I've been following the Alex Cross series by James Patterson for years now, although I certainly wouldn't call myself a die hard fan. Readers who follow this crime series will know that Kyle Craig was a mentor to Alex until he became his ultimate enemy and was eventually captured and incarcerated. Kyle is always referred to in the series but returns in Cross Fire in a very big way.
Instead of being exciting, I found Cross Fire to be a real let down. I knew from the beginning that Kyle Craig wasn't going to get his man, Alex Cross, in the same way that when you're watching a James Bond movie, you know he's not going to come to any serious harm.
There were also a few cringe-worthy attempts at sexy scenes and one just made me put the book down so I could roll my eyes right back into my skull and groan out loud in disgust! Let me set the scene for you: Alex takes his love interest to a swanky hotel suite, they are in the huge jacuzzi /spa together, drinking champagne. He gets out and makes a faux bear skin rug out of the thick hotel room towels on the bathroom floor and lays her down on them and they make love there for hours. I mean, c'mon!!!! If you you're staying in a luxurious hotel suite, you're not going to pile the towels up on the bathroom floor to make love!!! Ugh! And for hours??? Who is he trying to kid here?
The only saving grace in this book is that this time he allocates enough security detail for his family - in my opinion - and there was one part of the sub-plot that did not follow the predictable path I had been expecting. I think Patterson still has it as an author, but I think he's trying (or has been forced) to spread himself to thinly over too many books and his writing is suffering as a result. That's just my humble opinion, what do you think?
My rating = **
Carpe Librum!
I have never been able to finish reading a Patterson novel. In fact, I don't believe I've ever got past P.40 because of 1) grammatical errors or 2) the phrasing or "one-liners" sounding like a highschool sophomore.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I expect too much -- the price of reaching age 82 after many years of reading mostly history & historic fiction and admiring literary authors like Frederick Forsyth.
Today's typical public high school "graduate" can't differentiate between a comma and an apostrophe. And when that colletive group determines "Public Taste" you have hundreds of thousands clamoring for such as James Patterson and Danielle Steele.
I definitely agree with you that spelling and grammar seems to deteriorate with each generation. The use of txt messages and Twitter accounts has encouraged users to invent their own spelling which then pollutes our language.
ReplyDeleteSometimes though, I find I'm in the mood to sacrifice literature for entertainment, and that's when I'll pick up a James Patterson, or a commercial paperback of similar ilk. I'm very aware of the shortcomings but am entertained the plot; similar to seeing an action movie at the cinema and checking your brain in at the door. Luckily I didn't pay for this book, and I won't be in a terrible hurry to read any more books by this author in a hurry.
How about the disgusting rape scene after Craig kills Cross' colleague! That was ridiculous and stupid!
ReplyDeleteIt's been a year now since I read this novel and I'm struggling to recall the scene you've mentioned but I'll take your word for it.
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