Along Came a Spider

This was my first Patterson Book that I read. I loved it and have read it again. This book set a high standard and I have been disappointed time and again that the rest of the Alex Cross series isn't as good. I keep reading and listening to them in hopes of finding another Patterson book that can keep me total engrossed like this one did. I was so mad when the movie came out and wasn't even the same story - they took a great story and butchered it up for the big screen.

I read this, my first James Patterson novel, with great expectations and excitement to discover a new writer of thrillers. I was sorely disappointed. I found that, while the plot had some very interesting turns, they were unraveled either by some character coming forward and dumping some information, some character suddenly doing something that made no real sense, or the author suddenly divulging some information that he hadwithheld earlier in the book, rather than by clever sleuthing on the part of the good guys or artful storytelling. Being accustomed to the work of Ken Follet, Richard North Patterson, and Michael Connelly among others, I was used to well woven and craftily uncovered plots and ingenious detective work and appropriately and realistically hidden clues that enabled the reader to ponder and theorize possible outcomes that were later either proven or disproven by the clever police/detective work and subsequtne clues. I found this book cludgy and lacking in credibility and artistry by comparison. The dialogue was strained and artificial at times. There was the basis of a very good story, but I felt that any of the authors I mentioned above could have woven a much tighter, more credible and more suspenseful story from the plot line. I ended the book very disappointed in this author, and disinclined to read any more of his books.

This one goes into the one percent(audiobooks I buy and can't finish)category.Storyline had some possibilities ,although Mr Patterson's strong suit is not describing physical intimacy.Those bits,and there are a few,induced cringing as well as desparate, frequent, mashing of the fast forward button.Still,occasionally a mediocre book can be salvaged by the narrator.Unfortunately, this narration can best be described as monumentally lousy-Ralph Kramden with a cold, on valium.

A good book well read can lift your day or at least your commute. This isn't one of those.

The Narration is so bad that it is difficult to follow the plot. It is like listening to a tone deaf person sing.

I think I'd have overlooked some of the technical problems with the plot line (public safety details that were simply wrong) if the reader had been better.

Charles Turner should not be allowed to narrate books until he's improved his vocabulary and work ethic. His mispronunciation of words and places was appalling and distracting. I could have dealt with his nasal voice, but combining it with a complete lack of accuracy when it came to applying dramatic tone to the text and you ended up with a poor listen.

Story is good; narration is awful. This narrator couldn't provide any distinctions between characters, even though he tried. Voice is denasal throughout and not simply because of a cold or transient infection, would be my guess. My best suggestion is to buy the abridged version.

If you can get past the horrible quality of the recording and if you like Alex Cross...this is where we first meet him.

A somewhat entertaining tale, but not worth the effort to suspend my disbelief.

The book itself was decent, not stellar. I might have liked it a bit more with a better narrator - he sounded like he was constantly congested.

I may look into listening to other books by this author, but we'll see. I wasn't terribly impressed.

This was OK - kind of a freshman attempt. The narrator didn't pull off being a PhD either. The story was interesting. The occasional lame sex could be cut out completely to make it a bit better. I'll give Patterson another go.