Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson | Teen Ink

Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson

April 29, 2012
By tommyboy614 SILVER, Elk Grove Village, Illinois
tommyboy614 SILVER, Elk Grove Village, Illinois
7 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same." - Anne Frank


What would you do if you found a bag containing nearly $13 million worth of diamonds? In James Patterson and Marshall Karp's latest thriller,"Kill Me if You Can," art student Matthew Bannon finds just that bag.

In the middle of a possible terrorist attack at Grand Central Terminal in New York City, struggling art student Matthew Bannon comes across a medical bag filled with diamonds. Visions of going from rags to riches with his girlfriend Katherine engulf his mind. His dreams soon come to a screeching halt when he realizes he is being hunted by a world famous assassin, the Ghost. The Ghost recently pulled off his greatest hit yet- killing the head of the International Diamond Syndicate, Walter Zelvas. The only problem is that those diamonds belonged to Zelvas and the Ghost has been assigned to hunt him down, as well as another assassin who wants nothing more than to see the Bannon in the ground.

To use the term "thriller," however, probably isn't suitable. Being an avid James Patterson reader, I expected a bit more excitement from this best-selling author.

Learning of an average art student eluding a pro may sound really interesting, but there's more to him. Bannon is an ex-marine who has done numerous tours. Upon escaping the portrait of an art student, he's also quirky, spontaneous, sassy and a talented artist. The other characters remain minor at best. There's his quick-witted girlfriend Katherine, who's also his professor, the manager of the Diamond Syndicate who hired the original attack on Bannon, and Marta Krall, a German assassin who's also on the hunt for Bannon.

Also, the Russians are being stereotyped. I mean, the head mobster is having a relationship with his own daughter. Why should a book promote a sexual relationship between parent and child? It's wrong.

Besides from the characters being one dimensional, the imagery is astounding. The blunt and descriptive paragraphs are intriguing and easy to follow. The dialogue makes it feel as if you are there in person witnessing the plot. The short chapters and twists and turns of the plot keeps readers engaged.

Sensitive readers should take note that this novel contains an abundance of violence and sex.

Overall, the book was a light read. Something definitely worth reading, but something that won't be remembered.


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