In his sexiest, scariest novel yet, the world’s #1 bestselling author delivers a thrilling story following an FBI agent hot on the trail of a sultry and sophisticated mystery woman—leading him dangerously close to her clutches.
When FBI agent John O'Hara first sees Nora Sinclair, she seems perfect. She has the looks. The career. The clothes. The wit. The sophistication. The tantalizing sex appeal. The whole extraordinary package—and men fall in line to court her. She doesn't just attract men, she enthralls them.
So why is the FBI so interested in Nora Sinclair? Mysterious things keep happening to people around her, especially the men. And there is something dangerous about Nora when Agent O'Hara looks closer—something that lures him at the same time that it fills him with fear. Is there something dark hidden among the unexplained gaps in her past? And as he spends more and more time getting to know her, is he pursuing justice? Or his own fatal obsession?
With the irresistible attraction of the greatest Hitchcock thrillers, Honeymoon is a sizzling, twisting tale of a woman with a deadly appetite and the men who dare to fall for her.
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
This book was entertaining to say the least! The characters have a good deal of depth for a quick beach read. The mystery wasn’t huge in this one but it had enough to leave you reading in one sitting if you are a Patterson fan. It’s the characters in this book that make it because there is so much going on between them all! Nora was an awful human being but very fascinating to read! 🤣
My quick and simple overall: great quick read to enjoy on a hot day in the sun (in which by I mean I spent it in my recliner with air conditioning going).
I picked this book up in the resort library because I had forgotten to pack a quality book. Yes, I finished it, but that was because I didn't have a lot more options. A quick, easy read, it left nothing to talk about. If you like sex scenes, there are some. But it was lacking in mystery, suspense...well, really anything.
The upside: This book will make me remember to pack a book next time!
This stands out as one of the worst books I have ever read. Just a taste of the cheesiness within:
"Connor vs. Jeffrey. They were both so much fun. They made her laugh, made her feel special. And there was certainly no denying that they were wonderful in bed -- or wherever else they chose to have sex. They were tall, in wonderful shape, handsome as film stars. No, actually, they were more handsome than the film stars she knew. The fact was, Nora loved being with Connor and Jeffrey equally. Which made her decision that much harder."
Didn't think I was going to like this much, considering it is for adults and is a crime-thriller type thing. But I did enjoy it! I've been trying to get out and read a wider range of material and this book was the beginning of that. I'm excited to see what other wonders I will discover along the way.
I’m taking a MasterClass on writing with James Patterson and realized I’d never read any of his books. So I thought I’d start with this one that he mentions during one of his classes.
I’m so inspired to write now! Because if he can make money off of this predictable, cliched garbage, then I can surely write a bestseller one day. How this got published, I have no clue but it’s one of the most trite simplistic books I’ve ever read. Maybe someday it could pass for a Lifetime movie of the week.
So this is the guy, who's top earning author of 2015, dwarfing all his competitors? Well now, I'm not gonna say that it is bullshit (though I cannot confirm or deny that I might or might not be thinking so), but certainly I'm gonna be very vocal about not understanding why and how, but mostly, why.
Yes, this book was a page turner (chapters consisting of 2-3 pages, leaving a page empty besides a couple of lines up top more than once did not impede that), and yes, it has been quite decent story, but besides that? Cardboard characters, lots of unnecessary chit-chat which, I guess, served as a filler for those half-empty pages and unlikely ending, combined with stupid behavior of those cardboard characters (surprise, surprise!) leaves me unimpressed and in the future I will definitely have doubts about reading anything Patterson wrote.
Don't get me wrong, this book is not bad, it's just that it is so typical, full of cliches and unoriginal, that it's only good to read if you wish to waste some time. Meh, though I sort of liked it anyway.
"As she’d read in books on forensic psychology, the major similarity among “grief-stricken” people was their ever-shifting cognitive and emotional states.” ― James Patterson, Honeymoon
This book is about a beautiful lady who murders her lovers and a detective who must stop her!
It sounds way more interesting then it is. And it has been done and done and..done again. I have tried to read several books by Patterson and for the most part have been unable to really enjoy them. (The exception is "The Murder House"!).
In Honeymoon There is an agent trying to stop her but he develops feelings for her along the way and as a result of that does some really crazy things that border on unbelievable.
If one cannot believe the character would do what they, indeed wind up doing, that makes it tough to enjoy the book.
Honeymoon I believe was decent reading I guess but it could have been any mystery or thriller and that about sums up the book.
Like any James Patterson book, it was fast-paced and read quickly. However, like many of his books, Honeymoon was filled with half-baked plot twists, plot developments that were unnecessarily made into twists, and just odd narrative decisions throughout.
If the book had been straightforward, then I might would've enjoyed it better. Instead, Patterson treats every single event in the book as a soap opera style twist before the commercial. I was only waiting for the musical stings at the end of each chapter. Instead, I found myself confused about some of the twists and their significance. In fact, I'm still confused about the point of the subplot about a briefcase and large amount of money that has little to no relevance to the main plot at all.
In short, this might be the book that gets me to sweat off James Patterson completely. A waste of time and effort. Don't bother unless you are a James Patterson completionist (and I don't know how you can do that to yourself and be a serious reader).
Loved this one! Things are not always what they seem! Nora Sinclair is beautiful, sophisticated and has everything including a career decorating high end homes. She and her boyfriend have so much fun and are so much in love that it is no surprise when he proposes. A week later everything changes. James Patterson’s novels are hit or miss for me, so I am glad I went into this one without looking at reviews in advance. The story has romance, heartbreak, deceit, greed and of course murder.
Even though the story is still quite entertaining, the characters are very cheesy and credulous. How can Nora Sinclair pull it off with her marriage with one man and continue her affair of the other man, or how can she so easily transfer the money of her fiancé’s account to hers’ in Cayman Island. In the real world, transferring that sum of money of 1.9 billion to a different account registration can never be done online by a few clicks without attaining more authentication by phone or paper document. How can she free from all the 3 murder charges and one attempt to poison the FBI agent O’Hara with all had happened, the story never mentions how she gets away from those charges which I don’t know any lawyer can defend her that well. The story also never lets us know what is in Nora’s mom Olivia’s letter which left in Nora’s purse; what really makes Olivia wants to kill her husband besides she is a lunatic? There are just many unanswered details which seems to be not a very well-planned writing. However, this is only my second book of James Patterson, which still makes me want to listen (I love audio books) more of his books. I don’t deny there is still plenty of guilty pleasure because I find JP’s style of writing the plot is so fast paced and jam packed with twists and turns in any short chapters.
Ugh. You're always taking a risk with James Patterson. Often, his books can be trashy, fast-paced fun. But Honeymoon, which my edition claims is the "Worldwide Thriller of the Year", is an unmitigated bore. Thankfully, the 2 to 3 page chapters ensure it can be read quickly and easily - otherwise you most likely would put it down and not bother picking it up again!
The book jacket tells us that John O'Hara is an FBI agent on the trail of Nora Sinclair, whose rich spouses or fiances have a habit of dying. The thing is, that could almost be considered a spoiler, because O'Hara's identity isn't fully clear until almost halfway through the book! Indeed, this book's only attempts at plot twists is having an unidentified person turn out to be a person we already know, and all of which are groan-inducingly predictable and obvious. For example: Note the sarcasm.
While some of the material is okay on a trashy potboiler level, the book was a lot more dull and lifeless than I expected. Patterson usually throws in a lot of gratuitous action, but here the proceedings were rather flat and it never really felt as if much was actually happening. Other plot strands are ill-defined. For example, the whole thing with "The Tourist" and the briefcase and its connection to the rest of the plot was very vague. Then there's all this set-up for a note Nora's mother Olivia wrote for her, only for it to be abruptly dropped and never mentioned or explained!
2 stars is generous, but there are plenty of worse books out there, and this was certainly a lot better than the stinker I read just prior to this! But Patterson and his co-authors are capable of much more interesting, better-paced and entertaining trash than this!
What I liked. I like Patterson's short chapters and easy introduction to his characters. What I didn't like. It lacked realism in some parts of the story. Yes, I would recommend it to those who like an easy read with some suspense.
There were things in this book that I usually don’t like to read, like too much sex! This book was written in 2005! Wow! Now in 2023 most of TV and Movies are like this book so a movie should be made of this thriller! It’s an intense read which kept me reading. 🥸
Talk about a book that will take you on a crazy ride. This book was so good. I mean talk about why and how someone would want to kill someone else. Money it's always about money . But could it be about more than that??? If you want a good thriller this book is it.
Not a great book!! You can expect everything before hand. This is the first books of Patterson, I have read. When it comes to thriller, Sidney sheldon is the first man who comes in my mind. At many times, while reading the book, I felt that the author tried to use the formula of sheldon but failed at the result. Some parts of the story were stopped without a proper conclusion. Some were given hype but ended very boring. The writer failed to create an interest for the readers to proceede further.
I immensely enjoyed this one. I can see that Howard Roughan is an amazing writer since I'm pretty sure this is his writing, not Patterson's. I checked Roughan's other books, and, surprisingly, he's allegedly co-written many books with Patterson. Shame! Howard Roughan could certainly and proudly put just his name on any book, and it would be a bestseller. Sometimes, we are too afraid to take the leap.
Ok, there are some really cheesy moments in this book, but it's a quick, easy read that is also entertaining. No, there are no themes or plot points to discuss, no great book club questions, but it never promises to be that. James Patterson is really the master at formulaic writing, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. The structure is so clear, the characterizations so crisp, that this is an incredibly easy book to read. With soap opera-esque twists, this is a good beach read with lots of interesting (sometimes laughable) entertainment.
3.75 stars This was a story about a "black widow", so to speak. She's beautiful, but deadly. The author takes us though the mind of Nora Sinclair, a woman who has it all, great career, great looks, and a handsome, rich fiancé. What more could someone want you may ask? Well Nora wants more, and more, and even more. Unfortunately for Nora, there are those that want to stop her and will do almost anything to achieve that. This story weaves a great cat and mouse game, and we will see who ultimately wins out in the end, and it may just surprise you.
Another James Patterson book that's quite enthralling and can't put down as easily.
Nora Sinclair a successful interior decorator, spends her time between New York and Boston. But why? Because she is engaged to one of her clients in New York and married to one of her previous clients, a book author, in Boston. She has plenty of money that she trasfers to a Cayman Islan account, and a mother in a psychiatric ward, that no one knows about. As her current fiance dies unexpectedly while Nora is serving him dinner, Craig Reynolds, aka John O'Hara, begins to suspect something. But he doesn't want Nora to know that he is an FBI agent so he disguises himself as Craig Reynolds. But Nora is a smart cookie. She uncovers John's tru identity and tries to kill him too, again while serving him dinner. Surprisingly, John survives and continues to pursue her to bring her to justice. But Nora dissappears and no one can find her.
This is a typical black widow book. But with his writing technique, James Patterson captivates the reader again. I read this book in two days.
Audiobook performed by Campbell Scott and Hope Davis
Nora Sinclair is beautiful, smart and alluring. She has more men attracted to her than ants to a picnic. But the honeymoon won’t last long; people around Nora tend to end up dead. John O’Hara is the FBI agent who is determined to catch this modern-day “black widow.” He has his own issues and despite what he suspects about Nora he finds himself drawn into her web.
Patterson and his team can sure churn out the fast-paced suspense/thrillers! The action is quick and the target ever moving. The writing may be simple, but the plot holds the reader’s attention. Of course, there will be a twist (or two) to keep our protagonist just slightly off balance (and the reader, turning pages). Good beach / vacation read.
I was glad that the producers chose two talented voice artists to read the audio version. Campbell Scott takes those chapters from John O’Hara’s point of view. While Hope Davis is chilling as the cunning and twisted Nora Sinclair.
Nora Sinclair was beautiful. She had a successful career, a wonderful life, one she had worked hard for… but was she as she seemed? The men were drawn to her like flies to a honeypot! But she loved them, and they definitely loved her! Was she a pathological liar or was she a naïve young woman?
Craig Reynolds first met Nora as the insurance agent for the policy her fiancé Connor had put on his life, with Nora as the beneficiary. But FBI Agent John O’Hara had serious doubts about Nora… strange and mysterious things kept happening to the men in her life. She had an aura to her, and the vibes were coming off in dangerous waves. Was he in danger of becoming obsessed with her?
Why did the men who loved Nora end up dead? And where did their fortunes disappear to?
The twists and turns in this novel are intense... the pages turn themselves, and the story is extremely fast-paced. I thoroughly enjoyed this murder mystery, and would recommend it to all!
The usual formula of short chapters, fast paced action that works for James Patterson. A good quick read. I enjoyed this one, short punchy chapters generate fast paced action and help build up the suspense. Synopsis: When FBI agent John O'Hara first meets Nora Sinclair, she seems perfect. She has the career. The charisma. The tantalising sex appeal. The whole extraordinary package - Nora doesn't attract men, she enthrals them. She's worked hard for this life and she will never give it up.
But why is the FBI so interested in Miss Sinclair? Mysterious things keep happening to the men in her life. And when Agent O'Hara looks more closely he sees something dangerous in Nora - something that lures him at the same time as it fills him with fear.
And the more time he spends with her the less he knows whether he is pursuing justice or his own fatal obsession.
I normally read James P books out of loyalty. He had me hooked with the first one I read London Bridges. I know he has written many books. This book didn't feature my lovable character Alex Cross. The main characer, the woman just had too many issues for me. I easily got tired of trailing her around the world as she lived out her imposter of a life.
I hated it. It was all I could do to finish! I'm blaming the mediocrity on Howie... I've never read something so terrible from Patterson.
We get it, the antagonist, Nora, is an attractive woman. I don't need that reiterated to me every three paragraphs. Are we really expected to believe that Nora, this supposed "black widow," calculating killer, cold hearted bitch, is supposed to fall madly in love with who she thinks is her INSURANCE guy? Then follow him around because she's an obsessive psycho and try to murder him because she found out he's not who he says he is!? Not a chance. Someone who's gotten away with murder three times would never lose control like that. Also, are we really supposed to believe that Nora lost her purse for days and never went looking for it? And that that's how she finally got busted? Dumb.
Don't even get me started on the sex scenes. Please, for the love of God, just stop. Whoever ran point on those should be the one charged with a crime and investigated.
Too many clichés, cringe-worthy dialogue, boring plot. Overall painful read. Would not recommend.