James Patterson's Mary, Mary is an exciting new whodunit from one of America's most popular and prolific writers.
Someone is killing Hollywood's brightest and most beautiful at precisely the wrong moment for FBI Special Agent Alex Cross - while he is vacationing in California. As one of the Bureau's top serial killer detectives, he is the obvious choice to look in on the murder investigation of a close friend of the President's wife. So much for his vacation.
So begins another Alex Cross novel, the latest in the most popular detective series to hit U.S. newsstands in the past twenty years. According to James Patterson's website, the series has sold over twenty-five million copies.
Someone is killing Hollywood's brightest and most beautiful at precisely the wrong moment for FBI Special Agent Alex Cross - while he is vacationing in California. As one of the Bureau's top serial killer detectives, he is the obvious choice to look in on the murder investigation of a close friend of the President's wife. So much for his vacation.
So begins another Alex Cross novel, the latest in the most popular detective series to hit U.S. newsstands in the past twenty years. According to James Patterson's website, the series has sold over twenty-five million copies.
I was ready to dislike Mary, Mary precisely because it was so mainstream, but I actually ended up really enjoying it. Granted, it took Patterson about a hundred pages to convert me - the wide margins, large font and triple-spaced type did not escape the eagle eyes of this college essay-stretching virtuoso. When I opened the book the first time I think I actually laughed out loud, realizing that although it was ostensibly 392 pages long, under normal conditions it would probably weigh in at no more than 250.
Regardless, Mary, Mary ended up being a lot of fun to read. First of all, 392 pages divided by 121 chapters gives you an average chapter length of 3.24 pages, so the reader is constantly rewarded with feelings of accomplishment.
Regardless, Mary, Mary ended up being a lot of fun to read. First of all, 392 pages divided by 121 chapters gives you an average chapter length of 3.24 pages, so the reader is constantly rewarded with feelings of accomplishment.
In addition, there are no big words here - I don't think I looked up a single word while reading this book, which was actually a welcome respite from the non-stop parade of lexicological expositions we have recently been delving into in my book club.
Although Mary, Mary will not challenge your reading skills, it will engage your imagination. The story follows the sympathetic and extremely likable protagonist Alex Cross as he solves a mystery right out of today's most heinous headlines, and Patterson regularly gives us just enough information to keep us guessing. I was a little frustrated with the fact that we really aren’t given enough information to totally figure out the answers before the author reveals everything to us at the end - if this is terribly bothersome to you, then this book is not for you.
Although Mary, Mary will not challenge your reading skills, it will engage your imagination. The story follows the sympathetic and extremely likable protagonist Alex Cross as he solves a mystery right out of today's most heinous headlines, and Patterson regularly gives us just enough information to keep us guessing. I was a little frustrated with the fact that we really aren’t given enough information to totally figure out the answers before the author reveals everything to us at the end - if this is terribly bothersome to you, then this book is not for you.
If you are looking for a Pulitzer Prize winner, then go read one. Mary, Mary is pulp fiction, a fiction for the masses. After checking out his website, I suspect that is precisely what James Patterson was attempting to write - he is a big-time literacy advocate. This is writing that is accessible to nearly everyone, and unless you are a serial killer or the victim of one, this book will hit far enough from home for you to safely look over Alex Cross's shoulder and get a good scare.
