Wednesday, September 15, 2010

The Postcard Killers by James Patterson

This is a do-it-yourself book review.  Find any positive review of a Patterson thriller, insert Postcard Killers in place of the title, Liza Marklund in place of the co(read "actual")-author, Sweden as the location, and posing bodies to mimic famous works of art as the killer's m.o.  - there, you have a review of Patterson's latest.

Not that it's necessarily a bad thing.  There are many authors who write from a formula - ever read a Harlequin romance?  Even big names reuse plot ideas - Grisham's first three big sellers (The Firm, The Client, and The Pelican Brief) were all the same basic story.  And Patterson's formula is always a hit, so why mess with success?

Once again there is a serial killer on the loose, our hero sets out to capture him, pages fly by, hero meets heroine, more flying pages, a climactic moment and a bit of romance, and we're done.  Sadly, this time the climactic moment could have used a little Viagra - it wasn't all that exciting - and the Swedish words constantly thrown in only to remind us that the author is from Sweden and knows more about it than we do, were annoying.  Other than that, a first-rate thriller that kept us both entertained on a long car trip.

Thanks for your help in writing this quick review.  Now we still have time for a round of golf.

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