I was hoping for something…more. I am a huge Patterson fan, and I had been beyond overjoyed to find a copy of his very first book at the used bookshop. But then I read it. It was not up to par with what I now see as a Patterson novel. You can defiantly tell that it was first timer. It was disjointed, and the parts he wanted to make complex came out sloppy. He diction was poor and didn’t fit in when we wanted it to. It still held his classic murder mystery sort of vibe. I was just hoping for more. It was great first book, I hope mine gets the same credibility, but it was just eh. I liked how this was before his ghost writers time, so you got to see his own personal style.

The story itself was okay, but it felt like many key points were under-explained or skipped over entirely. I was just hoping for a great novel, which I know won’t really happen with a first novel. Okay. I’m lying. Plenty of up and coming hit it off with their first book. (i.e. Roth, Rowling, Maas, Pierce Brown….)

You’ll be fine if you miss Patterson’s initial work. Stick to his new stuff. I was just happy to have found it because it was what got him his start.

Thanks for acting like you’re paying attention.

All quotes pulled from the novel, and included bonus content.

Carpe diem.