Product Description

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 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3907 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 448 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780446619035
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Booklist
Last seen in London Bridges (2004) chasing a terrorist, Washington, D.C., PD detective turned FBI agent Alex Cross is enjoying a much-needed vacation at Disneyland with his family when he's called in by the FBI to consult with the LAPD on a high-profile murder case. A-list actress Antonia Schifman has been slain, her face so badly cut up that she's almost unrecognizable. The murder isn't random; an L.A. Times gossip columnist has received a series of e-mails from a woman named Mary Smith, taking responsibility for the killing of Antonia, her chauffeur, and a well-known female movie producer. Cross studies the e-mails, which make reference to Mary's ordinary appearance and her fixation on the perfect families, particularly the children, of both women. When another prominent woman is slain, Cross is sucked into the case full time, jeopardizing the outcome of the custody battle he's involved in over his youngest son. As Cross studies the e-mails and patterns of the killer, he realizes he can't be certain of anything, even the gender of Mary Smith. The thrills in Patterson's latest lead to a truly unexpected, electrifying climax. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
James B. Patterson (born March 22, 1947) is an award-winning American author. Formerly an advertising executive for J. W. Thompson in the early 1990s, Patterson came up with the slogan "Toys R Us Kid". Shortly after his success with Along Came A Spider he retired from the firm and devoted his time to writing. The novels featuring his character, Alex Cross, a black forensic psychologist formerly of the Washington, D.C. Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation, now working as a private psychologist and government consultant, are the most popular books among Patterson readers. James Patterson has been criticized by Stephen King, who called Patterson's books "dopey thrillers".[citation needed] Patterson shrugged off the comments, stating that he wants to be the "thrillingest thriller writer of all time".[citation needed] James Patterson has also been put as one of Forbes magazine's top 100 celebrities.

From AudioFile
In the eleventh in Patterson's series, FBI Specialist Alex Cross's family vacation at Disneyland is interrupted by two unconnected events: His ex-wife abruptly gains custody of their young son and a shocking series of Hollywood murders comes to light. The use of three readers doesn't add clarity to this puzzle, except that Melissa Leo, the sole female narrator, delivers the murderer's emails with an acidic edge. Peter J. Fernandez and Michael Louis Wells portray Alex Cross and the whirlwind of events that compel him to help the LAPD with the celebrity murder cases. Cross's concern for the well-being of his own family is chillingly juxtaposed with the murderer's messages about raising children. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

Okay Okay
Mary Mary by James Patterson is typical of his Alex Cross novels-- single dad Alex tries to juggle parenting and career along with a love life. This book centers around a series of murders of Hollywood mothers, with the killer sending emails to a Hollywood reporter and signing them as "Mary." FBI Agent Alex is pulled off a vacation with his family to Disneyland to help the LAPD with the case, although they are not exactly appreciative of his help.

I do enjoy the Alex Cross novels; I appreciate that Cross is a loving father and his conflict between taking care of his children and satisfying the demands of his job. The plot in this book, however, has holes big enough to drive a Zamboni through. The motivation for the face slashing of the victims is never adequately explained-- or, I should say, the slashing of the original victim is never explained satisfactorily. How the killer eventually catches up to Alex at the end is another big question. In this, as in so many other books, Patterson does not play fair-- he withholds crucial information till the end of the book in order to be able to keep the identity of the killer a surprise.

Underlying the main story is another continuing storyline of Alex's attempts to gain custody of his son, Ali, from his ex-wife, Christine. There are hints all the way through the novel that something is going on with Christine, but we never find out what, nor do we find out what causes her big change of heart at the end.

This is my continuing problem with the Alex Cross novels-- Alex Cross is a good, interesting character and the plots are taut and original. But Patterson does not seem to be confident enough in his own abilities as a writer to give the reader all the information necessary throughout the book. He withholds information and then, at the end, after he's almost reluctantly divulged everything in the space of about two pages, he abruptly stops the book before we have a chance to absorb the sudden disclosures and resolve everything in our own minds.

Patterson and Cross are back in the groove now...
After James Patterson's last Alex Cross novel London Bridges, I was beginning to think that the Cross character had perhaps run its course. So with a little trepidation, I picked up Mary, Mary from the library. It now appears that London Bridges was an anomaly, and Patterson/Cross are back on track.

Alex Cross is vacationing with his kids and grandmother at Disneyland, when he gets a call asking for a short one day consult on a celebrity killing in LA. Reluctant to give up his vacation time, he decides to make this one exception. That was his first mistake... While he was gone, the mother of his 3 year old shows up and takes the child back to Seattle, while also petitioning the court for permanent custody. His ongoing romance to Jamilla is also floundering, so he's left with little social life and a feeling that his personal life as a father is failing. The Mary Smith killer is keeping him occupied however. Pretty soon he finds himself traveling coast to coast on a regular basis helping the LAPD analyze the emails and clues as to who "Mary Smith", the killer, might be, as well as who might next be in the sights of the killer. And even when they have a person in custody who fits all the evidence, Cross isn't quite sure there isn't something else going on...

The action part of the story line for this novel was good. There are a number of characters that Patterson puts "in play" as potential suspects, and there's really not much elimination until the end. I was completely surprised at the twist ending, which was good. From a character standpoint, Patterson has set up Cross for some significant romantic changes ahead. All the regular players are moved out of the picture, and a few new ones make their appearance. All goes to show that Patterson isn't done with this series... And if they continue to play out along these lines instead of London Bridges, that will be a good thing...

1 Star being the lowest - - then deduct TWO more stars!
I really, REALLY mean it this time - - NO MORE PATTERSON BOOKS FOR ME!!! This was the sorriest excuse yet! His publishing company must have paid some of the critics well - I finally gave in and bought this after hearing one of them state -- "the scariest Alex Cross novel yet!!!" Yeah, right!!! The scariest part was the child-custody hearing - I'm sitting there reading chapter after chapter about his child-custody fight??? WTF???

Speaking of Chapters - chapter breaks appeared every-other page!!! In the middle of a thought!!! Patterson must've gotten paid by the page rather than by the word!

The ending was far-fetched and nowhere close to believable. So he got the idea from an inmate of a psychiatric hospital??? So what made him so DRIVEN to continue killing??? Please!

My 8-year-old granddaughter could've done a better job!

Shame on you, James Patterson!!!