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Alex Cross #2
Kiss the Girls
Alex Cross is back.
In Los Angeles, a reporter investigating a series of murders is killed.
In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a beautiful medical intern suddenly disappears.
And in Washington D.C., Cross needs to find the solution to the most baffling and terrifying murder case ever. Two clever pattern killers are collaborating, cooperating, competing - and they are working coast to coast. Is Alex Cross up to the challenge?
In Los Angeles, a reporter investigating a series of murders is killed.
In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a beautiful medical intern suddenly disappears.
And in Washington D.C., Cross needs to find the solution to the most baffling and terrifying murder case ever. Two clever pattern killers are collaborating, cooperating, competing - and they are working coast to coast. Is Alex Cross up to the challenge?
481 pages, Paperback
First published January 11, 1995
About the author
James Patterson
1,092 books347k followersOfficial US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Tiger Woods, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. Patterson has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, and collaborated most recently with Michael Crichton on the blockbuster Eruption. He has told the story of his own life in James Patterson by James Patterson and received an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Tiger Woods, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. Patterson has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, and collaborated most recently with Michael Crichton on the blockbuster Eruption. He has told the story of his own life in James Patterson by James Patterson and received an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,268 reviews
January 12, 2008
This is genuinely the worst book I have ever finished.
To be fair, it is tolerable when there is action, which is often. But every time James Patterson tries to put words coming out of a characters mouth, it makes you want to punch yourself in the face. When he writes descriptive, emotional paragraphs, it makes you want to punch him in the face.
I actually dog-eared a couple pages because the writing was so bad, I wanted to be able to quick reference it to people to show them how bad it was.
Want another example of how bad a writer he is? One of his other books is called, "Night of the Machete." I am not a God-fearing man, but if you believe in God, maybe throw in an extra prayer for James Patterson's English language murdering soul.
To be fair, it is tolerable when there is action, which is often. But every time James Patterson tries to put words coming out of a characters mouth, it makes you want to punch yourself in the face. When he writes descriptive, emotional paragraphs, it makes you want to punch him in the face.
I actually dog-eared a couple pages because the writing was so bad, I wanted to be able to quick reference it to people to show them how bad it was.
Want another example of how bad a writer he is? One of his other books is called, "Night of the Machete." I am not a God-fearing man, but if you believe in God, maybe throw in an extra prayer for James Patterson's English language murdering soul.
April 6, 2017
I received an ARC of Kiss the Girls via NetGalley and I would like to thank James Patterson, Random House UK, Cornerstone and Arrow. Although this is a well-known classic thriller, first released in 1995, a new version with that strikingly awesome cover is being published on 29 June 2017. Kiss the Girls is the second outing featuring detective and psychologist Alex Cross and it follows on from the excellent Along Came A Spider.
The story starts with Alex arriving home one day to find a houseful of crying relatives. The reason being that his niece Naomi has gone missing whilst she is away from the family studying law in Carolina. They are shocked and devastated of course. To make matters more complex, this is not an isolated incident. This has happened to at least six attractive, intelligent women recently so the police are suspecting a serial kidnapper. As this is personal, Alex talks his way from Washington D.C. to Carolina where he aligns himself with the local force and the FBI investigating these mysterious disappearances which have left no evidence or even the smallest lead.
Kiss the Girls includes familiar characters that are frequent throughout the series such as Alex's partner, the "Man Mountain" Detective John Sampson and also his FBI contact, Special Agent Kyle Craig. I really enjoyed reading more about these characters as well as about Alex himself. Similar to the majority of these thrillers, we are introduced to new highly interesting and deep characters such as the "two killers" and a female student Doctor and karate expert, Kate.
The action switches between Washington D.C and Carolina. The novel flows at breakneck speed and the chapters are always short, sharp and precise keeping the action intense and gripping. Alex does what he does best which is trying to get into the minds of these notorious "monsters" to try and find a trail that shed some light of these horrific happenings. I have read approximately six Alex Cross novels and my experience throughout these books, Kiss the Girls included, is that Patterson does compose some gruesome and upsetting scenes including rape and murder so this is not for the lighthearted.
I don't want to divulge any real details about the plot or the direction this book takes. When I read, I always try and predict what will happen. Kiss the Girls was so hugely unpredictable that I didn't bother trying to guess but just buckled myself in so I could enjoy the journey. Apologies for the cliche, but the narrative is like an intense roller coaster. It plummeted my mind in one direction, then there was a twist, then I thought a certain revelation was awesome only then to realise I was blind sighted and things weren't as they seemed at all. It leaves you slightly disorientated but in a great way. As Alex's parts are in the first person, I emphasised with his distress and confusion at certain points as it tries to solve this case yet, I was also given a real buzz when something unraveled in Alex's favour and when his deductions proved fruitful. The other characters are presented in the third person which means that we have a complete view of everything that is happening and are with Alex when he puts the pieces of the puzzle together to try and rescue his niece, amongst the other missing ladies. To call this a thriller is an understatement. This is my favourite Alex Cross book so far and I can't wait to read Cat and Mouse next and complete the series chronologically. (I have already read Jack and Jill before anyone states that I have the order wrong lol!) Highly recommend.
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The story starts with Alex arriving home one day to find a houseful of crying relatives. The reason being that his niece Naomi has gone missing whilst she is away from the family studying law in Carolina. They are shocked and devastated of course. To make matters more complex, this is not an isolated incident. This has happened to at least six attractive, intelligent women recently so the police are suspecting a serial kidnapper. As this is personal, Alex talks his way from Washington D.C. to Carolina where he aligns himself with the local force and the FBI investigating these mysterious disappearances which have left no evidence or even the smallest lead.
Kiss the Girls includes familiar characters that are frequent throughout the series such as Alex's partner, the "Man Mountain" Detective John Sampson and also his FBI contact, Special Agent Kyle Craig. I really enjoyed reading more about these characters as well as about Alex himself. Similar to the majority of these thrillers, we are introduced to new highly interesting and deep characters such as the "two killers" and a female student Doctor and karate expert, Kate.
The action switches between Washington D.C and Carolina. The novel flows at breakneck speed and the chapters are always short, sharp and precise keeping the action intense and gripping. Alex does what he does best which is trying to get into the minds of these notorious "monsters" to try and find a trail that shed some light of these horrific happenings. I have read approximately six Alex Cross novels and my experience throughout these books, Kiss the Girls included, is that Patterson does compose some gruesome and upsetting scenes including rape and murder so this is not for the lighthearted.
I don't want to divulge any real details about the plot or the direction this book takes. When I read, I always try and predict what will happen. Kiss the Girls was so hugely unpredictable that I didn't bother trying to guess but just buckled myself in so I could enjoy the journey. Apologies for the cliche, but the narrative is like an intense roller coaster. It plummeted my mind in one direction, then there was a twist, then I thought a certain revelation was awesome only then to realise I was blind sighted and things weren't as they seemed at all. It leaves you slightly disorientated but in a great way. As Alex's parts are in the first person, I emphasised with his distress and confusion at certain points as it tries to solve this case yet, I was also given a real buzz when something unraveled in Alex's favour and when his deductions proved fruitful. The other characters are presented in the third person which means that we have a complete view of everything that is happening and are with Alex when he puts the pieces of the puzzle together to try and rescue his niece, amongst the other missing ladies. To call this a thriller is an understatement. This is my favourite Alex Cross book so far and I can't wait to read Cat and Mouse next and complete the series chronologically. (I have already read Jack and Jill before anyone states that I have the order wrong lol!) Highly recommend.
www.youandibooks.wordpress.com
August 22, 2022
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This is my second time reading this and I have to admit I'm having a bit of an existential crisis. Because I used to genuinely enjoy this? I would devour the Alex Cross series when I was 14/15 and fully evolving my love for murder and mayhem as a maturing reader. I would close a Patterson book thinking, yeah, so good.
But no, guys, seriously, so bad.
Patterson's prose are atrocious. There is zero depth to the plotting. There are no less than two overwrought clichés per page. And if you think female characters should exist as anything more than cardboard caricatures then look elsewhere! Because here we only have room for stereotypes and sexual objectification.
Now, I know people will disagree. Patterson has a lot of fans. But, you know...
The last time I heard the words baby, sweetie, honey and daddy so many times I needed to clear out my browser history afterwards. The pet names made me uncomfortable. The dialogue is awkward and cheesy and odd.
Alex Cross is kind of gross. I like Morgan Freeman's version way better. But here, he's in the middle of a serious serial murder investigation and he's constantly thinking about whether a victim, whose face is still busted open, wants to fuck him. The women in this story exist purely to be victims and sexual objects. From Alex's erection leading him everywhere he goes to the two psycho killers who are "loving" women by anally raping them with snakes - yes, snakes. Anal. With snakes.
There is so little character development that the brutal shit doesn't have a human counterpoint. It is all just a misogynistic nightmare play. The only character Patterson gives any attention to is Alex - but only in a very surface way so you are constantly reminded about how fuckinggggg awesomeeeeee he is. *eyeroll*
A real sentence: "He made a noise. It sounded like 'yaaaaaaagh.'"
Come on. Really? Patterson is richer than any of us could ever dream to be and he got there off of "He made a noise. It sounded like 'yaaaaaaagh.'"??
⭐½ | 1.5 stars rounded down
This is my second time reading this and I have to admit I'm having a bit of an existential crisis. Because I used to genuinely enjoy this? I would devour the Alex Cross series when I was 14/15 and fully evolving my love for murder and mayhem as a maturing reader. I would close a Patterson book thinking, yeah, so good.
But no, guys, seriously, so bad.
Patterson's prose are atrocious. There is zero depth to the plotting. There are no less than two overwrought clichés per page. And if you think female characters should exist as anything more than cardboard caricatures then look elsewhere! Because here we only have room for stereotypes and sexual objectification.
Now, I know people will disagree. Patterson has a lot of fans. But, you know...
The last time I heard the words baby, sweetie, honey and daddy so many times I needed to clear out my browser history afterwards. The pet names made me uncomfortable. The dialogue is awkward and cheesy and odd.
Alex Cross is kind of gross. I like Morgan Freeman's version way better. But here, he's in the middle of a serious serial murder investigation and he's constantly thinking about whether a victim, whose face is still busted open, wants to fuck him. The women in this story exist purely to be victims and sexual objects. From Alex's erection leading him everywhere he goes to the two psycho killers who are "loving" women by anally raping them with snakes - yes, snakes. Anal. With snakes.
There is so little character development that the brutal shit doesn't have a human counterpoint. It is all just a misogynistic nightmare play. The only character Patterson gives any attention to is Alex - but only in a very surface way so you are constantly reminded about how fuckinggggg awesomeeeeee he is. *eyeroll*
A real sentence: "He made a noise. It sounded like 'yaaaaaaagh.'"
Come on. Really? Patterson is richer than any of us could ever dream to be and he got there off of "He made a noise. It sounded like 'yaaaaaaagh.'"??
⭐½ | 1.5 stars rounded down
February 6, 2015
Okay I am getting hooked on Alex Cross and may now have to read this series straight through. I really enjoy the pace of these books, the way each short chapter jumps straight to the next so the reader has no opportunity to put the book down. I read this one in one day staying up far too late in order to finish it and loved every minute of it. There is a lot of violence against women in it - that is its main theme after all since the murderers are insane rapists! So if that kind of stuff offends you then do not read it. Otherwise I recommend Alex Cross to anyone who enjoys a good murder mystery.
February 18, 2009
If this is what some people consider beach reading, they should drown themselves.
If I could scrub clean that part of my brain where the stench of this novel resides, I would. While Patterson probably applauds himself for coming up with something as clever as an underground lair and the device of two serial rapist/murderers working together, every other aspect of this book (I have to call it a book, which is a four-letter word and refers to something that is written but can also be used as a doorstop) is goofy, stupid, and formulaic. Two things are very clear: (1) Patterson thinks Duke is the only university in the piedmont (uuuuuuuugh) and (2) he can’t write a love scene – in fact, I’ve never been so turned off by the written words of love. Ever.
If I could scrub clean that part of my brain where the stench of this novel resides, I would. While Patterson probably applauds himself for coming up with something as clever as an underground lair and the device of two serial rapist/murderers working together, every other aspect of this book (I have to call it a book, which is a four-letter word and refers to something that is written but can also be used as a doorstop) is goofy, stupid, and formulaic. Two things are very clear: (1) Patterson thinks Duke is the only university in the piedmont (uuuuuuuugh) and (2) he can’t write a love scene – in fact, I’ve never been so turned off by the written words of love. Ever.
January 28, 2015
In the entire history of my mature reading, spanning back to when I picked up Fahrenheit 451 at 15, I don't think I've ever read a single sentence as soul-crushingly, brain-batteringly, rage-inducingly bad as "He made a noise. It sounded like 'yaaaaaaagh.'"
HE MADE. A NOISE. IT SOUNDED. LIKE. "YAAAAAAAGH."
Readers of popular fiction, this is what your favorite authors think of you. They think you're only capable of processing things at a fourth-grade level, that simply having a character shout "YAAAAAAGH" isn't enough; emphasis has to be placed on how the noise sounded like yagh, but didn't necessarily have to be yagh, it could've been something closely related like "yargh" or even "yogh." People who write sentences like that shouldn't be allowed publishing deals, they should be sent back to freshman creative writing class and kept there until they never type a sentence like that again. Of course, it might not be the fault of Patterson, but of his small army of ghost writers...
And don't tell me it's just pulp fiction. Raymond Chandler wouldn't write a sentence like that. If Philip Marlowe was real, he'd probably give Patterson a smack for that one. It's just asinine. There are plenty more sentences like that, and bad sentences aren't even the worst thing about the four chapters of this book I read before I set it down in disgust; the holy-shit italics and flat characterization just might be even more painful. Is this really how low the bar for popular fiction sits? I'll stick to the literary stuff, thanks.
HE MADE. A NOISE. IT SOUNDED. LIKE. "YAAAAAAAGH."
Readers of popular fiction, this is what your favorite authors think of you. They think you're only capable of processing things at a fourth-grade level, that simply having a character shout "YAAAAAAGH" isn't enough; emphasis has to be placed on how the noise sounded like yagh, but didn't necessarily have to be yagh, it could've been something closely related like "yargh" or even "yogh." People who write sentences like that shouldn't be allowed publishing deals, they should be sent back to freshman creative writing class and kept there until they never type a sentence like that again. Of course, it might not be the fault of Patterson, but of his small army of ghost writers...
And don't tell me it's just pulp fiction. Raymond Chandler wouldn't write a sentence like that. If Philip Marlowe was real, he'd probably give Patterson a smack for that one. It's just asinine. There are plenty more sentences like that, and bad sentences aren't even the worst thing about the four chapters of this book I read before I set it down in disgust; the holy-shit italics and flat characterization just might be even more painful. Is this really how low the bar for popular fiction sits? I'll stick to the literary stuff, thanks.
May 2, 2013
Alex Cross is a cop. A damn good cop. He's 6'3" tall, taut with muscles, and strikingly handsome. He's a doctor, too. A damn good doctor. A psychologist to the slum kids. His washboard stomach gleams in the afternoon light, as he plays Nora Jones and Coltrane on his piano, stroking his children's heads with his other arms. The phone rings, and he wonders if it's the FBI again, offering him that job running the DC police. He lets it ring again, and again, and again. He really doesn't have time for the FBI. Because he's a damn good father, too.
What utter, utter, utter trash.
As in "Like Water For Elephants," every character in this Mills & Boon spinoff action novel is beautiful, perfect, confident, doubt- and flaw-less, cultured, smart, handsome, and wears a sixpack. Every honorable character knows the right thing to do, when to do it, how to do it, why it needs to be done. Like the black-belt karate expert / Cormac McCarthy-reading academic / honors med student / model, who's kidnapped and repeatedly raped by a serial killer, then falls 30 yards into a shallow rocky stream, and hours later joins the FBI on the killer's manhunt.
What sniveling, pathetic, horrid trash.
Picked this up hoping for a complex and addictive Dragon Tattoo thriller, or perhaps even some cheap and fun David Goodis-styled pulp, but no. This was Mills & Boon trash.
What utter, utter, utter trash.
As in "Like Water For Elephants," every character in this Mills & Boon spinoff action novel is beautiful, perfect, confident, doubt- and flaw-less, cultured, smart, handsome, and wears a sixpack. Every honorable character knows the right thing to do, when to do it, how to do it, why it needs to be done. Like the black-belt karate expert / Cormac McCarthy-reading academic / honors med student / model, who's kidnapped and repeatedly raped by a serial killer, then falls 30 yards into a shallow rocky stream, and hours later joins the FBI on the killer's manhunt.
What sniveling, pathetic, horrid trash.
Picked this up hoping for a complex and addictive Dragon Tattoo thriller, or perhaps even some cheap and fun David Goodis-styled pulp, but no. This was Mills & Boon trash.
August 1, 2018
If you see me rating a book 5 stars, make sure you jump on it.
Very very thrilling ! Thoroughly enjoyed. This story is a bit touchy as brutality is at it's best. Two astute example executioners are teaming up, participating, contending - and they are working across the nation. Just imagine how terrifying is this !
In Los Angeles, a correspondent exploring a progression of homicides is murdered. In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a wonderful restorative assistant all of a sudden vanishes. In Washington D.C. Alex Cross has returned to comprehend the most confounding and frightening homicide case ever.
Very very thrilling ! Thoroughly enjoyed. This story is a bit touchy as brutality is at it's best. Two astute example executioners are teaming up, participating, contending - and they are working across the nation. Just imagine how terrifying is this !
In Los Angeles, a correspondent exploring a progression of homicides is murdered. In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a wonderful restorative assistant all of a sudden vanishes. In Washington D.C. Alex Cross has returned to comprehend the most confounding and frightening homicide case ever.
September 25, 2019
4 stars
“Everything I loved was taken away from me, and I did not die.”
I first read this book in my sophomore year of high school. I went through a HUGE James Patterson phase and have read a large amount of his original works. My grandmother had loved him too, so it gave us something to connect over and I will always love James Patterson, if only for that fact.
Kiss the Girls is one of his best stories. A young doctor is abducted by a killer who calls himself Casanova. Casanova considers himself different from other killers because he claims he has the ability to love, and he is searching for the love of his life. Kate escapes, the only girl who ever has, and she works with the authorities to try and capture this man.
“Oh, I guess I want to fall in love, to stay in love for a while. I want to feel real romance every day that I possibly can. I want to feel something special in my life. I want to experience intimacy with another person. I'm not that different from everyone else. Except that I act instead of daydream.”
I enjoyed this book 15+ years ago, and I still enjoyed it modern day. I was a teen when I first read it (a sheltered teen too) I didn’t catch some concepts the first time around. Mainly I remember Casanova, but I totally forgot about the coast to coast killers aspect. I also noticed more this time around the racism Alex and Sampson faced when they were in the South working on a case. It was 100% present the entire novel, but I am glad Patterson addressed this aspect of being a black detective working in this environment.
I will say, the build up to the end of the book didn’t do much for me the second time around, maybe because I remembered vaguely who the killer was. But if you are one of those Patterson naysayers because he doesn’t write his books (which, let’s be honest, it’s obvious he doesn’t write the new ones), this book is proof that he’s a great writer, or at least was at one time. Now, I am off to watch the movie because reasons!
“A saying of Sun-tzu’s hammered through her head: “A victorious army wins its victories before seeking battle.”
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“Everything I loved was taken away from me, and I did not die.”
I first read this book in my sophomore year of high school. I went through a HUGE James Patterson phase and have read a large amount of his original works. My grandmother had loved him too, so it gave us something to connect over and I will always love James Patterson, if only for that fact.
Kiss the Girls is one of his best stories. A young doctor is abducted by a killer who calls himself Casanova. Casanova considers himself different from other killers because he claims he has the ability to love, and he is searching for the love of his life. Kate escapes, the only girl who ever has, and she works with the authorities to try and capture this man.
“Oh, I guess I want to fall in love, to stay in love for a while. I want to feel real romance every day that I possibly can. I want to feel something special in my life. I want to experience intimacy with another person. I'm not that different from everyone else. Except that I act instead of daydream.”
I enjoyed this book 15+ years ago, and I still enjoyed it modern day. I was a teen when I first read it (a sheltered teen too) I didn’t catch some concepts the first time around. Mainly I remember Casanova, but I totally forgot about the coast to coast killers aspect. I also noticed more this time around the racism Alex and Sampson faced when they were in the South working on a case. It was 100% present the entire novel, but I am glad Patterson addressed this aspect of being a black detective working in this environment.
I will say, the build up to the end of the book didn’t do much for me the second time around, maybe because I remembered vaguely who the killer was. But if you are one of those Patterson naysayers because he doesn’t write his books (which, let’s be honest, it’s obvious he doesn’t write the new ones), this book is proof that he’s a great writer, or at least was at one time. Now, I am off to watch the movie because reasons!
“A saying of Sun-tzu’s hammered through her head: “A victorious army wins its victories before seeking battle.”
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February 22, 2010
If there has ever been a more unecessary book written in English, well I don't know what it is. I don't understand how people read Patterson at all. Alex Cross is boring. He's a boring, unlikely, barely likeable character. Also, his Porsche would get stolen every day in the neighbourhood he unrealistically choses to live in. The writing is trite and pedestrian with an average of 3.2 ridiculous cliches every two pages. Tossing one plucky woman into a story does not excuse the endless, graphic violence, degradation and horrific ravings of brutal misogynists. That business with the snake was certainly the worst of Patterson's seeming mission to the women in his books until, I don't even know what the goal could possibly be. James Patterson is the small pox of modern writing and he's going kill us or leave us so scarred by the trial we'll never be the same again.
May 18, 2011
Before giving my opinion about this book, the 2nd one featuring Alex Cross, it is only fair to disclose that I ADORE the Alex Cross/John Sampson duo. I'm convinced that Mr. Patterson could place these two in even the most mundane storyline and still come up with a winning book. Luckily, such is not the case with Kiss the Girls. This is a fabulously written mystery with multiple opportununities for the reader to figure out who, what, when, where and why. The human monsters in this book are ruthless, arrogant, unapologetic and quite dispicable. As the reader, the desire for Cross and Sampson to apprehend the atrocities masquerading as humans is even a bit stronger than the need for the victims to be saved. Having said that, some of the victims are amazing, strong women; leaving the reader with a wish to see the ladies kick butt. Any chance Mr. Patterson is generous enough to give the reader everything he/she hopes for in a book? You'll have to read it to see.
August 7, 2018
Alex Cross is a skilled, and dedicated, detective from Washington, DC. When he discovers his niece is missing from her college in NC and might possibly have been kidnapped by a serial killer, he jumps into the case with NC authorities and the FBI. Women are disappearing. All beautiful, very intelligent women. Some are found murdered. And others are just gone, with no clues as to their whereabouts. When one victim escapes, Alex and the FBI find out that this case might be much more complex and dangerous. The NC kidnappings and murders might be related to similar crimes in California. Alex and the FBI race to solve the case and find the missing victims before more of them are killed.
I am really enjoying this series. I read the first book because it was listed as part of the Great American Read, and continued on because I like the characters, especially Alex Cross. Cross is a complex character. He is a ruthless investigator, but a kind and gentle father to his two kids. The plots are interesting and very suspenseful. Kiss the Girls is not for the feint of heart. It contains quite graphic depictions of torture, rape, kidnapping and abuse. There was one scene with an assault involving a snake that made me have to turn the audio book off for awhile and watch a Disney movie. It was.......intense and disturbing. The bad guy in this story is crazier than an S-house rat....and very, very dangerous. The point of view jumps around quite a bit ..... changing from victims, to killer, to Alex Cross. I'm not usually a fan of stories that jump around like that, but for this book, it worked perfectly. It just heightened the suspense, and developed the characters. The crimes were chilling and horrible. The story definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.
I usually listen to audio books outside while I do yard work. But this one was a bit too intense and graphic. It wasn't appropriate for listening to outside because our neighbors on one side have small children, and the neighborhood gossips are on the other side. I had visions of the gossips calling around telling people I was listening to dirty sex books in my front yard. ha ha. I chose to enjoy this suspenseful story in the privacy of my kitchen, saving me from any neighbor side eye. :) Very, very good book -- just a note of caution for those who have small kids at home or have qualms about books with rape/torture themes.
Narrated by Michael Kramer, the audio book version I listened to is just shy of 11 hours long. I would have preferred a black voice actor narrating, but Kramer did a good job. I have hearing loss, but was easily able to hear and understand the entire book.
I'm definitely going to read more of this series! Very enjoyable so far! The books are bestsellers for a reason. I wish I had started reading sooner! Not sure why I never read this series. Fixing my error now!
I am really enjoying this series. I read the first book because it was listed as part of the Great American Read, and continued on because I like the characters, especially Alex Cross. Cross is a complex character. He is a ruthless investigator, but a kind and gentle father to his two kids. The plots are interesting and very suspenseful. Kiss the Girls is not for the feint of heart. It contains quite graphic depictions of torture, rape, kidnapping and abuse. There was one scene with an assault involving a snake that made me have to turn the audio book off for awhile and watch a Disney movie. It was.......intense and disturbing. The bad guy in this story is crazier than an S-house rat....and very, very dangerous. The point of view jumps around quite a bit ..... changing from victims, to killer, to Alex Cross. I'm not usually a fan of stories that jump around like that, but for this book, it worked perfectly. It just heightened the suspense, and developed the characters. The crimes were chilling and horrible. The story definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.
I usually listen to audio books outside while I do yard work. But this one was a bit too intense and graphic. It wasn't appropriate for listening to outside because our neighbors on one side have small children, and the neighborhood gossips are on the other side. I had visions of the gossips calling around telling people I was listening to dirty sex books in my front yard. ha ha. I chose to enjoy this suspenseful story in the privacy of my kitchen, saving me from any neighbor side eye. :) Very, very good book -- just a note of caution for those who have small kids at home or have qualms about books with rape/torture themes.
Narrated by Michael Kramer, the audio book version I listened to is just shy of 11 hours long. I would have preferred a black voice actor narrating, but Kramer did a good job. I have hearing loss, but was easily able to hear and understand the entire book.
I'm definitely going to read more of this series! Very enjoyable so far! The books are bestsellers for a reason. I wish I had started reading sooner! Not sure why I never read this series. Fixing my error now!
March 25, 2011
If it weren't for two scenes in this novel, I'd add two stars. Patterson is no prose stylist, and his novels are formulaic, but until a few novels after this one Alex Cross got unbearably Gary Stu, with supervillain psychopaths making it their life work to take him down, I found Patterson's detective protagonist likable and the books featuring him entertaining page-turning police procedurals.
In some ways, this second book book in the series is even stronger than Along Came a Spider, the first Alex Cross novel. In this one, Cross becomes involved when his niece is kidnapped, and he believes it's a case of "twinning" where two serial killers are cooperating and competing on two coasts--"Cassanova" and "The Gentleman Caller." Cross teams up with a victim of Cassanova, Kate McTiernan, who escapes his lair only to find it's seemingly disappeared. The forensic psychology is more to the fore in this novel, the hunt suspenseful, the twists clever. Moreover, Kate in a lot of ways is an appealing, kick-ass heroine--a survivor who does everything to save herself, not just wait passively for rescue.
What mars this is that when I think of this novel, I think of two scenes in particular, and it's not a good memory. One is the rape of Kate by Cassanova. The other is the anal rape of another woman by Cassanova--using a live snake. Yes, you read that right. I went back and looked to make sure I was remembering the right novel. There it is in Chapter 54. Three paragraphs burned into my retinas.
The thing is I can see the rationale for both scenes. One to show Kate's resilience and bravery, so that we understand what she underwent. The other so we understand just what kind of monster Cross is dealing with in Cassanova.
But those scenes are so graphic, so explicit, to me they come across as pornography of the kind the two serial rapists are said to read and relish--The Story of O and School Girls in Paris among others named. The scenes overwhelm the story as well as repel.
Rape in fiction is a chancy thing. I'm not saying it should never be used. It's too often part of life, history, crime--but it's rarely done effectively and isn't done well here but comes across as a cheap attempt to titillate and shock.
In some ways, this second book book in the series is even stronger than Along Came a Spider, the first Alex Cross novel. In this one, Cross becomes involved when his niece is kidnapped, and he believes it's a case of "twinning" where two serial killers are cooperating and competing on two coasts--"Cassanova" and "The Gentleman Caller." Cross teams up with a victim of Cassanova, Kate McTiernan, who escapes his lair only to find it's seemingly disappeared. The forensic psychology is more to the fore in this novel, the hunt suspenseful, the twists clever. Moreover, Kate in a lot of ways is an appealing, kick-ass heroine--a survivor who does everything to save herself, not just wait passively for rescue.
What mars this is that when I think of this novel, I think of two scenes in particular, and it's not a good memory. One is the rape of Kate by Cassanova. The other is the anal rape of another woman by Cassanova--using a live snake. Yes, you read that right. I went back and looked to make sure I was remembering the right novel. There it is in Chapter 54. Three paragraphs burned into my retinas.
The thing is I can see the rationale for both scenes. One to show Kate's resilience and bravery, so that we understand what she underwent. The other so we understand just what kind of monster Cross is dealing with in Cassanova.
But those scenes are so graphic, so explicit, to me they come across as pornography of the kind the two serial rapists are said to read and relish--The Story of O and School Girls in Paris among others named. The scenes overwhelm the story as well as repel.
Rape in fiction is a chancy thing. I'm not saying it should never be used. It's too often part of life, history, crime--but it's rarely done effectively and isn't done well here but comes across as a cheap attempt to titillate and shock.
May 18, 2008
Good luck trying to put this one down after starting it. From start to finish this book will have you sweating with anticipation of whats to come. James Patterson does a great job of putting realistic characters in believable situations that will have you on the edge of your seat i guess you could say.
The story is about a detective named Alex Cross who is called on to try to find two notorious serial killers. Patterson describes them as twin killers. But are they really related? You will encounter some of the most grusome and horrific murders. The story has another twist to it. Cross's niece goes missing from her college campus. Now the investigation is personal.
This book is quick read and one worth reading. If you like constant excitement this is the book for you. This book will not disappoint!
The story is about a detective named Alex Cross who is called on to try to find two notorious serial killers. Patterson describes them as twin killers. But are they really related? You will encounter some of the most grusome and horrific murders. The story has another twist to it. Cross's niece goes missing from her college campus. Now the investigation is personal.
This book is quick read and one worth reading. If you like constant excitement this is the book for you. This book will not disappoint!
January 24, 2018
I loved this book more than Along Came a Spider, even though I really did like that one very much. I am becoming very endeared to the Cross character and his family. The plots were amazing and so intriguing in this installment. I enjoyed reading about the "twinning" dynamic concept of the serial killers and their communications.
My quick and simple overall: SO ENTERTAINING to read!
My quick and simple overall: SO ENTERTAINING to read!
November 10, 2022
I first read this in high school back when it came out, and I loved it. I also loved the movie. I did not love the reread of it.
I'm not crazy about Patterson's writing. It is a cool storyline, I think, but it's mainly getting three stars for nostalgia.
For me, this book can be summed up in two sentences:
Kate McTeirnan is the most amazing woman who ever lived and no one will ever compare to the amazing awesomeness that is Kate McTiernan. Alex Cross is also awesome but to a much lesser degree.
I'm not crazy about Patterson's writing. It is a cool storyline, I think, but it's mainly getting three stars for nostalgia.
For me, this book can be summed up in two sentences:
Kate McTeirnan is the most amazing woman who ever lived and no one will ever compare to the amazing awesomeness that is Kate McTiernan. Alex Cross is also awesome but to a much lesser degree.
January 6, 2016
This book is bad and you should not read it. The fact that its author can be described as a #1 bestseller is an indictment on the taste of casual reader, as is the fact that it has been rated 250,000 times on Goodreads with an average star rating just under 4. If you liked it, I am sorry. But also know that you can and should read better books.
Characterization is nonexistent. The prose styling is poor, if at all existent. Women, in particular, exist only as characters to be victims, most likely sexually abused or killed. There are plot threads that don't go anywhere (this one, I admit, likely the result that it's actually the second book in what was an ongoing series). The author's (a white guy, I gather) clunky attempts to address the racial dynamics for a black detective in the South 20 years ago are not very good at all. The fact that no chapter is ever more than about three pages is just... I don't even know what to say about it, honestly.
You may ask why I read this book given that it's not at all in my wheelhouse, and that's fair. On my own, I would never have read it. I only became curious about it because of a recent fascination with the Netflix documentary series, Making a Murderer, about which you may have heard people talking. Without giving away too much in THAT series, in a later episode, a young man who earlier on in the show gave (what appears to be heavily coerced, probably bullshit) a confession in which he described a murder that may have occurred. Well, a murder definitely occurred - you'd have to watch the series. It's good. This book is not good.
This young man in the series, who is presented in a recording of a jail house phone call talking to his mother, and neither of them knows what the word "inconsistent" means, later takes the stand in his own defense. His defense is that he made it all up because that's what the police investigators wanted him to do. Upon cross-examination the young man offers that he may have read something like what he described in a book. What book, the prosecutor demands. He says maybe Kiss the Girls. He doesn't remember who it was by.
Two things about this. If you have seen the series, you surely understand the slam I am putting on this book by saying that I have no problems believing that Brendan Dassey may have read it at some point in time. The second thing is that there's nothing like the murder from Making a Murderer in Kiss the Girls. I was really, morbidly curious whether there would be.
I have taken this punch for you. Let your curiosity be sated. It is not any kind of explanation for the confession. Now you have no reason to read it for yourself, and that's for the better for you.
Characterization is nonexistent. The prose styling is poor, if at all existent. Women, in particular, exist only as characters to be victims, most likely sexually abused or killed. There are plot threads that don't go anywhere (this one, I admit, likely the result that it's actually the second book in what was an ongoing series). The author's (a white guy, I gather) clunky attempts to address the racial dynamics for a black detective in the South 20 years ago are not very good at all. The fact that no chapter is ever more than about three pages is just... I don't even know what to say about it, honestly.
You may ask why I read this book given that it's not at all in my wheelhouse, and that's fair. On my own, I would never have read it. I only became curious about it because of a recent fascination with the Netflix documentary series, Making a Murderer, about which you may have heard people talking. Without giving away too much in THAT series, in a later episode, a young man who earlier on in the show gave (what appears to be heavily coerced, probably bullshit) a confession in which he described a murder that may have occurred. Well, a murder definitely occurred - you'd have to watch the series. It's good. This book is not good.
This young man in the series, who is presented in a recording of a jail house phone call talking to his mother, and neither of them knows what the word "inconsistent" means, later takes the stand in his own defense. His defense is that he made it all up because that's what the police investigators wanted him to do. Upon cross-examination the young man offers that he may have read something like what he described in a book. What book, the prosecutor demands. He says maybe Kiss the Girls. He doesn't remember who it was by.
Two things about this. If you have seen the series, you surely understand the slam I am putting on this book by saying that I have no problems believing that Brendan Dassey may have read it at some point in time. The second thing is that there's nothing like the murder from Making a Murderer in Kiss the Girls. I was really, morbidly curious whether there would be.
I have taken this punch for you. Let your curiosity be sated. It is not any kind of explanation for the confession. Now you have no reason to read it for yourself, and that's for the better for you.
November 13, 2008
This book was extremely creepy, yet very addictive! I loved the way he didn't tie it all together and brough Sonji back at the end, we'll just have to wait until the next book! The only thing I didn't like was that it just turned out to be this guy that we had just learned (very little if anything) about five pages ago. I almost feel like all that other searching was pointless, though it was well told. I knew the whole time that none of the others were Cassanova though, because he continued to refer to Cassanova as "Cassanova." When we learned the Gentleman Caller was Will Rudolph, then the author began refering to him as "Will." The setting of some of the last pages was Outer Banks, NC! An overall amazing read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2008
Sometimes it's really creepy how some authors get into the heads of psychopaths. Here is an excellent example.
Read this disturbing novel. The short chapters and compelling story
will have you whipping through this one in no time.
Watch those paper cuts.
Read this disturbing novel. The short chapters and compelling story
will have you whipping through this one in no time.
Watch those paper cuts.
November 22, 2023
This was the first Alex Cross novel that I read and in my opinion probably the best in the series. Made into a movie with Morgan Freeman.
November 26, 2017
This was when James Patterson was at his best, at the start of his career.
The second in the Alex Cross series. Kiss the Girls is a fast paced thriller that keeps you guessing right to the end.
Alex is a forensic psychologist with the Washington police force. When Alex's niece goes missing whilst at university in North Carolina Alex has to go and find out what's going on. He discovers that a lot of young women have gone missing, all beautiful all intelligent. One or two have been found dead after suffering a horrible death. At first Alex is not made welcome by the local police and has, for the most part, to go it alone. The FBI are involved which tells Alex that this case is much bigger than first thought. One of the missing girls turns up with a horrendous account of what she and other girls have been put through. To say horrendous is an understatement these girls are in hell.
The race is on to find Alex's niece before it's too late.
You might think you know who the psycho is but you wont find out until the last few pages.
The second in the Alex Cross series. Kiss the Girls is a fast paced thriller that keeps you guessing right to the end.
Alex is a forensic psychologist with the Washington police force. When Alex's niece goes missing whilst at university in North Carolina Alex has to go and find out what's going on. He discovers that a lot of young women have gone missing, all beautiful all intelligent. One or two have been found dead after suffering a horrible death. At first Alex is not made welcome by the local police and has, for the most part, to go it alone. The FBI are involved which tells Alex that this case is much bigger than first thought. One of the missing girls turns up with a horrendous account of what she and other girls have been put through. To say horrendous is an understatement these girls are in hell.
The race is on to find Alex's niece before it's too late.
You might think you know who the psycho is but you wont find out until the last few pages.
June 15, 2008
Okay, I am reading pulp fiction. Many people from my classes have recommended his novels and I thought I would see what all the hype is about. So far it is not well-written, but I am entertained. I liked the movie, although I think Ashley Judd is annoyingly condescending.
I have finally finished the book and it was one cliché piled on top of another. I don't know why authors feel they have to make women so perfect. Is it some form of misguided feminism or a male fantasy? I would argue male fantasy, but this sterotyping of the ideal female seems to be found in books by authors of both genders.
I am all for feminism, but is having a women that is smart, beautiful, kind, hilarious, scrappy, great with kids, independent, logical, and good in bed really all that realistic? I think some plausible neurosis needs to be included in any narrative, otherwise it is just a male fantasy (especially the beautiful and good in bed aspects) and not reflective of any woman with both talents and flaws.
I have finally finished the book and it was one cliché piled on top of another. I don't know why authors feel they have to make women so perfect. Is it some form of misguided feminism or a male fantasy? I would argue male fantasy, but this sterotyping of the ideal female seems to be found in books by authors of both genders.
I am all for feminism, but is having a women that is smart, beautiful, kind, hilarious, scrappy, great with kids, independent, logical, and good in bed really all that realistic? I think some plausible neurosis needs to be included in any narrative, otherwise it is just a male fantasy (especially the beautiful and good in bed aspects) and not reflective of any woman with both talents and flaws.
August 10, 2010
Like all of Patterson's work this is a sickening pulp thriller with crappy dialogue, cardboard characters, and enough sympathy for the devil to really make you wonder. This potboiler features a pair of sexy, enticing, ludicrously smart, impossibly prepared sickos who torture and kill impossibly smart, ludicrously attractive women. It's hard to tell where Patterson's misogyny starts and where his sadism begins. All I know is that he's easily one of the most repulsive, reprehensible, shameless, and embarrassing genre authors in America.
April 17, 2017
Wowzers. I wasn't expecting that. Very entertaining and gripping. I now understand how this put James on the map. He did a fantastic job creating this story and surprising me with his talent. I'm officially a fan.
July 31, 2015
As best as a thriller regarding serial killing can be. :)
November 17, 2012
Ok, so at first I was prepared to give James Patterson's "Kiss the Girls" 4 stars. Because, well, it just isn't a literary masterpiece. But after reflection I thought, well heck, it's crazy entertaining, so although I don't always agree with the writing style or predictability, it for sure is 5 stars in the entertainment category. Also, I gave "Along Came A Spider" 5 stars, and this book is a little more memorable than that one. So far I enjoy the Women's Murder Club books better, but I'm still going to stick with Alex Cross. I don't feel like i will get let down anytime soon!
The following may or may not contain spoilers.
Several beautiful women in the North Carolina area are mysteriously vanishing, some winding up dead. It is assumed that intelligent sex-crazed killer Casanova has a harem of women trapped in a remote forest. Alex Cross becomes involved when his niece Naomi is one of the women abducted. Now it's personal. Not only that, but soon a series of similar crimes start popping up on the West coast as well, but by a man identified as the Gentlemen Caller. Could these coast to coast killers be competing, or even worse, working together? With the help of Casanova's escaped victim Kate, Alex Cross hopes to capture these crazy madmen and get Naomi back. But will his blooming relationship with Kate complicate things?
The bad guys in this book are both so horrifying that it makes this book memorable. The possibility and realism of the harem of women makes this book all that more interesting to read. Kate's story is intense, and Alex's emotions help make this novel shine. I feel like the reader gets to know Alex Cross better. The non-stop action in this book is wonderful.
Now to the complaints...I feel like at this time in Patterson's career he was still figuring out his writing style. Reading more recent stuff from him, I feel like he has become much more polished throughout the years. His point-of-view changes are still existant in current books, but I feel like he was more experimental and confusing with it in this early Alex Cross book. But with such a minor complaint, why would I knock off a star just for that?
5 stars. Full of drama and suspense.
The following may or may not contain spoilers.
Several beautiful women in the North Carolina area are mysteriously vanishing, some winding up dead. It is assumed that intelligent sex-crazed killer Casanova has a harem of women trapped in a remote forest. Alex Cross becomes involved when his niece Naomi is one of the women abducted. Now it's personal. Not only that, but soon a series of similar crimes start popping up on the West coast as well, but by a man identified as the Gentlemen Caller. Could these coast to coast killers be competing, or even worse, working together? With the help of Casanova's escaped victim Kate, Alex Cross hopes to capture these crazy madmen and get Naomi back. But will his blooming relationship with Kate complicate things?
The bad guys in this book are both so horrifying that it makes this book memorable. The possibility and realism of the harem of women makes this book all that more interesting to read. Kate's story is intense, and Alex's emotions help make this novel shine. I feel like the reader gets to know Alex Cross better. The non-stop action in this book is wonderful.
Now to the complaints...I feel like at this time in Patterson's career he was still figuring out his writing style. Reading more recent stuff from him, I feel like he has become much more polished throughout the years. His point-of-view changes are still existant in current books, but I feel like he was more experimental and confusing with it in this early Alex Cross book. But with such a minor complaint, why would I knock off a star just for that?
5 stars. Full of drama and suspense.
March 11, 2022
Solid four stars.
Entertaining and absolutely got me invested in the story.
Entertaining and absolutely got me invested in the story.
November 23, 2022
This second installment of the Detective Alex Cross series finds our main protagonist, up to his neck, chasing psychotic serial killers. Two, to be exact.
A standout feature I admired about the author's writing style was the layout of short chapters, 2 to 6 pages in length. The storyline kept even pace with the gut-wrenching, action that never seemed to quit. From beginning to end, this novel was a page turner.
A standout feature I admired about the author's writing style was the layout of short chapters, 2 to 6 pages in length. The storyline kept even pace with the gut-wrenching, action that never seemed to quit. From beginning to end, this novel was a page turner.
January 20, 2016
I picked this up because Brendan Dassey mentioned it. Now I have more thoughts about Making a Murderer. However, my opinion of James Patterson remains the same.
May 30, 2011
Second book in the Alex Cross series from Patterson is even better than the first. The story has plenty of thrills and chills, but there is certain realism to it, lots of young women disappear all over the country, things like this happen, there are no supernatural demons and creatures that lurk in the imagination, this can be real. When I was reading the book I kept thinking, what if that happened to me, what would I do? Fight to the death of course, hopefully the bad guy's death...
Alex Cross is still getting over his last case when a new set of problems overshadows his daily grind. Hi niece Naomi hasn't been seen in few days and local police didn't feel the need to notify anyone until four days has passed, forcing Alex to rush over Carolina and investigate on his own. Upon arrival he realizes that she's one of many young women missing from the college campus, somehow there seems to be a connection between them and few mutilated bodies found in nearby woods. A collector of sorts is praying on loveliest of the bunch for his personal harem, Casanova as he calls himself, but Alex's leads reveal that the killer isn't exactly on his own. He has a buddy on the west coast and the two predators seem to enjoy comparing their hunting techniques and bragging about their conquests and what they call perfect crimes. Humans can be cruel and evil but their arrogance gives them away sooner or later, and Alex Cross is there to catch them when they slip. When one of the captured women manages to escape she unleashes a manhunt that puts her life at a greater risk than before, the killers aren't going to forgive and forget and a battle between innocent and hungry sadists begins.
As usual the slick and charming Cross gets his heart tangled up with one of the women on the case, he never seems to be able to stay away! The relationship leans more on a friendship but man, Cross is unable to shake the ladies off; a pattern that I'm all ready noticing and this was only book two, so I am curious to see if that pattern continues. I also liked all the red herrings Patterson threw in, by the end of the book I had my own thoughts about the suspect and noticed how clever Patterson was and not called him by his real name but only as Casanova, so the reader didn't even realize that perhaps the guy being chased is actually someone else, this might not make much sense till someone reads the whole book. After I read it in record speed I went over some parts and re-read them knowing who Casanova was and the story was even better. I often do that to make sure I am aware of everything in the book, if the book was good of course. I can't wait to read the rest, the series looks very promising.
Alex Cross is still getting over his last case when a new set of problems overshadows his daily grind. Hi niece Naomi hasn't been seen in few days and local police didn't feel the need to notify anyone until four days has passed, forcing Alex to rush over Carolina and investigate on his own. Upon arrival he realizes that she's one of many young women missing from the college campus, somehow there seems to be a connection between them and few mutilated bodies found in nearby woods. A collector of sorts is praying on loveliest of the bunch for his personal harem, Casanova as he calls himself, but Alex's leads reveal that the killer isn't exactly on his own. He has a buddy on the west coast and the two predators seem to enjoy comparing their hunting techniques and bragging about their conquests and what they call perfect crimes. Humans can be cruel and evil but their arrogance gives them away sooner or later, and Alex Cross is there to catch them when they slip. When one of the captured women manages to escape she unleashes a manhunt that puts her life at a greater risk than before, the killers aren't going to forgive and forget and a battle between innocent and hungry sadists begins.
As usual the slick and charming Cross gets his heart tangled up with one of the women on the case, he never seems to be able to stay away! The relationship leans more on a friendship but man, Cross is unable to shake the ladies off; a pattern that I'm all ready noticing and this was only book two, so I am curious to see if that pattern continues. I also liked all the red herrings Patterson threw in, by the end of the book I had my own thoughts about the suspect and noticed how clever Patterson was and not called him by his real name but only as Casanova, so the reader didn't even realize that perhaps the guy being chased is actually someone else, this might not make much sense till someone reads the whole book. After I read it in record speed I went over some parts and re-read them knowing who Casanova was and the story was even better. I often do that to make sure I am aware of everything in the book, if the book was good of course. I can't wait to read the rest, the series looks very promising.
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