James Patterson – When the Wind Blows

Frannie O’Neill is About to Make a Startling Discovery

Sep 4, 2009

After a series of unrelated murders, FBI Agent Kit Harrison joins forces with Frannie O'Neill to uncover one of modern science's most bizarre accomplishments.

In taking a break from his well loved protagonist Alex Cross, James Patterson ventures into a world of deceit, murder and modern science. Continuing his word play on children’s nursery rhymes, Patterson’s When the Wind Blows is a disturbing, if potentially accurate view of the consequences of experimental science. What is particularly disturbing about the book is not its descriptions of murder, but the sickening events that Patterson presents. With developments in cloning and stem cell research, this 1998 book is not so ahead of its time.

While the subject matter of When the Wind Blows is unsettling, the quality of Patterson’s writing highlights his well developed characters. Like Alex Cross, Frannie O’Neill and Kit Harrison are admirable heroes; not only are they presented with insurmountable tasks, but they also actually possess the quality of character necessary to overcome these obstacles. Frannie and Kit are flawed humans, but their compassion and desire to right medical wrongs adds a moral flavor to a book that emphasizes the consequences of science without emotion.

Murder, Mayhem and Love

Frannie O’Neill is a soft-hearted veterinarian living in rural Colorado; her husband was recently killed, and she has only her friends, fellow workers in the medical field, as comfort. Kit Harrison, a man who has suffered the loss of his wife and two sons, is a rogue FBI agent, pursuing leads on a series of murders that his superiors have dismissed. Together, Frannie and Kit uncover a shocking truth, falling in love in the process. But their love for each other is unmatched by their love for Max, a medical phenomenon.

Max, an 11-year-old girl on the run from her captors, is unique: she can fly. A superior mix of both human and bird genes, she has incredible strength, beautiful wings and the innocence of a child. Although she has witnessed careless deaths, she is distinctly vulnerable, both in her existence as a product of modern science and as the prey of heartless scientists. As the true protagonist of When the Wind Blows, Max shines.

Modern Science: Its Triumphs and Its Consequences

Patterson presents a harsh reality in When the Wind Blows; he tempers the beauty of what can be created with the horror of what has been destroyed. His descriptions of inhumane acts are both shocking and repulsive, and the callousness with which the medical personnel and doctors treat genetically inferior creations in the novel is cruel. Patterson has devised a group of antagonists so cold and unfeeling in their pursuit of science that it brings into question whether modern medicine – at least in When the Wind Blows – is merciless.

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