1st to Die by James Patterson

1st to Die by James Patterson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I think 1st to Die is the only James Patterson novel I've read, but I'm not certain. His writing is not the type that sticks with me after I'm done reading. I did have certain expectations from hearing others talk about his books and from reading reviews. Those expectations were met without many surprises.



The characters have little depth and when the plot twists take any paths that are unexpected, those paths feel forced and sometimes humorous. The book felt like a satire of its genre. Perhaps it was, but there are still nice things about it that make it worth reading.



The book is a page turner. Patterson knows how to write well enough to keep me on the edge of my seat. Lindsay, the main character, has multiple problems going on in her life, so I didn't have time to get bored with one before the story was back to another. And the action scenes work well.



Even though the characters are not interesting enough for me to think about them when I'm done reading, I still cared enough about them to want good things to happen. I knew most of the troubles they would run into before they happened, but I was interested to see how they were resolved.



There are unbelievable aspects to the plot. In particular a coincidence that is critical to the plot and actions by the criminals that nobody could possibly accept. Yet there are times when I want to see Bruce Willis or Arnold Schwarzenegger films, even if they are unrealistic. I'll probably read other James Patterson books, but I'll wait until a time when I don't want to think much.





View all my reviews