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Violets Are Blue
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Plot Summary of Violets Are Blue
"

Little, Brown; Nov 2001; 27.95; 393 pp.
ISBN: 0316693235

    The case is difficult enough for Washington DC police detective Alex Cross because the alleged victim was a good friend. The case turns frightening for Alex when the brilliant but amoral criminal the Mastermind threatens Alex's children. Alex immediately leaves the crime scene to return home, but the Mastermind reminds the cop you can run, but you can't hide.

    Even while he panics over the safety of his children, FBI Agent Kyle Craig calls Alex while he dines with a special date. Someone killed two military joggers in Golden Gate Park in which bite marks are all over the victims, much of their blood was drained, and they were left hanging upside down from a tree. The case reads identical to one that they failed to solve in DC fourteen months ago so Alex immediately flies to San Francisco. Joined by SFPD Jamilla Hughes, Alex begins to find clues that take the duo into a deadly role-playing underground. However, his children are irate that his work comes first especially with the Mastermind stalking them like a tiger after its quarry.

    The “vampire” slayings make for a clever police procedural that takes the audience on a unique tour of the Bay area as well as other areas of the country. The Mastermind subplot seems to interfere with the other tale though it enables the audience to observe a depressed and panicked Alex using work to escape his plight. In his latest Cross thriller, VIOLETS ARE BLUE, James Patterson keenly blends his hero's personal and professional lives as each aspect clash leaving the audience with another complete tale.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

"Clever Dr Cross again outsmarts a mass murderer. "
Jo Evans, Resident Scholar

"Alex Cross has seen a lot of crime scenes. But even he is appalled by the gruesome murders of two joggers in San Franciso's Golden Gate Park-killings that look more like the work of savage beasts than humans. Local police are horrified and even the FBI is baffled. Then, as Cross is called in to take on the case, the carnage takes off, leaving a trail of bodies across America and sweeping him across the states to Savannah, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Los Angeles as well.

There's also his nemesis again-the Mastermind. Alex Cross thought he took care of that one-but not really. The mastermind is still very much out there, stalking him, and taunting him. The mastermind is threatening everything he holds dear."

Boppy, Resident Scholar

"There are killings going on. They are vampiric in nature and odd because no valuables are taken from the victims. Detective Cross must find out who the current killers are...and then figure out who the "Mastermind" is...a person who has been involved in many murders...and has continued to follow and harass Detective Cross even through this new investigation."
Sarah Oldham, Resident Scholar

"This is the final show down for Detective Alex Cross and his nemisis The Mastermind. This brutal murderer moves closer to home as he threatens to kill Alex's family and friends. In order to catch him, he must discover who is behind bizarre vampire murders suspected of being linked to The Mastermind. The discovery of who is the Mastermind is the grand shocker of all time for Alex but he knows just how to handle it."
Tracey Ray , Resident Scholar

"Cross once again must battle his nemesis, evil   genius known as mastermind who taunts our hero with threats to kill him and   his family. Cross must also balance this with his newest case: a pair of young   killers who think of themselves as vampires and actually drink the blood of their victims as they brutally murder them!Cross with the aid of beautiful   det. Jamila Hughes must hunt down these two maniacs as the leave a trail   of bloodless bodies around the country and who think of themselves as unstoppable. Patterson is most adept when he juggles the narratives of Dr. Cross and how is trying to put his life back together after the breakup with   Christina and the terror he feels when he thinks mastermind may harm his   children or the burnout he has from years of catching vicious killers. Cross is   great hero because unlike other detectives he isn't cold cynic but passionate   cop who uses his brains and heart in his case.We also getting chilling insight   on why the mastermind hates Cross and why is obsessed in killing him and   showing Cross he is smarter than him. The storyline of the two vampire   killers is also memorable as Patterson goes into the minds of these so-called   vampires as they seduce,stalk and murder their prey and their terrifying   bloodlust that drives them to commmit these awful crimes.This novel also   gives us a glimpse of fetish of vampirism and the misguided young people   who inhabit underground where people actually believe they are vampires!   This gripping thriller leads to heartstopping final confronation between Cross   and Mastermind! A unforgettable masterpiece of psychological terror and   suspense that makes me believe in the realm of thrillers the true mastermind   is James Patterson! "
Rodney Powell, Resident Scholar




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Review Analysis of Violets Are Blue
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 22.5%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 32.5%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 22.5%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 22.5%




Time/era of story: - 1980's-1999 - present (2000-2010)
Kind of investigator - police procedural, American
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - police/lawman
Age: - 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race - Black
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - police/lawman
The antagonists are: - FBI/CIA
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast - Southeast - California

Style
Part of a series? Yes
How many deaths? - 5-7 - 8 or more
Unusual forms of death - hanging
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Violets Are Blue
The Cove by Catherine Coulter
Shadow of a Doubt by Karen McCullough
Dead Sleep by Greg Iles
Cruel and Unusual by Patricia Cornwell
CSI: Body of Evidence by Max Allan Collins


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James Patterson Resident Scholar Profiles

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Tracey Ray   

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