Roses Are Red James Patterson is part of our Contemporary & Literary Fiction book collection. Browse this title alongside contemporary novels and character-focused literary fiction.
About this book
This category offers a starting point for readers interested in character, relationships, and the ideas fiction can raise about human experience. The details of the setting and the characters' decisions can provide useful ways into the story.
Looking for your next read? Explore available editions of Roses Are Red James Patterson and discover convenient ways to enjoy books online. Where an authorized digital edition is available, check for PDF and EPUB formats for reading on compatible phones, tablets, e-readers, and computers.
Roses Are Red by James Patterson is in the public domain, so you can read it online here in short, easy pages or save a copy for your phone, tablet or computer.
The Mastermind orchestrates a series of bank robberies that are notable for their precise demandsand their explosive violence when the demands are not met exactly. Detective Alex Cross takes on the case and recognizes that a particular kind of criminal mind is at work. Crosss investigation gets under the Masterminds skin, and he makes it his personal goal to take revenge on Cross and his entire team. Amidst all this, Crosss relationship with his girlfriend Christine is falling apart, and his beloved daughter Jannie is hospitalized with unexplained seizures. The pressure rises on every front, culminating in a shocking and explosive climax. Roses are Red is a Main Selection of The Literary Guild. Pop Goes the Weasel has more than 900,000 copies in print and was a #1 bestseller nationwide. The fan base of the Alex Cross series continues to grow with each book. Along Came a Spider is scheduled for release in October from Paramount with Morgan Freeman signed on to portray Alex Cross as he did in Kiss the Girls.
**
Amazon.com Review
Roses Are Red, James Patterson's sixth Alex Cross thriller, opens with the District of Columbia detective attempting to mend his nearly unraveled family. The year-long kidnapping of one's intended (1999's Pop Goes the Weasel) will do that to a relationship. Christine, the kidnappee, is amenable with one reasonable condition: that her family's horizon remain uncluttered by homicidal maniacs. How unfortunate, then, that the joyous christening of their newborn son is rudely interrupted by the FBI bearing news of several heinous murders requiring the attention of detective (and doctor of psychology) Cross.
"Three-year-old boy, the father, a nanny," Kyle said one more time before he left the party. He was about to go through the door in the sun porch when he turned to me and said, "You're the right person for this. They murdered a family, Alex."
As soon as Kyle was gone, I went looking for Christine. My heart sank. She had taken Alex and left without saying good-bye, without a single word.
Which leaves Cross free to hunt the Mastermind, the barbarous brains behind a widening series of bank robberies in which employees or their family members are held hostage and, when instructions aren't followed to the finest iota, slaughtered. Given the cases' glaring and unfathomable inhumanity, Cross's long- time DCPD partner (the wonderful giant, John Sampson) gives way to the warm, attractive, and fiercely intelligent FBI Agent Betsey Cavalierre.
The longer and harder Cross and Cavalierre remain on his trail, the bolder and more brutal--and shiveringly close to home--the Mastermind's strikes become. And, thanks mostly to lightning-short paragraphs and a point of view that rappels from the first-person Cross to the third-person Mastermind, the tale progresses at hot-trot speed to a bona fide doozy of a denouement. It'll be over before you know it, so sit back, hold your breath, and enjoy the show. And stay tuned for the next one. --Michael Hudson
From Publishers Weekly
Alex Cross is backAand that alone will have this novel crowning bestseller lists, a feat Patterson's books have achieved often of late, both his Cross (Pop Goes the Weasel) and non-Cross (Cradle and All) thrillers. Patterson won an Edgar for his first novel, The Thomas Berryman Number, but he hasn't won one since. One reason is that his prose, though sturdy as a trusted rowboat, is just as wooden; another is that his plottingAhere detailing Washington, D.C., homicide detective Cross's pursuit of a crazed but crafty homicidal criminal known as the MastermindAis about as sophisticated as that of a Frank and Joe Hardy tale. So why are the Cross novels so popular? In part because Patterson constructs them out of short, simple sentences, paragraphs and chapters that practically define the brisk, fun, E-Z read, and in part because, here and elsewhere, he engages in the smart and unusual tactic of alternating third- and first-person (from Cross's POV) narrative. Mostly, though, readers adore them because Cross is such a lovable hero, a family-oriented African-American whose compassion warmly balances the icy cruelty of Patterson's villains and their sometimes graphically depicted crimes (as is the case here). In the new novel, Cross suffers lady problems as his old love, who's in terror of Cross's job, leaves him, and he fumbles toward a new romance with an FBI agent; he also suffers personal trauma as his beloved daughter develops a brain tumor. That's back-burner action, though. The main focus here is, first, on a series of shocking Mastermind-engineered bank robbery/kidnappings involving wanton killings and, second, on the hunt to ID the MastermindAa hunt both absorbing and annoying for its several (rather smelly) red herrings, and concluding with a revelation that screams sequel. While there's nothing subtle in this novel, every blatant element is packaged for maximum effect: roses may be red, but Patterson's newest is green all the way. U.K. and translation rights, Arthur Pine Associates. 1.25 million first printing; Literary Guild and Doubleday Direct main selections; simultaneous Random House large-print edition and Time Warner Audio. (Nov.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
You can read Roses Are Red by James Patterson pdf online or download for free for offline reading.
James Patterson – Biography, Famous Books, and Bestselling Thrillers
James Patterson is a renowned American author best known for his gripping thriller novels, fast-paced mysteries, crime fiction, and unforgettable fictional detectives. Recognized as one of the most commercially successful writers in modern publishing, Patterson has captivated millions of readers with stories filled with unexpected twists, dangerous conspiracies, complex investigations, and suspenseful cliffhangers. His distinctive writing style combines short chapters, accessible prose, rapid storytelling, and carefully timed revelations that encourage readers to keep turning the pages. Although he is particularly famous for crime and psychological thrillers, his extensive bibliography also includes historical fiction, romance, young adult novels, children's books, and nonfiction. From high-stakes investigations to stories about friendship, ambition, courage, and family, Patterson creates narratives that appeal to a wide range of readers. His remarkable publishing career has made his name synonymous with contemporary page-turners, and his books continue to attract fans who enjoy suspenseful plots, memorable characters, and mysteries that keep them guessing until the final pages.
Discover Popular James Patterson Books
Readers exploring James Patterson books will find a vast collection of standalone novels and long-running series spanning several genres. Some of his best-known titles include Along Came a Spider, Kiss the Girls, 1st to Die, When the Wind Blows, Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, and The President Is Missing, co-written with former U.S. President Bill Clinton. His novels frequently place ordinary people or experienced investigators in extraordinary situations, where a single clue can uncover a much larger criminal operation. The Alex Cross series blends police investigations, forensic details, psychological tension, and the personal challenges of its central detective. The Women's Murder Club series follows a group of professional women whose different skills help them investigate complex crimes in San Francisco. For readers who prefer speculative fiction and adventure, the Maximum Ride series offers a very different experience, following genetically altered children with extraordinary abilities as they struggle to survive and discover the truth about their origins. This variety makes Patterson's bibliography a useful starting point for readers interested in everything from realistic crime mysteries to imaginative young adult adventures.
Alex Cross: One of James Patterson's Most Famous Characters
Alex Cross is one of James Patterson's most recognizable fictional creations and the central character in a long-running series of crime and psychological thriller novels. Introduced in Along Came a Spider, Cross is a Washington, D.C., detective and psychologist whose understanding of criminal behavior helps...Read More