I read Along Came a Spider last year, and my thinking was not too far from yours. I don't get how Patterson is considered one of the biggest mystery writers today. About ten years ago I tried Roses are Red and then eventually Violets are Blue and was massively underwhelmed by them both. 'Spider' was to check that if my inital reaction was wrong. I'm don't think it was.
I recently finished reading Shadow of Freedom by David Weber (the latest Honor Harrington novel) and the first five books in S.M. Stirling's The General series (The Forge, The Hammer, The Anvil, The Steel, and The Sword).
Currently reading: Cold Equations Book 2: Silent Weapons by David Mack Best Destiny by Diane Carey A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin Spartacus (TNG #20) by T. L. Mancour Over the last week, I completed: Cold Equations Book 1: The Persistence of Memory by David Mack Betrayal (DS9 #6) by Lois Tilton Unification novelization by Jeri Taylor Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country novelization by J. M. Dillard Perchance to Dream (TNG #19) by Howard Weinstein
Yeah, pretty much ended up like I said above (review). Since then I've also read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (reread), Leverage: The Zoo Job, and Doctor Who Devil in the Smoke (review). Not sure yet what to read next.
Just finished "First Shift: Legacy (Wool#6)" by Hugh Howey. It was a cool back story, nice to know who built the silos. Now I am reading "The Forever War" by Joe Haldeman. I hope it is as awesome as many have said it is.
As a long-time Defenders fan, I'm enjoying Marvel's new FEARLESS DEFENDERS comic book series. The Valkyrie and Misty Knight make a fun team.
Just finished Vornholt's Antimatter. I don't know but I just don't remember Vornholt being this amateurish with his characterizations. He seemed to enjoy describing Dax's body...a lot. All the dialogue just seemed fanficky to me. I did enjoy the concept of the insectoid hive minded planet. That was pretty neat. The story as a whole wasn't terrible.
I finished Torchwood: Border Princes a few days ago. I'm now reading Star Trek: New Frontier: Gateways: Cold Wars.
I got it a few days ago. I haven't had a chance to explore it in detail, but it looks gorgeous. And it's good to have all that material from Enterprise, since most my Trek reference books predate that show.