Review: Along Came a Spider by James Patterson (Raing 4 Wine Glasses)

From Goodreads:  The first Alex Cross novel, Along Came a Spider, immediately made James Patterson a household name. Cross — a black Washington, D.C., police detective with a solid background in psychology — finds love and a whole heap of trouble as a deadly psychopath holds two kidnapped children under his razor-sharp blade. Along Came a Spider hit the silver screen in April 2001, with Morgan Freeman revisiting the role of Alex Cross.

What I Loved: This is the first book in the Alex Cross series and it was a fantastic introduction of the Cross Character. I had seen this movie but I don’t think I had ever read the book. The case was compelling and the twist (even though I knew it was coming) still kind of caught me off guard. James Patterson truly has a way of sucking you into a story and never quite knowing which way he is going to turn.

What I Liked: The pacing was a little off in this book but with that in mind I liked how each new element of the book was introduced. I also like how no storyline was dropped and forgotten. It was interesting to read the physical characteristics of the characters because they were a little off from what I thought they would look like so I had to adjust my mental images of the main characters.

Complaints: None

Movie Comparison Thoughts: Physically I don’t think any of the casting matched the actual characters in the book—that being said I think everyone did a great job in their roles. I know these are older movies but as thrillers I think they have stood the test of time.

Why I gave it a 4: I didn’t like it as much as Kiss the Girls (I seldom like book 1 in a series as much as the rest of the series) but it was still a really good read.

Who would I recommend it too: Thriller/Mystery fans.

Author Website:http://www.jamespatterson.com/

Books in this series:
Along Came a Spider
Kiss the Girls
Jack & Jill
Cat & Mouse
Pop Goes the Weasel
Roses Are Red
Violets Are Blue
Four Blind Mice
The Big Bad Wolf
London Bridges
Mary, Mary
Cross
Double Cross
Cross Country
I, Alex Cross
Cross Fire

Challenges: 1rst in Series Challenge,  2011 E-Book Challenge, Outdo Yourself Challenge, Book to Screen Challenge