In my blog based around the concept of a fictional detective, I cite numerous methods that have been developed over time to portray the fictional detective. To me the term investigator covers a good array of meanings from private eyes to members of the police force. Actually the lead personality doesn't have to be be a normal investigator at all, as is the case with Jame's Patterson's Alex Cross, who, depending on where you join him in his fictional career, is a combo detective and psychologist.
This article is supposed to provide a mini-review of James Patterson, but not in the traditional sense. While it is true I would like to dig a tad deeper into his works, I'm not particularly interested in reviewing a selected title, or group of titles, but more Mr. Patterson's style.
Most if not all of James Patterson's books are thrillers. Thrillers vary from standard who-done-its in the sense that the opponent, or bad guy if you will, is often known by the reader early on or, at the least, the reader knows something about him (or her). As a consequence, segments of the story are usually told through the villian's eyes.
Thrillers are multiple viewpoint books. That is, some of the novel is told through the hero's eyes, some is seen through those of the villian and some may be told from the viewpoint of some small characterâ€"perhaps even someone that the bad guy is chasing or is trying to kill.
To me, multiple POV books are usually more action-packed than an other types of books. In KISS THE GIRLS for instance, Patterson is able to show the reader three separate murder scenes, carried out by the same pathological killer, the hero's frantic sprint to surgery to save a dying boy, and Cross's discovery that his niece has been kidnappedâ€"all in under 50 pages.
Like Patterson, it's exactly this face-paced story telling that drew me to this sort of writing when I created my own novel, ZION'S WEB. ZION'S WEB is not only a thriller, but, considering the reviews I have received so far, is packed full of actionâ€"due undoubtedly to the multiple POV methodology I decided to employ.
This article is supposed to provide a mini-review of James Patterson, but not in the traditional sense. While it is true I would like to dig a tad deeper into his works, I'm not particularly interested in reviewing a selected title, or group of titles, but more Mr. Patterson's style.
Most if not all of James Patterson's books are thrillers. Thrillers vary from standard who-done-its in the sense that the opponent, or bad guy if you will, is often known by the reader early on or, at the least, the reader knows something about him (or her). As a consequence, segments of the story are usually told through the villian's eyes.
Thrillers are multiple viewpoint books. That is, some of the novel is told through the hero's eyes, some is seen through those of the villian and some may be told from the viewpoint of some small characterâ€"perhaps even someone that the bad guy is chasing or is trying to kill.
To me, multiple POV books are usually more action-packed than an other types of books. In KISS THE GIRLS for instance, Patterson is able to show the reader three separate murder scenes, carried out by the same pathological killer, the hero's frantic sprint to surgery to save a dying boy, and Cross's discovery that his niece has been kidnappedâ€"all in under 50 pages.
Like Patterson, it's exactly this face-paced story telling that drew me to this sort of writing when I created my own novel, ZION'S WEB. ZION'S WEB is not only a thriller, but, considering the reviews I have received so far, is packed full of actionâ€"due undoubtedly to the multiple POV methodology I decided to employ.
About the Author:
Michael Snow is the writer of ZION'S WEB, the first of the Zachariah Burton detective thrillers. In addition to writing books, Michael maintains a blog site which has a number of highly useful and entertaining blogs, including tips on writing a book.
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