ALONG CAME A SPIDER

Along Came A Spider by James Patterson
Book 1 in the Alex Cross series
Narrated by Ako Mitchell
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Along Came A Spider:

What have we got? A missing little girl named Maggie Rose . . . a family of three brutally murdered in the projects of Washington, D.C. . . . the thrill-killing of a beautiful elementary school teacher . . . a psychopathic serial kidnapper/murderer who is so terrifying that the FBI, the Secret Service, and the police cannot outsmart him — even after he's been captured.

Gary Soneji wants to commit the crime of the century. Alex Cross is the brilliant homicide detective pitted against him. Jezzie Flanagan is the first female supervisor of the Secret Service. They complete one of the most unusual suspense triangles in any thriller you have ever read.

Alex and Jezzie are about to have a forbidden love affair — at the worst possible time for both of them. Because Gary Soneji is playing at the top of his game. The latest of the unspeakable crimes happens in Alex Cross's precinct and it happens under the nose of Jezzie and her men.

Alex faces the ultimate test: how do you outmaneuver a brilliant psychopath?

Source: Info in the "About Along Came A Spider" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13145.Along_Came_a_Spider on 02/06/2023.

Buy Link(s):

 

My Thoughts:

First book of the vaunted Alex Cross series that I have finally gotten around to reading.

I know, I am sooo late to the party!

This is my first crime thriller where the protagonist is an African-American. Now, why is that?... I would have expected the author to be African-American too. But last time I checked, James Patterson is a white guy. Mmmm... What preconceived ideas do I have in my subconscious? I'm not white, by the way.

Then I discover that there is a dvd loosely based on the Alex Cross character played by Morgan Freeman! Now, that! Is. A. Bonus!

This book reminded me why I am not really a crime fiction fan. I am an escapist reader. I don't want the ugly side of life during my field trips to fairy land. I want to escape reality!

I am so used to plot-less-ness in urban fantasy books (my usual genre) that I was impressed with this one!

This is my first Ako Mitchell listen and I like the way he reads!

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (12 hrs and 1 min listening time)
Plot = 5
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Alex Cross Series:

 

Meet The Author

About James Patterson:

James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author. Among his creations are Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Michael Bennett, and Maximum Ride. His #1 bestselling nonfiction includes Walk in My Combat Boots, Filthy Rich, and his autobiography, James Patterson by James Patterson. He has collaborated on novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton and has won an Edgar Award, nine Emmy Awards, and the National Humanities Medal.

www.jamespatterson.com | twitter | facebook | youtube | bookbub | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About Ako Mitchell:

Ako Mitchell is an actor, writer and director known for I'm in the Corner with the Bluebells (2014), Aliens vs. Predator 3 (2010) and Lake Placid: The Final Chapter (2012). Ako is also known for his extensive stage work including Sister Act with Whoopi Goldberg and Fences with Lenny Henry both in London's West End.

twitter | facebook | imdb | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.

Review: UNLUCKY 13

Unlucky 13 by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Book in the Women's Murder Club series
Read by January LaVoy
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Unlucky 13:

"The Women s Murder Club is stalked by a killer with nothing to lose."

San Francisco Detective Lindsay Boxer is loving her life as a new mother. With an attentive husband, a job she loves, plus best friends who can talk about anything from sex to murder, things couldn't be better.

Then the FBI sends Lindsay a photo of a killer from her past, and her happy world is shattered. The picture captures a beautiful woman at a stoplight. But all Lindsay sees is the psychopath behind those seductive eyes: Mackie Morales, the most deranged and dangerous mind the Women's Murder Club has ever encountered.

In this pulse-racing, emotionally charged novel by James Patterson, the Women's Murder Club must find a killer before she finds them first.

Source: Info in the About Unlucky 13 was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21483885-unlucky-13 on 20/04/2014.

My Thoughts:

Circle-of-friends-professionals-solving-crime theme has been around the block a few times already. Although each take took a slightly different angle from each other. Kathy Reich's took it from a forensic point of view in her Temperance Brennan series. Charlaine Harris took the librarian's point of view in the Aurora Teagarden series. The writer and the cop in the Castle TV series. This time around, it's a multiple points of view (POV). The cop, the journalist and the judge, each on a different thread of the story. Originality-wise, it's not exactly raking in high marks. However, what makes the difference here is no longer the theme but how the story is told. I gotta hand it to James Patterson though, he has a compelling author's voice! Plus January LaVoy sounds awfully a lot like Thérèse Plummer, the narrator in the Aurora Teagarden series audiobooks, that at first it was like listening to another Real Murders Club installment. It gave me a feeling of déjà vu and got slightly disorientated at the start. Or maybe it was the flu. Or too much cough syrups? I don't know.

I also don't know why the book is titled Unlucky 13 because I could not relate it to the story at all. If anybody out there who have read this book, could tell me why, I would appreciate it....

I believe that the use of "multiple threads technique" in this book did not mesh well. There are three major threads, the bomber thread, the Morales thread, and the ship thread. The bomber thread and the Morales thread went well together. But the ship one, not so much. In fact it detracted the tension from the other two. It disrupted the flow of the story. It didn't complement the rest of the story. Which contributed to the book's slower pace. But despite that, I couldn't give this book a low rating. Not with the good story telling quality.

At the end of it, I would give this book a 4 out of 5.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 4
World building = 4
Cover art = 4
Pace = (7 hrs and 18 mins)
Plot = 4
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


Thank you to Audible Ltd. for the audiobook review copy of Unlucky 13 by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro received!

FTC Disclosure:
The audiobook copy of this book was received for free from Audible UK in exchange for an honest review. The ebook copy was purchased with private funds.