Got milk?
When I was a kid in junior high school, our class read a Sherlock Holmes story called "The Adventure of the Speckled Band." In the story, a villain releases a trained poisonous snake into a woman's bedroom through a ventilation aperture. After the snake administers its fatal bite, the villain summons it back through the aperture by whistling for it. The snake has to climb up a bell rope to get to the aperture, and it is rewarded for its efforts with a saucer of milk set out for it in the adjacent room. In the subsequent classroom discussion of the story, I learned that snakes can't be summoned with a whistle because they're deaf; snakes can't climb up ropes; and snakes don't drink milk.
But what on earth does this have to do with Kiss the Girls? Well, a villain in that book has a beautiful young woman stripped naked and bound with her legs hoisted up toward the ceiling. After administering a warm milk enema--some of which dribbles out--he then lets a snake out of a wicker basket. The snake gets a whiff of milk and--you guessed it--slithers into the hapless girl's fundamental orifice to get to its liquid treat.
Classic example of an author without a clue...
Kiss the girls
Having only recently been introduced to the crime novel world I'm very impressed so far with the Alex Cross series. It's nice to enjoy a crime thriller without all the gross stuff for a change. Couldn't put it down.
His Best Book Ever!
This 2nd book in the Alex Cross series was absolutely spellbinding! I couldn't put it down. The plot was very interesting and kept you on the edge of your seat wondering what was going to happen next. I could "see & feel" every scene and emotion as if I were right there with the characters. I would recommend reading the 1st in the series- Along came a spider - then proceed from there. I promise you won't be disappointed if you love suspense & mystery! S.L. Chessor author of My Tongue Fell Out & Poodlums Boogeymen and Booglers.Poodlums, Boogeymen and Booglers: A Poetry Collection My Tongue Fell Out
Riveting
In the Research Triangle of North Carolina, young, intelligent women are being abducted by a mysterious kidnapper known as Casanova. Like his namesake, he loves women - but unlike the famous man, he kills those who do not obey his orders. Meanwhile, on the West Coast, a kidnapper known as the Gentleman Caller is kidnapping and killing young women, before sending his diaries to a young reporter at the L.A. Times. It's obvious that the two men are in communication. But are the same person? Or are there two serial kidnappers on the loose?
Enter Alex Cross, the D.C. detective and psychologist famed for bringing down Gary Soneji the year before. Cross's niece, Duke law student Naomi Cross, is one of Casanova's latest victims. Everyone is sure that the man commits the perfect crimes. But when a young UNC doctor named Kate McTiernan escapes his vanishing house of horror, the Durham police and FBI have some clues as to how Casanova operates.
There's only one problem. Despite knowing the Gentleman Caller's true identity, Casanova remains a mystery. Always seen in various masks, he makes it nearly impossible for his victims to identify him. When bad things start happening yet again, it's up to Cross, his partner Sampson, and Kate to find the man behind the kidnappings - and rescue Alex's niece.
James Patterson's second Alex Cross novel, "Kiss the Girls", is a riveting page-turner that will have you on the edge of your seats until the final page. As a long-time mystery fan, I thought I had the mystery figured out, but I was wrong. This is truly a suspenseful novel, up until the last surprise.
Over the top
As is the case in nearly all James Patterson's novels, the villains are over the top here--geniuses, handsome devils, phi beta kappas--and the crimes they commit over years are well beyond belief. There are no crimes in real life to compare with those in this book or in other Alex Cross novels. Not even Jeffrey Dahmer or Jack the Ripper could compete with Casanova and his sidekick, The Gentleman Caller.
And Alex Cross, the psychologist police detective, is perhaps just a little too good in places and a bit naive, even blind, in others. Coupled with his character flaws are more serious plot flaws. Casanova has captured a good many women and is holding them in a cellar at a remote rural area. He parks his car some distance away and visits regularly to have his way with them. But when Cross goes looking there, he finds no path, and there surely must have been one with all the foot traffic in and out. Another flaw: Casanova gets some nasty karate kicks when he captures one victim, bone crushing kicks to the face, as they are characterized. Would there not have been clear signs of his injuries next day when he resumes his public persona? Didn't anyone notice that his nose was purple and bent sideways? It seems to me that the laws of physics apply in fiction, the same as in real life. There are other flaws as well, but two will suffice here. Certainly there are many readers who like crime fiction that goes far beyond reality, but for me it just gets funny, rather than scary, when the laws of nature are abrogated.
I have to add one observation with respect to this book and other Alex Cross novels: it is very dangerous for any woman to become closely involved with our hero. Such women get shot, raped, cut, traumatized for life, kidnapped, tortured, electrocuted, etc. Cross's love affairs are not to be envied, despite the fact that he keeps meeting gorgeous and willing females. Perhaps he should consider celibacy for the sake of society.
