Most Helpful Customer Reviews
192 of 206 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
This is a horrible book, HORRIBLE!, September 24, 2007
Kristen is an avid photographer living in New York City in YOU'VE BEEN WARNED, the latest book to be churned out of the James Patterson factory. She's a good photographer and is close to making it big. Until the money starts rolling in, she works as a nanny for the two adorable kids of Michael and Penley Turnbull. Kristin seems like a normal 26-year old girl, except that weird things keep happening to her. She keeps having a reoccuring dream about four murders at a hotel. She keeps hearing a song in her head that she can't quite place. Some images in her photos are unexplainable, and she thinks she sees her dead father on the streets of Manhattan. Also, Kristen is having an affair with Michael Turnbull and expects him to leave Penley for her any day now. One night in a club, a stranger approaches her and tells her to be careful, and that now, she's "been warned."
Not counting the flying kids novels, this is the forth Patterson novel this year. He writes so many now that you can compare his novels to others quite easily to get a good idea of where they stand. STEP ON A CRACK had a poor sublot with the cop with ten kids. CROSS was great. The latest Women's Murder Club books have turned into 2 or 3 novellas combined to make a novel. THE QUICKIE grabbed me early and was full of twists. Definitely a great book. HONEYMOON faded at the end, BEACH ROAD featured a point of view gimmick, JUDGE AND JURY seemed like an afterthought, while LIFEGUARD was quite intriguing. You get my point, some Patterson books, are good, a few great, and many average. I believe there should be a new category shoud be created for YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. It sets a new standard for horrible awfulness regardless of what other book you judge it against.
The blurb on the inside jacket of the hardcover is SO misleading and tells you nothing about the type of book you are about to read. Sure, Kristen is a nanny and a photographer, But that in no way scratches the surface in what Patterson is trying to pull off here. In my opinion, the entire 374 pages of the novel is a beginning. This is a one note novel, with no turns, no transitions. I mentioned above the strange things that happen to Kristen, the dream, the music, the photos. None of it is ever explained. Strange things keep happening and piling on and Kristen keeps thinking she understands or is getting close to solving the mystery, before more strange things happen, and the reader is back at square one.
This is a gimmick novel, and it fails so miserably, it is hard to put into words. It is easy to read so you might want to check it out in the library just so you can get an idea for how bad it is. This is disappointing considering how much I enjoyed THE QUICKIE, but it is not unexpected because Patterson can be counted on to produce a clunker every third or forth effort. The last line of the inside cover blurb says "This novel of psychological suspense is a stunning new achievement for thriller master Patterson." There is no suspense, there are no thrills, only and endless cycle of unexplained occurrences that take the novel in a direction you don't expect by reading the blurb. And unfortunately, that direction is a place that no reader should ever be forced to go again.
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71 of 83 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not a thrilling thing!, September 13, 2007
I have read all of James Patterson's books but after the last few I have about decided to let him prove himself to me again! The flying children were awful, as well as the baby killing fiasco.
When he sticks to Alex Cross or the Women's Murder Club, one might expect to have a good read.......but, when he veers from that ...watch out! Maybe he should write solo again. I don't think the helper is working.
I have noticed that he gets in great detail on many subjects lately and the most recent is photography. I have been a member of the Professional Photographers of America for a number of years and even teach photography in a local college. I consider myself knowledgeable on the subject enough to criticize a bit. Patterson has come up with some real doozies. He is so far out ie: you don't use a safe light when film is in a developing canister, depth of field doesn't have a thing to do with sharpness of the subject.....I could go on. I guess I was expecting so much more...
Please go back to the good stuff Mr Patterson....you could still be one of my favorites if you would.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Wow - Publishing house does wonders for Howard Roughan, September 18, 2007
Ever enter a book store, and keep going until you find a book by an author you recongize, don't even glance at the back to find out what the books about and just buy it cuz of who wrote it? How many times do you pick up a book by an unknown author and do the same? NEVER FOLKS!! We were all taken by the Publisher of "You've been warned" - Lets get James Patterson on the phone, tell him we got this new kid who wrote a book, offer the man royalies and see if he will put his name on it, damn, got me. I bought this book, with the assumption it would live up to Patterson standards. I hope Mr. Patterson reads these reviews and realizes that we have finally caught on to the game.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It was a waste of money and my time and effort to even finish this book. It was god awful, one of the worst books i've ever read. I read on average 3-4 books a week - i am the ultimate book nerd , I have a WIDE range of authors, love stories, chic lit, mysteries, true crime, science fiction, if its a book, and its good - you got me. But what the heck was this book??? It was just bad from beginning to end. I will not write any spoilers for this book, i will not go into detail on the storyline, it made no sense from beginning to end. This is my first ever review, because I could not stop myself, when finished, I wanted to throw the book in the trash.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
But hey lets give congrats to Howard Roughan, he just made a fortune from us "book lovers". I will have to pass on the next Roughan novel just for principal. (Of course, unless he writes the next a Potter legacy ;) )
Happy Reading everyone ... just don't let them fool with this one, if Patterson wrote a word of it.... i'd be compelety shocked!
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