Patterson's You've Been Warned
The Latest Thriller from America's Best-Selling Crime Author
Paranoia or threat, dream or reality --James Patterson's latest thriller draws the reader in with its unique plot. Unfortunately, the novel doesn't deliver an ending.
Kristin Burns is a twenty-something New Yorker, striving to become an art photographer, while holding down a day job as a nanny to two adorable kids with a stereotypical, uncaring and unpleasant step-mom. The reader meets her in the middle of a dream, a fearsome dream involving three deaths and one near-death. When she comes across the same scene the next morning on the way to work, the line between dream and reality becomes even murkier.
Naughty and Nice
The bright spots in Kristin's life are her photography (she's never far from her camera), her two daytime wards--the Turnbull kids, and her stockbroker boyfriend. Did I mention that her boyfriend, Michael, is married--to her employer? Of course, everyone's got a secret or two and Kristin is no exception. But the line between passion and obsession is a very fine one and that's the space that Patterson's latest novel seeks to explore.
You've Been Warned
As Kristin is haunted by the reoccurring nightmare of the three murders, she is approached by a series of souls seeking to warn her, including her father who has been dead for eight years. But, warn her about what? At the same time as Kristin is trying to find the truth about the murders, she's becoming increasingly stalker-like towards Michael and his family. Can any of this possibly come to a good end?
The premise of "You've been Warned:" that the lines between life and death, real and unreal are very slim is both fascinating and intriguing, woven as it is around a typical Patterson thriller. However, Patterson's two-page chapters and stereotypical characters don't allow the necessary depth for a plot of this kind to be successful. Instead, the reader is left lamenting an ending anticipated early (in the first 100 pages). It would be preferable if Mr. Patterson would write one really good book each year than spin out four mediocre ones.
About James Patterson
James Patterson is the author of over 40 novels. He is best known for his Alex Cross Series and his Women's Murder Club Series, which was recently made into a TV series. Mr. Patterson has also recently branched out into young adult fiction with Maximum Ride, published in 2006. He has won numerous writing awards. In addition to the Edgar, he has won the BCA Mystery Guild's "Thriller of the Year" award and is the 2007 recipient of the "Thrillermaster" Award.
