About the Author

James Patterson has had five international number one bestsellers in a row - ALONG CAME A SPIDER, KISS THE GIRLS, JACK AND JILL, CAT AND MOUSE and his most recent, WHEN THE WIND BLOWS. His Alex Cross series is off to the fastest-selling start of any featuring a continuing character. KISS THE GIRLS, filmed by Paramount Pictures in 1997, was a number one hit movie.

Reviews

A pregnant 16-year-old from a wealthy Newport, RI, family and a pregnant 14-year-old head of a household in a small Irish village are about to fulfill the 1917 prophecy of the Virgin Mary, which was delivered to three small children in Fatima, Portugal, and has been kept secret by the Vatican ever since. A virgin will deliver a "savior," who will rid the world of famine, plague, drought, and other disasters occurring in epic proportions around the globe. Another virgin will produce "the Beast," who will unleash the legions of evil, increasing human suffering infinitely. But which girl is which? Which baby is which? Who will be able to tell? The Catholic church sends Father Justin O'Carroll and private investigator (and former nun) Anne Fitzgerald to figure it out. The Vatican sends Father Nicholas Rosetti, the church's chief investigator of miracles. This threesome must battle the works of the devilDillness, disaster, hallucination, and disguise notwithstanding. Patterson's story is disappointingly thin, assuming the general public has a great deal of knowledge about the Catholic Church and its theology regarding the Virgin Mary, the investigation of miracles, and the proofs of good and evil. There are inaccuracies and inconsistencies throughout. Even the unabridged version, well read by Barbara Caruso, fails to provide explanations for the bizarre actions of some characters. Ally Sheedy provides a "valley girl" inflection to her female voices, even for Fitzgerald; Len Cariou gives a shiver-producing voice to "the devil" and a passable Irish brogue to O'Carroll. The abridgments, like most, omit details, causing the tale to be flat and making it proceed in fits and starts without satisfactory explanation. The gist of the story is thereDit's just not very interesting.DJoanna Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Coll. of Continuing Education Lib., Providence Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

His Alex Cross series (Pop Goes the Weasel, etc.) has made Patterson a top-selling author, but his most interesting work lies elsewhere: in his debut mystery, The Thomas Berryman Number; in last year's SF thriller, When the Wind Blows--and in this exciting and moving religious thriller about two pregnant virgins, one of whom may carry the Son of God and the other the Son of the Devil. If that plot line sounds familiar, it should. The novel is a reworking of Virgin, Patterson's second novel, published in 1980 by McGraw-Hill and long out of print. The narrative features the first-person/third-person narrative mix that's Patterson's trademark. The "I" belongs to ex-nun Anne Fitzgerald, now a PI. Her latest case for the Church involves investigating--and guarding--Newport, R.I. (i.e., rich), teenager Kathleen Beavier, who's eight months pregnant but, by expert medical testimony, a virgin. The Church is particularly anxious about Kathleen's condition because the Third Secret of Fatima (a real-life secret guarded by the Church since the Virgin Mary allegedly revealed it in 1917) prophesied two pregnant virgins: one bearing the Savior, the other the Devil's child. Anne eventually learns that indeed there's a poor girl in Ireland who's also pregnant, yet a virgin. Which girl carries which child? For texture, Patterson throws in some romance between Anne and a priest, but the novel's considerable suspense arises from his treatment of the central question as he speeds the action from America to Ireland to the Vatican, complicates it with a media frenzy over Kathleen, sharpens it as supernatural forces come into play and spins it with a wicked twist. While not subtle, this novel tackles issues of faith with admirable gusto. It could be a massive bestseller, appealing not only to Patterson's fans but also to those of the apocalyptic thrillers of LaHaye and Jenkins. 1 million first printing; $1 million ad/promo; Literary Guild main selection; author tour. (May) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.