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Violets Are Blue (Alex Cross) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "NOTHING EVER STARTS where we think it does..." (more)
Key Phrases: real vampires, Violets Are Blue, San Francisco, New Orleans (more...)
2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (340 customer reviews)
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  Paperback, July 21, 2002 -- $7.09 $0.01
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Fans of James Patterson's resourceful cop Alex Cross will be relieved to find that he's back on familiar territory with Violets Are Blue--and, more importantly, that this is one of the best Alex Cross thrillers yet.

The malign criminal genius of Roses Are Red is fixing to give Alex a hard time once again. The FBI joins Patterson's dogged cop in a particularly unsettling investigation: two San Francisco joggers have been viciously murdered and are found suspended by their feet, with all the blood drained from their corpses. And when further brutal deaths follow in California and on the East Coast, Alex is forced to contemplate the bizarre possibility of modern-day vampires, although his instincts point him to one of the many sinister religious cults that flourish on the West Coast. Aided by Jamilla Hughes, a streetwise young woman detective from San Francisco, Alex finds that he has to crack not one but two impenetrable mysteries to stop further bloodletting.

Patterson fans expect the extremely concise, page-turning chapters (116 of them here!), along with a reluctance to dawdle over details of his hero's personal life, and both characteristics are firmly back in place. If you can resist reading this one in just a few sittings, you deserve some kind of a thriller reader's medal. --Barry Forshaw, Amazon.co.uk --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.



From Publishers Weekly

Washington, D.C., police detective Alex Cross returns for another visit (after Roses Are Red) to the top of the lists and for two new cases of disparate quality. The first, which dominates the narrative, takes place within America's vampire underground and is as exciting as anything Patterson has written; the second, in which Cross at last defeats the nemesis known as "the Mastermind," feels tacked on only to knot loose ends. In San Francisco, two joggers are slain, seemingly by both tiger and human teeth, and their blood drained; then an upscale couple is killed similarly in Marin County deaths suggestive of an earlier Cross case, prompting the detective's old pal Kyle Craig of the FBI to ask for his help. Craig's plea plunges Cross not only into a fetishistic netherworld in which thousands play at being vampires and a handful actually do kill for blood, but into personal turbulence as he alienates his family by his dedication to work, and as his always troubled love life takes further dips and flights, the latter in the company of SFPD Insp. Jamilla Hughes, who joins him on the cases. We know the good guys' immediate quarry, but they don't: two golden young men, brothers and self-styled vampires, with a pet tiger at their side. But who is the Sire, their ultimate leader? Meanwhile, the Mastermind, a brilliant homicidal maniac, plagues Cross with threatening phone calls. Most readers probably won't finger the Sire, but anyone who can't name the Mastermind long before Patterson reveals his identity must be reading this book backwards. The action reels around the country, from D.C. to California to Las Vegas to North Carolina, and readers will be swept away by it and by Patterson's expert mixing of Cross's professional and personal challenges. The narrative split between the two cases, vampiric and Mastermind, jars but not enough to seriously mar fans' pleasure, and the two cases will probably mesh more elegantly in the inevitable movie to come. (Nov. 19)Forecast: Is there a writer hotter than Patterson? A 10-city author tour, the forthcoming TV miniseries of his First to Die, and the simultaneous AudioBooks (unabridged and abridged, tape and CD) of Violets Are Blue will only increase the heat.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (September 30, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0446611212
  • ISBN-13: 978-0446611213
  • Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (340 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,914 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #16 in  Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Police Procedurals
    #26 in  Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( P ) > Patterson, James

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James Patterson
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Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
NOTHING EVER STARTS where we think it does. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
real vampires
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Violets Are Blue, San Francisco, New Orleans, Santa Cruz, Kyle Craig, Jamilla Hughes, North Carolina, Peter Westin, Inspector Hughes, Betsey Cavalierre, Alex Cross, Detective Cross, Golden Gate Park, Irwin Snyder, West Coast, Las Vegas, San Luis Obispo, Fifth Street, Hall of Justice, Santa Barbara, Garden District, San Diego, Nags Head, Gentleman Caller, Mary Alice
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Violets Are Blue (Alex Cross)
82% buy the item featured on this page:
Violets Are Blue (Alex Cross) 2.8 out of 5 stars (340)
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Roses Are Red (Alex Cross)
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Customer Reviews

340 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
2.8 out of 5 stars (340 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Vampires, Tigers and Alex Cross, OH MY!, February 7, 2002
This review is from: Violets Are Blue ~ Detective Alex Cross Series (Hardcover)
It may be true that when an author becomes enormously popular while writing a suspenseful series, they're under some sort of pressure to keep writing more and more covoluted or even more and more bizarre plots to keep readers interested. Enter James Patterson not entirely unknown for some strange plots in his stand aloen books or even bizarre premises i.e., his older title When the Wind Blows where children are gnetically altered in the womb so they are born with wings and can fly. Once again in his latest Alex Cross book, Patterson introduces several more bizarre elemnts to a case Alex tries to solve.

In the novel, Violets are Blue, two brothers are featured as grisly serial killers whose murders at times either resemble the work of vampires or tigers. Now thousands of readers favorite psychology/detective is on a mission to find the killer when his partner is found dead. And if this isn't enough, almost immediately in another part of the country another murder occurs which almost mimcs Alex's partners death. As Alex crisscrosses the nation investigating these bizarre murders and some other very weird folks, somebody known as the Mastermind is keeping track of Alex's every move. Its as if this individual, who some readers may remember from the previous book Roses are Red, is always one step in front of Alex taunting him with warning phone calls and threats agaisnt his family. Alex spends the majority of the book preplexed, confused, overworked and overwrought. By the end, Patterson ties up at least two parts of the plots neatly but leaves one danglgnthread. And it is this thread which left this reader perplexed, confused and overwrought. For it seems that this may be the end of Alex Cross or is it?

Fear not Patterson fans if this is the end for dear Alex. We can eagerly wait for the second book featuring the Womens Murder Club from 1st to Die and perhaps another romance goodie like Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. But this reader still can't help but remember how much I enjoyed Along Came a Spider when Alex Cross burst onto the literary scene and had me holding my breath till the next book was published.

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars two tales in one.......not a good thing, December 19, 2003
Violets Are Blue is almost two completely separate tales in one book. One involves gruesome murders where the blood has been drained from the victims. This series of gorey murders leads into the world of modern vampires. This is frightening and intriguing and draws the reader into the dark world of fact and fiction surrounding this cult-like existence. It is both fascinating and repelling at the same time. When the Mastermind, the bad guy from Roses Are Red, turns out to be involved, then it begins to feel like two separate stories that never quite seem to fit themselves together. This would have been far better had the Mastermind not been a part of this. That part feels forced. You never feel like "Oh yeah, now I see who it was!" more like "Oh, him........well, I guess so."
It just kind of fizzles in the finale.
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26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Patterson is still on top!!!!!!!, November 22, 2001
By Chris (Memphis, TN USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Violets Are Blue ~ Detective Alex Cross Series (Hardcover)
I was getting very bored with Alex Cross, and the number of Alex Cross books James Patterson was putting out. I was glad he came out with Suzannes Diary for Nickholas and 1st to Die. I was reading about Mr.Patterson last night, and I read that he said that after 2 books going back to Alex Cross is going to be fun, and that he has great ideas about this book.

Anyways, I have read it, in 2 days, and it is the 2nd best book of his I have read (When the Wind Blows is first). This book was very creepy, and very intence, and I enjoyed every page I read. James Patterson is still on top...............

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent
Book was in excellent condition and arrived in a very timely manner. Very pleased with this purchase.
Published 2 months ago by Wendy Crawford

2.0 out of 5 stars No Vampires
Vampires are not my cup to tea, however it didn't keep me from reading the book. There are horrible two murders in Washington. Their blood was drained. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ruth Thompson

3.0 out of 5 stars somehow it works
Violets Are Blue is an unusual Alex Cross novel in that it involves the supernatural or it appears to. Read more
Published 3 months ago by woodrow locksley

4.0 out of 5 stars Who, what, where, why, when...the mysteries continue
This was such a fast and enjoyable read that I got though it pretty fast, about two evenings of reading and once done I was ready for the next book, that's what I love about them... Read more
Published 4 months ago by - Kasia S.

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE LOVE LOVE this series!
That's really all I have to say. I can't put James Patterson novels down, he is outstanding! Great Read!
Published 5 months ago by Marissa

1.0 out of 5 stars Vampires . . . no thank you!
I had read Roses are Red and, although it wasn't my favorite Patterson novel, I figured that I better read Violets are Blue in order to find out how Cross finally gets the... Read more
Published 6 months ago by H. Roberts

2.0 out of 5 stars Far too much Gore
The Dragon Slayer becomes a Vampire Slayer??? That is what "Violets are Blue" is about.

The graphic murder detail in the first half of the story was too much... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Eric B. Smith

5.0 out of 5 stars violets are blue
order came in better condition than i thought it would. very happy with seller and would recommend to anyone
Published 8 months ago by Roy Neuberger

2.0 out of 5 stars seems like an END to the Cross Series.............but seriously so far the worst Cross book yet..........
ok the VAMPIRE plot was so Un-convincing........
tiger and all that nonsense............
it just seemed like Patterson dint know how to followup ROSES are RED... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Pravin Gurung

5.0 out of 5 stars Page Turning Thriller
I made the mistake of reading Violets are Blue before reading Roses are Red. But no matter. I could not put this book down from page one. That is a rarity for me. Read more
Published 12 months ago by American Idol Addict

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Product Information from the Amapedia Community

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Violets Are Blue

Alex Cross series     James Patterson (author note)    Mysteries with African-American or Black detectives or African settings     Central Atlantic seaboard (USA) mysteries: DelMarVa + DC + NJ + PA + WV 

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Created on Aug 29, 2006, last edited on Sep 02, 2006.

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