Not for Aspiring Detectives! (Kiss the Girls - James Patterson)

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Product:	Kiss the Girls - James Patterson
Date:	21/02/01 (111 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great changes in pace. Female readers should enjoy this more than male.

Disadvantages: Predictable in places. Hero is too decent a person and requires attitude. The romantic interests between some characters is overplayed and tedious.

Unfortunately for James Patterson (and his intention of holding his readers’ interest in mystery and intrigue), “Kiss the Girls” is not as an exciting or captivating a read as you may be led to believe. Whilst it is well written and sufficiently interesting to hold attention, it does not have the thrill of some of his other novels, particularly so since many people appear to figure out whom the guilty culprit is well before the novel’s climax.

The story is relatively interesting and involves Detective Alex Cross searching for a missing family member who may or may not have been abducted – she has no reason to run away. All of a sudden, whilst following a line of enquiry (a killer on the loose) relevant to her abduction, a second killer is roaming freely on the other side of the country. Are the two linked? Are they working together? Or are they competing against one another?

It sounds like an incredibly thrilling experience, and at some points the reader is actually embroiled in the excitement of the chase to find the killer before time runs out. However, much of what happens is somewhat unsurprising, including the innovative nature of everyone associated with Alex Cross and, of course, the ending is predictably happy and romantic.

Indeed, one relevant criticism is that the hero’s friends, relatives and those he has relationships with all seem to be smarter and more morally acceptable than the rest of the world put together! The theory that birds of a feather flock together seems to be over utilised here, and it may have been a little more believable had Patterson made one or two of Alex Cross’s associates a little dim-witted or politically incorrect!

Many of the descriptions relating to Alex Cross’s personal life are, at times, obsequiously biased towards a perfectly ethical and honourable human being; and the character could certainly do with a little more ‘attitu
de’. However, at least he isn’t martyred, as I thought he might have been just to make matters worse (hope I haven’t given away too much!).

In his favour, James Patterson has managed to produce a “thrill-of-the-chase” ambiance in many places throughout the novel, and to his credit he has also produced the kind of thriller which will top bestseller lists (but perhaps this is only because this kind of sensationalist writing always reaches the top!). In addition, Patterson does allow the reader to feel less of a witness or spectator and feel more interactive in a number of places, so solving the mystery can be relatively interesting. Unfortunately, these phases are sporadic and infrequent, so just as the reader is becoming comfortable with ‘being’ a detective, the feeling is lost again. It should be noted, the sense of “being there” will appeal more to female readers than to male, as the former are more likely to empathise and then clearly imagine the victims’ plights. Needless to say (write) all the victims are female.

Returning to the sense of being a detective: this is lost the moment readers discover who the culprit actually is – which, of course, is dependent upon whether they do figure it out as early as many others do – and from this point on, regardless of Patterson’s attempts, the feeling is lost altogether. Of course, this makes it less of a struggle to read, but also renders the conclusion pointless (the only thing left is how? and why?).

Remember “Kiss the Girls” is not a “thinking persons” novel and does not share the exquisite ‘detective’ flavour as many of Patterson’s other books. So do not expect to be sitting on the bus (having left the book at home) pondering over who did the dastardly deed. It shouldn’t keep you awake at night!

Despite the aforementioned, it is quite pleasant to read
(albeit the subject matter is somewhat disturbing, but if you do chose to buy or borrow it, I expect you intend to delve into the world of crime and other related topics!), and Patterson’s changes in pace are masterful. Without disruption, he manages to easily move from an ambling scrawl (it is in the Deep South after all) to rapid-fire action. This is “Kiss the Girls” saving grace, and readers might experience a sense of watching a film where the background music varies to reflect a change in the level of action. I thought Patterson did this by imaging how it would look on the big screen (and, of course, it has been made into a film starring Morgan Freeman).

My advice, avoid the film “Kiss the Girls” but try the novel and do not expect too much.

Summary: