Meg's Fiction in A Flash

Okay followers, however few or plenty you are. I have something new I'm going to try. As you know, I'm a writer and thus an avid reader. I'm writing my first murder mystery novel and reading voraciously in the process. I read a variety of different kinds of fiction but ONLY fiction. I've read enough different kinds of books in my lifetime having been an English Lit major in undergrad and grad school. Now that I'm reading for my own personal enjoyment and to help me become a better writer, I read lots and lots and lots of popular fiction. Some of my favorite authors are Stephen King, James Patterson, and Chuck Palahniuk, just to give you an idea of where I am coming from.

I'm going to start a segment on my blog called Fiction in a Flash. I'm going to give you my one minute book review. I'll review every book I read as I finish them, so this segment will appear sporadically but regularly. Maybe it will spur you to read something I've read and discuss. Please post comments on my blog. As you can imagine, I love nothing more than a good discussion on a good book, so anything you have to say is welcome. On books or writing or whatever. I look forward to hearing from you!

So here goes. Our trial run.

James Patterson's I, Alex Cross

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am one of those people who totally, completely, wholeheartedly bought into James Patterson's marketing campaign at Christmas. In his commercials, Patterson said something like, "if you don't buy my new book, I will kill Alex Cross." Of course, my reaction is one of OH MY GOD I HAVE TO BUY THIS BOOK SO YOU DON'T KILL ALEX CROSS! Yes, I was that enthusiastic.

However, after reading this book, I was not that impressed. Don't get me wrong. I liked it, and it was fine. Not his best work, by far!

The writing was par at best. It was not exceptional. His use of language was not as powerful as it has been in previous works. Granted, Pattersonn is not the greatest writer of the 20th century or 21st century no matter how popular he is. His plot lines help him make up for his deficiency in this area.

The plot line in this novel was confusing as well. There was just too much going on, and the writing wasn't as sharp, so the events of the plot felt muddled. Maybe not to the point where I had a difficult time keeping up, but definitely to the point where I was going ok, wait, let me think about this. What was that thing that happened earlier that might be related to this new event?

One more note on Patterson in general. He takes an easier route than some authors, including myself. His protagonist is a retired FBI agent that still works with the FBI if he needs to or if they need him to. And Cross's girlfriend, Bree, works for the FBI as well. This is not something you would think about until you start writing a murder mystery novel. This isn't something I thought about until I started writing my novel. My protagonist is a food cirtic, so I have to get creative as to how she's going to find out confidential police information. And for a murder mystery novel, there has to be some discussion of police investigations. With Alex Cross, as well as, Patterson's Women's Murder Club series, the author has multiple characters that are in the criminal justice fields whether they be a member of the police force, a district attorney, or a medical examiner. Patterson has his characters in these professions, so he can easily write privileged information, which is crucial to the novel. As a murder mystery novel writer, I'm calling Patterson out on this one. This might be a smart decision on his part, but it's also definitely the easy road!!!

Good writing and happy reading to all of you! Let me know how you think our trial run went!