An Okay Cross Thriller

Double Cross

By: James Patterson

Little Brown 2007

Psychiatrist and former FBI Alex Cross has settled into a quiet and comfortable private practice. That is until his girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, is assigned to a case that brings Cross back into the game. The killer using the general populace as an audience for his heinous murders and wanting to get the famous Alex Cross’ attention.

After 13 Alex Cross thrillers it does become difficult to keep coming up with new and interesting psychopathic killers. What keeps me coming back for more is Alex Cross himself. I am interested to see what will threaten him next. However; while I do still enjoy the Alex Cross series of books above all other Patterson novels, when I look back on the earlier Alex Cross novels, I know that there is no comparison in the quality of the stories. For fans of James Patterson and the Alex Cross series, you will probably read this book regardless, but otherwise I don’t think there is anything really amazing or different to keep the average reader enthralled.

             Story                    **

             Characters           ***

             Readability           ***

             Overall Rating      ***

http://www.jamespatterson.com

Not Rice's Best

Blood Canticle

By: Anne Rice

Knopf 2003

Anne Rice continues her Vampire Chronicles once again narrated by her long suffering vampire Lestat.  Along with Quinn Blackwood, Mona and Rowan Mayfair, and Rowan’s husband Michael Curry, Lestat sets out to uncover the mystery of the Taltos. I thought this book was somewhat a departure of what I love about Anne Rice’s novels.  The story is a little scattered and, in my opinion, not nearly as interesting or engaging as her previous books in the Vampire Chronicles. One thing in particular struck me as I was reading. In recent books Lestat has been searching for redemption and purification from being a vampire. Now Rice’s books have always had a religious undertone, her characters have always sought justification and understanding for what they are.  In earlier novels they have almost scoffed at religion, firmly believing that there is no God and that’s it. This definitely mirrors Rice’s own search for religious belief.  Lestat is one of Rice’s alter egos. And like Rice in recent years, Lestat in Blood Canticle has come around, had a reawakening to religion. I found that this made Lestat soft, no longer is he as evil and menacing as we like him.


           Story                 *
          Characters         **
          Readability         ***
          Overall Rating    **


www.annerice.com