Kiss the Girls (Alex Cross)

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.

Plot is incoherent at best. If a woman (who was medical student -- not law enforcement) escaped from a serial killer, would the FBI really allow her to go on a stake-out of... a serial killer? Would they let her return to the house from which she was abducted alone... with the killer still on the loose?

The big break in the case comes when a reporter reveals the name of one of the two killers -- with no explanation as to how she figured out who she was.

Pure misogynistic trash.

This book was written in the language of a third grader, complete with exclamation points and asinine descriptions ("he looked like Harrison Ford". Really, Patterson? That's the best you could do?) The plot was shallow, the characters weak and one-dimensional, and the sequencing slow and irritating. I simply can't understand how this book made the top 100 list of crime thrillers on NPR and am flabbergasted that it was no. 3. That's absurd. It does NOT belong on the same page, ballpark, neighborhood, city, state, or country as Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, or the Dragon Tattoo series. I can't even believe with this kind of writing, that this book even got published (and to such high acclaim). It makes me question whether those who gave it any stars (except those who had to give it 1 star, because 0 or -3 are not possible) actually read it. Save your money and read something more worthwhile that won't make you angry at writers for writing such drivel and publishers for publishing such nonsense.

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...

I will be brief and clear. I just read this book in one sitting and I hated it. The plot of the book seemed an excuse to write scenes of grotesque sexual violence against women. And if those women are beautiful, intelligent, and talented, the worse treatment they received. This book seemed more about providing cheap masochistic sexual titillations to the reader than story-telling.

And hey, if the plot starts the lag, you can always go beat up Kate again! If I could identify one scene that erected the grave stone over this book, it was the second attack on Kate. The villain of the book is so one-dimensional and ultimately uninteresting that although Kate is supposed to be special to him, he apparently feels no conflict about simply beating her to intended death when his friend suggests it.

The only idea in the book that was interesting was the idea that being a second-degree black belt does not make you invincible, but simply better prepared, especially when facing a larger attacker or attackers with weapons. However, even this point is tarnished by my suspicion that the author was really intending to show no matter how strong and intelligent a woman is, the sexual Man can and will dominate them. (Moral: Take heart, oh ye lesser men who feel threatened by the intelligent and strong women around you!)

Oh, and by the way, despite what the book says, Kate does not bench press 200 lbs. I base this on a greater familiarity with the range of female upper-body strength and bench press numbers than Mr. Patterson. Or rather, if Kate bench presses 200lbs, then Kate weighs 175lbs at a minimum. And this seems rather incompatible with the description of Kate.

I put this book down after suffering through the first half. I couldn't get past the over-the-top graphic descriptions of the murder and torture scenes. Absolutely ruined the read for me!

A friend recommended that I read Along Came a Spider, I became hooked on the Alex Cross series. If it's possible, Kiss the Girls was even better than the 1st book!

In Kiss the Girls, D.C's finest homicide detective and psychiatrist Alex Cross is given perhaps his toughest case to date with two serial killers who live in two completely different parts of the country. In Los Angeles, a reporter investigating a series of murders by a man known as The Gentleman is killed. The Gentleman lures his victims in and then proceeds to brutally murder and dismember them. On the east coast in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a man known as Casanova trolls the Duke University area for young co-eds to have his way with in order to mentally break them and capitalize on them in their weakened state. The FBI and local authorities on both coasts are baffled and seek the services of Alex Cross for help. The plot thickens when Patterson introduces the possibility that not only are the two serial killers similar in the tactics they employ and the women they choose to target, but it would also appear that they are somehow collaborating, cooperating and even competing in a horrifying game of one-upsmanship.

The case quickly becomes personal for Alex Cross when his own niece is among the abducted/missing young women on the east coast. Some questions include will Cross be able to save his niece and the other women in time or will his emotions cloud his judgment, thereby jeopardizing the case? Will the authorities be able to put the pieces together before each of these men murders yet another woman?

One of the things I enjoyed about Kiss the Girls was that it was a very engaging read. Patterson writes his Alex Cross books in a way where the reader feels like they are knocking out one chapter after the other and before you know it you've read 50+ pages in a sitting. In addition, Cross is shown to be fallible in this book as well. It's good to see that the protagonist is capable of making mistakes from time to time and is human like the rest of us. Furthermore, Patterson throws in a few twists at the end as Cross misidentifies one of the killers more than once and I felt that was great that it wasn't just a typical X-Y-Z detective novel.

If you're looking for a good way to pass those summer days or need a good book to enjoy, I would certainly recommend this series!

-Travis S.

What I Loved: This is the 2nd book in the Alex Cross series and probably my favorite. It is hard not to get caught up in the story and it actually had me on the edge of my seat a couple of times. All of the characters are fascinating and unique. Even the UnSubs are intriguing and well thought out. Just a very good thriller all around.

What I Liked: I liked the setting both on campus, in the woods, and even when they headed to LA. JP has a wonderful way with words and describing areas so that you feel like you are there as the action is happening.

Complaints:none

Why I gave it a 5: This is one of the best thrillers that I have read and is one that I can pick back up even after knowing who did it. Great read!

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

Why I re-read it:I did it as part of a challenge but also because it is one of my favorite thrillers (both on screen and on paper)

Author Website:[...]
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

I'm usually so easily entertained by unrealistic action/detective stories that I feel a little guilty tearing throgh them. I expected that to happen with this 'best seller', but it starts out unbelievable and then just gets dumber and dumbest... until I was yelling at the stupid tape.

Supposed 'expert' profiler/detective Cross wanders aimlessly - not bothering to protect his prime witness (or even question her closely), check phone records, or maybe look around the area where she escaped - while his niece languishes in the killers lair being raped (& not minding it???) for weeks. The FBI & local cops let Cross run the case because he's such a genius, I guess...

I'm usually too gullible, but this ludicrous plot made me just laugh.

As an avid fan of J. Patterson, I have read all his books. Kiss the Girls has been his best work yet, and I've even kept the book in case I decide to reread it! Alex Cross is the detective and must locate his niece Naomi, who has been kidnapped (and unknown to Alex Cross), hidden underground with other kidnapped women. In a race against time, he must locate and save her. This book will have your eyes feeling dryer than sandpaper - it is so gripping, you won't quit until you're done.
Also a major motion film.