Run For Your Life

This was the second of the detective Michael Bennett series. The character is still fresh, I was looking forward to reading this book to see more about the character, and I kind of have a crush on his Irish au pair :)

the story line was fast paced and exciting all the way through and of course, like most Patterson novels, once you are in the story, you are in for the long haul - which is not all that long, one of my favorite ways about his writing style.

There's no need for a big long thing here, if you like a good thriller and want something that moves along nice a quickly but and hold your attention throughout - oh, did I mention a nice twist?

Enjoy!

The 8th Confession

The eighth installment of "The Women's Murder Club" series (which as of this writing is now on book 13), did it's job for me - it provided a quick read, with familiar, yet interesting characters, had a story that held my interest, and served as a nice pallet cleanser for a few deeper reads of late.

I am pretty certain that in a review of an earlier book from this series I professed my crush on main character "Lindsay Boxer", I may even have mentioned the briefly lived TV series based on this group of characters and stories. It had been a long time since I read #7 so I guess partly that length of time along with the timing, added to my enjoyment of this book.

At it's core, you have a murder mystery, there's, as their often times is, a b-story, in this case, another murder mystery. Add the lives of the 4 main female characters, and the back drop of San Francisco - and there you have it.

I've had my issue with Patterson of late, in the grand scheme of things, I've read about half of his work - 50 something books thus far and in some instances, the stories seem boiler plate and diluted. This book held my interest and was not a waste of time.

I just read everything I wrote here a realize two things, it's a bit disjointed and more of me convincing you that this book wasn't bad rather than say how good it was and I guess that's just where I am with Patterson. There are some really great books of his that I've read, a few that really were a waste of time - this was a good one; somewhere above the middle of that spectrum.

Sunday's at Tiffany's

After the intensity of the last book I read, I was looking for a palate cleanser, something light to read. This book, "Sundays at Tiffany's" is one of his, what I refer to as, romance novels. It's an odd genre to think about and probably inaccurate if for any reason that it might get lumped in to something similar to those old Harlequin Romances.

I have no idea about those Harelquin books but I assume there is no real character development or story - just schmaltzy stuff. I don't know. I didn't have huge expectations for this book but thought it would be fine. By the end, I kind of fell in love with Jane Margaux and really like this story.

I know, look, this is very lifetime movie-is in concept and I know a movie was made - I'm not gonna touch that. Like I said, I wanted something light to read and in the end, I found a story that was part fantasy, part love story, and had some charm to it.

While reading this book, I was able to put aside reality and just relax and enjoy the moment of the story and what more can you ask for in a book? If you are looking for classic literature or some brilliant work of fiction, this is not the choice. If you just want to get lost for a few hours in a nice story with a happy ending - take a chance.

Maximum Ride: The Final Warning

This fourth installment of the young adult oriented Maximum Ride series does not disappoint fans of Max, Fang, Gasman, Iggy, Total or any of the characters we've grown to love in this series.

Patterson uses the story line of this novel to raise awareness of global warming as the gang finds themselves on a government mission in Antarctica to assist in research. Of course, they find themselves being hunted by an devious group of mechanical mercenaries. Patterson also digs deeper into the idea of a romantic bond between Max and Fang.

I really love this series so far, mostly because I really care about these characters and I have to say, this is arguably the best written of the books in this series up to this point.

Another very quick read that I believe you will enjoy if you've ventured into this series.

Double Cross

As I read my way through this year and play catch up, I am also working my way through the James Patterson books, a difficult thing to keep up with considering how many he releases each year.

Double Cross is part of the "Alex Cross" series, Cross is a detective who has been in and out of the game on local and federal levels. Previously retired and in a private practice as a psychologist. Of course, Cross can't leave well enough alone and seems to have no regard for the impact his career has had on his family. Sucked back in, Cross encounters a familiar killer and another nut (actually band of nuts).

The book got off to a slow start but did begin to pick up around half way through but aside from not ending so great (in my opinion), I felt there were so many loose ends here that I can only attribute to what seems to be lazy writing and lack of attention to basic detail.

I've read a few of the books that came after this, and there are many - around 60 or so, which keeps me hopeful that Patterson has not run out of steam. However, this was the 10th and final release from 2007 and I question if perhaps he was less focused on quality control then quantity of output during this period.

I think there are too many other good books out there, including many by Patterson himself, for me to tell you this is worth the short investment in time it takes to read but whatever time it takes is time that could be spent in something really worth reading.

You've Been Warned

The warning should be, skip over this book, it kinda sucks and I have plenty of others for you to read. I guess when you release as many books a James Patterson, there are bound to be clunkers every once in a while. Released in 2007, this was his 47th book, one of 6 released that year. I've read the 46 books that were released before this one and going on memory, this is the worst of the batch - only one I can recall not worth reading.

The book is billed as "psychological suspense" but never came off as anything but a story that might work for a cheesy Lifetime movie. None of the characters are strong, none of the devices are used effectively and absolutely nothing is believable about anything in this book.

I think the only redeeming quality of this book is that it is written the way that Patterson writes, so it reads quickly; at least you won't feel like you wasted too much time reading it.

Maximum Ride - Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports

This series is marketed at young adults but I happen to enjoy them very much. This, the third in the series follows the adventures of an interesting group of kids. How interesting you ask? if I told you they can fly, would that peak your interest a bit more?

The classic Patterson easy to read short chapters, interesting characters that you will care about and a modern day take on science fiction thriller make the three books in this series worth the short investment in time it will take to read them (I started reading this book yesterday morning and finished this evening).

This title had a number of "oh, shit!" moments. The story and the book really move along, it's very well written...I'm impressed how Patterson so easily adapts to a younger audience without alienating adults.

Step On a Crack

Patterson cranks out so many books using what I assume is something of an outsourcing model, that I am constantly amazed at how the quality control piece of the puzzle works so efficiently.

I had been lax for the last couple of years and fell behind in my quest to make it through all of his works and found myself in an offering from 2007, and the 46th of his books that I've now read.

Step on a Crack introduces a new series of books featuring the character Michael Bennett, a detective and father of 10 adopted children of various cultural backgrounds.

While at it's core, the Patterson formula is at work here, there are some wonderful components involving Bennett's family, an Au Pair that I suspect will continue to appear in future Bennett books, and a short but elegant introduction to the story featuring a beloved first lady and President.

the typical emotions one might feel in a detective/thriller were significantly amplified my triggers that come from relatable, real-life situations that had me so deeply ensconced in the story that I completed this novel the day after I began reading it.

The Beach House

I've talked about enough James Patterson books on this blog to not have to go to much into detail here.

If you like thriller/murder-mystery type books and you would like to have something that you can bang out quickly (I started it on a Saturday afternoon and finished it on a Sunday afternoon), this is a good selection.

It would almost seem impossible, at least to the untrained author such as myself, to develop characters as deeply as he does because these stories just fly by but for me to invest such a short time and be so deeply involved in these fictional lives is very gratifying.

When the Wind Blows

I'd like to take a sentence of this to thank everyone, especially Airam, for keeping this blog going. It's been a while since I've posted so here goes...

Originally released in 1998, "When the Wind Blows" is a departure from the commonly themed stories the Paterson churns out. Patterson's readers often become invested in his characters because they run through so many of his books, it's easy to stay invested in them. Here, he proves that his character development skills are in top form as are his storytelling skills.

Not only do we get drama, but throw in suspense, thriller, and even a touch of science fiction make this a page-turner that I couldn't put down. Written in the classic style of Patterson, you'll leave this book wanting more but loving what you got.

Miracle on the 17th Green

I must admit that even James Patterson can't make me like golf and the fact that this book has a golf theme made it a scary one to start and jump into. I must also forewarn you to learn what the following terms mean:
Par, Eagle, Birdie, Bogey, Double Bogey. You can find them all here in the WikiPedia Golf Glossary.

As much as I resisted, because of the golf theme, the story kept me in there and by the time it was all through I was hooked. The story's main character, Travis McKinley, takes us deep into his mid-life crisis including the near meltdown of his marriage, his losing a job, and taking a stab at a dream. The end result is a beautiful story about possibilities and believing in yourself.

At 149 pages, not having enough time is no excuse so grab a copy, a steaming cup of licorice spice tea and a cozy throw and find your favorite easy chair. Enjoy.

Hide & Seek

Released in the mid-1990's this book is easily my favorite of the more than 20 books I've read thus far by James Patterson. With brilliant character development and a cleverly crafted story, this book will take you in, have you feeling genuine emotion for Maggie Bradford, the main character, and completely absorb you in its twists and turns.

It has been quite a while where I got so lost, so completely in a work of fiction. This book was probably where Patterson's now formulaic reader friendly writing style really began to come into its own. I just can't say enough how much I enjoyed this and I don't want to give any of it away so I am going to leave it to you to give it a whirl. Like most of his books, this is a quick read and well worth every exhilarating moment.