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Bloody Valentine
Mega-rich restaurant owner Jack Barnes and his second wife Zee are very much in love. However, their plans for Valentine’s Day are about to be torn apart by the most violent murder. Who is the strange figure plotting this sick crime? Who hates Jack that much? There are plenty of suspects living in Jack’s fancy block of flats. Is it one of them, or could it be the work of an outsider with a twisted mind? One thing’s for sure, the police have got their work cut out solving this bloody mess.
146 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
88 people are currently reading
4177 people want to read
About the author
James Patterson
955 books355k followersOfficial US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
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.
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 279 reviews
February 16, 2014
I am not a fan of Valentine's Day. As a child I loved it! Picking out the perfect box of kid Valentine's cards to hand out to my friends in class, and deciding on the peeeeeerfect card of the bunch- to hand to the boy I had a little girl crush on that year...but as the years went by- Valentine's Day lost it's sparkle for me, and then as more years went by it just seemed dumb and pointless. I don't want a day assigned where the man in my life has to run around buying me chocolates, diamonds, flowers, and lingerie to prove his undying love for me. I want the little things each and every day. So while others were celebrating- I was reading BLOODY VALENTINE with my mate snoring beside me...
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This year Valentine's Day isn't for romance. It's for murder.
Jack Barnes is a fabulously wealthy London restaurateur. He lives in the penthouse flat of "Barnes Building"- The apartments he designed by renovating two veeeeery large houses in the Mayfair area. He shares the penthouse with his young beautiful and pregnant 2nd wife -Zee. His family and some of his staff live below him with flats of their own.
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Michael and Ammi- Jack's younger brother and his girlfriend- both artists. They have two floors of their own. One where they live, and the other their studio.
Leila- Jack's older sister- and Mamie- the youngest family member with Down Syndrome- share a flat so that Leila can look after her younger sister.
Bruno Gambirrni- The Senior Chef at Jack's restaurant- and Bruno's Sous Chef and life partner Adrian Wills live together.
Damien Clark- The Night Porter, and Ted Levett The Day Porter- share an apartment in the basement.
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On Valentine's Day, Jack makes -Zee- breakfast in bed and the two plan a 1 o'clock meeting at the restaurant for lunch. Jack has set up a surprise romantic getaway for them...but before he can whisk Zee away for their holiday, there are two brutal murders- The victims and the suspects all under the one roof.
BLOODY VALENTINE is nothing fancy - just a quick, entertaining, sick little who-done-it, great reading for those of you who enjoy James Patterson.
This year Valentine's Day isn't for romance. It's for murder.
Jack Barnes is a fabulously wealthy London restaurateur. He lives in the penthouse flat of "Barnes Building"- The apartments he designed by renovating two veeeeery large houses in the Mayfair area. He shares the penthouse with his young beautiful and pregnant 2nd wife -Zee. His family and some of his staff live below him with flats of their own.
Michael and Ammi- Jack's younger brother and his girlfriend- both artists. They have two floors of their own. One where they live, and the other their studio.
Leila- Jack's older sister- and Mamie- the youngest family member with Down Syndrome- share a flat so that Leila can look after her younger sister.
Bruno Gambirrni- The Senior Chef at Jack's restaurant- and Bruno's Sous Chef and life partner Adrian Wills live together.
Damien Clark- The Night Porter, and Ted Levett The Day Porter- share an apartment in the basement.
On Valentine's Day, Jack makes -Zee- breakfast in bed and the two plan a 1 o'clock meeting at the restaurant for lunch. Jack has set up a surprise romantic getaway for them...but before he can whisk Zee away for their holiday, there are two brutal murders- The victims and the suspects all under the one roof.
BLOODY VALENTINE is nothing fancy - just a quick, entertaining, sick little who-done-it, great reading for those of you who enjoy James Patterson.
July 6, 2022
It's a "Quick Reads" book so it's not the usual length nor does it have the details that we are used to with James Patterson's books...but, I got it for free, and it was a fairly good little murder mystery written by an author that I like and have a great deal of respect for after having met him. There was still a murder...still suspects that might have committed the murder for the reader to sort, and still a satisfying solution to the murder. Just different but still enjoyable.
April 22, 2022
3.5 stars
I enjoyed the book because it was short. Also, that it focuses more on the story rather than the characters. Then, there’s a heavy dose of mystery, suspense, gore, and thrill, which further accelerates this already quick read. Oh! And that first line of the book is such a “killer.”
I enjoyed the book because it was short. Also, that it focuses more on the story rather than the characters. Then, there’s a heavy dose of mystery, suspense, gore, and thrill, which further accelerates this already quick read. Oh! And that first line of the book is such a “killer.”
February 26, 2011
This was my first ever James Patterson Book I have ever read, and I doN't know why I have never pick one up before, The book at me rivited all the way through. I kept trying to guess whodunit all the way. And I got it totally wrong.
For a quick read it was certainaly worth the read. Its made me want to get another novel by James Patterson anyone got any sugestions.
For a quick read it was certainaly worth the read. Its made me want to get another novel by James Patterson anyone got any sugestions.
March 16, 2011
I don't know what's wrong with me given that he's so popular, but I happen to think James Patterson is a terrible writer. The characters (especially here) were so wooden. Zee felt like some kind of wish-fulfilment because she was nothing but a pile of subservient female cliches. Jack was extremely wooden and unsympathetic. I felt nothing for the characters except mild irritation; their 'perfect' life just annoyed me. There was no fleshing out of any of the characters which made the red herrings random and disjointed, and although I didn't see the twist coming, the killer's reason for doing what s/he did was completely out of nothing and ridiculous. Given that the heart thing was essentially the 'hook', I didn't understand why it essentially had nothing to do with the plot.
July 30, 2011
A cute little novella by Patterson in true JP style. Quick chapters, much gore, mystery surrounding many characters. Patterson does not make the reader/listener connect with any one character and keeps the story confined to a few days, set in the UK.
A nice change from JP's longer, series-based novels with no real foundation. A great 'one day listen' I used as a filler between longer audiobooks.
A nice change from JP's longer, series-based novels with no real foundation. A great 'one day listen' I used as a filler between longer audiobooks.
July 30, 2015
A very quick read by James Patterson but really it is under developed and the a little far fetched. If the novel was normal length the story maybe it would have been a lot better or maybe not.
February 22, 2013
A short thriller by the great James Patterson. Blood, gore, murder, suspense...the ingredients of a fine thriller, albeit too short! Nevertheless a great read.
February 2, 2017
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars, probably one of the most brutalist murder stories I've ever read
October 2, 2015
Daaaaamn. Is there a movie version of this? I could definitely envision the details and scenes in this book.
October 29, 2024
A tad more gory than I anticipated going in but so good!
October 5, 2022
(This book was required reading for my English class)
A bit too rushed and too predictable for me
A bit too rushed and too predictable for me
March 13, 2024
3.5 rounded up. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
March 14, 2011
This is a book in the Quick Reads series. These are shorter books by well known writers specifically aimed at people who want to improve their literacy skills, but interesting for anyone who loves reading a good story and wants a shorter read.
The story in this book is typical Patterson fare. A gruesome murder and quite a few suspects.
The story starts with with the line: "Killing isn't murder when it's necessary" as thought by someone who is moving through a house in London in the middle of the night, preparing for something.
The next day is Valentine's day and Zee Barnes, the younger and pregnant wife of famous and wealthy restaurant owner Jack Barnes is on her way to meet him when she meets someone and is horrifically murdered. Shortly afterwards her heart is delivered to her husband.
The police get involved and investigate all those living in the same building as Jack and Zee, which leads to a remarkably fast solution of the mystery.
This was a fun read, if even more improbable than Patterson's books can normally be. The time frame in which autopsy and test results came back was astonishing and completely unrealistic. And because the book is so short there really wasn't a chance to get any feel for the characters. But, as always I did find myself compelled to keep on reading until I knew what had happened and who had done it. I can imagine this book being a great introduction to Patterson for the one or two people in the world who haven't read a book by him yet.
The story in this book is typical Patterson fare. A gruesome murder and quite a few suspects.
The story starts with with the line: "Killing isn't murder when it's necessary" as thought by someone who is moving through a house in London in the middle of the night, preparing for something.
The next day is Valentine's day and Zee Barnes, the younger and pregnant wife of famous and wealthy restaurant owner Jack Barnes is on her way to meet him when she meets someone and is horrifically murdered. Shortly afterwards her heart is delivered to her husband.
The police get involved and investigate all those living in the same building as Jack and Zee, which leads to a remarkably fast solution of the mystery.
This was a fun read, if even more improbable than Patterson's books can normally be. The time frame in which autopsy and test results came back was astonishing and completely unrealistic. And because the book is so short there really wasn't a chance to get any feel for the characters. But, as always I did find myself compelled to keep on reading until I knew what had happened and who had done it. I can imagine this book being a great introduction to Patterson for the one or two people in the world who haven't read a book by him yet.
December 4, 2011
This year Valentine's Day isn't for romance. It's for murder.
Jack Barnes and his 5 month pregnant second wife Zee are very much in love. Zee is 15 years Jack's junior, and couldn't be happier than when she's with him. But the rest of his family, brother Michael and girlfriend Anni, sisters Leila and Mamie don't believe Zee has married Jack for love. The marriage was too soon after Jack's first wife, Jodie, perished in a fire, and she was 6 months pregnant!
Jack has organised a secret get-away for the Valentine's Day weekend, and after giving Zee a beautiful breakfast in bed, and confirming their luncheon date at 1pm, he heads off to work.
But Valentine's Day is torn apart by the most brutal of murders! Who could have planned this sick and depraved killing? There are plenty of suspects, and the police have their work cut out to solve this horrendous and gory crime.
A quick and easy read, but a rivetting one!
Jack Barnes and his 5 month pregnant second wife Zee are very much in love. Zee is 15 years Jack's junior, and couldn't be happier than when she's with him. But the rest of his family, brother Michael and girlfriend Anni, sisters Leila and Mamie don't believe Zee has married Jack for love. The marriage was too soon after Jack's first wife, Jodie, perished in a fire, and she was 6 months pregnant!
Jack has organised a secret get-away for the Valentine's Day weekend, and after giving Zee a beautiful breakfast in bed, and confirming their luncheon date at 1pm, he heads off to work.
But Valentine's Day is torn apart by the most brutal of murders! Who could have planned this sick and depraved killing? There are plenty of suspects, and the police have their work cut out to solve this horrendous and gory crime.
A quick and easy read, but a rivetting one!
March 29, 2016
This is a great fast paced little story to pass an hour or two of a bank holiday afternoon that packs a lot into such a short story. Patterson weaves his usual magic in creating interesting characters and an intriguing plot to keep you gripped from start to finish, constantly guessing who did it then changing your mind as events take a different turn. A fab little read.
August 22, 2022
My first ever James Patterson, and absolutely not my last. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed his writing style! I’m obsessed with these quick reads novellas, I’m trying so many new authors and genres.
December 3, 2017
Why do I keep giving Patterson the time of day?
June 18, 2019
3.5 ⭐️ Quick read, entertaining and engaging!
February 6, 2021
Two murders quickly solved in this Quick Read book.
It's typical Patterson fare crammed into 122 pages.
It's typical Patterson fare crammed into 122 pages.
April 21, 2024
what the fuck was this
March 18, 2017
BLOODY VALENTINE
- By James Patterson.
There are many reasons why we pick up a book. Today, I was just browsing through the library picking up random books with the sole criteria being that they should be less than 200 odd pages and by a reputed author(I'm leaving my current location next week, so no point borrowing books from the library which I can't finish) . Have seen James Patterson's name mentioned quite often on various forums and more than the title of the book, it was a phrase written at the back which caught my attention :"THE PAGES TURN THEMSELVES". so, I decided to put this bold statement to the test.
After reading the first chapter, I was in no doubt that I was going to finish it in a couple of hours without any breaks(less one a black coffee).
It is a quintessential thriller and the author doesn't waste even a single word for any formalities or niceties. The murder itself is described brutally, carried out in the goriest manner possible. The police, forensics, and all support staff are super efficient, probably a bit too much, but definitely in sync with the story. There are a limited number of suspects and you would find yourself trying to nail the culprit before the author, and some of us might even be successful.
It is a wonderful, brutally fast read which any thriller fan will love.
I'll give it 3.5 out of 5.
- By James Patterson.
There are many reasons why we pick up a book. Today, I was just browsing through the library picking up random books with the sole criteria being that they should be less than 200 odd pages and by a reputed author(I'm leaving my current location next week, so no point borrowing books from the library which I can't finish) . Have seen James Patterson's name mentioned quite often on various forums and more than the title of the book, it was a phrase written at the back which caught my attention :"THE PAGES TURN THEMSELVES". so, I decided to put this bold statement to the test.
After reading the first chapter, I was in no doubt that I was going to finish it in a couple of hours without any breaks(less one a black coffee).
It is a quintessential thriller and the author doesn't waste even a single word for any formalities or niceties. The murder itself is described brutally, carried out in the goriest manner possible. The police, forensics, and all support staff are super efficient, probably a bit too much, but definitely in sync with the story. There are a limited number of suspects and you would find yourself trying to nail the culprit before the author, and some of us might even be successful.
It is a wonderful, brutally fast read which any thriller fan will love.
I'll give it 3.5 out of 5.
August 30, 2021
This is the first story I read by this author and I don't know if I will repeat.
The story was good. The murder scene made my skin crawl. I didn't guess the killer or his motives until the final chapter. There were too many suspects.
It's a quick read with no development beyond a normal work day to discover the killer. As I read I wondered, but why didn't they do this? The truth is that it made me question the police work throughout. I liked that the discovery wasn't achieved until the last chapter. It kept the intrigue and suspicion on many characters and I didn't figure out who held the key to discovering the killer.
I missed more depth of the characters, connecting with them more emotionally to feel the pain they were going through, but they all felt too flat and superficial. You can't expect much more in so few pages either.
The story was good. The murder scene made my skin crawl. I didn't guess the killer or his motives until the final chapter. There were too many suspects.
It's a quick read with no development beyond a normal work day to discover the killer. As I read I wondered, but why didn't they do this? The truth is that it made me question the police work throughout. I liked that the discovery wasn't achieved until the last chapter. It kept the intrigue and suspicion on many characters and I didn't figure out who held the key to discovering the killer.
I missed more depth of the characters, connecting with them more emotionally to feel the pain they were going through, but they all felt too flat and superficial. You can't expect much more in so few pages either.
March 19, 2017
Bloody Valentine es mi primera lectura del autor, James Patterson.
Me gusta bastante leer thrillers, quizas porque soy muy curiosa y me encanta ir haciendo teorias respecto a lo que va sucediendo en la historia, es cierto que no leo muy a menudo libros de esta tematica, principalmente porque no todas las historias que encuentro de este estilo me llama la atencion lo suficiente como para darle una oportunidad.
Con esta novela me senti muy intrigada desde el principio, me recordo a algunas peliculas de miedo que vi cuando era adolescente, al tener tan pocas paginas no esperaba que fuera demasiado compleja, pero no esperaba que fuera tan simple, todo su desarrollo es precipitado y un poco vago, ademas algunas escenas me parecieron que estaban " cogidas con pinzas ", no me parecieron demasiado verosimiles.
En fin, una novela que podia haber sido mucho mejor si el autor hubiera explotado un poco mas la trama.
2 Estrellas!
August 24, 2021
Well what can I say ??
I read this novella whilst on a few days holiday and it was exactly as expected, a Quick Read.
It delivered exactly what was required and expected of a short story. Something to read when you don’t have the time in which to read and not to be left wanting.
Four out of five stars from me for this one, because it really was a great story condensed into this fantastic quick read and to do that takes a great deal of skill.
I read this novella whilst on a few days holiday and it was exactly as expected, a Quick Read.
It delivered exactly what was required and expected of a short story. Something to read when you don’t have the time in which to read and not to be left wanting.
Four out of five stars from me for this one, because it really was a great story condensed into this fantastic quick read and to do that takes a great deal of skill.
July 26, 2025
2.5 STARS ⭐️
A nice introduction to James Patterson books but due to it being a quick read and only 120 pages long it didn’t feel very rushed towards the end and didn’t feel like it was them uncovering the story more just getting it quickly revealed out of nowhere.
However I do look forward to reading some of the longer books where there’s more chance for character building and a proper murder mystery reveal!
A nice introduction to James Patterson books but due to it being a quick read and only 120 pages long it didn’t feel very rushed towards the end and didn’t feel like it was them uncovering the story more just getting it quickly revealed out of nowhere.
However I do look forward to reading some of the longer books where there’s more chance for character building and a proper murder mystery reveal!
August 28, 2020
I don't really know what to think about this book. I never read anything from James Patterson and I heard good things about this author but I dont know about this one. The idea of the story is great but I felt like it was a little bit rushed and the murder scene was quite quick. The investigation part was fun to read but the ending was rushed as well. I didn't concect with the characters and didn't really like the investigation team characters. It's wasn't bad but it wasn't great. The writing is easy to follow but the story didn't get me that much
June 4, 2020
Bloody Valentine. Bloody Chilling.
A short and sweet story…aah, no… hold the sweet as this book was anything but… A grisly murder mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final page is turned.
*Book #62/72 of my 2019 coffee table to-read challenge, cont. 2020
A short and sweet story…aah, no… hold the sweet as this book was anything but… A grisly murder mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final page is turned.
*Book #62/72 of my 2019 coffee table to-read challenge, cont. 2020
March 27, 2025
I've been really getting into the quick reads at the moment. I had never read James Patterson so thought it would be a good way to see how he writes and if I like his style. Safe to say I was hooked and read this quick read very quickly. I look forward to reading more of his novels in the future 😊
Displaying 1 - 30 of 279 reviews