The Jester

It’s not your typical James Patterson, but still a great read. It takes a little bit to really get into it but then the turns just keep coming. Halfway through you think it’s over and then a big twist comes and it’s like you are starting a whole other book.

This book is good.

This novel is wonderful!

James Patterson is one good author whom i've frequently heard around in certain circles, whence i never immediately noticed that I have one of his thrillers entitled SHE HOW SHE RUNS while reading this great medieval novel - wherein the main character have chosen to look for a holy relic just to pacify the tyranny that their townsfolk suffers under the hands of a very cruel government, only to find that upon his return his allegiance to the governing kingdom would be tarnished by its betrayal of the pact they've been given. Hearken from this scenario- the novels already enticing pace runs to gradually build up from there even more. Seldom would a book grab your attention that'd make it on the level of a hard-to-put-down category. This undoubtedly levels to shack itself that way. The paperback includes an excerpt of the author's upcoming novel. Note however that the paperback edition goes with two different covers - the difference is in the bloated print-out of the cover's name for the author - the one with the grey edition has a picture of James Patterson on the inside back flap cover of the book while the white one has not. How did I found out is because I replaced the first copy i bought and replaced it with a more mintier conditioned copy only to find that its the white one. Hence I got me two copies of the same book .. *doh!* The novel is written in the format wherein the lead character narrates the story, and yet there are portions wherein we are granted a narrative at some points that are outside of the lead character's perspective. I guess this explains which parts are written by Patterson and those by co-author Andrew Gross (-me thinks... presumably that is) with Patterson doing those which are narrated by the character and Gross had the ones which are plain narratives outside the confines of the lead characters' scope. It's best that the reader should just lay back and allow the plotline to run its course while reading the novel - without raally having any idea about what's to come up next on its storyline. And it beats the retard-like ambitious farce of the DA VINCI CODE (which is soon to be out as a major motion picture starring the ever-faggy Tom Hanks)- this one's a great hell of a fabulous ride.

I believe that the mark of a truly great storyteller is one who can captivate and enthrall outside of his "genre;" and James Patterson has done that and more in The Jester.Set in medieval times during the Crusades, this is the story of a poor innkeeper named Hugh De Luc--whose life consists of simple pleasures...his village, his friends, his inn, and the great love that he has for his wife Sophie. All is well until Hugh decides to join the fight for Christianity and freedom--and finds only death, carnage and evil. He returns to his village several years later to discover that everything that he held dear had been stripped away from him; his inn burned to the ground, and his beloved Sophie abducted by the evil knights of his liege.This is truly an epic love story--of love lost, found, and lost again; only to be rediscovered in another. All I could think of while reading this story was what a wonderful movie it could make if done right!I've yet to read a book by this author that I did not enjoy. True Patterson fans will not be disappointed!!

If you picked up this book thinking you were going to get an engrossing mystery, you didn't read the front cover. This "historical novel" from Patterson was just what I expected. Brutally graphic, a plausible plot, characters that you want to remember, and a great way to spend a few hours of escape from current events. Patterson has a way with keeping the reader involved. While I will agree with another reviewer that the chapters were sometimes too short to maintain a good pace, it didn't keep me from being entertained. The desciptions of the difficulties facing the average person in that time period were perfect for this read. If you want to spend all your time with Alex Cross or the girls in the Murder Club, so be it. But if you want to take a welcome respite from the usual serial murderer that tends to permeate a Patterson novel, then pick this book up. You may just learn something about history while enjoying a good story.

I didn't think Patterson could surpass his Alex Cross novels, and after reading the exploits of his new heroines - The Women's Murder Club - in "First to Die" and "Second Chance" I felt justified in my thinking. But "The Jester" is a whole new genre and as exciting as any of his murder mysteries. I love his medieval theme and gallant hero, who is almost as indestructible as Det. Cross. And as always, his chapters are SHORT and the whole book is an incredibly easy and fast read. I don't know what his co-author contributed, but I hope they collaborate again, and soon.