Barely out of sight of land, the Dunne family finds its summer getaway to paradise already turning into the trip from hell. Carrie, the eldest, has thrown herself off the side of the boast in a bid for attention. Sixteen-year-old Mark is getting high belowdecks. And Ernie, their ten-year-old brother, is nearly catatonic. It's shaping up to be the worst vacation ever.
Katherine Dunne had hoped this trip would bring back the togetherness they'd lost when her husband, a high-powered Manhattan attorney, had been able to postpone his trial and join them it would all have been okay...
Suddenly, a disaster hits - and it's perfect. Faced with real danger, the Dunnes rediscover the meaning of family and pull together in a way they haven't in a long time. But this catastrophe is just a tiny taste of the danger that lurks ahead: someone wants to make sure the Dunne family never makes is out of paradise alive.
from front flap
I've only read one James Patterson book before, Sundays at Tiffany's, and it wasn't the best. However, it wasn't one of the mysteries that he's known for, so I thought I would give this one a chance. I really wanted to get Along Came a Spider, but someone had already checked it out so I settled with Sail. The whole plot and story line was actually pretty good, but the way it was written was the part that made this book kind of bleh. I felt he wrote with an immature mindset; the sentences were short and choppy and just some of the chapters were reminiscent of what a 15 year old could write. Although the majority of the story was predictable and I was just waiting to turn the page and see that what I thought was going to happen was actually happening, I really enjoyed the characters. Another positive is that it was a super quick read. Since the chapters were a maximum of 5 pages, I got through this book in a couple nights. I'm not going to write off James Patterson yet, I think I'll still try Along Came a Spider, but if the writing is similar to that of Sail, I don't think I'll be reading anymore of him.
Glad to find another fellow reader. I can tell you from reading a few that James Patterson writes mostly the same way in everything. Although I do enjoy the early Alex Cross books. I also saw that you were reading Rose Madder. It's one of the few Stephen King's I haven't gotten to yet. But if you like him, try reading Richard Matheson, also a terrific author. Start with either I Am Legend or Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.
ReplyDeleteI really feel like he rushes the ending in a lot of his books. I'm not a huge fan, but I will read whatevers laying around (I've been known to read my husband's Playboy) and my husband likes him so I've read a handful of his books.
ReplyDeleteI read Rose Madder a few years ago and liked it. It made me a little jumpy for awhile actually. I kept thinking people were gonna disappear into walls and stuff.
I saw this at the library but ended up with one of his other books instead - you should read You've Been Warned. Not the best writing but one of those books where you can't wait to figure out the ending.
ReplyDeleteI have never read any of his books. Maybe I'll check him out.
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
LOVE!