Cross (Alex Cross Novels) [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio CD]

James Patterson (Author), Peter J. Fernandez (Reader), Jay O. Sanders (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 13, 2006 | Series: Alex Cross Novels

Alex Cross was a rising star in the Washington, DC, Police Department when an unknown shooter gunned down his wife, Maria, in front of him. The killer was never found, and the case turned cold, filed among the unsolved drive-bys in D.C.'s rough neighborhoods. Years later, still haunted by his wife's death, Cross is making a bold move in his life. Now a free agent from the police and the FBI, he's set up practice as a psychologist once again. His life with Nana Mama, Damon, Jannie, and little Alex is finally getting in order. He even has a chance at a new love. Then Cross's former partner, John Sampson, calls in a favor. He is tracking a serial rapist in Georgetown, one whose brutal modus operandi recalls a case Sampson and Cross worked together years earlier. When the case reveals a connection to Maria's death, Cross latches on for the most urgent and terrifying ride of his life. From the man USA Today has called the "master of the genre," Cross is the high-velocity thriller James Patterson and Alex Cross's fans have waited years to read--and the pinnacle of the bestselling detective series of the past two decades.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Forensic psychologist Alex Cross's storied career in private practice, with the FBI and as a Washington, D.C., cop has brought him into contact with all kinds of seriously disturbed killers, but his 12th outing from bestseller Patterson (after 2005's Mary, Mary) may be the ultimate in lunatic deadliness. Beginning with a flashback to the murder of Cross's wife, Maria, Patterson quickly introduces Michael Sullivan (aka the Butcher of Sligo). What follows is a frenetically paced series of brutal rapes and killings by Sullivan, once employed by the mob as a freelancer and now at war with them. Cross juggles being a single parent and being involved in the dangerous game of tracking serial killers until he finally decides to give it up for his family. Needless to say, he's drawn back into the game when it promises a chance of finding Maria's killer. Cross's competence and vulnerability make a stark contrast with Sullivan's sadistic mutilations and psychological manipulations of his victims. Fans know that Cross will survive, but at what cost? (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Patterson's departure from the nursery-rhyme titles in his latest Alex Cross yarn is a tip-off that the focus this time is not so much on the case as on the man. For the first time in Patterson's 13-year-old series, we relive the day in 1993 when Cross' wife, Maria, was murdered. Alex was a young gun with the D.C. police then, and Maria was a social worker in the poorest and most dangerous section of the city before she became the victim of a drive-by shooting. Cut to the present, and Alex--who has been with the FBI for some time, become a successful crime writer, and started to lose a bit of that "dragon slayer" touch--decides to devote more time to his three kids, much to the delight of Nana Mama, Alex's nonagenarian three-in-one grandmother, nanny, and guiding light. Alex is nothing if not loyal, so when his former partner John Sampson asks him to help track down a sicko who is serially raping Georgetown coeds, Alex cannot say no. Little does he know, however, that the search for the rapist will have ties to Maria's death. That her killer was never found is a constant source of frustration for Alex, and this case offers a chance to finally put Maria's memory to rest. Even as the story whips by with incredible speed, Patterson manages to pack it full of suspense, emotion, and a resolution that, while perfectly satisfying, carries the author's trademark teaser hinting at the "more" that surely will come. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Hachette Audio; Abridged edition (November 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594835993
• ISBN-13: 978-1594835995
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (269 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,036,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

From my publisher:

James Patterson...


* James Patterson holds the New York Times bestsellers list record with 63 New York Times bestselling titles.

* JP has sold more than 220 million books worldwide. And considering pass-along and libraries, it's safe to say many more people than that have read a Patterson!

* In 2010, JP was named by kids everywhere the Children's Book Councils' Children's Choice Book Awards "Author of the Year" in 2010. More than 15,000 kid and teen readers voted for JP in a category he shared with Suzanne Collins, Carl Hiaasen, Jeff Kinney, and Rick Riordan. His Witch and Wizard series saw the biggest launch of a series for young readers ever, surpassing sales of first installments of Twilight, Diary of A Wimpy Kid, and Percy Jackson & The Olympians.

* JP has grossed over 3 billion dollars in worldwide sales. This is larger than the worldwide theatrical gross of Avatar, the highest grossing film of all time.

* JP has had 43 New York Times hardcover #1 bestselling novels, also a publishing industry record.

* Last year, JP has sold more books than John Grisham, Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, and Stephen King combined (source: Nielsen BookScan).

* JP properties are gaining wide interest amongst film and TV producers. JP's award-winning series for young readers, Maximum Ride, is currently with Avi Arad (Spiderman, Iron Man) and Universal Pictures. Lloyd Levin (Green Zone, Watchmen) is attached to produce a feature film adaptation of JP's newest young readers series, Witch and Wizard, and James Patterson Entertainment is set to produce the next Alex Cross film, I, Alex Cross which will feature Idris Elba (The Wire, The Losers) as Alex Cross. And, a television adaptation of JP's 2007 love story Sundays At Tiffanys aired in December 2010 starring Alyssa Milano and Eric Winter.

* JP's books are licensed in 43 countries worldwide, and are in print and actively sold in 100 countries.

* According to a 2010 Bowker Sisters in Crime Survey, JP is the favorite mystery writer amongst readers under 50...AND over 50! Survey respondents comprised American men, women and teens who bought at least one mystery fiction title in 2009 and/or 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely stupendous..., November 14, 2006

By 

Robert Busko (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cross (Hardcover)

I know why James Patterson is such a success and so will you when you read Cross, the latest Alex Cross novel. I came late to the series and have struggled to get caught up and I will eventually read the entire backlist. However, whether you're a old Patterson fan or Cross is you're first Patterson book, you're in for a treat.

Suspensful, fast paced, and well crafted with little or no fat between the pages, Cross grabs your attention and holds it for the entire story. While Cross may be a little graphic for some readers, certainly the violence isn't gratuitous but an integral and necessary part of the story. And if you're used to Patterson's stories theres nothing here that will surprise you.

Alex Cross has decided to put down his career and retire to just being a Dad. This decision doesn't last long however when he's asked to help nab Michael Sullivan, one of the worst serial rapists and professional killers to come a long in a while. Playing a game of "red light green light" Sullivan manages to lull his victims into a false sense of security. After he's finished with them all he has to do is show them pictures of some of his victims, a scalpel and that's that; end of discussion.

Cross quickly links his wife's murder 13 years ago to Sullivan.

At 393 pages you should be able to handle this book in a weekend if you haven't any interuptions.

A terrific and memorable read.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I'm a Little Cross Myself, May 14, 2007

By 

Jennifer Wardrip (Bloomington, Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cross (Hardcover)

Having been a long-time fan of the Alex Cross series, I was eager to open up my copy of CROSS. A lot of what I love about the series and Patterson's writing were inside the pages of this book: short chapters, straight-to-the-point dialogue, a fast-moving plot. The only problem is that the plot, in general, left me wanting to yell at someone.

I can overlook the fact that Alex Cross's wife apparently didn't die the way he had originally stated. I can even overlook the fact that after fourteen years and several other relationships (one that even ended in producing a son), Alex now seems obsessed with "getting over" his long-dead wife.

What I couldn't overlook was the fact that with this book, besides being a detailed description of his wife's murder and Alex's new committment to finding her killer, there's not a whole lot else there. The Alex in this book is moody, melancholy, and totally anti-Alex Cross to the point that I wasn't even sure, halfway through the book, that I was reading about the same character.

He's not the only one, though. His children, his friends, and even dear old Nana Mama are all acting out of character--and not in good ways.

Sure, the "mystery and suspense" part of the story is a pretty good one. Patteron's writing style is always a welcome change to me.

CROSS, though, is one Alex Cross story I could have done without.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5, January 10, 2007

By 

Gary Turner (Powder Springs, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cross (Hardcover)

I might be in the minority, but I feel James Patterson has lost his edge. Maybe it is his goal to set a record for the most book co-authored; I don't know? This latest effort put forth a cool premise: to find the killer of Maria, Cross' wife. If you have read any of the Cross books, you will know that this has always been under the surface, referenced, but never specifically addressed.
When Alex Cross is asked by his friend John Sampson, a Washington police detective, to help him look into several serial rapes in the D.C. area, he complies. As they begin to investigate, Cross becomes convinced that these incidents are related to Maria's death so many years ago. As his investigation brings him closer to the killer, he wonders if the killer's capture will bring him the long sought closure he desires.
In the meanwhile, we get to see the inside of the killer's mind every other chapter and see him ply his warped trade.
Ho Hum...is it just me are these books getting more predictable?
Go back and read Jack & Jill and Cat & Mouse and see if you don't agree.