Selected Book
Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross)
- Paperback
- Author: James Patterson
- Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
- Release Date: August 2003
- ISBN-10: 0446692638
- ISBN-13: 9780446692632
- List Price: $14.99
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Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryA missing little girl named Maggie Rose. A family of three brutally murdered in the projects of Washington, D.C. The thrill-killing of a beautiful elementary school teacher. A psychopathic serial kidnapper/murderer who calls himself the Son of Lindbergh. He is so terrifying that the FBI, the Secret Service, and the police cannot outsmart him-even after he's been captured.Gary Soneji is a mild-mannered mathematics teacher at a Washington, D.C., private school for the children of the political and social elite. He's so popular that the kids all call him "Mr. Chips." And he's very, very smart. Growing up, he always knew he was smarter than the rest of them-he knew that the Great Ones always fooled everybody. He kidnaps Maggie Rose, the golden-haired daughter of a famous movie actress, and her best friend, Shrimpie Goldberg, the son of the secretary of the treasury, right out from under the noses of their two Secret Service agents. But Gary Soneji is not surprised at his skill. He's done it before. Hundreds of times before.Alex Cross must face the ultimate test as a psychologist: how do you outmaneuver a brilliant psychopath? Especially one who appears to have a split personality-one who won't let the other half remember those horrific acts?Soneji has outsmarted the FBI, the Secret Service, and the police. Who will be his next victim? |
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
NON-Stop Good Read!!!
Rating:
after so many rave reviews this book got i finally got around this book.
is very easy to read.....and also very suspenseful......
you will finish the book in no time.........
Loved it!
Rating:
Along Came a Spider is fantastic. I could not believe the twist in the overall story, and I think it was incredible. James Patterson gives you just enough information in the beginning of the story to keep you guessing, and then he absolutely blows you away. It is basically about a crazy man named Gary Soneji/Murphy, who has a lot of severe personality disorders due to his terrible childhood, trying to commit the perfect crime and become famous because of it. His whole theme is that he "wants to be somebody" through this book. He is the master of killing in the D.C. area, and he LOVES this game. He plays a school teacher at a day school for rich kids when his intent is to kidnap and kill the Dunne/Goldberg children. This happens in the first part of the book. Finally, one day he succeeds, drugging one, and killing the other. The kidnapping has the whole town of Washington D.C. freaking out. The main character, Alex Cross, who is a detective, comes up against a lot of problems along the way of trying to solve the mystery. He falls in love with another investigator, only to realize it is a huge mistake. After a while, the main story line expands into a two story line and they both have incredible climaxes at the same time. This book was a real page turner, it kept me guessing the entire time, and I didn't want it to end. There were no un-important or boring parts, everything fits into the plots. If you like mysteries, or even if you don't, read this one, you won't be disappointed.
Just what I want in a book!
Rating:
This book is wonderful! Suspenseful, twisting, and delicious, James Patterson has crafted quite the protagonist in Detective Alex Cross. Fans of Jeffery Deaver and others like him with devour this one!
When Detective Alex Cross is removed from the murder of a poor black family to head the investigation of the kidnapping of two prominent white children, he is less than thrilled. He can see injustice all around, but is powerless to change the course of events to his liking. Making the best of a bad situation, he throws himself into the investigation and quickly learns that things are not as they seem at all.
Most of the book deals with the examination of the kidnapper/murderer and that is easily the best part of the book. The villain is as twisted as they come, and the uncertainty of whether he really is crazy or just acting is possibly the most chilling part of all. Even the romantic elements of the story are shadowy and twisted in this page turner. Don't miss it!
An Excellent Book
Rating:
This was my first Patterson book and it certainly won't be my last. The book was well written, enjoyable, and I loved the characters. To me the makings of a good book are looking forward to the next page and the one after that; what's going to happen next is not apparent; and I want to read more by the author. All these were true for me with this book. I'm white, but I thought it was great to have the heros and main characters black for a change. My husband and I have very different tastes in books, but there are some we both enjoy and this was one.
A murder mystery but defiantly not in the thriller genre
Rating:
The actions and inter-actions of the authorities were not realistic as the Secret Service is responsible for protecting not for investigations. I can't imagine that a Secret Service agent just goes riding along with other authorities from time to time with no reporting back to or receiving directions from her office.
I skip-read the uninteresting romantic parts of the book except at the end. The great ending is what saved this book from being a three star or less.
Many of the reviews have said that this is his best book. I hope not as I have eleven more of his books on my desk waiting to be read.
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