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Kiss the Girls by James Patterson
Reader Reviews A fun read, but ultimately disappointing, August 20, 2003 Reviewer: Regina McMenamin from New York, NY USA The second in James Patterson's Alex Cross series, Kiss The Girls is a mindless read that will keep you happily occupied for the ten hours it takes to read it, but ultimately this is a disappointing and annoying book. Yes, it is suspenseful. Yes, most of the characters are engaging, sympathetic and endearing. Yes, it is worth the [money] it costs to purchase it, but... This Alex Cross superhero character is less than believable. Idealized to the point of the absurd, Alex Cross is a caricature of the noble African-American man. Intelligent, principled and charming, Cross is presented as a faultless, one-dimensional character whose actions and thoughts are never adequately explained. He is instead presented as the perfect person, lacking the conflicts and contradictory personality traits that make a person fully rounded. What's more, Patterson is clumsy in leading the reader to suspect the wrong person is Cassanova, one of the two serial killers that are terrorizing the US. Once you learn Cassanova's real identity, you are left with an annoying "Oh please; give me a break" moment. What Patterson does succeed in doing is bashing America at every turn. I could do with less of his commentary about the proliferation of serial killers in America and more good old fashion detective novel clues. If I were to meet Mr. Patterson, all of whose books I intend to read, I'd love to ask him why he thinks there are allegedly so few serial killers outside of the US and Europe. Does Patterson think that has anything to do with how little freedom Africans, Middle Easterners and Asians enjoy? Could it have anything to do with the fact that none of these regions enjoys freedom of the press? If a country is lead by a serial killer dictator, do you or does Mr. Patterson believe the mass murdering leader would allow the population the freedom to do anything other than eke out a subsistence living and attend state-sponsor "we love our leader" pep rallies? Another quibble I have with the series is Patterson's obsession with interracial love affairs. While I do not care in the slightest that Alex Cross appears to prefer doing the horizontal mambo with white women, I cannot help but notice that the only people who have any problem with it are Patterson's vilified Southern red necks. Where is the black female voice here? With the exception of Cross's 80-something grandmother, Nana Mama, you don't hear a peep out black women in Patterson's books. Still I like the Alex Cross series and have already begun reading Jack & Jill. Here's to hoping it will offer fewer exclamation points and better clues.
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