Cross (Alex Cross) by James Patterson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Cross (Alex Cross)
Book Review: AT CROSS PURPOSES
Summary: 4 Stars
Another long drive turned into an enjoyable experience thanks to James Patterson and his alter ego Alex Cross. CROSS, the audio-book, gives us another look at the personal and professional life of our protagonist and the crazies who seem to always be lurking on the fringes.
The story begins in 1993 with a stranger visiting the Cross home, as is followed by the senseless murder of Cross's wife Maria (a crime that has never been solved). In an effort to escape the turmoil of police work and bring some peace and order into the lives of his children, Cross leaves the FBI to pursue a career in private counseling. At the same time Michael Sullivan (alias The Butcher) is pursuing his career as a mob assassin and part time serial rapist and murderer.
Flash forward to the present day. Sullivan remains at large continuing in his twisted career while Cross continues in his daily routine of counseling patients (primarily battered and molested women). Enter John Sampson, Cross's former partner in the D.C.PD, and a man on a quest to find the serial rapist/killer who has been terrorizing the DC area. Sampson calls upon their long standing friendship and enlists Cross's assistance in his hunt for the culprit. Slowly a connection between his wife's murder and the current crimes becomes obvious and Cross is off in pursuit of Sullivan.
As usual James Patterson does not disappoint, and the interplay between the Cross and Sullivan storylines coupled with the exceptional audio performances by readers Jay O. Sanders and Peter J. Fernandez make for engrossing listening and keeps the listener "hooked" for the entire ride.
Book Review: Alex Cross confronts the demons of his past
Summary: 4 Stars
"Cross" features James Patterson's trademark lightning pace (short chapters, frequent scene changes, lots of dialogue), but also continues the return to form that began in "Mary, Mary": the action, danger, and big dramatic moments are balanced with well-drawn scenes of Alex Cross' home life, personal details among the supporting cast, ruminations by Alex about the tragedies of his past, and other small moments. Those things were mostly lacking in "The Big Bad Wolf" and "London Bridges", which also featured big terrorist-oriented plots more suitable to a James Bond movie than a crime series. I'm glad this series is getting back to more realistic antagonists, and paying more attention to the trials and tribulations of Alex Cross. "Cross" is unapologetically a well-crafted piece of mainstream thriller fiction, and I think you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did.
Book Review: Alex Cross returns to find "The Butcher"
Summary: 5 Stars
Alex Cross, former Washington, DC detective and former FBI agent, is still in the hunt for the killer that ended his marriage with his beloved Maria and left his children without a mother. Almost every case he is called on to assist with, Alex hopes that case will be the one to lead him to his wife's killer. Alex is now in the consulting business to assist anyone needing his expertise.
Michael Sullivan, alias The Butcher, and his buddy Jimmy "Hats" Galati, are fearless gangsters and they themselves fear no mafia or other gangland organizations. Either would kill without any qualms, would not hide from anyone, but instead instill the fear of opening their mouth to anyone in fear of their life. The Butcher loved Jimmies companionship because he knew he had him under control to do what he wished. The Butcher would cut you up and kill you without blinking an eye, Jimmy included.
One of the reasons Alex Cross was so determined to find Maria's killer was that she had died in his arms, a fact he never told his family. The recent killings have brought Maria's killing to his mind, as the circumstances were too similar. Eventually Alex's old buddy and former partner on the force, John Sampson, asked him if he would come on board and assist in the horrible crimes that had been taking place. This gave Alex a good excuse to return to help his friends while hoping to find Maria's killer. The problem was the complaining by "Nana" who had to lovingly take care of Alex's children when Alex worked the long hours required tracking down evidence. Alex had earlier agreed to cut down on the time needed for his private work but soon after had to renege and beg to Nana that he had to work longer to assist the police in tracking down this brutal butcher. Nana, of course, had no idea that the present crimes were similar to the killing of Maria. She had to agree since Alex insisted so vehemently.
The story continues as the butcher becomes even more of a danger and a very major killer. He also knew Alex was hot on his trail so he played games with Alex and other law enforcement. The rest of the story continues very smoothly but with many twists and turns as The Butcher continues his evasion of police in plain sight with his many disguises and actions. You will not guess the ending until after you have read it. Patterson has again given a terrific story in his Alex Cross series. One would think that readers would tire of his stories but he keeps coming through with new angles that are not "run of the mill" nor do they have a predictable result.
Book Review: Alex Cross still rules as the most interesting of the bad guy chasers.
Summary: 4 Stars
As much fun as ever..Alex, his kids, Granny Mama, his friends, his jazz, his piano on the porch. Thanks again, James PattersonBook Review: Am I Cross'ed out or...?
Summary: 2 Stars
Yes, this one was better than the last Cross I read: London Bridges. But only a little better. The story and plot is weak and I am losing more and more patience with the lack of character development. Nana Mama is still bossy yet loveable, Alex is still struggling with family, the past, his job/jobs, the kids are still just soooo good and John Sampson, old partner from DCPD, still calls Alex Sugar.
All that said, I was still entertained in a mild way, but the story did not grab me much. Alex has 'retired' from police and murder business, and has begun practicing as a psychiatrist, having his own business now, after Nana put her foot down, and told him to spend more time with family. However, when it turns out that a series of rapes and murders in the DC area may be connected to Alex' wife Maria's death 10 years ago, he finds himself drawn into the police-work yet again.
The villain in this book is mob-hitman Michael Sullivan, aka The Butcher. We know this from the beginning, where we are presented with some of The Butcher's specialties re. his nick name. Sullivan likes to take pictures of his victims and showing them to other victims, to ensure that they do not go to the police.
I am not completely sure how and why it happened, but something goes wrong, and Sullivan is suddenly hunted by the mob, all the while Alex and John somehow makes a connection between Sullivan and the murder of Maria. How they did that, I never really found out either.
There are some minor twists and turns making it a little harder to guess the ending and making this Cross readable. But it is still not nearly good enough.