Don't Blink

Every now and then you find a book like this that you don’t want to put down, each chapter is engrossing.

Engaging!!

The best Patterson book yet and I have read almost all of them. Spellbinding from start to finish.

As always never disappoints and keeps my attention for hours at a time.

It was a page turner. I couldn't stop reading!!!!!

I'm an avid fan of the crime/suspense/thriller genre. I also enjoy really great writing in addition to great storytelling. I decided since this had a great rating to try it out. The sample they sent seemed really promising and I have to admit, I was hooked. So hooked in fact, I decided to look up Patterson's biography and came upon this: "Horror novelist Stephen King has dismissed Patterson's bibliography as made up of dopey thrillers, and in one interview called him a terrible writer. In a 10 Questions interview in the July 5, 2010, issue of Time magazine, Patterson was asked, "What do you say to critics like author Stephen King who say you're not a great prose stylist?" Patterson responded, "I am not a great prose stylist. I'm a storyteller. There are thousands of people who don't like what I do. Fortunately, there are millions who do." I thought that was a bit harsh of King since I was really enjoying the book and am somewhat familiar with King's writing; however, about a quarter of the way through the book, that's when it hit me. His writing, at least in this novel, is really basic. It's hard to believe that this book came out about a year ago because the style is riddled with clichés and phrases one would read in a beginner's creative class, or in an entry-level "Crime" novel. I expected Patterson to push the envelope and surprise me with the story line, in ways that the storyline in Larson's "The Millennium Trilogy" did. Being such a successful author, I guess I expected a lot from Patterson. Here are some examples from the book that I thought were especially hackneyed: "The limo swerved wildly right and left in a series of turns, the three of us getting tossed around in the back like salads." This scene involves a high-speed car chase, complete with "mob" boss in tow and FBI agents in hot pursuit and Patterson chooses to use a metaphor that includes salad? Total buzz kill. Here's another: "The 5:04 train from Westport was pulling into the station like a slow-moving snake made of metal and steel." Since when do trains pull into a station like a serpentine made out of a metal? I honestly have seen some 7th graders write better. The book is riddled with awkward prose that unfortunately causes the reader to disconnect from what would ordinarily be a relatively captivating story. I'm not saying the story is super original (almost every twist and turn of "Don't Blink" is predictable if you're familiar with this type of genre), but it does have its merits. The main characters are very likable and the pace of the book is incredibly fast. He only writes "two-page chapters," so in a half an hour, one is already up to Chapter 25 which gives the book a sense of being fast-paced. The reading is really easy too, so one can just enjoy the story without having to turn back and figure out who's who or what's what. If you want a good book to read by the beach, or on a long trip somewhere and don't want to over-think plots or story lines, then this is a perfectly good read. In a lot of ways, it reads like a movie - a "B" movie. However, if you want a novel with a little more substance and more sophistication, this book may prove to be a little disappointing. If you're on the fence, you might want to sample it before deciding whether or not it's worth the price tag.

I was sick of Pattersons work this one comes along and blows me away..a page turner, different characters ...a fun read Not sure if it's because I like this co-author better than the other books Patterson has co-authored but....

Great read. Could not put it down.

A real page turner. Must read!!!

Good book....I couldn't stop reading it...