seemed that apocalypse is coming. The question is, which one is the God's child and which one carries the Satan's?

The book had so many creepy scenes, but, even it move in fast paced scenes, I still feel that the book cannot be absorbed much by me. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the turns of events in the book, which makes me questioning what happen next. It had such a shocking ending that reading it (eventhough it was a tad slow for me), seemed blurred. Many secrets were revealed that makes the main character, Anne Fitzgerald (former nun turned P.I.) questioning her faith.

I love knowing Colleen's secrets at the end of the book.
I was shocked knowing about Kathleen's uneventful day when she got pregnant.
And I feel like I was watching a movie with an open ending.

I guessed, I just had to stick with James Patterson's other CSI lookalike novels. This book screamed faith on Christianity all over it.

I thought it was okay. It's one of the few stand-alones from James Patterson that I read. While it does not boast his better writing skills, I do thought that it was a good read and a "refresher" from all his crime detective stories. There are two virgins, and one of them bears the one who will save the world, and the other carries the one who will destroy it, so our main character, a previous nun turned cop (or was it detective...? I forget!) contradicted with her feelings for a priest, seeks to find out before it is too late...

The premise is okay, although I have to say that character development was poor. I felt really annoyed sometimes when the characters would start contemplating over their feelings for the other, especially between the previous nun and priest. I do agree that they're human, but I think that anyone who has committed themselves to the convent or priesthood don't easily give in to their romantic feelings for the other like that... but what the heck, it's just fiction! O_O

Overall, I thought the twist at the end where one of the girls actually had male organs was a bit... weak. Sure, it was unexpected, but seriously?! Two sets of organs?! Come on :(

But anyway, it was okay. It's not something for everyone to read though, especially the ultra religious people out there... may not be your cup of tea...

James Patterson does a passable action story, and I can see that his books would translate well to film. On the other side, characterization is almost non-existent. The action in this book involves events surrounding the "virgin" pregnancies of two teenaged girls, closely scrutinized by the Catholic Church. The protagonist is a former Catholic nun, turned private detective, and hired by the church to watch over one of the girls. Presumably, one girl will give birth to the Saviour, and the other to the anti-Christ. The story gives hints that either girl could give birth to the anti-Christ, despite twists and turns and a reasonable amount of action. What is missing, is any sense that the author has attempted to develop the personalities of these two teenagers, or even of the nun/P.I. . Much more work would be needed to convince me that the author has ever even conversed with a teenaged girl, much less had any idea how one thinks or feels. Internal dialogue is a huge thing for understanding young women, and there is none of that here. So, if you're looking for an action book with a religion-entwined plot, you may enjoy this. If you're looking for any depth of character, religious thought or emotion, look elsewhere.

I wanted to read something quick paced and got a copy of this book. I have already read a few Patterson's, specially the four women from Murder Mystery Club and some Alex Cross too. But I wanted a stand alone. The thing is, this doesn't really feel as a stand alone because the conclusion is so surprising you want to know what happens next.
I know Patterson's style, so no surprise here. Though this feels like an early version of Patterson's real style. In this one, he overuses brand names to establish class, he changes point of view too abruptly and does no transition from one chapter to another. He forgets about a few holes. But in general he has a fast pace and it's easy enough to read it in just a couple of days.
But there are a few things that nag me and that made me put the 3 stars instead of the 4 I'd put on a regular Patterson book. Will cover them as they are spoilers.

Why is Coleen so alone during the whole book? Yes, I know there are very few people in the know, but at least one of the nuns could have taken her to their convent or to a place she was taken care of. It doesn't make any sense and the mother in me cringed at the thought of it. She was treated as a minor character compared to Kathleen, and we don't even know what happens to her afterwards.
Why did Ms. Ward act that crazy? Yes, I know, the demon possessed her but it makes no sense if you've reached the end of the book because Kathleen's kid has no relation to the devil himself.
If Kathleen had a memory blackout of the night she went out with Justin, why did she think she was a virgin? Didn't she know she could have been rapped or something?
Why did Justin's friends act as if they didn't believe him when he said he had been with Kathleen, if they were also there?
Also there are untied-ed subplots such as the droughts and the plagues. They are there, but there is no conclusion for them alone.

Anyway it's an easy read and it's maybe one of the less gruesome of Patterson's books. There are less deaths and they are not gory.