Mary, Mary (Alex Cross Novels)

by James Patterson

2006

Status

Available

Publication

Vision (2006), Edition: Reprint, 448 pages

Description

Fiction. Mystery. Thriller. HTML:Someone is murdering Hollywood's A-list, and Alex Cross's family vacation is cut short as he navigates a mysterious world of luxury, gossip, and hidden secrets. FBI Agent Alex Cross is on vacation with his family in Disneyland when he gets a call: a well-known actress was shot outside her home in Beverly Hills. Shortly afterward, an editor for the Los Angeles Times receives an email describing the murder in vivid details. Alex quickly learns that this is not an isolated incident. The killer, known as Mary Smith, has done this before and plans to kill again. Right from the beginning, this case is like nothing Alex has ever been confronted with before. Is this the plan of an obsessed fan or a spurned actor, or is it part of something much more frightening? Now members of Hollywood's A-list fear they're next on Mary's list, and the case grows by blockbuster proportions as the LAPD and FBI scramble to find a pattern before Mary can send one more chilling update.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member tsisler
I think this is the 4th Alex Cross novel that I have read by Patterson. I continue to enjoy the series. I really like Patterson's writing style and format. The short chapters written from the different perspectives allows the reader to feel the story progress for the killer and for Cross. The
Show More
length of the chapters also makes it a quick read in that "just one more chapter" always seems like a feasible task, and the engrossing plot ensures that "just one more chapter" is hardly ever just one more chapter. The Alex Cross series remains one of my favorite thriller series. I continue to love the psychological aspects of the books and find them all to be page-turners. For a quick-read thriller, this novel rates very high. For the actual murder-mystery plot, I'd rank this novel as high as "Along Came a Spider," which was my favoirte thus far in this series.
Show Less
LibraryThing member readafew
Mary Mary is the 11th book in the Alex Cross series. Once again he gets dragged into chasing down a serial killer. He is first asked to look into the case and give advice while he was vacationing at Disneyland with all 3 of his kids and Nana Mama. Someone is murdering high profile people in and
Show More
around LA, all related to the movie business. I would classify this as an average book for the Cross series. A legal battle is thrown in near the beginning and a lot is made of it and then it disappears and becomes a non-issue once the rest of the story takes hold. An irritating reporter is also thrown in just to keep the waters a little murky. I was fooled until the end about who dun'it other than I knew one person who didn't do it. If you've read Agatha Christie this next line will be a spoiler, the murderer pulled an ABC Murder. You don't see this one very often and it was a pleasant surprise.

Overall it was a decent book and if you like the Cross books you won't be disappointed, but like most of them there are plenty of plot holes and what not, so don't think about it too hard.

I also think the readers did an excellent job.
Show Less
LibraryThing member GoudaReads
This is that last James Patterson I'm reading (and I mean it this time).
LibraryThing member Fantasma
Uff! This one was really better that the previous one in the Alex Cross series. I'm a big James Patterson fan but was getting a little disappointed by his last books, now I've hope again! There's still something missing from some of his other books, the unstopabale twists, the amazing surprises,
Show More
but it's definitly a good thriller and I didn't find the "bad guy", not even close.
As usual, Alex Cross personal life's a mess, and even though we know it's part of the story and keeps another point of interest to it all, he's such a good guy, he deserved a nice woman at his side! ;o)
Show Less
LibraryThing member swl
I believe I've attempted Patterson novels before and found them wanting...I'm kind of surprised at the enthusiastic praise his work collects. On the plus side, the pace is consistent and doesn't lag. Cross is likeable and sympathetic and the first person narrative works well. Issues with his
Show More
relationships (love interests, family) which I found choppy, unsatisfying and unlikely, I'll chalk up to the book being well into the series, which is hard for anyone to maintain.

On the down side, I couldn't get excited about the plot, the bad guy, the intrigue. The good guys were too flat to provoke much concern, the bad guys too thinly drawn to really scare. And, like so many authors, JP gets the kids' voices so horribly wrong...spend an hour with a teen (I'll loan him mine) and he'd see how far off the mark he is.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ct.bergeron
FBI Agent Alex Cross is on vacation with his family in Disneyland when he gets a call from the Director. A well-known actress was shot outside her home in Beverly Hills. Shortly afterward, an editor for the Los Angeles Times receives an e-mail describing the murder in vivid details. Alex quickly
Show More
learns that this is not an isolated incident. The killer, known as Mary Smith, has done this before and plans to kill again.
Right from the beginning, this case is like nothing Alex has ever been confronted with before. Is this the plan of an obsessed fan or a spurned actor, or is it part of something much more frightening? Now members of Hollywood's A-list fear they're next on Mary's list, and the case grows by blockbuster proportions as the LAPD and FBI scramble to find a pattern before Mary can send one more chilling update.
Show Less
LibraryThing member slkrbru
While I found the conversations between characters and the rate at which women throw themselves at Alex Cross corny, I couldn't put this book down. The mystery itself kept me reading and it did have a nice little twist as I was hoping at the end. It has been too long since I have read a mystery
Show More
novel and I would definitely read another by Patterson.
Show Less
LibraryThing member LynnB
I don't often read murder mysteries or detective stories. They are not my favourite genre. This book was fast-paced and had enough twists and intriguing connections to hold my interest. The characters were mostly two-dimensional, but this is the kind of book that depends on plot, not character
Show More
development. And the plot is well developed.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DayBreak
The characters lack depth at this point and I feel that Patterson is just cranking these books out to make some money.
LibraryThing member Djupstrom
I like the combo of romance and thriller. Kept me hanging. I liked it!
LibraryThing member WhitmelB
The human side of the "brilliant" detective. Alex Cross has moved from the New York police department to the FBI but continues to have problems conflating his family with his jobs. He, of course, leaves them at the most awkward of moments as he rushes off to solve one bizarre case or another. In
Show More
this book it is the Storyteller he is chasing. A serial killer and the added twist is the question is the killer a man or a woman. I enjoy the Alex Cross stories but find his love life exhausting as he seems to start with one woman who perforce leaves him in the lurch but he then finds another, at this stage of the stories, usually one from a previous adventure.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bakersfieldbarbara
I found this book to be one of the most exciting books of Patterson. I could not put it down, and skipped lunch and a nap to finish it. The ending was a complete surprise and a reason to keep reading until the end. A murderer is loose, and killing celebrities. Who is doing it and why? Do yourself a
Show More
favor and read this book and you will run to get the next Patterson book, I'm sure. You will be hooked.
Show Less
LibraryThing member skinglist
Journal entry 2 by SKingList from New York, New York USA on Friday, December 30, 2005

Much as I love Patterson and Alex Cross, I wasn't a huge fan of this one. Yep, the ending still managed to surprise me and it had its usual twists and turns, but it's still getting formulaic. It's a bit of fill in
Show More
the blanks for his girlfriend/the person he'll piss off and the agent he'll work closely with. New names, same story. And the very ending? WTF!? A bit of the editor saying 'you forgot to tie up this loose end' and Patterson going 'oh oops. Here, all done.'

That said, I still couldn't put it down. Quick read as always, but not one of his best. I think Alex needs to listen to what Nana said, and maybe this is Patterson's way of letting him relax?
Show Less
LibraryThing member riverwillow
I needed something formulaic that wouldn't tax my brain too much and friend passed this book to me and this was perfect. I think Alex Cross is an inspired creation, but its a shame that Patterson doesn't do more with him.
LibraryThing member jwarner6
Alex Cross tries to balance life, family and the FBI which is calling him back to consult on a case of a serial killer who is killing Hollywood's power players. Although the ending was bit formulaic, it was still enjoyable.
LibraryThing member meghayden
I love James Patterson, I love Alex Cross. A detective who struggles to balance his personal life. Well done.
LibraryThing member Altarasabine
My first venture into the writing of James patterson and the world of Alex Cross. A real page turner that made me regret to put it down. Engaging characters with a distinctive plot. Will leave you guessing to the very end.
LibraryThing member catmommie
James Patterson is always a good read.Basically, a serial killer is hitting celebrities in Los Angeles; Dr. Alex Cross represents the FBI and assists the LAPD in solving this case.Patterson takes you from two points of view: the killer's and Dr. Cross smoothly and without confusion. Thinking back,
Show More
three-quarter ways through, hints were dropped as to the killer's identity but you didn't realize it until the end. Or at least, I didn't. LOLHad a nice, neat, well-written ending, not disappointed.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SonicQuack
There's not much new about Mary, Mary which is more blessing than curse. Patterson's narrative style is very popular, as is the Alex Cross character arc and in Mary, Mary the development of Alex Cross' character is as important as the serial killing that fills the other half of the book. It remains
Show More
interesting throughout, smartly alternating and entwining the two sides of Cross, with some story elements coming to fruition that have been playing slowly across the whole series so far. Ideally suited to those reading the Cross novels in sequence, Mary, Mary is a solid entry in the series and is recommended reading.
Show Less
LibraryThing member es135
Finally, Alex Cross is back! I know he has been in several other novels, but faithful readers of the series will be pleased to find that Patterson has returned to form with this book. I found myself actually caring about the characters and their problems. With the success of this novel, one can
Show More
only hope that Patterson will keep the momentum going in future installments.
Show Less
LibraryThing member JoAnnSmithAinsworth
Words are bland, but he keeps the excitement up in the pace of the action.
LibraryThing member gma2lana
As a Patterson fan, I couldn't go wrong with this fast read. At one point I did think the book was finished with the story, rather abruptly, but, pleased to find out that I hadn't reached the end yet, All I am saying.
LibraryThing member jguidry
The mystery element in this Alex Cross novel was interesting.  I enjoyed the twists and turns and the characters were interesting.  The main thing that really slowed down the flow of the book was Alex's chaotic personal life.  If Patterson had cut this drama in half, it would have been enough to
Show More
build Alex's character and still keep the mystery flowing.  Overall, though, I enjoyed this one.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Nataliec7
Alex Cross number 11. Alex is again on holiday when he gets a phone call yet again as there has been a murder of a famous actress. He leaves his family and goes to investigate the murder and then gets caught up in the whole 'Mary Smith' case. Mary emails a journalist with details of the crimes that
Show More
she has committed and where to find the bodies. Alex is working alongside the LAPD to try to solve the case but its proving to be one of his more difficult cases.
Meanwhile, whilst Alex leaves his holiday to investigate the murder of the first victim, Christine - little Alex's mum turns up and takes him away. A court case ensues, what is going on with her?
All in all, another typical Cross book. 4/5 for me. I am very biased though as I love Patterson books!
Show Less
LibraryThing member christinejoseph
good mystery

Somebody is murdering Hollywood's A-list. Her calling card: "You've got mail." On a family vacation, FBI agent Alex Cross is asked to investigate the shooting of a top actress... and an e-mail sent to the Los Angeles Times with shocking details about the murder, signed Mary Smith. More
Show More
killings and more e-mails follow, and Mary Smith is getting better every time. To hunt down this merciless killer of Tinseltown's elite, Cross must navigate a world where the stars sip San Pellegrino at the Ivy as hopefuls hover around studio gates with 8 X 10 glossies. And when the case catapults into blockbuster proportions, Cross and the LAPD scramble to find a pattern - before Mary sends one more chilling update.
Show Less

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2005

Physical description

448 p.; 4.25 inches

ISBN

0446619035 / 9780446619035

Barcode

1600524
Page: 0.6427 seconds