Along Came a Spider

I decided to start reading the books from Patterson, since I decided to go in order, this was the first on my list. The story line was good, first book in a long time I had trouble putting down. I would have given it 5 stars except for the excessive use of the F-bomb when it wasn’t necessary to the story, nor did it seem appropriate to be coming out of the mouth of this very successful cop/detective/psychologist. Second point was the constant reminders that the narrator was black. Not necessary to the story. He only had to tell us once, and the reader could carry that information through the book.

The most striking thing about this novel was how applicable the narrative is to living in the late 2010s. Especially sociopolitically! The story itself is so-so. If I hadn’t sporadically read Alex Cross novels before, this wouldn’t have been a novel that pulled me in to the genius that is James Patterson. I believe he only gets better from here.

It wasn’t boring, but it wasn’t the rich, thrilling and suspenseful story plotting that is behind ‘The Murder House’, ‘The Black Book’ and his more recent novels. What will keep you going is the relevance to today’s world and living in the shoes of people of color. Good read. Read it for wokeness!

I really wanted to like this book, but it was so improbable that I struggled finishing it. A detective/psychologist high on pain killers in Washington DC in charge of negotiations? A perp who is organized enough to pull off a long-term stint as a teacher at a high security private school but then is so chaotic and disorganized that he cannot even break into a house? Hypnosis in the court room? The list goes on and on.

I guess it was somewhat entertaining but the improbability of it all was bothersome. Especially to a ‘fellow’ psychologist like me. I am glad I had enough free shipping credits to get this book for free. For free it was good enough.

I like mysteries and I thought Id try one by a well-known American author (as opposed to British ones). I only made it halfway through the book. Pattersons writing is about as undisciplined as it gets. He tries to write from two different points of view – first person and third person, which gets confusing in a hurry. Patterson cant resist locker room language, both in his narration and dialogue. He also plays the race card ad nauseam throughout. Not my cup of tea.

I heard this is the novel that sent Patterson’s career soaring. It was made into a movie many years ago, which I also did not see. While I enjoyed the twists and turns, I didn’t much like the simplistic writing style. I know this is a dictate of Patterson and any author who writes for him must write at a third grade level. He targets the person in a supermarket who is looking for a quick read. Obviously, the formula works for him, and he’s a high net worth author. Still, this book is a quick and easy read. Sometimes, I suppose, the simple ways are the best way.

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