From Publishers Weekly
To be published on Valentine's Day, this solid and enjoyable but not exceptional thriller about a Black Widow killer has been selected by Bookspan as the "2005 International Thriller of the Year." That's obviously jumping the gun, and probably has more to do with the unusual sales gambit by which Bookspan was allowed to sell the book prior to bookstore distribution than with the novel's quality. Still, megaseller Patterson, here writing for the first time with Roughan (The Up and Comer), again shows his usual flair for brisk narrative, strong suspense and genuine twists in tracing the story of how FBI agent John O'Hara tracks down serial killer Nora Sinclair. As the novel opens, beautiful Nora, an interior designer for the very rich, and already wealthy after having killed her first husband for his inheritance, is juggling an engagement to a hedge-fund manager in tony Briarcliff Manor in upstate New York and a marriage to a bestselling author in Boston. She intends to kill both, but chooses the hedge-fund manager first; after she poisons him, enter O'Hara, posing as a sympathetic insurance investigator but secretly working to nab Nora. In time, Nora seduces O'Hara, so his attempt to catch her is compromised by lust; there's also a major subplot involving a suitcase containing documents pointing to more than a billion dollars transferred to Cayman Islands banks, a subplot fully tied into the main plot only near book's end. O'Hara and particularly Nora stand as two of Patterson's most complex characters yet, but the narrative, while nearly impossible to stop reading, doesn't have the emotional pull of the author's Alex Cross novels or some of his Women's Murder Club titles. This is one canny thriller, though, and Patterson's millions of fans will be most pleased. Expect sky-high sales. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
The year 2004 saw three books from Patterson, and he's showing no signs of slowing down. In a departure from both the Alex Cross and Women's Murder Club series, Patterson takes on a romance that is a far cry from the sweet love stories he has tried his hand at in the last few years. Nora Sinclair has a gorgeous Connecticut fiance, Connor. She had an equally sexy Boston husband, Jeffrey. But bad things happen to the men Nora gets involved with--her first husband died of a heart attack, and before long Connor meets a similar fate. The FBI is suspicious and sends agent John O'Hara to pose as an insurance investigator who dangles a tantalizing prize in front of Nora: a $1.9 million life-insurance policy on Connor's life, payable to Nora. She is suspicious, but she goes along with John's investigation into Connor's death. John isn't able to dig up much on Nora, but he does find himself in an awkward predicament when he realizes he's attracted to her. Patterson and cowriter Roughan's novel has all the trademarks of a Patterson-only thriller--short, suspenseful chapters; quick, punchy sentences; and a breakneck pace--and it delivers enough adrenaline that fans will likely forgive the novel's occasional implausibility. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
The honeymoon is over--now the murders can begin. America's #1 thriller writer returns with his sexiest, scariest novel ever. Hotter than The Beach House and scarier than Kiss the Girls, James Patterson's explosive new thriller introduces a bride who is beautiful, talented, devoted--and deadly. When a young investment banker dies of baffling causes, FBI agent John O'Hara immediately suspects the only witness, the banker's alluring and mysterious fianc'e. Nora Sinclair is a beautiful decorator who expects the best, and will do anything to get it. Agent O'Hara keeps closing in, but the stronger his case, the less he knows whether he's pursuing justice or his own fatal obsession. In a novel so compelling it reads like a collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock, James Patterson unveils surprise after surprise that will keep readers guessing until the last deadly kiss.


About the Author
James Patterson's most recent major international bestseller is London Bridges. He is the author of 27 books and lives in Florida.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

How does it feel to be desired by every man and envied by every woman? Wonderful. This is the life Nora Sinclair has dreamed about, the life she's worked hard for, the life she will never give up. Meet Nora Sinclair.

When FBI agent John O'Hara first sees her, 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. If you dare.

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?

FROM THE CRITICS

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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. In his sexiest, scariest novel yet, James Patterson deftly confirms that he always "takes thrills to the next level"

Library Journal