In my blog based around the idea of a fictional detective, I cite numerous strategies that have been developed over the years to portray the fictional investigator. To me the term detective covers a wide array of meanings ranging from private investigators to members of the police. In fact , the lead personality might possibly not 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 investigator and psychologist.
This article is supposed to offer a mini-review of James Patterson, although not in the conventional sense. While it is true I wish to dig a little deeper into his works, I'm not interested in reviewing a particular title, or group of titles, but more Mr. Patterson's style.
Most or even all of James Patterson's books are thrillers. Thrillers differ from normal who-done-its in the sense that the opponent, or bad guy if you will, is commonly known by the reader early on or, at the least, the reader knows something about him (or her). As a result, sections 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 told through those of the antagonist and some is often presented from the point of view of some small characterâ€"perhaps even someone who the bad guy is chasing or is making an attempt to kill.
To me, multiple viewpoint books are generally more action loaded than an other kinds of books. In KISS THE GIRLS as an example, Patterson is able to present the reader with three separate murder scenes, carried out by the same pathological killer, the hero's urgent run to the E.R. 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 event-filled story telling that drew me to this type of writing when I engineered 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 offer a mini-review of James Patterson, although not in the conventional sense. While it is true I wish to dig a little deeper into his works, I'm not interested in reviewing a particular title, or group of titles, but more Mr. Patterson's style.
Most or even all of James Patterson's books are thrillers. Thrillers differ from normal who-done-its in the sense that the opponent, or bad guy if you will, is commonly known by the reader early on or, at the least, the reader knows something about him (or her). As a result, sections 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 told through those of the antagonist and some is often presented from the point of view of some small characterâ€"perhaps even someone who the bad guy is chasing or is making an attempt to kill.
To me, multiple viewpoint books are generally more action loaded than an other kinds of books. In KISS THE GIRLS as an example, Patterson is able to present the reader with three separate murder scenes, carried out by the same pathological killer, the hero's urgent run to the E.R. 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 event-filled story telling that drew me to this type of writing when I engineered 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 author of ZION'S WEB, the first of the Zachariah Burton detective thrillers. As well as writing stories, Michael maintains a blog site which contains a considerable number of very helpful and entertaining blogs, including tips on writing a book.
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