Violets are Blue

De: James Patterson

Narrado por: Paul Birchard

The Mastermind is back - and he's hot on detective Alex Cross's trail. His cold, taunting threats leave Alex angry and deeply concerned for his family's safety. Two joggers have been found dead in San Francisco - bitten and hung by their feet to drain the blood. Further murders in California, and then on the East Coast as well, completely baffle Alex and the FBI. Is this the work of a cult, or role players, or even of modern-day vampires? Desperate to stop the deaths, Alex teams up with Jamilla Hughes, a savvy woman detective, and the FBI's Kyle Craig. But Alex has never been closer to defeat, or in greater danger. He must survive a deadly confrontation - only to learn at last the awful secret of the Mastermind.
(P)2012 Headline Digital©2001 James Patterson

Suspensive thriller !

Yet again very well written suspense thriller. Very interesting to see how over the years Dr Alex Cross sled reflects on how being the “dragon slayer” has changed him...

Violets are meh

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Getting Morgan Freeman to narrate would have made this so much better. This is a very biased opinion, but ever since I saw him play Cross in the two movies made from these novels so far, I can't get past anyone else performing the story.The story was also uninteresting. The only saving grace was the climax between Cross and the Mastermind. The other central story was just not as intriguing.I know this is a Patterson thing, but I don't like how he tells the story from the killers' perspective at times. It takes away from the mystery and lowers the bar for me. If the killers remained unknown and a mystery, it would deepen the thrill of the novel.

Has Violets are Blue turned you off from other books in this genre?

Probably not. But I know that Patterson writes all his novels in the same manner, and this may turn me off his books.

What didn’t you like about Paul Birchard’s performance?

He portrayed Cross with a kind of Boston accent for most of the book. This makes no sense whatsoever, as Cross has never had anything to do with Boston. Hearing him pronounce "airport" as "eh-ya-paht" was just annoying.

What character would you cut from Violets are Blue?

Nana Mama. I know she is a staple of the series and Alex's conscience. But I find her annoying and any scenes where Cross is talking to her slow down the pace of an already slow novel.