“Second Honeymoon” by James Patterson and Howard Roughan – For Every Vacation, A Serial Killer

Recently James Patterson has stared co-authoring pretty much all of his novels. Though some people were disappointed by such a career choice, others were delighted, and the way I see it, it paid off beautifully with Second Honeymoon.

We see the return of suspended FBI agent John O’Hara as he is paired up with the new kid on the block, agent Sarah Brubaker.

Together, they must solve two cases that seem to be quite connected: a serial killer who disposes of couples on their honeymoons, and another murderer who, in search of the perfect name, recently settled on John O’Hara (no, this is not a typo).

As is usual with Patterson, we are treated to a fast-paced psychological thriller centered around murder mysteries and serial killers. It goes along at a breakneck speed, seldom stopping to smell the flowers, and in this particular case, I think it was quite beneficial considering the main substance is in the pursuit of the serial killers rather than anything else.

With that being said though, there is still some much-welcome character development in regards to John and his partner, Sarah. Though in some regards they are quite mismatched, in the end their personalities perfectly complement each other, making for a number of humorous moments which mark a break in the action.

As I kind of said before, what really stands out in this book is the fast-paced story. It’s filled with plot twists, some of which are unforgettable, and has more smoke and mirrors than a strip club.

Patterson and Roughan do a great job at leading the reader by the nose, making him or her experience the disappointment, frustration, anger and terror the characters suffer.

Contrary to what is typical with this genre, the twists are actually hard to see coming (or at least to predict properly) and they will keep you reading until you either finish the book or fall asleep from exhaustion.

All in all, I have to say that this was one of the most exciting thrillers I’ve had the pleasure of reading in my life.

It has pretty much everything you can expect from a novel such as this one: the perfect duo of main characters, plenty of bizarre murders, elusive and cunning serial killers, and a seemingly disjointed plot which makes perfect sense when all the pieces of the puzzle are put together.

I definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Patterson or likes psychological thrillers.

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James B. Patterson Personal site James Patterson is an American writer who has dedicated a large part of his literary career to writing murder-related thrillers, inventing in the process two memorable character-based series in Alex Cross and Michael Bennett. His most prominent works include Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider.

Howard Roughan Personal site Howard Roughan is an American writer who is the author of two relatively popular works, The Up and Comer and The Promise of a Lie. The film rights to the former have been sold to October Films, in addition to which Roughan co-wrote numerous other novels, Don't Blink and You've Been Warned.