I love James Patterson! The first review I posted here was Miracle on the 17th Green, one of his more atypical stories. Invisible is not my favorites of his. It’s a good story and it’s well written, I just found several unsatisfactory resolutions. A word of caution: It’s the goriest one of his that I’ve read.

The most terrifying threat is the one that is invisible.” That is written on images of the book. So, there has been a series of house fires across the country. But even when there is a single fatality in many of them, still there’s nothing to arouse suspicion. But former FBI analyst Emmy Docker – she now works for the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services branch, but I don’t remember it saying of what – has noticed something that leads her to believe the fires are covering up murders.

She finally gets the FBI to team up with her office and seriously investigate this. Books (nickname), her former fiancé, still works there and leads the investigation. But clues are, well, invisible. Finally they find evidence that these deaths were undeniably murders, but still no clues as to who is doing it. He is invisible.

As is so often the case, the love interest of the main character is infinitely more likable than the 1st person narrator (Emmy). In fact, this guy seems to have no flaws at all. He’s even willing to work with Emmy six months after she broke their engagement without any warning or explanation. Predictably, he still loves her. But I have just a little bit of a problem with a character who has no flaws.

Emmy is really very unlikable. It gets to where it’s hard to even respect her because she consistently – and I do mean consistently – disobeys orders, putting the entire team in danger. The fact that nothing happens is luck? Or she is just strong enough to trust her gut? I think we’re supposed to think the latter, but I got too ticked off at her for potentially – and knowingly – risking everyone’s lives, repeatedly. Books tries to kick her off the team several times, but for one reason or another, it never takes.

That was my first problem with this book, that she is such an unsympathetic character. But more important, I started to figure it out too soon. The ending is supposed to be a real shocker, but it wasn’t for me. And I felt like they should have figured it out sooner. Granted, I know it’s a novel, the characters don’t.  Even so, there were just too many clues that they all ignored.

After the last time Emmy disobeys and order and puts the team at risk, Books is furious, as well he should be. Finally, his love for her is eclipsed by everything else about her and he says he’s done. He is truly done with her. I was very glad when he did that, having wanted him to do it much earlier. But then, Emmy is almost killed and in, storybook fashion, he realizes he really does still love her.

That pissed me off. The guy finally shows some balls, and then he forgives everything and it’s all sunshine and roses. Why he even thinks she will stay with him this time is a complete mystery to me. As Maya Angelou said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them … the first time.” Okay, give him two or three times since he’s in love, and still he should have walked away. For good.