In my blog based around the concept of a fictional detective, I cite several strategies that've been developed over the years to portray the fictional detective. To me the term investigator covers a wide array of meanings from private eyes to members of the police force. In fact , the lead personality doesn't have to be be a traditional detective 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 designed to offer a mini-review of James Patterson, though not in the traditional sense. While it is true I'd like to dig a bit 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 even all of James Patterson's books are thrillers. Thrillers vary from traditional who-done-its in the sense that the antagonist, 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, portions of the novel are usually told through the villian's eyes.
Thrillers are multiple POV books. That is, some of the novel is told through the hero's eyes, some is seen through those of the antagonist and some may be told from the viewpoint of some less significant characterâ€"perhaps even someone who the bad guy is after or is trying to kill.
To me, multiple point of view books are usually more action-packed than an other kinds 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 dash 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 precisely this energetic story telling that drew me to this sort of writing when I engineered my own novel, ZION'S WEB. ZION'S WEB isn't just a thriller, but, given the reviews I have received so far, is packed full of actionâ€"due undoubtedly to the multiple POV technique I decided to employ.
This article is designed to offer a mini-review of James Patterson, though not in the traditional sense. While it is true I'd like to dig a bit 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 even all of James Patterson's books are thrillers. Thrillers vary from traditional who-done-its in the sense that the antagonist, 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, portions of the novel are usually told through the villian's eyes.
Thrillers are multiple POV books. That is, some of the novel is told through the hero's eyes, some is seen through those of the antagonist and some may be told from the viewpoint of some less significant characterâ€"perhaps even someone who the bad guy is after or is trying to kill.
To me, multiple point of view books are usually more action-packed than an other kinds 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 dash 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 precisely this energetic story telling that drew me to this sort of writing when I engineered my own novel, ZION'S WEB. ZION'S WEB isn't just a thriller, but, given the reviews I have received so far, is packed full of actionâ€"due undoubtedly to the multiple POV technique 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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