Book Review: Now You See Her and Tick Tock by James Patterson

by Michelle Silver

Now You See Her is a fast-paced moving mystery about how the mistakes we make in our youth can come back to bite us.  An innocent young girl on spring break makes a foolish mistake - now she is running for her life.  An up-and-coming attorney in the big city enjoys a respectable life with her daughter.  She has worked hard to provide a good life for her child and a promising career for herself.  How can trying to save an innocent man from death row change everything you have worked so hard to accomplish?  Will the past not only ruin your career but cost you your daughter and possibly your life?  Love, lies, and murder - or was it?

Tick Tock is a part of one of James Patterson's most popular series, relating the stories of Detective Mike Bennett, a single parent of ten adopted children from different backgrounds.  He is a devoted father and hardworking officer who, with the help of a nanny and an old priest, effectively fights some of the hardest cases New York has ever experienced.  In Tick Tock, a bomb in the library, an explosion at Grand Central Station and a homicide in an industrial area bring Detective Mike Bennett to the scene of crimes that resemble past serial killers.  Taunting messages directed at the detective make it almost seem personal.  Are these cases the work of one man or a cult?

James Patterson is a great author who introduces characters we can relate to.  In his novels, the main characters are well-respected people that you get to know personally.  I have read just about everything he has written and have never been disappointed.  The books are a fast read and move swiftly along so as not to allow boredom or loss of interest.  I would highly recommend any James Patterson novel.