Description
Paris is stunning in the summer
NYPD detective Jacob Kanon is on a tour of Europe's most gorgeous cities. But the sights aren't what draw him--he sees each museum, each cathedral, and each cafe through the eyes of his daughter's killer.
The killing is simply marvelous
Kanon's daughter, Kimmy, and her boyfriend were murdered while on vacation in Rome. Since then, young couples in Paris, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, and Stockholm have been found dead. Little connects the murders, other than a postcard to the local newspaper that precedes each new victim.
Wish you were here
Now Kanon teams up with the Swedish reporter, Dessie Larsson, who has just received a postcard in Stockholm--and they think they know where the next victims will be. With relentless logic and unstoppable action, The Postcard Killers may be James Patterson's most vivid and compelling thriller yet.
Reviews
What a shame
I am a 62 year old professional who has been an avid reader all my life. I enjoy reading the works of both great writers (i.e. Hemingway and Fitzgerald) and storytellers. For many years James Patterson was one of my favorite storytellers. The early Alex Cross and his other pieces were great escapes and delights. They were well written, suspenseful and enjoyable. But recently, Patterson has become a whore to the almighty dollar and as despicable as many of his antagonists. He has sold his name and reputations to others, some of whom could have maybe achieved prestige with a little patience and practice. This mode of operation is a threat to the encouragement of budding authors. I would encourage all other avid readers of good fiction to find alternatives of Mr. Patterson's "works" and hope that he will return to writing his own stories.
Sizzeling start, muddled finish.
I am a bit split on this book, the first 200 pages or so had me riveted, but the second half I thought a bit too drawn out. The conclusion I did not find that satisfying. The story follows New York Homicide detective Jacob Kanon on a journey to capture the monsters who have murdered his college age daughter while she is vacationing in Rome. The killers are known as the post card killers as they send a post card to newspaper reporters in the City they intend to take their next victim from. The story does move at a rapid pace, with adult themes and some pretty heavy violence. If you enjoy this type of story I highly recommend the thriller "A Tourist In The Yucatan".
postcard killers, james patterson
In the "Postcard Killers," Patterson teams up with popular Swedish crime writer Liza Marklund to write a serial murder mystery set in some beautiful European settings. The book starts with Sylvia and Mac seducing an English couple they met in a museum. In a short time, the couple turns up dead. Soon we learn that this is not an isolated incident, but similar, seemingly random murders of young couples gave been sprouting up all over Europe. The only clue to these grotesque murders is a postcard sent to the local paper where the future murder will take place.
This is how we meet Swedish crime columnist Dessie Larsson, who has just received a similar postcard. Enter Jacob Kannon, an NYPD detective whose daughter was murdered on her honeymoon, and who has obsessively been following the murders as they occur--finding out about Dessie's postcard and traveling to Sweden to meet with her. The sub-plot becomes Dessie's and Jacob's complicated relationship. Dessie can't stand Jacob and doesn't understand why the killers chose to address the postcard to her. Jacob is hurt by Dessie's indifferent behavior and vows to do anything to catch the killers.
While Jacob and Dessie try to figure out the killers' motive, the murders continue to occur until they become an international journalism sensation--with the killers referred to as the "postcard killers." What further complicates the murders is that the victims are arranged into strange poses following their murders, which leads Dessie to a nagging suspicion that the killers are trying to send some kind of message.
As are all Patterson's books, it was a quick read with really short chapters. I find it's much easier to turn the page when the chapter is a page and a half as opposed to ten pages. The plot itself is not a "whodunnit," as Patterson and Marklund devote chapters that dissect the circumstances of the murders, but more of a how-do-we-catch-the-villains. The international settings and the controversial biography of the villains add an interesting dimension to the straightforward plot. Overall, an entertaining story.
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