Customer Reviews

Alex Cross's TRIAL (Alex Cross Novels)

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(50)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(55)

 

 

In typical Patterson style, this book was a very easy and fast read: the chapters are short, the font is large, and the descriptive text is kept to a minimum. That pretty much sums up the good qualities of the book. Patterson should be ashamed of himself titling this book Alex Cross's Trial. This is clearly a marketing ploy to lure in unsuspecting Alex Cross fans. The first two pages are about Alex Cross and he is not mentioned again in the entire 380 pages. The book is really about lynching in the South in the early 1900s. There aren't any twists and turns in the plot to keep the reader riveted and the conclusion is absolutely non-climatic. A real disappointment.

This will be my last James Patterson book, if for no other reason that I'm pissed that a book with "Alex Cross" in the title IS NOT AN ALEX CROSS BOOK. If this isn't false advertising, I don't know what is. As someone who has read almost everything James Patterson has ever written, it's hard for me to believe that Patterson even had a hand in this one, or in the last one (Cross Country) for that matter. I think Patterson has sold out, and is letting just about anyone stick his name on their book. There are too many GOOD authors out there to keep wasting your money on this guy.

It is hard to find authors as popular as James Patterson, and his Alex Cross books are at the epicenter. Let's remove the Patterson name for a moment and take an in-depth look at this newest novel. In 1906, race relations are being threatened; The war has just ended; Equality is still a foreign concept -- especially in the south. Theodore Roosevelt (the President of the USA) has placed an urgent call to Ben Corbett - a prestigious lawyer - summoning him to The White House. The President instructs Corbett to seek the aid of Abraham Cross in his home town of Mississippi, and together, investigate the outbreak of burning and lynching of minorities.

When he does arrive, it doesn't take him long to find Cross whom is being escorted by a beautiful young woman, Moody. Moody is Cross' grand daughter and together they show Corbett the true extent of the hate-filled assaults in a once peaceful town. While it does take Ben Corbett a while to accept the truth, he does finally come to realize just how dire the situation is. I'll stop there so I don't spoil the story for anyone whom has yet to read this brilliant novel. There are so many twists-and turns (the biggest being Abraham Cross - the grandfather of Alex) The racial overtones are done incredibly well, and while it is graphic at times, they do serve a greater purpose and keep the novel on track.

Now let's put the Patterson name back, and this good novel becomes great. Patterson is the master of suspense, intrigue, and lifellike characters that change and evolve the story to a level that only a very few authors can replicate. Do I really need to mention this? I mean seriously, if you don't know how good Patterson is...then that cave you live in must be nice and cozy. I'm joking. This latest novel to grace the Patterson name is an exciting thrill ride, that moves along at breakneck speeds and gives the reader a reason to place Patterson back on top of the genre. Well done. Well done, indeed.

Alex Cross is a star in James Patterson's fiction universe. This book, co-authored by Richard Dilallo, looks at Alex's great-uncle, Abraham, who was born a slave in 1817. The story begins in 1906, when Abraham was 89, about forty years after slavery's demise. Abraham is poor and lives in the "Quarters," an African-American neighborhood in Eudora, Mississippi.

The central character in the book is Ben Corbett, a young white lawyer in Washington, D.C. He served as a captain in the Spanish-American War (1898) under Colonel Theodore Roosevelt. In 1906 Roosevelt, now President, sends his friend Ben on a secret mission to Eudora (Corbett's hometown) to study the recent epidemic of lynchings in the area. Roosevelt has arranged for Ben to meet the aforementioned Abraham Cross, a wise man who is well-respected in the black community. Abraham gives Ben vital assistance.

Although the authors do not use the term, "Jim Crow" had taken over the South by 1906. Jim Crow was a system of virtually complete segregation designed to humiliate African-Americans and enforce their status as second-class citizens. An integral part of Jim Crow was physical intimidation, including lynching. According to Wikipedia, between 1880 and 1951, 3,437 African-Americans were lynched, mostly in the Deep South.

Graphic descriptions of assaults, mob violence, and lynchings make up a big part of this book.

The novel opens when Ben returns to his hometown after an absence of six years. He finds that many of his former friends and neighbors are upset with his outspoken opposition to Jim Crow and lynching. He does, however, have some loyal friends, including Elizabeth Begley, Ben's first flame. Well, the fire is still there, although both Ben and Elizabeth have married others.

The book explores in depth the tension between Ben and the white residents of Eudora. Many of them come to despise Ben for his support of African-American equality. This group includes Ben's estranged father, a local judge, who ends up presiding at the book's centerpiece, the "trial" of three whites who murdered two people during a raid on Abraham Cross's home.

Ben becomes the subject of obscene taunts and insults. He is placed in grave peril.

This book does not approach the level of, say, To Kill a Mockingbird, a classic work with a similar theme. But Trial is still very interesting; it's a "page turner" of the sort perfected by Patterson, featuring short, fast-paced chapters. It deals with an important topic of which many Americans have limited knowledge. It kept me enthralled; I finished it in about twelve hours.

Several of the characters are painted with a very broad brush; they are either really good or horribly evil. More subtle portrayals would have strengthened the work. And, it seems to me the authors were trying to capture the authentic feel of a memoir by having the central figure, Ben Corbett, narrate the story. This tactic succeeded for the most part, but sometimes the book had an awkward air of melodrama.

I like most James Patterson novels, but if you haven't noticed, almost every book that he "writes" now says JAMES PATTERSON with "Unknown Author". What that says to me is that he receives books from unpublished/unknown authors and, for a huge payday, slaps his name on them in huge letters so that they immediately become best sellers. Win-Win for both him and the new author. The losers are the dupes who continue to buy them thinking they are written by Patterson. I guess it's fine if you are entertained but I think it is very underhanded.

Is James Patterson so hard up for cash that he would actually risk his reputation on this mess? To put his most popular character's name in bold letters on the cover of this book and not mention him again past page 2 is the biggest case of false advertising ever. Clearly Patterson didn't even have a hand in writing this. It's about time he stops putting his name on other author's works and gets back to actually writing himself. If I could get my money back, I would. Don't bother with this work.

First, as others have said, I felt dupped by the fact that this book is advertised as an Alex Cross novel. But beyond that this is a poorly written account of the south and the atrocities whites put on blacks. Using every cliche imaginable, from a mammie in a red handkerchief chasing chickens to the folksy discussion by Mark Twain, this is lazy writing at its best. The "almost hanging" of the main character pushes the envelope of believability. There are no surprises here and the plot is completely predictable. James Patterson owes an apology to his fans.

I honestly think that James Patterson sold the rights to the name "Alex Cross" for use in the title, and had nothing else to do with the book. Alex Cross is in the book for two pages (which is the prologue I believe), and has nothing else to do with it. With another Alex Cross book coming out in a couple of months, this was no doubt just a cash grab.

Regardless of who wrote the book, it's a poor novel. The writing is choppy, the story is weak, and it just does not grab your interest.

Everyone knows James Patterson co-authors many of his books but he NEVER co-wrote his Alex Cross books until now..This book is beyond boring and I don't recommend this book to anyone. If Alex Cross fans want to read a real Alex Cross book wait until November when the next book comes out. If Mr Patterson starts to have others co-write his Alex Cross books I am not going to be buying them anymore. How to we even know Mr Patterson even writes these co-authored books?

James Patterson books are usually known as page turners. The reader may have trouble stopping at the end of a chapter because the suspense that's been building is too much to leave for another reading session. Sadly, I did not get the same sense of "must read more" from this book as I get from many of his other novels.

It's true that this is not a typical Alex Cross book and, frankly, I feel like the Cross family connection was weak at best. However, the characters were typical of a Patterson novel and, therefore, I still sympathized. What annoyed me was the fact that subject matter that could've been really intriguing - race relations in the Deep South at the turn of the century - just seemed to fall flat.

I'm not upset that I finished this book and there were many parts I enjoyed. But, on the whole, Patterson has definitely written better stories.