In Los Angeles, a reporter investigating a series of murders is killed. In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a beautiful medical intern suddenly disappe...
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reviews
Jan 12, 2008
Joel
rated it: 
This is genuinely the worst book I have ever finished.
To be fair, it is tolerable when there is action, which is often. But every time James Patterson tries to put words coming out of a characters mouth, it makes you want to punch yourself in the face. When he writes descriptive, emotional paragraphs, it makes you want to punch him in the face.
I actually dog-eared a couple pages because the writing was so bad, I wanted to be able to quick reference it to people to show them h More...
To be fair, it is tolerable when there is action, which is often. But every time James Patterson tries to put words coming out of a characters mouth, it makes you want to punch yourself in the face. When he writes descriptive, emotional paragraphs, it makes you want to punch him in the face.
I actually dog-eared a couple pages because the writing was so bad, I wanted to be able to quick reference it to people to show them h More...
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Nov 13, 2008
Jack
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Feb 18, 2009
Visha
rated it:
If this is what some people consider beach reading, they should drown themselves.
If I could scrub clean that part of my brain where the stench of this novel resides, I would. While Patterson probably applauds himself for coming up with something as clever as an underground lair and the device of two serial rapist/murderers working together, every other aspect of this book (I have to call it a book, which is a four-letter word and refers to something that is written but can also be u More...
If I could scrub clean that part of my brain where the stench of this novel resides, I would. While Patterson probably applauds himself for coming up with something as clever as an underground lair and the device of two serial rapist/murderers working together, every other aspect of this book (I have to call it a book, which is a four-letter word and refers to something that is written but can also be u More...
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May 13, 2011
Harmonybites
rated it:
If it weren't for two scenes in this novel, I'd add two stars. Patterson is no prose stylist, and his novels are formulaic, but until a few novels after this one Alex Cross got unbearably Gary Stu, with supervillain psychopaths making it their life work to take him down, I found Patterson's detective protagonist likable and the books featuring him entertaining page-turning police procedurals.
In some ways, this second book book in the series is even stronger than Along Came a Spider, th More...
In some ways, this second book book in the series is even stronger than Along Came a Spider, th More...
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Jun 15, 2008
Jen
rated it: 
Okay, I am reading pulp fiction. Many people from my classes have recommended his novels and I thought I would see what all the hype is about. So far it is not well-written, but I am entertained. I liked the movie, although I think Ashley Judd is annoyingly condescending.
I have finally finished the book and it was one cliché piled on top of another. I don't know why authors feel they have to make women so perfect. Is it some form of misguided feminism or a male fantasy? I would More...
I have finally finished the book and it was one cliché piled on top of another. I don't know why authors feel they have to make women so perfect. Is it some form of misguided feminism or a male fantasy? I would More...
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May 18, 2008
TAYLOR
rated it:
Good luck trying to put this one down after starting it. From start to finish this book will have you sweating with anticipation of whats to come. James Patterson does a great job of putting realistic characters in believable situations that will have you on the edge of your seat i guess you could say.
The story is about a detective named Alex Cross who is called on to try to find two notorious serial killers. Patterson describes them as twin killers. But are they really relate More...
The story is about a detective named Alex Cross who is called on to try to find two notorious serial killers. Patterson describes them as twin killers. But are they really relate More...
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Sep 21, 2011
Nicola
rated it: 
This was good. I really enjoyed Along Came a Spider a few years back and while this wasn't as memorable, it was still pretty good. I was hooked from the very first page and read it right through in one sitting as I couldn't put it down without knowing who was behind the mask. It was fast paced and suspenseful, a definite page-turner. I did have a couple problems with it though. One of the scenes was far too graphic and unnecessary- a cheap shock tactic that served no real suppose. Also, leaving
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Dec 27, 2008
Marnie
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 28, 2012
Felicia
rated it:
What I Loved: This is the 2nd book in the Alex Cross series and probably my favorite. It is hard not to get caught up in the story and it actually had me on the edge of my seat a couple of times. All of the characters are fascinating and unique. Even the UnSubs are intriguing and well thought out. Just a very good thriller all around.
What I Liked: I liked the setting both on campus, in the woods, and even when they headed to LA. JP has a wonderful way with words and describing areas More...
What I Liked: I liked the setting both on campus, in the woods, and even when they headed to LA. JP has a wonderful way with words and describing areas More...
Feb 25, 2011
Sheila
rated it:
Note to self: This is what you get when you choose a book based solely on your crush on Nathan Fillion. Please, don't do it again.
Okay, I liked this book a lot more than I liked Along Came a Spider, hence the 2 stars. But when I say 'liked' I mean it only took me one month to read Kiss the Girls instead of two like last time. Although I find the plot interesting--I saw the movie back when it came out and I remember enjoying it--I found the book to be way too long, drawn-out and borin More...
Okay, I liked this book a lot more than I liked Along Came a Spider, hence the 2 stars. But when I say 'liked' I mean it only took me one month to read Kiss the Girls instead of two like last time. Although I find the plot interesting--I saw the movie back when it came out and I remember enjoying it--I found the book to be way too long, drawn-out and borin More...
Nov 12, 2009
Jo-Ann
rated it:
If any reader needs read some junk books once a while, this one would be a very good one. I finished up it during the veterans' day holiday, a real page turner, with its own charm and flaws.
As always for good guys bad guys scene, the bad guys always talk too much, always trying to kill the good guys with too many tricks (whereas they killed the victims easily, quickly and beautifully), and last always was killed by the good guy.
One thing makes this book a little different More...
As always for good guys bad guys scene, the bad guys always talk too much, always trying to kill the good guys with too many tricks (whereas they killed the victims easily, quickly and beautifully), and last always was killed by the good guy.
One thing makes this book a little different More...
May 17, 2009
Tony
rated it:
James Patterson- Kiss the Girls (Warner Books 1997) 4.75 Stars
Alex Cross returns when his niece, Naomi Cross, goes missing and a serial rapist/murderer is on the loose. He quickly discovers that there is not just one rapist/murderer on the loose, but two. When one of the captive girls escapes to tell her story, Alex Cross hits his big break in the case. When a reporter covering the story of one of the two killers, it becomes obvious that the two killers are competing and Alex Cross i More...
Alex Cross returns when his niece, Naomi Cross, goes missing and a serial rapist/murderer is on the loose. He quickly discovers that there is not just one rapist/murderer on the loose, but two. When one of the captive girls escapes to tell her story, Alex Cross hits his big break in the case. When a reporter covering the story of one of the two killers, it becomes obvious that the two killers are competing and Alex Cross i More...
Jul 20, 2008
Sam
rated it:
This was one of the most frustrating books I have ever read. The story was fantastic. Alex Cross is one of my favorite characters and the villains were fascinating. But there is one chapter where on of the villains does something vile and disgusting, that was so unnecessary, that I cannot recommend this to anyone. It makes me quite sad actually, because it was a great book (a 4 star actually), BUT the one chapter ruined it. I do hope that the next one, Jack and Jill, is better.
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Apr 04, 2011
Bev
rated it:
I thought I'd read this book a long time ago, but someone recently told me she had to stop reading after "the snake scene" and I didn't remember any snake scene (and she told me that I definitely would--and now I do), so I had to see if it was as bad as she made it seem. Didn't strike me as any more graphic than any other Patterson book, and it was definitely Patterson before he became a corporation, so much better than that last awful book of his I read.
It was an interest More...
It was an interest More...
Jan 12, 2011
Radh
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Nov 27, 2010
Nina
rated it:
A dedicated policeman and psychologist. A killer in the West coast who calls himself, "Gentleman Caller," and a killer in the East coast who calls himself, "Casanova." Several females murdered and missing. Gruesome killings and tortures in graphic detail. Ah, classic James Patterson indeed.
Every time I read books from the likes of James Patterson, Thomas Harris, and John Sanford, I can't help thinking: "They all look like sweet, cute, huggable grandpas, and th More...
Every time I read books from the likes of James Patterson, Thomas Harris, and John Sanford, I can't help thinking: "They all look like sweet, cute, huggable grandpas, and th More...
Jan 01, 2011
John
rated it:
James Patterson is definitely not a writer's writer. Kiss the Girls, especially, demonstrates very little in the way of actual writing skill, though it does manage to be somewhat entertaining. Patterson comes across as a gifted storyteller who puts very little effort into his craft, seemingly working on several books simultaneously and moving on to future projects far too prematurely. As a result, you can read his books while half-asleep and not miss anything meaningful. In other words, ther
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Feb 22, 2010
Brian
rated it:
If there has ever been a more unecessary book written in English, well I don't know what it is. I don't understand how people read Patterson at all. Alex Cross is boring. He's a boring, unlikely, barely likeable character. Also, his Porsche would get stolen every day in the neighbourhood he unrealistically choses to live in. The writing is trite and pedestrian with an average of 3.2 ridiculous cliches every two pages. Tossing one plucky woman into a story does not excuse the endless, grap
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Jun 12, 2010
Cristyn
rated it:
What can I say?
This book is twisted, shocking and compelling. It is like a grizzled train-wreck you just can't take your eyes away from.
For me, the movie was good, but there is something in the nuance of the writing that made me love the book all the more.
If you already love Patterson or have consumed his thirty gazillion books and are on the prowl for another taut mystery/thriller, might I suggest my novel "Plain Jane."(Goodreads link - http://bit.ly/adBugf More...
This book is twisted, shocking and compelling. It is like a grizzled train-wreck you just can't take your eyes away from.
For me, the movie was good, but there is something in the nuance of the writing that made me love the book all the more.
If you already love Patterson or have consumed his thirty gazillion books and are on the prowl for another taut mystery/thriller, might I suggest my novel "Plain Jane."(Goodreads link - http://bit.ly/adBugf More...
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Apr 27, 2010
Debra
rated it:
Beautiful young women have been disappearing in North Carolina and Los Angeles at an alarming rate, and some are turning up dead. So when Washington D.C. Detective Alex Cross’s niece goes missing from Durham, he heads down there, determined to find her, without or without local police support. For a while, there is no support, which is why is good friend, Detective John Sampson, decides to help him. Alex is soon taunted by a killer calling himself Casanova, but he’s not the only murderer aware o
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Mar 09, 2010
Avigail
rated it:
This novel is a decent thriller. Patterson writes in such a way to keep the pages turning with his short sentences and action packed storyline. The personal aspect of the kidnapping of Cross's niece adds some drama into the story. The story has plenty of thrills and chills, but there is certain realism to it, lots of young women disappear all over the country, things like this happen, there are no supernatural demons and creatures that lurk in the imagination, this can be real. When I was readi
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Feb 27, 2009
Beverly
rated it:
Beautiful young women are missing from southern college campuses and in Los Angeles. One of these is the beloved niece of DC detective/PhD Psychologist/amateur musician Alex Cross. Calling himself Casanova, the killer collects beautiful and accomplished women for his own use. Using alternating points of view (serial killer, victim Kate McTiernan, and Alex) Cross stalks Casavova as an unofficial police investigator (and is later recruited as an unofficial FBI agent).
Well done in terms of More...
Well done in terms of More...
Feb 09, 2012
Eric
rated it:
This is the second book of the Alex Cross serie. To be fair, I would have given a 3.5 stars if I could, as I enjoyed reading this book more than the first one (Along came a spider).
As expected, this was a page-turner, popcorn book that feels like you are reading a movie script. In this story, several beautiful women were kidnapped coast to coast by two very enigmatic killers that seem to be competing between each other, one in North Carolina and the other in California. In there comes More...
As expected, this was a page-turner, popcorn book that feels like you are reading a movie script. In this story, several beautiful women were kidnapped coast to coast by two very enigmatic killers that seem to be competing between each other, one in North Carolina and the other in California. In there comes More...
Mar 14, 2011
Robin
rated it:
You know, I don't like scary books and I never read mysteries or authors who crank out five books a year or novels that follow one particular hero/heroine/detective/homeless dude/whomever. But I did read this book, and I read it many years ago and let me just tell you that I clearly remember asking my then-husband to come with me to the bathroom because a) I couldn't stop reading it and b) I couldn't bear to be alone in a room - even a room as small and windowless as that tiny puke-green-tiled
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Jul 23, 2011
Matthew
rated it:
Patterson's books are fast paced because he lacks the talent to hold a reader's interest with a plot that actually has substance. I never even knew Alex Cross was black until I saw the movies. His characters are one dimensional. I would say zero dimensional except people with ZERO dimension can't talk. And when they do talk. Gawd. The man couldn't write a passage of decent dialogue if one of his own bad guys held the proverbial smoking gun to his head. When he tries to write anything even
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Mar 21, 2010
Michael
rated it:
The following has been presented to you spoiler free. (:
Let me just start off by saying this is the novel Swimsuit (by the same author) tried to be, but failed miserably. If you really want to hear my rant on that book, check out my review of it.
I waited a long time before reading this book. Mainly because I wasn't that impressed with the first book in this series, Along Came a Spider. But I'm so glad I did. This is by far my favorite James Patterson book that I've read s More...
Let me just start off by saying this is the novel Swimsuit (by the same author) tried to be, but failed miserably. If you really want to hear my rant on that book, check out my review of it.
I waited a long time before reading this book. Mainly because I wasn't that impressed with the first book in this series, Along Came a Spider. But I'm so glad I did. This is by far my favorite James Patterson book that I've read s More...
May 11, 2011
Ithlilian
rated it:
I wasn't too impressed with Along Came A Spider, and I disliked Kiss the Girls for the same reasons I disliked Spider. I felt the killer's point of view added a bit of duplication, though it was handled better than last time. I didn't really feel the danger for the main character's family and I don't relate to Cross at all. The mystery wasn't too compelling, the detective work wasn't too impressive, and I was bored most of the time. Of course Alex Cross gets to have an attractive woman sidekick,
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Jan 07, 2010
Dana
rated it:
DC detective Alex Cross's niece goes missing from her southern college. Cross starts to investigate only to find that a large number of girls are missing under similar circumstances. When one of the missing girls escapes she tells a story of being captured by Casanova and being kept underground to be raped. She was lucky as most of the girls are finally murdered.
Meanwhile across the country in California another serial rapist/murderer is on the prowl. 'Gentleman Caller' has a gristle More...
Meanwhile across the country in California another serial rapist/murderer is on the prowl. 'Gentleman Caller' has a gristle More...
Dec 15, 2010
Richelle
rated it:
I saw the movie first and thought it was pretty cool. I'm into this thing where I see a movie and if it's a book and I want to read it then I just go out and buy the book. Well with this book I could not stop reading it. The second and half page chapters filled with suspense just caught me in their web. If I could have I would have read this book in one day. I loved all the suspense and drama in this book and I had to fight with myself before I put it down and actually went to sleep. I have to a
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Sep 18, 2011
This book was very well written and full of suspense since it is a murder mystery and a psychological thriller. The author did a great job of keeping readers engaged and thinking, and I can honestly say that while I had my suspicions, I had no idea who the killer was for sure until he or she revealed his or herself. (I do not want to spoil the ending for anyone who has not read the book).The author does a good job creating a sort of dark mood, and is so descriptive that as I read I was able to p
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