In my blog based around the concept of a fictional detective, I cite numerous techniques which have been developed over time to portray the fictional detective. To me the term investigator covers a large selection of meanings starting from private investigators to members of the police. In fact , the lead personality may not be a conventional 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 supply a mini-review of James Patterson, but not in the normal sense. While it's true I wish to dig a tad deeper into his works, I'm not interested in reviewing a specific title, or group of titles, but more Mr. Patterson's style.
Most or all of James Patterson's books are thrillers. Thrillers differ from normal who-done-its in that the opponent, or bad guy if you will, is often known by the reader early on or, at the very least, the reader knows something about him (or her). As a result, segments of the story are usually told through the villian's eyes.
Thrillers are multiple viewpoint books. That is, some of the story is told through the hero's eyes, some is viewed through those of the perpetrator , and some might be presented from the point of view of some minor characterâ€"perhaps even someone who the bad guy is after or is making an attempt to kill.
To me, multiple POV books are generally more action loaded than an other types of novels. In KISS THE GIRLS for example, Patterson is able to present the reader with 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 event-filled story telling that drew me to this sort of writing when I developed my own novel, ZION'S WEB. ZION'S WEB isn't just a thriller, but, based on the reviews I have received thus far, is packed full of actionâ€"due most likely to the multiple point of view style I decided to employ.
This article is supposed to supply a mini-review of James Patterson, but not in the normal sense. While it's true I wish to dig a tad deeper into his works, I'm not interested in reviewing a specific title, or group of titles, but more Mr. Patterson's style.
Most or all of James Patterson's books are thrillers. Thrillers differ from normal who-done-its in that the opponent, or bad guy if you will, is often known by the reader early on or, at the very least, the reader knows something about him (or her). As a result, segments of the story are usually told through the villian's eyes.
Thrillers are multiple viewpoint books. That is, some of the story is told through the hero's eyes, some is viewed through those of the perpetrator , and some might be presented from the point of view of some minor characterâ€"perhaps even someone who the bad guy is after or is making an attempt to kill.
To me, multiple POV books are generally more action loaded than an other types of novels. In KISS THE GIRLS for example, Patterson is able to present the reader with 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 event-filled story telling that drew me to this sort of writing when I developed my own novel, ZION'S WEB. ZION'S WEB isn't just a thriller, but, based on the reviews I have received thus far, is packed full of actionâ€"due most likely to the multiple point of view style 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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