Pop Goes the Weasel

Written by James Patterson, Pop Goes The Weasel is about a Washington D.C. police officer Alex Cross, who is trying to catch the most explosive and dangerous serial killer he has ever faced. If there is something to be learned from this book, it is that looks can be deceiving. This is because the killer in the novel also leads a normal life as a British ambassador with a wife and two kids. Pop Goes The Weasel is an exciting thriller full of imagery, irony, and foreshadowing that keeps you on the edge of your seat until you turn the final page.

Imagery is an abundant literary technique in Pop Goes The Weasel. Throughout the book Patterson describes, in detail, the murders committed by Geoffrey Shafer and findings of detective Alex Cross. In the book, he says of Shafer "He uttered loud, wrenching sobs" (320), which allows the reader to hear him crying. In another instance, Patterson describes the killers wife. He says "her sparking green eyes were even brighter than the Bulgari and Spark jewelry she always wore" (20), which causes a visual image of both her bright eyes and the expensive jewelry she wears. Another quote from Patterson's book is "He got on the road, heading out against the barrage of traffic streaming to work in the city" (402), which gives the reader a clear picture of the crowded streets. Those are a few of the many instances of imagery in the novel.

In this book irony is used largely, but in an indirect way. There is no specific line in the text where there is situational irony, but narrative irony is used throughout the entire book. The first chapters of the book are in the first person point of view of Alex Cross. The next few chapters are then in third person point of view, describing the actions and thoughts of the British ambassador, Geoffrey Shafer. Patterson continues to go back and forth between the two points of view until the end of the novel. This causes dramatic suspense because the reader wants to know what detective Cross will find next, and when he will find it. Also, it is ironic because the reader knows when detective Cross is standing right next to Shafer, yet he doesn't. An example of this is when Shafer tries to go to his hideout only to find the police questioning people in the area. Alex Cross is just a few feet away from the person he is looking for, but he doesn't know it (145).

Patterson uses foreshadowing in Pop Goes The Weasel to