 |
- Mystery - |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Roses Are Red |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Roses Are Red byJames Patterson Warner Books (Little, Brown) 400 pages, 2000 ISBN 0316693251 Reviewed by PJ Nunn For those who know and love Patterson, picking up Roses Are Red is like closing the door on a cold hard rain, and settling in front of a roaring fire with a good friend. For those who haven’t read the previous titles, the character of Alex Cross, psychologist and homicide detective, may seem something of an enigma. After a series reaches this level, characters may become stale or less new avenues are left to explore. Not so here. The book opens with the christening party for baby Alex, son of Alex and long-time love Christine. Readers of Pop Goes the Weasel will breathe a sigh of relief thinking those issues have been resolved, but it’s a premature assumption. The rift between Alex and Christine becomes immediately apparent when FBI Agent Kyle Craig shows up at the party, requesting Alex's help in solving the gruesome murder of the bank manager's family by a bank robber. The nearly perfect crime is repeated, with no less vicious variations in the pattern. This time, Alex’s participation is interrupted by the sudden illness of daughter Jannie who ends up in the hospital. Torn between work and family, Alex is even more convinced he must stop this madman before their lives are all in jeopardy. The death and disappearance of two FBI agents on the case confirms his fears. The bank robber won’t be satisfied with the money he has stolen until he has killed all those in pursuit. In Roses Are Red, Patterson doesn’t pull any punches, yet the reader feels as an integral part of the horror, and there is no escape until the last page is read. Even then, the door is left wide open for a sequel with a gut-wrenching twist in the last sentence. Filled with fascinating possibilities, Roses Are Red is a must read. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||