Want a NOOK? Explore Now
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 café through the eyes of his daughter's' killer. Kanon's daughter 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. 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.
If Paris is lovely in the spring, but for tourists, it's even more enthralling in the summer. For all visitors, that is, except NYPD detective Jacob Kanon, whose warm-weathered sojourn is laser-focused on the man who murdered his beloved daughter. James Patterson's The Postcard Killers tracks a serial killer who stalks his youthful prey in the cultural capitals of Europe. An intense, action-packed James Patterson thriller.
— Tim Flannigan
James Patterson has had more New York Times bestsellers than any other writer, ever, according to Guinness World Records. Since his first novel won the Edgar Award in 1977 James Patterson's books have sold more than 240 million copies. He is the author of the Alex Cross novels, the most popular detective series of the past twenty-five years, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. Mr. Patterson also writes the bestselling Women's Murder Club novels, set in San Francisco, and the top-selling New York detective series of all time, featuring Detective Michael Bennett. He writes full-time and lives in Florida with his family.
A string of gripping standalone mysteries followed, but it was the 1992 release of Along Came a Spider that elevated Patterson to superstar status. Introducing Alex Cross, a brilliant black police detective/forensic psychologist, the novel was the first installment in a series of bestselling thrillers that has proved to be a cash cow for the author and his publisher.
Examining Patterson's track record, it's obvious that he believes one good series deserves another…maybe even a third! In 2001, he debuted the Women's Murder Club with 1st to Die, a fast-paced thriller featuring four female crime fighters living in San Francisco—a homicide detective, a medical examiner, an assistant D.A., and a cub reporter. The successful series has continued with other numerically titled installments. Then, spinning off a set of characters from a previous novel (1998's When the Wind Blows), in 2005 he published Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment. Featuring a "flock" of genetically engineered flying children, the novel was a huge hit, especially with teen readers, and spawned a series of vastly popular fantasy adventures.
In addition to continuing his bestselling literary franchises, Patterson has also found time to co-author thrillers with other writers—including Peter de Jonge, Andrew Gross, Maxine Paetro, and Howard Roughan—and has even ventured into romance (Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas, Sam's Letters to Jennifer) and children's literature (santaKid). Writing at an astonishing pace, this prolific author has turned himself into a one-man publishing juggernaut, fulfilling his clearly stated ambition to become "the king of the page-turners."
Two of Patterson's Alex Cross mysteries (Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls) have been turned into films starring Morgan Freeman; in 2007, a weekly television series premiered, based on the bestselling Women's Murder Club novels.
Paris, France
“IT’S VERY SMALL,” THE ENGLISHWOMAN said, sounding disappointed.
Mac Rudolph laughed, put his arm around the woman’s slender neck, and allowed his hand to fall onto her breast. She wasn’t wearing a bra.
“Oil on a wooden panel,” he said. “Thirty inches by twenty-one, or seventy-seven centimeters by fifty-three. It was meant to hang in the dining room in the home of the Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo. But da Vinci never got it finished.”
He felt her nipple stiffen under the fabric of the blouse. She didn’t move his hand away.
Sylvia Rudolph slid up on the other side of her, her hand easing its way under the woman’s arm.
“Mona Lisa wasn’t her name,” Sylvia said. “Just Lisa. Mona is an Italian diminutive that can be taken to mean ‘lady’ or ‘her grace.’”
The woman’s husband was standing behind Sylvia, his body pushed up against hers in the crowd. Very cozy.
“Anyone thirsty?” he asked.
Sylvia and Mac exchanged a quick glance and a grin.
They were on the first floor of the Denon wing of the Louvre, in the Salle des États. Hanging on the wall in front of them, behind nonreflective glass, was the most famous portrait in the world, and the guy was thinking about beer?
“You’re right,” Mac said, his hand gently gliding down the Englishwoman’s back. “It is small. Francesco del Giocondo’s dining room table can’t have been very large.”
He smiled over at the woman’s husband.
“And you’re right, too. It’s time to drink some wine!”
They found their way out of the museum, down the modern staircase toward the Porte des Lions, and stepped out into the middle of a Parisian spring evening.
Sylvia inhaled deeply, breathing in the intoxicating mix of exhaust fumes, river water, and freshly opened leaves, and laughed out loud.
“Oh,” she said, hugging the Englishwoman, “I’m so glad we met you. Honeymoons are all very well and good, but you have to see a bit of the world, too, don’t you? Have you had time to see Notre-Dame yet?”
“We only got here this morning,” her husband said. “We’ve hardly had time to eat.”
“Well, we must do something about that at once,” Mac said. “We know a little place down by the Seine. It’s wonderful, you’ll love it.”
“Notre-Dame is fantastic,” Sylvia said. “One of the first Gothic cathedrals in the world, strongly influenced by naturalism. You’re going to love the South Rose Window.”
She kissed the woman on the cheek, lingering for a second.
They crossed the river on the Pont d’Arcole, passed the cathedral, and arrived at the Quai de Montebello just as someone started playing a melancholy tune on an accordion.
“Order whatever you like,” Mac said, holding the door of the bistro open. “It’s on us. We’re celebrating your honeymoon.”
Excerpted from The Postcard Killers by Patterson, James Copyright © 2010 by Patterson, James. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
The Postcard Killers by James Patterson and Liza Marklund
A emotionally drained, despair ridden NY Homicide detective teams up with a small time newspaper reporter to combat a pair of insidious serial killers.
I don't care one whit about the criticism leveled at Patterson and his formula written books. I enjoyed this book. It was an astoundingly quick read and held my attention. The characters were understandable and the protagonists were likeable. Jacob's tenacity was to be expected from a grieving father. Dessie was a delightful combination of newly formed goody two shoes and a genetically predisposed small time hoodlum.
The story was beyond fast paced. It was impossible to put down. The killers were despicable and their fate was kept unpredictable.
I highly recommend the book.
37 out of 39 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.RELEASE DATE AUGUST 16, 2010
NYPD Detective Jacob Kanon is on a mission that is taking him on a tour of Europe's most beautiful cities and the most wonderful tourist hot spots. His daughter and her boyfriend were killed while vacationing in Rome. Many other young couples have also been killed all over Europe, but because they all been killed in different cities, the authorities are not linking these murders. But there is a connection, a postcard is always sent to a local newspaper before every murder.
Kanon has figured out this connection and has teamed up with Dessie Larsson, a local reporter who has just received a postcard in Stockholm. They start to put the pieces together but getting all the authorities to work together is extremely difficult, and something needs to be done as more couples are dying.
I have liked all of of James Patterson's many novels, and loved most. This story was full of action and the depiction of the crime scenes extremely graphic. It definitely was a thriller, most riveting in parts, but it was missing something for me. Usually Patterson's novels have me on the edge of my seat until the very last page, but I started to figure this one out well before the final page, so it lost that WOW feature, that I felt after reading Swimsuit, for example. If you are a Patterson fan, you will definitely like and maybe even love this book, it just left me feeling a little conflicted. This is his first book with Liza Marklund and that may be the difference.
Disclosure of Material Connection: This book was provided to me by the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
33 out of 34 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 24, 2010
I read all of Patterson's book and am almost done with this one. By far one of the worst. Just didn't live up to Patterson's previous work.
19 out of 23 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 21, 2010
It starts with a vivid, brutal throat-cutting scene. I was disappointed right away with the description of the blood from the jugular vein. It was described as blood from an artery, squirting across the room. But, I kept reading. Overall, there was one twist. But, it was so predictable that it was flat. The ending was also very predictable. The book had the sensationalism of serial killers, with the current fad of one lesbian scene and incest in the antagonists and protagonist. The incest in the past of the protagonist had no relevance to the plot and appeared added only for "shock" appeal.
17 out of 19 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I couldn't connect to the characters. They were poorly developed and I just didn't care what happened to them. There was a lot of telling me about emotions and actions but not a lot of showing me and letting me feel it. I found it dragged out in the sense that I could skim 5 or 6 pages, then read a few paragraphs, and not miss much of anything. Yet, at the same time, the interesting scenes were too quick and I was left wanting more details.
I used to be a huge Patterson fan. Over the past few years, I've been disappointed and have stopped reading his work. This is only the second "co-authored" book I've read and I doubt I'll read another. It wasn't terrible but simply wasn't worth my time.
** I received this e-book as a review copy from Little, Brown and
Company, through http://NetGalley.com. **
14 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 8, 2010
the Book was preety good a lil hard to to keep up with but it was OK not the Norm for James but i was just OK for Me because after the Privite I expected it to go up a notch - but if you have not read many of Pattersons book this one will get you started ....
love you Work..
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.cage47
Posted August 22, 2010
Patterson lends his name and short chapter concept to writers and sometimes their ideas succeed and the book is enjoyable.
This one doesn't and isn't.
The characters-the hero, his love interest and the villians are not fleshed out and there is no feeling for any of them.
The plot is absurd and it seems that Liza Marklund is trying to make a name for herself in the US as Steg Larsson did with his series.
She isn't close and Patterson is losing his appeal selling out like he did.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Kiki_Lourdes
Posted August 22, 2010
purchased it as an ereader. Raining day in new york today. Read the whole book. It was just another one of James Patterson amazing book. Found myself talking to the pages and my husband asking me what? lol If you never read any of his book. You will not be disappointed at all.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.5915507
Posted June 8, 2011
Loved it!! This book was great from start to finish! Another homerun for James Patterson!!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I've only read a few James Patterson novels. I've always heard great things about his writing and I really wanted to start reading some of his stuff. My only problem thus far is that everything of his I've read has been so predictable. I've had such high expectations for each of his books and I've been let down with each one.
Having said that I don't hate his books. I think that the sheer number of books that he has released, with co-authors, has lead to a bit of overkill. I like the story lines, I like the characters, but it's so easy to predict the end of the book.
This one was no different. While it did have a bit more of an emotional connection than I've felt with the other Patterson novels it was still predictable. I liked the characters. Dessi was a great character. She was very well rounded, she had such a great back story, and as her past starts popping up she becomes even more likable. For her to come from where she came from and be able to do what she's done it was very touching. Jack wasn't an unlikable character, but I didn't really connect with him. I did feel sympathy for him, but that was about the extent of my connection.
The story was pretty fast-paced. Things happened pretty quickly in this one. It didn't take long for the killers to get going, actually that's how the book opens. As the reasoning behind the killings come out, it is pretty shallow. But I guess a killer doesn't really have to have a good reason to kill (killers are crazy after all).
Since this was an audiobook I have to talk about the narrators. There were actually three of them in this story. I liked the differences in the narrators. It helped me to keep track of when the story changed. When I'm listening to an audiobook I find it easy to get lost as far as what's going on, and who's doing what but the three different narrators would at least keep me on track as to who the story was following. I have to say that I wish more audiobooks were read like this, I really liked it.
A review copy of this title was provided by Hachette Book Group.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Audio/unabridged: Where do I begin: This is a collaboration with a Swedish author & jumps on the Tattoo Dragon/Swedish crime bandwagon: Epic Fail. I'm going to spoil this b/c I hope you don't read it; there's the stereotype plot-line: 1st, all the Swedish police are completely inept except the NY cop looking for his daughter's murderer. 2nd, the bi-sexual reporter decides to try men for a while & ends up with an alcoholic loser. And decides to stay with him. 3rd: man travels for months, all over Europe, looking for the Postcard Killers on a leave-of-absence NY cop's salary. 4th: said Postcard KillerS are rich, good looking incestuous siblings. 5th: Said killers have a website & a handful of followers willing to do copycat killings while Postcard Killers are in custody. Must I go on? This was so bad. I could listen to it, but there is no way I could have read it. You didn't want to like the main characters, there was no setting set-up, & the bad guys were more interesting. There were three narrators doing the audio. I believe Katherine Kellgren does the reporters view & is very good. The narrator who does the bad guys does a great job too. The narrator who does the cop is average.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.SpeakWisely
Posted March 10, 2011
I always leave myself open to a new adventure when I open a new book. I do not lock any author into a particular style or pattern. When I do that I miss out on all the new ways a story can be presented. Don't listen to all the "negative nellies" out there! Patterson is always a good investment.
By the way, to the individual who was having trouble incorporating the postcards into the theme of the story...read more murder stories and you will see it is a signature. They never really do play a significant role in the stories. Check out Tami Hoag,,,she uses signatures in some of her stories.
Again, Mr. Patterson is and has been one of my favorite authors. He is worth the investment of your time and money. -- Favorite Pageturner
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 2, 2011
As an avid reader and James Patterson fan (love the Alex Cross and Lindsey Boxer characters), I was really disappointed with this book.
It was terrible - choppy writing, mostly irrlevent characters and truly disturbing and twisted content that went unexplained. I wish James Patterson would stop co-authoring books with authors to try to boost thier credibility and stick to the good stuff he's made of.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.DaveS66
Posted February 6, 2011
I have not listed to this yet, so this review is not on the book - it is on Barnes and Noble's service. I will not be buying electronic downloads from Barnes and Noble again. We wanted to listen to this audio book on a trip, so we decided to buy a download rather than go the the store and buy the CDs. I assumed it would be an instant download - boy was I wrong. After receiving an e-mail that my download would be available shortly, I kept checking for the follow up e-mail with the download information. Still nothing the next morning so I called B&N which was not help. They could do nothing since it came from a third party. We left on our trip without this download and after returning I called again to try to cancel this order. B&N could not help me because the order hand not been processed yet through the third part. 2 weeks later I finally received the follow up e-mail with the download information - 2 weeks! I will be sticking to Amazon for my downloads.
1 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.azalea15
Posted September 8, 2010
this is the first book i ever read by james patterson, and i loved it!! i seriously couldn't put it down. it felt to real and all the details... its like watching a movie. i would definetly recommend it to anyone who wants to read and try something new!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.GiovanniG
Posted September 7, 2010
I finally got to look at Sunday's newspaper and this novel is sitting atop the New York Times Bestseller List, number one. James Patterson teaming up with Liza Marklund is a stroke of genius and this novel flat out rocks from beginning to end. The story line goes as follows: "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 café through the eyes of his daughter's killer. 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 connect the murders, other than a postcard to the local newspaper that precedes each new victim."
I enjoyed this novel for many reasons. Am I a reader that always enjoys James Patterson? No. There are a few that rankled me a bit, but of late I have to say that he has knocked my socks off. Private blew me away and I enjoyed the read, this was even better. The action was intense, the dialogue crisp and engaging and the characters were well developed. The Postcard Killers is the real deal and has it all. I had a hard time putting this novel down it was such a good read. The teaming of Patterson & Marklund is excellent and hopefully they continue to create more work like this.
James Patterson is one of the most purchased novelists in history. It is no mistake he knows how to put together an engaging, fun read, with enough elements to keep us happy and continue to be repeat customers. The thing I enjoy the most about him and his work is that he doesn't sit on his laurels and mail it in. Case in point is his last few novels, Daniel X, Private and now The Postcard Killers. It makes me optimistic to see how his work is the remainder of the year; he has a number of novels to come.
The Postcard Killers is a novel that is a fast, smooth ride put together by two incredible authors. To pass this up would be a mistake. Action, scenery, romance, nice tight plotline, and all the pieces neatly wrapped up at novel end makes this one of the best reads in a while. James Patterson tops himself again. Indulge yourself and click on the icon here at the blog and order the novel if you haven't read it or ordered it already, it is money and time well spent.
What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Facebook & Linkedin. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, and the Gelati's Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati's Store Tab on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day.
http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 31, 2010
Typical Patterson book written by someone else. Interesting idea for a story but each murder seems designed to out-gore the one before. I found the book dull but I did finish it. The ending is just what you would expect from a whodunit.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Almostawake21
Posted August 31, 2010
I Also Recommend:
The book was written oddly. The chapters are only a page and a half long. It did not take long to get through. The end of the book was predictable. However, I found the book enjoyable to read. You can't help but like the characters. I recommend people read this book just for the fun of it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.lacey65
Posted August 28, 2010
Could not put this book down. Thrilling great book
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 21, 2010
Typical James Patterson book. Very fast read and could not put it down!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Overview
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 café through the eyes of his daughter's' killer. Kanon's daughter 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. Now Kanon teams up with the Swedish...