Customer Reviews

Jack & Jill (Alex Cross)

5 star:		(106)
4 star:		(91)
3 star:		(41)
2 star:		(24)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

If you like fast-paced, nonstop thrills in your mysteries, this is the book for you. I felt like I had to stop and breathe every now and then; the plot twists, suspense, surprises, and sheer horror of the plot had me so mesmerized, I almost forgot to do so!

Like other Patterson novels, this one, the third in the Alex Cross series, features two parallel horrors, both of which involve the detective in a very personal way. First, a crazed killer is murdering young black children in Cross's own neighborhood, children from his own son's school. The sheer brutality of the murders bespeaks a rage that strikes terror in Cross's heart. But the Washington, D.C. powers that be don't seem to be overly concerned with the horrible happenings in the black neighborhood--they're much more involved with the high-profile, equally mysterious Jack and Jill murders that have captured all the headlines.

Jack and Jill are assassins. We're in on their nefarious doings from the beginning, but we don't know who they really are. And neither does the FBI, the CIA, the Secret Service, or the police. They are on a murderous timetable, assassinating increasingly well-known people as part of a single-minded, and seemingly unstoppable, track that leads to the assassination of the President of the United States. Can Cross et al. catch these fiends in time? And what of the child killer? He's got Cross's own children in his crosshairs. Will he strike at Cross's very heart and soul?

The sheer humanity and decency of Alex Cross--his intelligence, his love of his family and friends, the piano he plays on the porch to soothe his soul, the grief he still feels for his dead wife--all serve as a counterpoint to the inhumanity of the killers. Cross despairs of the human race as he encounters the horribly murdered bodies of the killers--but any world with Alex Cross in it can't be all bad. Cross sardonically refers to himself as "The Dragon Killer," and indeed he is. But this time, he just may be up against a force more evil than anything or anyone he has ever encountered before.

As I stated in a previous review, I am new to the Patterson bandwagon, and now I have no intention of getting off! On to the next book in the Cross series. Can it be as good as "Jack and Jill?" It boggles the mind.

James Patterson continues to amaze me. Having recently began reading his material, I am enthralled with his story telling. Jack and Jill is a masterpiece thriller worthy of every suspense fan's attention. Not one, but two storylines will leave you flipping from chapter to chapter in no time.

Someone is visciously mudering young black children in the neighborhood of detective Alex Cross. There are no leads but Alex is determined to find the killer. At the same time a pair of stalker-serial killers known as Jack and Jill are preying on the powerful and famous in Washington D.C. When it becomes apparent that the killers have their sights set on the president, Cross is aked to help. He becomes determined to not only find Jack and Jill but to find the child murderer on whatever spare time he can afford. Cross is burning the candle at both ends and he doesnt have much time to save the president and capture the killers. Both plots progress at a fast pace. Cross' determination and excellent detective work shine and he in time finds the killers, but is he too late. As with ALONG CAME A SPIDER Patterson keeps you guessing until the very end and there is no shortage of surprises.

Both of the story lines could have a been books unto themselves. The fact that Patterson weaves them into a single novel is a testament to his craft. A stunning ending clinches JACK AND JILL as a five star thriller. The ending will keep you guessing which is nice for a change. Patterson seems to realize that a real thriller, like real life, doesnt have an ending with no loose strings. This book will keep you wanting more James Patterson and More of his heroe Alex Cross.

This was my second James Patterson book (1st was "Kiss the Girls") and I am hooked. It took me only 1 and 1/2 days to read the 466 page book. I couldn't put it down!

Detective Alex Cross is back and he is stuck between two investigations: someone is killng high profile celebrities in Washington DC and someone is killing young children in the streets of Cross' neighborhood. Are these crimes connected somehow? How does Cross choose between the loyalty to his community and his civic duty to the President of the United States? With two different plots and many twists and turns and suspects to choose from, "Jack and Jill" is sure to please anyone who loves to dive into psychological thrillers. I also recommend Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lector series: Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs, and Hannibal (to be read in that order!)

I really enjoy reading the Alex Cross series of books by Patterson but this book just did not excite me like the others I've read (Along Came A Spider, Kiss The Girls, and Cat & Mouse). I personally wish that he'd quit writing the "two-killers-in-one-book" stuff. Switching back and forth between the child killer and Jack & Jill was really getting on my nerves and this book just didn't give me the suspense or the adrenaline rush that I've gotten from his other books. I think Patterson, when he's at the top of his game, can write very exciting and suspenseful stuff. I haven't read Pop Goes The Weasel or Roses Are Red yet but I'm hoping they're both better than this one.

I really enjoyed the book Jack and Jill. The book kept you in suspense the whole time you were reading it. I think this is one of James Patterson's greatest books that he has written so far and I am a BIG James Patterson reader. If you like books that keep you in suspense and challenge you to become one of the detectives then I think you would enjoy reading this book. Also if you decide to read this book and you enjoy it, I would also reccomend reading Kiss the Girls, Cat and Mouse, or Pop Goes the Weasel.

Jack and Jill by James Patterson will have the reader on the edge of their seats! I found this "thriller" to be one of his best yet! I was hanging onto every page and actually read this book in one day - I just could not put it down. Dr. Alex Cross is confronted by solving two different murders - committed by two different murderers, yet both are baffling and both are "perfect". The first killer is killing children in the neighborhood of his son's school and the second killer, known as Jack and Jill, are killing celebrities in the Washington, DC area.

Cross is then engaged by the White House to protect the President of the United States and his wife from the notorious Jack and Jill. Cross has his hands full and his loyalties divided. Can he do it?

What is so compelling about this story is that Patterson gets you into the mind of Jack and Jill and well as the child killer. You feel all of their intense emotions and motivations for killing. So, as the reader, you know the killer's next victim as well as knowing what Alex Cross is doing to get the killer. Patterson has you in the mind of the cat as well as the mouse! I love it!

I really love the character of Alex Cross and with each and every "Cross" book I read, I find Cross' character utterly fascinating. Once again, Patterson has you guessing the "real" identity of all the killers and the end comes as a shocker!! If you love shockers - this book will have you floored, but then again, also read Roses Are Red by Patterson - that's a shocker as well!

I decided to skip the first two Alex Cross novels, (Kiss the Girls & Along Came a Spider) only because I regrettably saw the first two in movie form.

Jack and Jill was a solid book filled with mind twists and a wide range of emtional moments. Just when you think you have figured it all out, guess again. I loved this book from the beginning to the end. I will continue to read the rest of the Alex Cross Books.

If you are trying to decide if this is for you, I say read it and you will love it too!

This book is great. The words to describe it are: Scary, Terrific, Outstanding. It is really two books in one. There are two or more killers they are trying to catch and they are killing two different kinds of people. One is children being killed and the other is political people. Jack and Jill, who are they???????? Can they be found before more people are killed? The person killing the children. Is it _________? Surprise it may not be. This will hold you attention from the first page till the very surprising ending. Alex Cross is good as usual. This it the third Patterson book I have read and am looking forward to the next one. If you like a good mystery you can't go wrong here.

Jack & Jill proves that James Patterson's previous success with the Alex Cross books are not flukes. Patterson is a great writer and Cross is a fun character.

Trying to solve two crimes at once and see if they are in any way related- is no sweat for Alex Cross! With two story lines going on at once, you won't be able to put this book down. There's no shortage of suspense or excitement. And the ending is always the best part.

If you have never read James Patterson and you enjoy crime thrillers, you need to give him a try!

Jack & Jill is the the second James Patterson book I have read, the first being along came a spider. Although I liked Along came a spider just a little bit better Jack and Jill is still an absolutely amazing book. The story starts out with the murder of a US senator and the murder of a little girl in the southeastern quadrant of DC. Once again, our hero and protagonist Alex Cross is called upon to serve these murders. It does not take long for a shocking story to unfold that will chill and thrill you to the bone. Once again, James Patterson shows us that he is a master of the thriller genre. He gives us just enough information to let our own imagination to start going down the most shocking twists and turns. Don't miss this book. It is well worth your time and $$$.