Second Honeymoon by James Patterson

Synopsis:

A walk down the aisle, a resort hotel, a drink on the beach...for these unlucky couples, the honeymoon's over.

A newlywed couple steps into the sauna in their deluxe honeymoon suite--and never steps out again. When another couple is killed while boarding their honeymoon flight to Rome, it becomes clear that someone is targeting honeymooners, and it's anyone's guess which happy couple is next on the list.

FBI Agent John O'Hara is deep into solving the case, while Special Agent Sarah Brubaker is hunting another ingenious serial killer, whose victims all have one chilling thing in common.

As wedding hysteria rises to a frightening new level, John and Sarah work ever more closely together in a frantic attempt to decipher the logic behind two rampages.

After reading a bunch of Alex Cross books, it was different to jump into a Patterson book that had different character in it. I wouldn’t call it a stand-alone book since there was one book that came before it, but that is what I consider it in my head.

That being said, I really enjoyed this book. It was full of suspense and full of action.

John and Sarah were great characters that really complemented each other while they were working together. I would enjoy to see this turn into another series with those two as the lead detectives. After one book, I just wanted more.

The plot moved really fast and had me turning page after page. I didn’t want to put the book down.

This was a really refreshing book with lots of action, lots of suspense, and great characters.

5/5 Stars

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Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson

If the last Alex Cross book failed to meet some of my expectations, this one met all of them plus some.

It seems that the more messed up the bad guys are, the better the book turns out to be.

One of the things I liked most about this one was that you are kept guessing about who the bad guys are, and one of them comes as a huge surprise.

Alex is making his transition from the Washington PD to the FBI. Of course, this does not come without some hardship. Alex is having a difficult time adjusting to how the FBI runs things and how they coordinate takedowns.

He decides he has to take charge at some times, but he is still new, so they don’t always listen to him.

As if the transition was not stressful enough, Christine returns and threatens to take away his son.

The Wolf runs a large ring of selling Americans for money. He employs kidnappers to take them and give them to the people who “order” them.

The thing is… no one knows who the Wolf is. He is a mystery man from Russia who is also in the Red Mafiya.

The Wolf has some connection to the FBI. I was waiting and waiting for this to be explained in this book, but it never was. The Wolf story line was not resolved either though, so I expect more to come out of it in the next book.

Also, just as I was praising the last book for showing us more John Sampson, this one hardly had him it in at all. You gain some, you lose some I suppose. There are still a lot of books in this series that I have to catch up on, so there is bound to be more about John later.

4.5/5 stars. More Sampson please!

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Pascal’s Wager by Mark Jacobs

What a great way to start off a new year – By reading a thrilling murder/mystery type book!

Pascal is a private investigator living in Las Vegas, and above all, his goal is to win the World Series of Poker.

After giving up his promising academic career of attaining a Philosophy degree, he decides moving to Vegas and pursuing his poker dreams is a better idea.

When a prominent figure in the Vegas hotel scene gets murdered, his daughter hires Pascal to find answers. Her mother is accused of the murder, and she knows that she is innocent. It seems almost impossible that it would be anyone else, so Pascal has a hard job ahead of him.

Meanwhile, the daughter that hired Pascal is also arrested and accused of murdering her half-brother. As if his current mess wasn’t enough, he has to try to get her off as well.

Pascal then finds himself be threatened by a very prominent Chicago crime family. While it seems to be a big problem at first, it ends up helping him put the whole mess together and he finds answers through the chaos.

Pascal is a fun character. His constant references to philosophy and poker make for an entertaining read. He is an interesting person, and I would like to read more books with him as the main character. I feel as though he is the sort of character that you could make a series out of such as Alex Cross or Lindsay Boxer just to name my favorites.

I would like to hear more of his backstory, and I would like to see him actually go on to win the poker World Series.

The writing was easy to follow. It didn’t allow for any boring moments, and the flow of the book ….. flowed well. It all ran together well, and none of the parts seemed out of place.

5/5 stars.

It was nice to experience Vegas again through this one. I haven’t been there in a while! :) 

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Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson

If you want to pick up a book that is near impossible to put down until the last page is turned, here it is.

When a professional hit goes wrong and a bag of diamonds ends up in Matthew’s hands, his life turns around forever. No longer is he a poor college student, he is now on the run from very influential crime bosses who want their diamonds back.

The contract killer known only as The Ghost is on his trail.

Matthew takes his girlfriend Katherine to Paris to try to escape, and everything goes downhill from there.

Will The Ghost get to Matthew and Katherine before they can escape, or will they get caught up in something larger than themselves?

This book is so fast paced, I read it in only a few hours. The whole book is action filled and intense.

James Patterson nails it again. I super recommend this one.

Romance. Adventure. Action. AND A HUGE TWIST. What more could you want from a Patterson book?

5/5 stars!

http://www.amazon.com/Kill-Me-If-You-Can/dp/0446571865

Violets are Blue by James Patterson

I never thought James Patterson would go the vampire route. I was wrong. Now, that being said, they aren’t REAL vampires. They are folks who call themselves vampires and drink blood. But nonetheless…. Vampires.

In the last book, Roses Are Red, we discover who the Mastermind is, but he isn’t found out by Alex Cross yet. He makes a reappearance in this novel and wreaks more havoc on Cross.

While trying to solve the mysterious vampire killers’ spree that is sweeping across the United States, Cross also has to deal with tauntings from the Mastermind and has to either push his worry aside or act to try to find out who this mad man is.

It was a thrilling read with a lot of twists and turns, and it was hard to put down.

I think the biggest twist was that there was no epilogue at the end! I don’t think I have read a Patterson book without one. At least not an Alex Cross or Womens Murder Club book. I was shocked when it just ended without one.

5/5 not a dull moment, and very easy to get through. 

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Read ahead for spoilers!

Pop Goes the Weasel by James Patterson

Alex Cross stars in this crazy novel Pop Goes the Weasel.

He encounters one of the craziest and unpredictable serial killers yet. Will this case prove to be too much for Cross to handle. Will they ever find the killer?

When Alex’s lover goes missing, his whole life is turned upside down, and his motivation to solve the case goes through the roof. He is taunted by The Weasel and can’t stand the thought that Christine may be dead.

In a case that has more victims than the police have answers, this turns out to be one of Cross’s worst cases yet.

Will he catch the Weasel once and for all? You have to read to find out!

One thing I really liked about this one is that we got a lot of insight into what was going on in the killer’s mind. It made it more interesting!

4/5 stars. It was a great read, but there were some parts in the middle that seemed to drag on a little long. Otherwise, it kept me captivated by wondering if they would find Christine alive. 

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Black Book Part 2: Out of Time by Dylan Jones

Sherriff Jack is back!

This installment of Black Book was more confusing than the first.

There were two different story-lines that were being shared, and the one with the President lost me after they were placed into Pods.

It seemed like they were aliens… or facing aliens. I am not really sure.

Then there was the story line that was centered around Jack. I think he was travelling back in time? Then he ends up with an old man that knows him, but he doesn’t know the old man.

It was intriguing, maybe because I was trying to figure out what was going on.

I am looking forward to reading the 3^rd installment, and maybe some of it will be cleared up.

2/5 stars. I just could not figure out what was going on half of the time, but it left off as a cliff hanger, and I want to know what happens next. 

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Smile by Nick Wisseman

Book Eight:

This story was very eerie. Probably the creepiest one of the series so far.

It is about The Artist and his photographs.

That’s all I got out of it, really. There are girls that play soccer, but then that story gets flipped around in a sudden twist, and I am not quite sure what happened.

It was very mysterious, for sure. For that, I give it 4/5 stars. I didn’t completely get it at the end, but I feel like you aren’t supposed to understand the whole thing. 

To purchase, click here!

Read ahead for spoilers

Patriot's Blood by Richard Holcroft

This book embodies basically everything that interests me in a book. You have Mob references, conspiracy theories, detective work, and a lot of suspense.

It is based around a Lawyer, Marchetti. He is asked by a client of his to investigate a case for him in case of his death.

Once Marchetti begins to do the detective work, he puts everyone around him in danger. But worse than that, it is unknown danger. He cannot figure out where the threat is coming from and who is behind all of it.

It started off with the bombing of an important building and most of the facts were covered up or completely ignored by the government and the FBI. Marchetti’s client was one of the few who had witnessed the bombing and had seen who may had been involved.

The other witnesses began disappearing – staged suicides.

This novel is very well written! It kept me on the edge of my seat for the whole ride. Especially when it really began heating up at the end.

The end was packed full of action, so much that it had my heart beating quickly!

5/5 Stars. It was such an exciting read! I loved it!

Read ahead for spoilers

The Girl by Bryan Hall

If any of you recall when I reviewed the story “The Vagrant”

I said this:

 “If it were a bit longer, there could have been some more backstory for the main character as well as some more action in it.”

Well, I said that before I knew that it was a part of a series. The series is The Southern Hauntings Saga.

That being said, this story was a lot better than the first. Crate comes back for the second story and is called upon to use his spirit-seeing powers to find a missing girl.

Whether he is able to or not, he sets out to try.

This story was a lot less rushed than the first. Actually, I didn’t feel as if it was rushed at all. It was a bit longer which could be the cause of that. It was a great read for my train ride.

One thing I really liked about this story and Bryan Hall’s writing in general is how you can feel the mood in the reading. He is able to set a very dark mood without making it obvious.

5/5 stars for this one. I really enjoyed it, it is a great read if you are commuting, or if you have time to sit around one afternoon and read it. I suggest setting aside enough time to get it done in one sitting, because once you start, you won’t want to put it down!

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Read ahead for spoilers!

Out of the Shadow by J.S. Winn

This is a classic Whodunit story accompanied with tragedy and loss.

It is based on a story of a girl named Rachael (I will refer to her as Becca, because that is what she is referred to as for most of the story) and her struggle with repressed memory. It begins with the tragic loss of her husband as well as her being raped in her own home. She begins seeing a Psychologist, Sarah, for help. She feels as though her recent rape has a connection to abuse that occurred when she was just a child.

This book runs two story lines at the same time. Sarah, the psychologist, is holding a weekend convention speaking about Becca's case. This is how we hear about her story. It isn't told in real time. It is told by Sarah to her audience.

Sarah describes many men that Becca comes in contact with through the course of her story. You never exactly figure out who the rapist and murder is until it starts being revealed towards the end. It keeps you guessing throughout the whole thing and really holds your attention. I felt like it was every guy at one point or another. It took me til the end, when it was explained to truly figure it out.

I love how this book was written. I was hooked from the beginning and didn't want to put it down. I was sad when it ended because I wanted it to just keep going. 

Overall, 5/5 stars. This story was fun to read (despite the rough topics) and I would recommend it to suspense lovers like myself.

To hear more from J.S. Winn visit her blog at: authorjswinn.wordpress.com
To purchase the book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008PYM59C it is inexpensive, and you will not regret buying it, I promise!

11th Hour by James Patterson

Lindsay Boxer and the Women’s Murder Club are back in the latest installment – The 11^th Hour.

Lindsay is pregnant and having trouble in her marriage. That won’t be the last of her problems.

When a major movie star is on the suspect list of a gruesome case of serial killing, nothing will be easy.

Lindsay and her girls will go over the evidence time and time again.

Even when it all points towards one person, the outcome cam come as quite the surprise.

I have loved the Women’s Murder Club series from the very first book and this one surely did not disappoint. I have been waiting for it for about a year, and I was very pleased. I had missed reading about all of these characters.

5/5 Very well written, nice twist at the end 

Read Ahead for Spoilers:

Cat & Mouse by James Patterson

Gary Soneji is back.

He is lurking in the darkness. Spying on his prey. Waiting for the correct moment to make his move.

But, will someone else steal his spotlight?

Now introducing: Mr. Smith

Mr. Smith is a crime fighter over in Europe. But there is a darker side to Smith that emerges as the novel goes on.

Will Cross be able to stop Soneji? Will he finally put an end to the madman who has terrorized his life for years?

This is the most fast-paced Alex Cross novel that I have read so far. It kept me turning the page over and over until I was finally finished. I was hooked from the very first page.

With Cross’s life in danger, you will find out who lives, and who dies!

5/5 Stars. Wonderful thriller. Kept me hooked from cover to cover. Definitely recommend it!

Read Ahead for spoilers!

Beach Road by James Patterson

This novel is about Tom Dunleavy and Kate Costello fighting the case of Dante Halleyville. They both know he is innocent, and he has a bunch of supporters from around the country. Dante was on his way to becoming a NBA player when he was falsely accused of four murders. 


In this book Patterson brings up the issue of race and corrupt city officials. 
The whole time, I found myself rooting for Dante and siding with Tom and Kate the whole time. All of the characters were likable. 
When I first started the book, I thought it was pretty slow and not as exciting as his other novels, and as quick as I came to that conclusion, I realized I was already over halfway through it. 
It is a novel that keeps you hanging on even though you aren't exactly sure why. 


And then there is the end. 


Guilty vs. Non Guilty. 


Who do you think is the criminal? Well, you will just have to wait until the end of the book. Make sure you are sitting down for this one. 
It blew me away, and I can usually figure out the endings of books. 
Ill insert one of the reviews from the back of the novel here

"Gripping... Races toward a conclusion so shocking that even longtime Patterson devotees won't see it coming." - Booklist

Once I read that review, I knew I had to give it a shot. i didnt understand how it could be so shocking. 


Then I realized that Patterson had pulled more tricks out of his sleeve. 


A Must Read!


4.5/5 Stars for me. Slow start, but it will keep you going right up to the last page. 


I'm not even going to add spoilers to this one. It's too good of an ending.