Reviews

Along Came a Spider by James Patterson

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sueotwell's review against another edition

5.0

I decided to read this book after spotting the movie on tv. I wanted to read the book then watch the movie. Best choice I could have done, if I would have watched that movie first I probably would not have read the book assuming it was as bad as the movie. The book gives so much detail and the characters are well developed and loved (and the bad guy hated of course). The movie makes alex cross much older than he is in the books and the whole way this story went down and was solved was all wrong. I can not say it enough if you can not do a book justice do not make it a movie. It wasnt fair in this one that Alex Cross was so old and that the romance between two main characters did not happen at all in the movie. I know I am supposed to be giving a review for the book but I have tied in how awful the movie was compared to how wonderful the book was. I plan to continue to read this series although there are a ton of them to read. I am sure, at least for now, I will enjoy them all.

mlannon's review against another edition

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dark

3.75

dorin_love's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

dorothy_gale's review against another edition

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4.0

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! Solving the mystery doesn't end the story, but starts a new puzzle to solve. After I got a bit into this, I realized I had watched the movie version -- which of course is quite a bit different than the book. And while I'm a fan of Morgan Freeman, I think Hollywood should have tried harder on the casting. Alex Cross should be younger! And while James Patterson didn't do that great of a job on the romantic side, Hollywood could have. I also realized that Hollywood could never compete with books on the detailed descriptions of crime scenes. How Cross felt when looking at a murdered child in his pajamas is something that dialogue or camera angles can't capture. Not that I want to see dead children, but it's what makes a book hang with you in a way that a movie can't. I'm comparing apples to oranges, yes, but I feel like a lot of people are missing out when they opt just for the movie version. This book reminds me to appreciate people like J.K. Rowling and Oprah Winfrey for making reading cool again.

Another thing I realized with this book is that it might be the VERY FIRST commercially successful contemporary novel I've read where there is a young, educated, black male protagonist. Taye Diggs was a great narrator. More research required but I would read more of them if I knew they existed. Good on James Patterson, but better on the black authors who make it big.

I will likely read Alex Cross #2 (Kiss the Girls) although that title sounds familiar too... yep, another Morgan Freeman movie (with Ashley Judd). Dang.

Random Wishlist Item: Rate books the way movies are. i.e. "Violence, sexual content, drug use, foul language." Where is the book website that shows me all of that? I'm glad I listened to Along Came a Spider while my kids were gone.

roxxyreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Fast paced, and page turning. This book kept me to the edge of my seat and did not let me go! Very much looking forward to getting my hands on book 2!!