Roses Are Red

Bank robbers with a set time frame to commit the robbery, the kidnapping of the branch manager’s family, and the death of those people if the robbery takes any time over the time allowed starts the book.
After the robbery the kidnapped family members are killed and the the robbers themselves are killed by the suspect leader, who calls himself the “Mastermind”.
The book provides many twists and turns throughout, keeping the reader thoroughly anticipating the next page to find out what secret the author provides.
As with all of this author’s writings, attention to detail is evident and a clear understanding of situational awareness, as well as police procedure, continues to inspire the reader to remain involved until the final page, which in this case provides a very interesting twist.

While not the worst I’ve ever read, “Roses Are Red” (the sixth Alex Cross novel) is indeed a huge disappointment. Not only does it waste everything from the last five books, but it also wastes the potential that this novel by itself could have done so wonderfully.

The story is a mess, it doesn’t continue anything from the previous novels. And when it does, it only ruins it. I freaking love the romance between Alex and Christine in the past. I was hoping that Patterson would have their love for each other become more stronger, due to the previous events of the last installment. But nope! He throws it away and doesn’t even try to put any emotion into it. He took the only relationship that I’ve ever cared for (with the exception of Kate from “Kiss the Girls”) and ruins it. The action and the mystery are disappointing. I was shocked when the Mastermind’s identity was revealed, but I felt like it was underwhelmed by how depressing and disappointing this novel is. The new romance between Alex and Betsy feels forced (although I will admit I do like Betsy as a character). But even when I started to actually kinda get more invested into the relationship between them, Patterson ruins any chance of that by killing off Betsy (spoiler alert). There are just tons of sub-plots that I feel either don’t need to be in this story or aren’t given enough attention to.

Trust me when I say it, “save your money” and “skip this novel”. I still stand by word when I say that this isn’t the worst Alex Cross novel in the series (and trust me, that’s reserved for “Cross Country”). But this novel ruins everything that I come to love about Alex Cross. It ruins Alex and Christine’s relationship. It ruins Christine herself as a character (seriously, she felt like a completely didn’t character in this novel). It ruins any chance of me getting into Alex’s new relationship with Betsy (who I actually like as a character), and it ruins the chance of perhaps the “biggest” reveal at the end of this novel. Patterson really messed up on this one!

ROSES ARE RED by James Patterson features crack Washington DC homicide detective Alex Cross.
I’ve read almost 40 James Patterson books including at least a half dozen from the Alex Cross series. I must say in comparison, Roses never climbed above the mediocre level. Patterson’s characters in this writing lack depth. Even Cross’s FBI love interest, Betsey Cavalierre, who could have been a prime contributor to the story, appeared more like a one-night stand than a thoughtful love interest. The writer’s constant return to Cross’s family with Nana Mama and the boring Cross clan was distracting and more a diversion than a part of the story.
The ending leaves the reader hanging. Appearing as an afterthought, Patterson pulled a villain out of thin air in the last couple pages leaving the reader aghast and cheated. Is there to be a follow on, a sequel? Good question.
I was disappointed in the book. I give Roses no more than a 2 rating out of a possible 5.

Roses are Red by James Patterson. Well now, Detective Cross is once again in the middle of a series of murders and bank robberies. There seems to be no clues to be found any where. Why? Cross teams up with FBI agents, Kyle Craig, Betesy Cavalierre and two other agents.Together the three are traveling from Washington D.C. to New York try to put together just how this group of killers knows just what is what in the banking industry. People taken hostage and then released without harm while others are murdered in cold blood. A thrilling read indeed. See if you can come up with your own ideas as to who is the “mastermind!” See if you know just a little bit of what is going to happen to the three main characters; that is Cross, Cavalierre and Craig. I got a gut feeling about one hundred pages before the end of this well written book. Buy it! You’ll like it! Rated PG. Some strong language and sexual content. DP, Castro Valley, CA.

Amazing story. These books continue to amaze me. I highly recommend getting into this series from the beginning. It will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. Not spoiling the book in my review.

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