James Patterson

[dex]

Trying to follow The Mastermind as a connected through plot character will be a wasted effort. Roses is a great read, but then the MM is named and basically isn't used as a major character again, the MM is just a wasted opportunity imo. I didn't pick up the switch between characters in Cat the first time I read it, so this has always affected my opinion. This is where my problem with first person stories comes from.

Also his overuse of the Scream technique, lets Patterson down.

[PanaVee]

thanks a lot...i think i am making my mind up by this moment.i am going to start with cat and mouse and see if i like it.

 

My goal is to read the greatest books(according to most readers)like double cross and alex cross but i don't want to miss out on all the characters and what happens in alex's life.So i'm going to start with cat and mouse since it's more autonomous and it's completion/closure doesn't happen in other books so,at least,if i don't like it overall i can still enjoy a full and integrated storyline.

 

thanks again!!

[typatterson67]

i was a James Patterson fan but now have tuned him out completely. the books move too fast, chapters are over in 2 pages, etc, etc.

[Cyathea]

I like JP, but only if I'm in the mood for an 'easy read' if I want to spark some brain cells, I'll choose someone else! Recently read one of his about Tutankhamen, which I found interesting, and led me to research the subject of the Egyptian Pharaohs a bit more.

[Sagesmith]

I like Patterson. He's not the greatest writer, for sure, But he's a supreme storyteller. Yeah, it's short, sharp paragraphs and massively fast-paced - more like a film script than a novel, in many ways. But if you're looking for a quick read that won't tax you too much then he's perfect for the job.

 

I read a interview with him recently and, according to the man himself, he writes an 80-page synopsis of the story, twist, characters and setting and then his co-writer writes the rest (with him editing their scripts on a daily basis and sending back revisions).

[saintmark]

Having recently read the Postcard killers mostly due to Liza Marklund I must admit I prefered JP in the beginning when he just started out with his Cross novels.

[Madeleine]

I went through a phase of reading his books, but tired of them fairly quickly, I don't mind a fast-paced read but they're just too bitty for me, and I also gave up on the WMC series after the 4th one.  But I've heard he does a lot for independent bookshops, including in the UK, so fair play to him for giving something back to the book industry.

[shirley]

Sue I have to agree with you the Private series are winning at the moment as they can be anywhere and with any investigator, there are a few which follow Jack Morgan who owns the company but I think it opens it up for a good read.

 

Sue do you keep your books, I have kept all mine which I have had to start storing away.

[shirley]

I am with you there Sue, I also did not think I would like reading books on my kindle or phone but it makes things so much easier doesent it.

 

When I am at home I do read books because I always have a few on the go at a time.  With my last cup of tea of the night I like to sit with the peace and quiet and get involved in a good book.

[J. A. Haag]

Most of my experience with him has come from his Maximum Ride series which I loved growing up. But then the series kept expanding with no true story lines so they stopped being as captivating as the first ones. I was like all the things that made the original series was gone. Also, I am aware that he uses ghostwriters but I'm pretty sure that this series in particular he wrote by himself.

 

My dad read another one by him called Zoo with a cool premise but he said that the writing was nothing special. So James Patterson came up with a great concept but left the writing to someone who wasn't skilled enough to pull it off. I guess that's the risk when you aren't writing your own books.

[shirley]

Most of my experience with him has come from his Maximum Ride

 

Hi

 

I tend to read the books when they first come out and then when the series finishes read them all from start to finish.  Its amazing what you forget when you have to wait about a year for a new book to come out. I am just about to start reading all these again.

 

Have you read the Daniel X series and Witch and Wizard.

[Adyc86]

I have started to read the NYPD Red series and so far I am liking it, my favourite James Patterson Series is The Woman's Murder Club 

[More reading time required]

I loved his earlier Alex Cross books and some of the Murder Club and Maximum Ride ones. They were truly gripping and gave me some genuine shocks during the time I read them. However, I stopped reading them at the point when the "twist" was no longer a twist (I can't remember which Alex Cross it was but I remember thinking "is that it?!?"). Plus his churn rate was getting ridiculous and they started to become "Large Print" books by default. 

[The Bibliophagus Beagle]

Dull, simplistic writing and eminently forgettable characters. I've read perhaps 8 of his novels . . . And that was 7 too many. Not my cup of tea, at all. But, hey, each to their own. Horses for courses, etc.

[timebug]

I was given a set of the Alex Cross novels. Gave up a short way into the

first. Badly written and (IMO) very badly edited garbage. Found many other

authors who write similar stories, who are actually capable of doing so!

[kitty_kitty]

I like them when I am in the mood for an easy read without some adventure, or a bit of a thriller

[shirley]

I have been reading the bookshots that he has been doing lately, you get to the plot line quicker, always good for me.