James Patterson: Mary, Mary

A serial killer was out there killing the elite, the rich and famous. But is the killer really a woman going by the name of Mary Smith or is it a man who's targeting the victims? No one knows for sure but Alex Cross doesn't believe the killer is a woman.

But through all of this, Alex Cross was on vacation, and having to deal with a major custody hassle with Christine about Alex Jr. Things move along and they catch up to a woman named Mary Wagner. But is Ms Wagner the one they want? Alex doesn't believe so.

But some things in Mary's past has him thinking. He goes to where Mary had grown up, to where she'd married and given birth to children, and where she'd killed those same children... Where she'd served her time at Vermont area Mental institution for the criminally insane, and there he found out that she'd had visitors for about six weeks in a time about three years before she escaped. And one of those visitors was the husband of one of the victims...

Anyway, you have to read the book...

James Patterson: Violets are Blue

The story starts where the Roses are Red ended, basically, with the death of Betsy, an FBI agent that Alex had worked with in the Mastermind case. Then he goes into another case that reminds him of a murder that happened about five years before.

But he's still got the Mastermind to deal with, the man keeps calling him, and it's like he knows exactly where Alex is, and what he's doing... and maybe he does... You'll have to finish reading this one to know the complete end...

Alex Archer - Rogue Angel: The Chosen

An interesting story all told, and very action packed. I started by reading the back cover then went on to read the inside front page and I was hooked. This is the fourth in a series of six books put out by Alex Archer.

Mr. Archer's lead character is named Annja Creed, orphan and believed to be the reincarnation of Joan of Arc. It doesn't explain in this story how that comes to be, the reader would have to read Destiny to get that story. Destiny is the first of the series and from all accounts that this author had read about the entire series, the whole series is wonderful.

Annja Creed, raised in a Catholic orphanage and has a vast dislike for the religion, comes face to face with the Holy Child, a Jesuit and some very unsavory characters in this adventure. Which from previously noted reading, isn't unusual for her ever since she started in her hero gig with the sword. Demons and other creatures must beware of this well trained female or they'll find themselves on the wrong end of the sword. If I had to rate this book, and over all series, I'd give it a five stars...meaning EXCELLENT.

James Patterson - Roses are Red

Meet Doctor Alex Cross, a family man and police officer as well as an adviser to the FBI. A case starts out with the robbery of a bank and the murder of the bank manager's family. This continues, but as each bank is robbed, there are fewer and fewer killings. Unless you count the Mastermind's killing of his bank robbing crews...

What's more, he'd found a way to kill not one, not two, but three FBI agents. But how does this one do it? How is it that he hasn't been caught? When Alex Cross is still there, trying to find out who this guy is, the man just happens to be one of Dr. Cross's best friends, but shhhh, don't tell him that.

James Patterson - 4th of July

The Women's Murder Club meet again. But this time Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer is the one on trial for the possible wrongful death of a young girl. But the girl was causing problems. The girl and her brother had been at the scene of a murder, they were being chased by the police when they crashed. Her and her partner went to the car. They put their weapons up when they believed the kids were safe, and injured. But as they were helping the kids out, both of them pull guns and the girl shoots Lindsay while the boy shoots her partner. Lindsay shoots the girl and then the boy. As a result, the girl dies and the boy finds himself paralyzed from the neck down.

Lindsay was deemed innocent of any wrong doing in criminal court, but the children's father still wanted a piece of her. So she was put on trial in civil court. In the meantime, she went out of town to relax only to find out that there was something going on in her sister's hometown. Killings, usually couples as the victims, couples with children. Why were these people killed, what was the connection? Apparently the victims in each case are people who have caused some kind of harm to children. One couple was killed because they did pornos involving children. Another couple was killed because they starved their children.

But in the middle of all this, she has to go back to San Francisco for her hearing. A hearing where the jury doesn't believe she was at fault, and that she had done anything to be considered negligent for.

James Patterson - 3rd Degree

We meet with the Women's Murder club once more. This time, they have come together to help solve the case of a group of people conspiring to get rid of several company's Chief Executive Officers and other big company executives.

The first is a man who owns or helps run a company. It was himself, his wife and housekeeper and the children should have been a part of the explosion...But one was taken out of the house by the Au Pair... while the other was saved by Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer herself, who was a witness to the explosion that blew up the two story brownstone...

In the end, a victim happens to be one of their own. You will have to read this one yourself to find out who.

On a scale of one to five, with five being the best, I give this one a five.

James Patterson - 2nd Chance

Welcome the Women's Murder Club back when you read this one, you meet Lindsay Boxer's father. But worse than that is, there's a killer on the loose who is killing either cops or people who had been or are currently related to cops. These killings were conducted by the son of a former cop who had been arrested, tried and convicted for murder some twenty years before. He was doing this to get revenge on the people who were responsible for his father's incarceration. The women's murder club comes back together to unravel the clues of this case and come up with the right solution. Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer was promoted after the last case...

James Patterson - 1st To Die

This is the first book in the Women's Murder Club series. It is about a series of murders that are committed by a married couple against newlyweds. The women involved in the club are Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer, Assistant DA Jill Bernhardt and San Francisco Chronicle reporter Cindy Thomas as well as Claire Washburn of the medical examiner's office and these four women were working on the case that they were calling the 'bride and groom murders.' This book is excellent, easy to read, with simple language, you cannot put this book down till you get to the back cover. Believe me, I tried.

Mariah Stewart - Dead Certain

This book is about three men who get together in a cell at a local area courthouse and decide that they were going to play a game. A game that is as deadly to themselves as it is to their victims.

The trilogy continues when it's Vincent Giordano, or as he calls himself in this book, Vince Daniels, goes in and attempts to complete the game that Curtis had started. He starts out by shooting the business partner of Amanda Crosby. He lucked out when Amanda was the one being investigated as the one who'd killed Derek England, the investigation is being lead by Sean Mercer, chief of police. Her brother is also a police officer, and Evan Crosby thinks that Sean is barking up the wrong tree.

When Marian, Amanda's business next door neighbor, was found dead by none other than the suspect herself, things seemed to turn for the better for Ms. Crosby, but not so good for those she loves. Amanda is no longer the prime suspect, now Sean Mercer is beginning to think she's a possible victim.

It wasn't till Vince's girlfriend arrived in Sean's office a short few days after her own business partner was found murdered did they have a plan to take Vince Giordano off the streets.

Mariah Stewart - Dead Wrong

This book is about three men who get together in a cell at a local area courthouse and decide that they were going to play a game. A game that is as deadly to themselves as it is to their victims.

This book is based sort of on a movie where two men get together and agree to kill people for the other. Three men in the book does the same as in the movie.

Enter Curtis Alan Channing, a man who had an awful past in the being of his mother who pimped him out so she could get cash for drugs. A past in the being of his mother's rape and murder of which he had been a witness. What got him caught up in this ring of murder? He was arrested on a ticket charge for another man with his same name. In the time he was in lock up he met up with an Archer Lowell and a Vincent Giordano. It was here that they conspired to commit murder, where Channing would kill anyone who got on the bad side of Giordano, Giordano would kill anyone who got on the bad side of Lowell, and Lowell would kill anyone who got on the bad side of Channing. A circle that started with Channing, and Lowell had every intention of it ending with Giordano.

This book deals with Channing taking care of any who got in Giordano's way. Namely those who was telling him that he couldn't be with his sons...or in the case of his mother-in-law, just because. Mara Douglas, a child advocate, and the judge were his primary targets. But Channing got something messed up. Instead of going after Mara Douglas, he went after anyone in the phone book who was named Mary, or was just listed as M Douglas.

Once he was done with the first two or so killings, he went after the mother-in-law and the judge. He figured he was done, then he realized his mistake.

And that was when he went after Mara Douglas. In the meantime, Mara was in the company of an FBI agent, an agent that was suggested by her sister, who is a profiler for the FBI.

In the end Mara survived, but Channing wound up committing suicide.