Black Market

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE JAMES PATTERSON BOOKS, THE FIRST I READ WAS 'ALONG CAME A SPIDER' (WHICH I BORROWED FROM A FRIEND) AND I HAVE NEVER LOOKED BACK. I'D LIKE TO WRITE A REVIEW FOR ALL OF HIS BOOKS I HAVE READ BUT THERE ARE TOO MANY SO I WILL WRITE A GENERAL REVIEW. JAMES PATTERSON WRITES IN SUCH A WAY THAT KEEPS THE WRITER GRIPPED FROM START TO FINISH, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S COMING NEXT. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ALL HIS BOOKS, MANY OF WHICH I SELL AT A LOW PRICE, CHECK THEM OUT. THANK YOU.

slow slog - 2 and a half stars! (16/16 people found this helpful)

I know I'm not the fastest reader in the world but considering I've been on holiday for the past week with nothing to do but read and this book has taken up a large portion of it. Therefore, I'm going to apologise now for my rant and hope you still find some useful information in this review.

What most authors would have had as a climax somewhere in the middle happens virtually on page three - the bombing of multiple buildings in the finincial district of New York. A warning was given in order to allow for an evacuation but there were no demands, no reasons why and therefore no way to stop it happening.
Out of nowhere a terrorist organisation (Green Band) no one has ever heard of threatens to cause a market crash that will make the Great Depression look like a walk in the park.
The race is on the prevent the complete collapse of the Western Economy. It revolves around finding and neutralising Green Band swiftly but they somehow manage to stay one step ahead of the cops.

The ensuing cat and mouse sounds great in theory. In reality the book is long and tedious to get through.
Somehow a cop with 4 kids whos turning into an alcoholic following the death of his wife has everything fall into place for him. Archer Carroll finds a woman, survives a shoot-out, running into a burning building, being hit over the head a few times and a helicopter crash! How he finally makes the connection as to who is behind Green Band is glossed over. One moment he's thinking 'let me review my case notes' and the next page he's practically found his man.
Shockingly bad writing as it failed to keep me on my toes. I only finished this book out of sheer stubborness and a desire to know if I'd figured out the final twist.

A final piece of information - it's a little complicated to understand in parts! The financial world is central to the story and i must admit there were bits that just went over my head. I imagine people with a background knowledge in economics may enjoy the book more than me.

Paceful, Prime Patterson (12/12 people found this helpful)

Black market is a truly fast, paced thriller that engages one from the very start and does this continously throughout the book.
An unexpected twist is beckoned upon the reader at the end and it is a truly delightful read, a pleasure to read.

Different from the others (26/26 people found this helpful)

As an avid fan of James Patterson's detective charcter Alex Cross I looked forward to reading one of his earlier works without mr Cross, I wasn't disappointed! The plot was great following the possibilty of what would happen if there was a stock market crash, a very scary prospect! The main character Arch Carroll, a police man, was a very likeable police man who tries to figureout the mystery surrounding 'Green Band'. However the plot may confuse some people in places who may not follow stocks and shares and the economy as they are several complictaed parts in the plot concerning this, stick with it though you dont need to be a mastermind on it to enjoy the plot! a great novel, one of Patterons best! A must read for JP's fans!

Interesting but not gripping (14/15 people found this helpful)

When this book was written September 11th hadn't happened so I it was interesting to see how a similar event was portrayed in fiction. Unfortunately the story typically focuses too much on the work of one, damaged, hero. There are a variety of baddies, some of whom are difficult to dislike (The Vets) and the whole story is an incoherent mess. I only finished this book to see if really was as average as it first seemed, and I feel cheated as this could have been a really excellent story as the premise is sound but the opportunity has been lost.

James Patterson

Reader Reviews:

AMAZING AUTHOR..... (1/7 people found this helpful)

slow slog - 2 and a half stars! (16/16 people found this helpful)

Paceful, Prime Patterson (12/12 people found this helpful)

Different from the others (26/26 people found this helpful)

Interesting but not gripping (14/15 people found this helpful)

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