Roses Are Red, James Patterson's sixth Alex Cross thriller, opens with the District of Columbia detective attempting to mend his nearly unraveled family. The year-long kidnapping of one's intended (1999's Pop Goes the Weasel) will do that to a relationship. Christine, the kidnappee, is amenable with one reasonable condition: that her family's horizon remain uncluttered by homicidal maniacs. How unfortunate, then, that the joyous christening of their newborn son is rudely interrupted by the FBI bearing news of several heinous murders requiring the attention of detective (and doctor of psychology) Cross.
"Three-year-old boy, the father, a nanny," Kyle said one more time before he left the party. He was about to go through the door in the sun porch when he turned to me and said, "You're the right person for this. They murdered a family, Alex." As soon as Kyle was gone, I went looking for Christine. My heart sank. She had taken Alex and left without saying good-bye, without a single word.
Which leaves Cross free to hunt the Mastermind, the barbarous brains behind a widening series of bank robberies in which employees or their family members are held hostage and, when instructions aren't followed to the finest iota, slaughtered. Given the cases' glaring and unfathomable inhumanity, Cross's long- time DCPD partner (the wonderful giant, John Sampson) gives way to the warm, attractive, and fiercely intelligent FBI Agent Betsey Cavalierre. The longer and harder Cross and Cavalierre remain on his trail, the bolder and more brutal--and shiveringly close to home--the Mastermind's strikes become. And, thanks mostly to lightning-short paragraphs and a point of view that rappels from the first-person Cross to the third-person Mastermind, the tale progresses at hot-trot speed to a bona fide doozy of a denouement. It'll be over before you know it, so sit back, hold your breath, and enjoy the show. And stay tuned for the next one.
The brilliantly complex mind of James Patterson never ceases to amaze us! Readers can always expect something new and thrilling from this talented author, and the latest addition to the popular Alex Cross series is no exception.
Roses Are Red pits Detective Cross against a diabolical killer who goes by the name of the Mastermind and whose crimes are notorious for their needless cruelty. Bank robberies are carried out with precision and innocent hostages are taken and slain for no apparent reason. Even more baffling, this maniac hires teams of criminals to do all the dirty work while orchestrating from the shadows, when the deeds are done, the recruits are cunningly led to their deaths. Taunting letters and phone calls to the police only raise more questions.
Cross knows they're dealing with a brilliant and cunning psychopath but the detective is plagued with problems of his own. His youngest daughter has just been diagnosed with a serious illness and his girlfriend, Christine, has decided to call it quits. It's a good thing he has the help of his partners John Sampson and beautiful FBI Agent Betsey Cavalierre to keep him focused on this puzzling case. And focused he must remain, because the Mastermind's latest message to the police has made one point very clear: the next target is Cross himself. With twists and turns at every facet, Roses Are Red is guaranteed to have you riveted to your seat right up to the explosive climax -- don't miss it!
Chapter One
BRIANNE PARKER didn't look like a bank robber or a murderer - her pleasantly plump baby face fooled everyone. But she knew that she was ready to kill if she had to this morning. She would find out for sure at ten minutes past eight.
The twenty-four-year-old woman wore khakis, a powder blue University of Maryland windbreaker, and scuffed white Nike sneakers. None of the early-morning commuters noticed her as she walked from her dented white Acura to a thick stand of evergreen trees, where she hid.
She was outside the Citibank in Silver Spring, Maryland, just before eight. The branch was scheduled to open in ninety seconds. She knew from her talks with the Mastermind that it was a freestanding bank with two drive-through lanes. It was surrounded by what he called big-box stores: Target, PETsMART, Home Depot, Circuit City.
At eight o'clock on the dot, Brianne approached the bank from her hiding place in the evergreens under a colorful billboard obnoxiously offering McDonald's breakfast to the public. From that angle she couldn't be seen by the female teller who was just opening the glass front door and had momentarily stepped outside.
A few strides from the teller, she slipped on a rubbery President Clinton mask, one of the most popular masks in America and probably the one hardest to trace. She knew the bank teller's name, and she spoke it clearly as she pulled out her gun and pressed it against the small of the woman's back.
"Inside, Ms. Jeanne Galetta. Then turn around and lock the front door again. We're going to see your boss, Mrs. Buccieri."
Her short speech at the entrance to the bank was scripted, word for word, even the pauses. The Mastermind said it was crucial that a bank robbery proceed in a specific order, almost by rote.
"I don't want to kill you, Jeanne. But I will if you don't do everything I say, when I say it. It's your turn to talk now, darling. Do you understand what I've just told you so far?"
Jeanne Galetta nodded her head of short brown hair so vigorously that her wire-rimmed glasses nearly fell off. "Yes, I do. Please don't hurt me," she gasped. She was in her late twenties, attractive in a suburban sort of way, but her blue polyester pantsuit and sensible stack-heeled shoes made her look older.
"The manager's office. Now, Ms. Jeanne. If I'm not out of here in eight minutes, you will die. I'm serious. If I'm not out of here in eight minutes, you and Mrs. Buccieri die. Don't think I won't do it because I'm a woman. I will shoot you both like dogs.
When was the last time you read a really great mystery? One that had you quivering with suspense…unable to take your eyes off the page for fear of missing some case-breaking clue or sinister motivation…and with an ending so shocking you were still reeling days after the final pages had been read? If you've never had the pleasure of reading such a book, then you're in the right place. James Patterson is one of the top-selling novelists in the world today. His first novel, The Thomas Berryman Number, won the prestigious Edgar Award for best first mystery. Since then, Patterson has written a string of bestsellers, including the popular Alex Cross series which boasts one major motion picture (Kiss the Girls) and another in the wings (Along Came a Spider). Here are a few interesting facts about the author and his work:
Patterson was once an advertising executive. He created award-winning campaigns for Burger King, Toys 'R' Us, and Kodak.
The popular character of Detective Alex Cross started out as a woman (Alexis) in Patterson's first draft of Along Came a Spider.
Patterson got his knack for storytelling as a child growing up in the country. With no other children around, he would roam around the woods and tell himself stories.
The ending to Cat & Mouse was originally a scary cliffhanger. Readers of advanced copies of the book didn't want to wait another year to find out what happened so the ending was changed.