[.ca] Mary Mary (ISBN 075532305X)

Patterson again--good solid book:
This was only my second James Patterson book and the setting (Hollywood) intrigued me. Despite it being "an Alex Cross" book and having never read a book with Mr. Cross as the central character, I had no problem following along. Yes, there is some history mentioned, but it's easy enough to pick up on and isn't central to the main story. The main story, about a serial killer preying on Hollywood/movie industry businesswomen with children is entertaining and keep you interested (not to mention guessing). The chapters are fairly short and there's not a lot of extraneous dialogue or descriptions that can bog books down. As I mentioned, the story kept me guessing and wanting to hurry to get thru the next pages. I was reminded a lot of the excellent and fast-paced "Katzenjammer" by Jackson McCrae-another great read.

One of Patterson's best.:
In the 1970s a murder took place. A woman killed her three children, all under the age of twelve, shot and chopped up their faces until they were unrecognizable. This is where this murderer gets his sick idea from. A man who disguises his murders to make it look like a woman did it goes by the name Mary. Five people were killed, one of which cops didnt't link to the same case because she was just shot. Another one of which had to be shot because he was in the way. After each murder he put three kiddie stickers at teh scene, and e-mailed a magazine editor the details on how he followed his victim, how he killed them, and what their facial expression looked like. Alex who has three kids, an ex-wife and a girlfriend, investigates this case. Which tears him away from his kids and home life. His girlfriend eventually breaks up with him and his ex-wife wanted full custody of the kids, but later decided it wasn't a good idea. As it turns out 'Mary' is indeed a man, actually thinks he has three kids like the lady did in the 70s and is not captured. They put the 1970s case together with this one and figured it out just never figured out who 'Mary Mary' actually was. Another great book in this genre you don't want to miss is ' Giorgio Quest '.

Not a dull moment:
I found this an amazing thriller, again a Patterson book full of twists and turns. The story and the characters are outstanding, the pace is fast and unpredictable, not a dull moment, and I truly enjoy this book and couldnt put it down.

JAMES PATTERSON KNOWS HOW TO DELIVER GREAT READING!:
I, personally, don't care how many books James Patterson has out there, he's still the master of thrills. I couldn't put this book down. All Patterson's books are good, but Alex Cross is his best character. I feel like I know him and his family after all this time, and I can feel the conflict between his beloved family and his dedication to his job of catching and stopping killers before the go on to kill more innocent people. Alex is a man torn between doing what's right for humanity while doing right by his family too. I do see growth in Alex and it's refreshing to see him split with various loves for various good, understandable reasons. It makes him appear more human because that's exactly how it happens in real life. The path of true love never runs smooth, and Alex will find his soulmate in due time ... just like we real-life mortals do. Patterson had the right amount of twists and turns in this book, and he really surprised me. I thought I had figured out who the killer was, but NO!!! So, once again, I had a surprise ending. I really enjoyed the excitement of this book. (An aside: My favorite co-author of Patterson's is Maxine Paetro, and I'm pleased to know this dynamic duo has paired for some of his "numbers" series.)

A very magnetic story:
I very much enjoyed this story. Indepth character details, real emotions and life situations. But, If i had to give a weak point it would be too many story lines. This is a detective story with very imaginative and psychological story lines, where does personal family drama fit in really? I found that i lost the "beat" of the story each time Patterson veered away from the thrill and drama pace, to update us on Cross' family or romantic liasons. But wow, what a great imagination and up until the last it had me questioning the "bad guy" or "bad woman" or well.... I won't ruin it for you and tell you either will i?! a definate recommendation for all though.