Violets Are Blue (Alex Cross)

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James Patterson

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Pages: 480 (Paperback)

ISBN: 0747266913

Pub: Headline

Pub date: 2002-07-22

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 8453

Editorial Review:

Fans of James Patterson's resourceful black cop Alex Cross will be relieved to find that he's back on familiar territory with Violets Are Blue--and (more importantly) it's one of the best Alex Cross thrillers in many a moon.
The malign criminal genius of Roses Are Red is back and fixing to give Alex a hard time once again. The FBI joins Patterson's dogged cop in a particularly unsettling investigation: two San Francisco joggers have been viciously murdered and are found suspended by their feet, with all the blood drained from their bodies. And when further brutal deaths follow in California and on the east coast, Alex is forced to contemplate the bizarre possibility of modern-day vampires, although his instincts point him to one of the many sinister religious cults that flourish on the West Coast. Aided by Jamilla Hughes, a streetwise young woman detective from San Francisco, Alex finds that he has to crack not one but two impenetrable mysteries to stop further bloodletting.

Readers of Patterson expect the extremely concise, page-turning chapters (116 of them), along with a reluctance to dawdle over details of his hero's personal life, and both characteristics are firmly back in place. If you can resist reading this one in just a few sittings, you deserve some kind of a thriller-reader's medal. --Barry Forshaw

Reader Reviews:

Entertaining... but... (0/0 people found this helpful)

James Patterson has written another entertaining, page-turning read... But it lacks strong, layered, human characters; and realism. Alex Cross is becoming more of a cardboard superman and less of a thoughtful, psychologist-slash-detective! And dear Mr Cross is becoming a right-old Casanova(no pun intended.) He should stop snogging his partners and get on with the job-at-hand!

I'm not going to lie and say this book isn't good, because it is really good. I'm not going to lie and say this book isn't exactly what I wanted in a crime novel, because this novel does have everything I want in a crime novel. It is not a some literary fiction masterpiece, but it is perfect crime novel; and anyway I'm not a big fan of literary fiction.

Now my only big problems with the storyline was that some of it seemed quite unbelievable(but I don't really mind that), but all in all I enjoyed how the many different plotlines joined together by the end of the novel. Also the Mastermind finally reveals himself to Alex Cross. It missed out on 5 stars simply because of poor character development and also because parts of the novel became a bit too unbelievable for a crime novel.

AMAZING AUTHOR...... (0/0 people found this helpful)

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.

Worth reading but not his best (2/2 people found this helpful)

It was strange to start a book knowing 'whodunnit' from the start...or at least who was responsible for the murders in Cross's previous case. It worked though and I found myself waiting for The Mastermind to make his move or Alex to work out who it was.
I have to say I was probably more interested in that conclusion than the main (I think!) plot concerning numerous killings where victims had been drained of blood or bitten to death, which seemed a bit far-fetched.
That said, I still enjoyed reading it.

Great series back on track! (3/3 people found this helpful)

After reading Roses are Red I was a little disappointed. I wasn't sure what to expect from this attempt but was glad to discover that I had needn't worried. I was a little sceptical throughout biggest part of the story but at the end decided that it was a cracking read.

Patterson takes a little change in direction with this one. His series has entered the domain of being somewhat implausible at times, but hey, its fiction and thoroughly enjoyable. I just love the characters and their developments and relationships with each other. Patterson has a great knack of writing these elements.

Overall, a little different but once again thoroughly enjoyable. If you are a fan of the series, and are prepared to follow a little bit of a different approach/direction, then I don't think you will be disappointed. Good novel!

Above average thriller (1/2 people found this helpful)

This is a lurid tale of vampires, sex and death. It's very entertaining and a real page turner. Personally I thought it wasn't as good as "Sat in a Corner" or "Eating Her Curds and Whey" but it does it's job well enough. I thought it was a trifle obvious who the Mastermind killer was but the main plot was gripping and titilating in equal measure. It's all instantly forgettable but more exciting than your average.

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