Holmes, Marple and Poe by James Patterson and Brian Sitts

Holmes, Marple & Poe by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 3 days

Pages - 352

Publisher - Century Books

Source - Arc

Blurb from Goodreads

Brendan Holmes, Margaret Marple and August Poe run the most in-demand private investigation firm in New York City.

The three detectives make a formidable team, solving a series of seemingly impossible crimes which expose the dark underbelly of the city; from priceless art theft, a high-stakes kidnapping, and a decades-old unsolved murder, to a gruesome subterranean prison, and corruption and bribery at the highest levels of power.

But it's not long before their headline-grabbing breakthroughs, unconventional methods - and untraceable pasts - attract the attention of the NYPD and the FBI.

After all, it's no surprise that there's a mystery or two to unravel in the city that never sleeps . . . not least, who really are Holmes, Marple and Poe?


My Review

Three Private Detectives, Holmes, Marple and Poe (yes that is their names) start up their own private detective agency. Intruding on a case and publicity high they take advantage of the opportunity and become super popular. They end up with a missing persons case, a kidnap/ransom and some very pricey stolen items. The trio peak the interest of the investigating cop, everyone has something to hide don't they and what is the deal with those names?

I never guess anything that is coming, work out twists or any of that I did guess one thing in this book, early on which is very unlike me but it didn't detract anything from the book/story. The book does have some themes in addiction, secrets, lies, risks, friendship and some very fabulous attitudes & tricks. I really really like Marple, she is just fabulous!

The trio are very different but compliment each other with their styles, special abilities and even their quirks seems to work well. The book is decent paced, short chapters which I LOVE and is always a pull for Patterson books, first time reading Sitts, I will check and see if he has anything else. Murder, skulduggery, investigation, attitudes I really liked this book, with all that it also has a heart. I just checked and book two came out today so I just ordered it, 4/5.

View all my reviews

Alex Cross Must Die by James Patterson

Alex Cross Must Die by James Patterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 416

Publisher - Randomhouse UK

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

Detectives Cross and Sampson are tracking a serial killer who's fatally ambushing young men in the “Dead Hours” murders. They don't hear the machine gun fire. At first.

“Drop whatever you're doing, Dr. Cross, and head to Reagan Airport,” DC Metro Police dispatch says. “A plane just crashed and exploded on the runway. The chief and the FBI want you and John Sampson there pronto.”

The weapon that took down the plane is a remote-controlled Vietnam-War-era machine gun. The list of those who possess the training and expertise to operate the stolen, .50-caliber weapon is short. And time runs even shorter.

As Cross and Sampson race to prevent another mass murder, their fearsomely armed opponent once again looks skyward.


My Review

It has been a few years since I picked up a James Patterson and more so since I read an Alex Cross. I LOVE the Alex Cross series and going on the title I thought this would be a cat and mouse with Cross and a baddy/taunting him. Maybe that is why I liked but didn't love this one.

There are a fair few storylines, we have a terrorist attack on a commercial plane, a missing friend in the process of making a multimillion business launch, one of Alex's kids friends has gone missing, a killer targeting runners and if that isn't enough a teacher loved and trusted by all may not be all he seems to be.

I love a busy book and there is no denying there is plenty to keep you hooked by I think maybe there was so much we spread just a little thinly. I felt like we hardly seen a whole lot of Alex Cross because there were so many characters to visit/see/chase/action.

Page turner yeah, short chapters - we love but I think had we maybe had a wee bit less we may have had more if that makes sense. I liked it I just didn't love it so therefore 3.5/5 for us, terrorism, murder, families, dark web the book has loads to keep you occupied.

View all my reviews

Criss Cross by James Patterson

Criss Cross by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 389

Publisher - Little Brown and Company

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

A killer with all the skills of a master detective has made Alex Cross the subject of his deranged "investigation."
In a Virginia penitentiary, Alex Cross and his partner, John Sampson, witness the execution of a killer they helped convict. Hours later, they are called to the scene of a copycat crime. A note signed "M" rests on the corpse. "You messed up big time, Dr. Cross."

Was an innocent man just put to death? Alex soon realizes he may have much to answer for, as "M" lures the detective out of the capital to the sites of multiple homicides, all marked with distressingly familiar details -- details that conjure up decades-old cases. Details that conjure up Cross family secrets. Details that make clear that M is after a prize so dear that -- were the killer to attain it -- Alex's heart would no longer have reason to beat.


My Review

An execution, a family convinced Cross and the state are killing the wrong man and soon after another murder, taunting Cross he got the wrong guy. M has been playing with Cross for years and is back, this time the stakes are higher and much is at risk.

I love the Cross books, the family, the pace and the chapters are only a page or two long so perfect as I have, like many, been struggling to read during lock down. This has brought my mojo back, we see more of our beloved Cross family, yet another cat and mouse type case. A murderer taunting the police and taunting Alex specifically. Is this another copycat? Did Alex catch and convict the wrong man?

As always a good pace, engaging, roping the reader in from the opening pages. 27 books in and I still love the series, if you have enjoyed the previous books you will enjoy this one. If you haven't read Patterson before you could start here but I would advise heading back as so many great stories before this one and you get all the back history. 4/5 for me this time, I look forward to the next in the series! I wish they would make more films of the Cross books, every time I read Cross talking I hear Morgan Freeman's voice, we need more of Mr Cross on the big screen!

View all my reviews

Target Alex Cross by James Patterson

Target: Alex Cross by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - on and off over 3 days

Pages - 414

Publisher - Century

Source - Review Copy

Blurb from Goodreads

TARGET: HEAD OF STATE

A leader has fallen, and the procession route from Capitol Hill to the White House is lined with hundreds of thousands of mourners. None feel the loss of a President more keenly than Alex Cross, who has devoted his life to the public good.

TARGET: UNITED STATES CABINET

A sniper’s bullet strikes a target in the heart of DC. Alex Cross’s wife, Bree Stone, newly elevated chief of DC detectives, faces an ultimatum: solve the case, or lose the position for which she’s worked her entire career. The Secret Service and the FBI deploy as well in the race to find the shooter. Alex is tasked by the new President to take a personal role with the FBI, leading an investigation unprecedented in scale and scope.

TARGET: ALEX CROSS

Alex has a horrible premonition: is the sniper’s strike only the beginning of a larger attack on the nation? It isn’t long before his fears explode into life, and the nation plunges into a full-blown Constitutional crisis. His ingenuity, his training, and his capacity for battle are tested beyond limits in the most far-reaching and urgently consequential case of his life. As the rule of law is shattered by chaos, and Alex fights to isolate a suspect, Alex’s loyalty may be the biggest danger of all.


My Review

Lets open with just saying I LOVE Alex Cross, I love reading about his family and adventures so I am always delighted to pick up one of this series. Alex has left force but still gets called in to help out and this case needs all the help it can get. There is a killer in town and the target is high profile, who would dare and how can they get away with such an outrageous attack. As the story unfolds we may have more than one target and Alex Cross has to get involved in the thick of it to try and work out who is next, who is pulling the strings and why before the clock runs out.

We open with a funeral and skip to five days later, there are many important decisions to be made after the death of a prominent figure in the government. We then open to an assassin, going through the motions as he prepares to take out his target. This kicks off a chain of events, ruthless killers, high profile targets and some of the most shocking and daring murders we have seen in a Patterson book and lets face it, that is no mean feat.

The book keeps up a fast pace and at times I was left aghast at how accessible some of these prominent targets could be. Yes it is fiction but still it is so well written and lets face it we have in our history prominent figures and leaders targeted so it isn't outwith the realms of possibility.

I like the family aspect of these books, we always have a murder case and some cat and mouse but there is always a bit of Alex's family life. We get wee snippets in this book but not as much as before, I suppose with so many bad guys and plots afoot unless the book is longer something needs limited.

Action packed, some very smart criminals and daring plots that will keep you on your toes. As I said I love the Cross books so may be a wee bit biased as I haven't read one I disliked yet. Short chapters which means even on busy days you can still sneak a wee chapter or five in. I haven't read all the books in order, I generally grab them as I find them so you could read this as a standalone however I would suggest starting at the beginning because they are pretty great books. 4/5 for me this time, good crime fiction with a bit of everything in it plus I was just jaw dropped at some of the antics and daring of the bad guys!

View all my reviews

Cross by James Patterson

Cross by James Patterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 393

Publisher - Little Brown and Company

Source - Poundshop

Blurb from Goodreads

Alex Cross was a rising star in the Washington, DC, Police Department when an unknown shooter gunned down his wife, Maria, in front of him. The killer was never found, and the case turned cold, filed among the unsolved drive-bys in D.C.'s rough neighborhoods.

Years later, still haunted by his wife's death, Cross is making a bold move in his life. Now a free agent from the police and the FBI, he's set up practice as a psychologist once again. His life with Nana Mama, Damon, Jannie, and little Alex is finally getting in order. He even has a chance at a new love.

Then Cross's former partner, John Sampson, calls in a favor. He is tracking a serial rapist in Georgetown, one whose brutal modus operandi recalls a case Sampson and Cross worked together years earlier. When the case reveals a connection to Maria's death, Cross latches on for the most urgent and terrifying ride of his life.


My Review

I love Alex Cross, I read the series as I come across them and not in order which results in spoilers, I really need to stop. Anyway, here we see Alex revist when his wife died, back to present day when he has a chance to finally leave the force and set up his own business. However we all know Alex can't be kept from his true calling and not when a carrot is dangling, could he actually find out about what happened all those years ago when his wife was brutally snatched from him?

We get a police care, Cross doing what he does best, an investigation, a bit of the past and Alex's family life. I love Nana, she is nobody's fool and the glue that keeps the Cross family together, we don't see her often but when we do it is usually ruling the roost with her wit and tongue!

If you like the previous books I don't see why you wouldn't enjoy this, book 12 in the series, short chapters we have come to know and love, well I do. I think I would have loved it had I had more on the back story, Alex's. We have a lot of focus on the investigation, the bad guy is brutal, he abuses women, rape, control, violence, murder and mutilation. Rotten to the core, very skilled in his madness and feart of no one. Good, page turner but whilst I liked it I didn't love it, 3/5 for me this time.

View all my reviews

Alex Cross, Run by James Patterson

Alex Cross, Run by James Patterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 3 days

Pages - 512

Publisher - Arrow

Source - Book shop

Blurb from Goodreads

There are three killers loose and Alex Cross is on the case for them all, with a family crisis at home things are looking bad for Alex, more so when he becomes the target of a hate campaign. Alex may be a fabulous man of the law but he is human and when pushed so far even Alex will react.

This is a busy wee book, we see Alex facing clever criminals as we have come to expect over the series and some family issues. The newest looks to threaten his family circle, the media are watching, the public are following the smear campaign and the killers are getting blood thirsty.

We know who the killers are, the pair working together are sadists, sexual aspects to the crime and getting more risky. To be honest there were, for me, quite a few questions about these guys and I think with there being so many aspects and different angles to the story something would be left overlooked. It is a busy tale and as always keeps the readers interest, I do hate being left questioning things though I am sure many will be happy with how things are tied up.

I have read Patterson before and will read him again, I enjoy the short chapters which allow for dipping in and out of as time allows. If you enjoy Patterson's previous Cross books I am sure you will enjoy this one, I have loved his previous offerings and feel for me, this one wasn't quite as strong as the others, 3/5 for me this time.

View all my reviews

Zoo by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Zoo by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 395

Publisher - Century

Blurb from Goodreads

All over the world, brutal attacks are crippling entire cities. Jackson Oz, a young biologist, watches the escalating events with an increasing sense of dread. When he witnesses a coordinated lion ambush in Africa, the enormity of the impending violence becomes terrifyingly clear.

With the help of ecologist Chloe Tousignant, Oz races to warn world leaders before it's too late. The attacks are growing in ferocity, cunning, and planning, and soon there will be no place left for humans to hide.



My Review

Animals all over the world are exhibiting increasingly aggressive and new hunting patterns of behavior. Jackson Oz is a young biologist who has been ridiculed and discredited in his field for some of his outlandish claims, so much so he left his course. Now it looks like Oz may be the one person who can help understand what is happening with the animals but will he be listened to before it is too late?

Ooooh I really quite liked this book although it seems a bit hit and miss with some of the readers. As with all of Patterson's books the chapters as small which helps you get through it quickly or dip in and out if you are busy.

As humans we have take a lot for granted, we abuse our positions of power, animals are often abused, murdered and dis guarded so when do we reap what we sow? In Zoo, animals are reacting and rising up against humans and we find ourselves no longer at the top of the food chain. Sadly with the theme of the book animals are harmed which may make for uncomfortable reading, there are human deaths also again some scenes may be disturbing for some readers.

I like that the book examines not only animal behavior patterns but also human patterns, how we react in life and death situations and how we pull apart or together in the face of danger. I would love to see a follow up to this book, 4/5 for me this time.

View all my reviews

Sail by James Patterson & Howard Roughley

Sail by James Patterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 388

Publisher - Arrow

Blurb from Goodreads

"Barely out of sight of land, the Dunne family finds its summer getaway to paradise already turning into the trip from hell. Carrie, the eldest, has thrown herself off the side of the boat in a bid for attention. Sixteen-year-old Mark is getting high belowdecks. And Ernie, their ten-year-old brother. is nearly catatonic. It's shaping up to be the worst vacation ever." "Katherine Dunne had hoped this trip would bring back the togetherness they'd lost when her husband died four years earlier. Maybe if her new husband, a high-powered Manhattan attorney. had been able to postpone his trial and join them it would all have been okay." Suddenly, a disaster hits - and it's perfect. Faced with real danger, the Dunnes rediscover the meaning of family and pull together in a way they haven't in a long time. But this catastrophe is just a tiny taste of the danger that lurks ahead: someone wants to make sure that the Dunne family never makes it out of paradise alive.



My Review

I really enjoy Patterson books although his collaborations with other authors not always so much. This one is perfect for a beach read or if you just want something that isn't challenging. The Dunnes are taking the family boat out for a trip together to try and reconnect & sort out their issues. Peter Carlyle is the step dad and staying behind in New York, his wife, her three kids and her brother in law from a previous marriage head off. Personal problems arise, a horrendous storm hits and then there is an explosion, certainly not the best start to a holiday. Stranded, hurt and presumed dead, the Dunnes need to do what they can to stay alive.

There is a lot about this book that you find yourself having to suspend reality to get through but once you do that it is actually an enjoyable, fast paced read. The characters have a lot of personal issues to get through but once they are in peril that takes a back seat. The book splits between the Dunnes encounters and back home with the smarmy step father hot shot lawyer.

As with all Patterson books, the chapters are tiny which annoys some people but I actally really like that, you can dip in and out as time allows. As I said a good choice for a day by the pool and if you can get past the most unlikely events happening you will enjoy the book, 3/5 for me.

View all my reviews

Review - The Postcard Killers by James Patterson and Liza Marklund

The Postcard Killers by James Patterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time Taken To Read - 2 days

Blurb From Goodreads

Paris is stunning in the summer

NYPD detective Jacob Kanon is on a tour of Europe's most gorgeous cities. But the sights aren't what draw him--he sees each museum, each cathedral, and each cafe through the eyes of his daughter's killer.

The killing is simply marvelous

Kanon's daughter, Kimmy, and her boyfriend were murdered while on vacation in Rome. Since then, young couples in Paris, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, and Stockholm have been found dead. Little connects the murders, other than a postcard to the local newspaper that precedes each new victim.

Wish you were here

Now Kanon teams up with the Swedish reporter, Dessie Larsson, who has just received a postcard in Stockholm--and they think they know where the next victims will be. With relentless logic and unstoppable action, The Postcard Killers may be James Patterson's most vivid and compelling thriller yet.


My Review

A young couple are targeting married couples in love and brutally murdering them. They announce their intent by sending postcards to reporters in they city they are in at the time. This isn't their first kill and detective Jacob Kanon is on their tail. He has a professional and personal interest in them as one of their victims was one of his family and he can't rest as long as they are free. He teams up with an unlikely partner, Dessie, a reporter who has been contacted by the killers. There is more to the murders than first suspected and both the police and detective have to use their wits to catch and outsmart the killers.

This book has a great fast pace to it,the killers are introduced from the start yet it is written so well you are hooked into how it is going to play out. as always with James Patterson the chapters are short so you can dip in and out, or fool yourself with only going to read a chapter or two and still be reading 100+ pages in.

I didn't like Jacob's character if I am honest. I felt for him and everything he has gone through and the dedication he shows but too often he is rash and impulsive which I found very annoying. there was one of two sexual elements in the book that I felt could easily have been left out as, for me, it didn't really add anything. I don't mind a book having sex scenes but it should fall in naturally with the story, I didn't feel it did this time. Maybe because I am used to Patterson's books being mostly thriller and murder and this is why it didn't flow for me (in regards to the sex). However the killers passion for each other is an important element in the story so others may feel it works well.

The book ended rather abrupt for me too, it had a great pace all along and a huge build up toward the end but it seemed rather rushed and I would have liked more answers. Still a really good read though so 3/5 for me this time.

View all my reviews

Review - Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson and Richard Dilallo

Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Blurb from Goodreads

The year is 1906, and America is segregated. Hatred and discrimination plague the streets, the classroom, and the courts. But in Washington, D.C., Ben Corbett, a smart and courageous lawyer, makes it his mission to confront injustice at every turn. He represents those who nobody else dares defend, merely because of the color of their skin. When President Roosevelt, under whom Ben served in the Spanish-American war, asks Ben to investigate rumors of the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in his home town in Mississippi, he cannot refuse.

The details of Ben's harrowing story--and his experiences with a remarkable man named Abraham Cross--were passed from generation to generation, until they were finally recounted to Alex Cross by his grandmother, Nana Mama. From the first time hear heard the story, Alex was unable to forget the unimaginable events Ben witnessed in Eudora and pledged to tell it to the world. Alex Cross's Trial is unlike any story Patterson has ever told, but offers the astounding action and breakneck speed of any Alex Cross novel

My review

Ben goes back to his hometown with a frosty reception from his father but generally welcomed back by the locals until they get an idea of what he is up to. From then on in Bens eyes are openend to the lynching and murder that is going on in his old tonn and where colour really does matter.

Where murder by colour is looked upon as sport and just and the towns folks given right. Where the KKK is very much alive and in practice. Ben starts to realise that people he thought of as good and even friends are racist murderers or at least willing participants.

The story started really good, I was horrified but hooked and couldn't believe the things that was happening. The story reminded me a lot of John Grishams A Time To Kill and Mississippi Burning (the movie with Gene Hackman).

However after a huge buildup at the end the story went a bit flat, it was almost like right I have written the huge awaited outcome so the last few chapters don't matter. I felt Bens character went from being brave, honest and fighting for the people to someone who didn't care, and what happened after the trial? And for the part of the President that really annoyed me too as after setting everything in motion he was largely missing until briefly stepping in at the end. 3/5 for me



View all my reviews