Selected Book
Cross Country (Alex Cross Novels)
- Hardcover
- Author: James Patterson
- Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
- Release Date: November 2008
- ISBN-10: 0316018724
- ISBN-13: 9780316018722
- List Price: $27.99
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Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryWhen the home of Alex Cross's oldest friend, Ellie Cox, is turned into the worst murder scene Alex has ever seen, the destruction leads him to believe that he's chasing a horrible new breed of killer. As Alex and his girlfriend, Brianna Stone, become entangled in the deadly Nigerian underworld of Washington D.C., what they discover is shocking: a stunningly organized gang of lethal teenagers headed by a powerful, diabolical man--the African warlord known as the Tiger. Just when the detectives think they're closing in on the elusive murderer, the Tiger disappears into thin air. Tracking him to Africa, Alex knows that he must follow. Alone. |
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Political Statement Masked as a Crime Thriller
Rating:
I, like many others, eagerly await the next installment of the Alex Cross series. I have read all of the novels and knew that this one would be no exception. I truly wanted to like this novel after the past few installments had seemed to go a bit downhill. However, I found myself struggling to get through this one.
The story starts with the murder of one of Alex's closest friends and her family. The murder is gruesome and violent and sparks Alex into action to try to find the killer who he learns is an African mercenary called the Tiger. It is not long after when Alex jets off to Africa in search of the killer and in some sense revenge. It was at this point that the story became difficult.
1) The gore and violence was a bit much for a typical Patterson novel but not anything that cannot be found in other modern day crime fiction.
2) The story of the entire trip becomes improbable. Here we see our beloved Alex, with a PhD mind you, running off half cocked into a firestorm in Africa. For an intelligent man, he acts irrational. From the minute he lands he is carted off to a prison and beaten. Once he is out, he goes from one situation to the next where he puts himself in mortal danger. Some of the situations, such as his accompanying a group of women at a refugee camp to collect firewood, just do not lend themselves to the story.
3) The bulk of this novel seems to be the author's attempt at bringing the political situation of Africa into the forefront. While I respect the political views of the author, I do not read crime fiction for the purpose of learning about politics and war. Alex Cross is being used to make a political statement.
When the end of the novel finally comes, we are teased by the possibility of a sequel. One can only hope that Patterson can return to form by then.
Disappointing
Rating:
I need to read these reviews a little closer. Most of them are right. This is not some of Patterson's best work.
Teenaged Ghost Writer Hijacks Alex Cross!
Rating:
The last sentence of chapter 16 ends with an exclaimation point! And it's not in quotes, it's a narrative statement! Skip this one!
Patterson needs to take more time in writing his books.
Rating:
Obviously Patterson did not take much time or give much thought to the story line of this book. It will definately go on my list of one of the worst books I have ever read. The character Cross must be some kind of a "super-hero" to endure all the torture that he went thru. WOW SUPERMAN!!!
The Decline of Patterson Quality
Rating:
It has ben sad to watch the decline of quality in James Patterson's stories over the years, but this one is unreal. No story line, none of it makes sense, characters are unbelievable and uninteresting. I had a very difficult time trying to understand why Cross would risk so much for something in his past that wasn't that important to him anymore, and then the fact that he kept escaping harm was ridiculious. I normally finish these books in 2-3 days, this one took me two weeks to complete, just a horrible, pointless story. I hope James Patterson stops churning out this junk at the rate that he is. I'd be happier if he would just put out one good book every other year, instead he puts out 3 or 4 books a year that are lacking more and more each time. Come on James, we know you have a great talent, we just want you to show it to us again. Quantity does not equal Quality.
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