DON’T BLINK by James Patterson and Howard Roughan
DON’T BLINK is an action packed novel that holds the reader enthralled from beginning to end. It is another winner from James Patterson, this time paired with Howard Roughan. The story is fast-paced, the characters are interesting, and the conclusion is satisfactory. It is another book from the James Patterson machine that will satisfy the wishes of Patterson’s mob of fans.
The only problem with the book is it is not believable. If you are going to enjoy this story you have to toss logic out the window. There are just too many coincidences occurring that aren’t logical and the hero of the book is either a superman or the luckiest person in the world.
Nick Daniels is the center of the story. He is a magazine writer who is after an interview with a baseball player whose career has gone down in flames. Getting this interview leads him to a restaurant where a possible “mob hit” takes place. After the horrible event happens, Nick finds he inadvertently has a clue to the reason for the hit. This places him in all kinds of jeopardy.
This also is where the plot and occurrences get a little too lucky. Nick is a guy who stoops down to get something off the ground and a bullet whizzes over his head. If that happened once it might be alright but when this kind of luck comes into play over and over it isn’t.
To fully enjoy the book you have to fear for Nick’s safety, but when Patterson and Roughan give him almost complete immunity from danger the book suffers. At some point you just accept the fact Nick is always going to luck out of bad situations. Still that isn’t true for those around him so you have some fear for the safety of others.
Patterson still makes sure the chapters of his story are only a few pages long. He is the master of doing this and it works to make the story move faster. You start the book and in no time you are half way through and ready to read more before you stop. When the action is fast and the chapters are short it isn’t an effort to keep reading.
As with his other co-authors, Patterson and Roughan present a united front. There is no way to discern where Patterson takes over or when it is left to Roughan. They write as one with all the old Patterson trademarks.
If you are a Patterson fan then this book will feed your appetite for his brand of adventure. It might be a little illogical at points but it is still exciting storytelling from the master of the game.
DON’T BLINK is published by Little Brown and Company. It contains 370 pages and sells for $27.99.