Customer Reviews

Cross (Alex Cross Novels)

5 star:		(110)
4 star:		(55)
3 star:		(40)
2 star:		(30)
1 star:		(35)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I didn't want to listen to this audio book, but my husband did. I think we could have stopped short by at least two or three, mutilations of the women he raped. We get it, we get it! The butcher is evil incarnate, with a scalpel in his hand. One of the latest Lindsey Boxer books had this theme of slicing faces, too. What's up Mr. Patterson? No other stories to tell??? I love how in all his books, whether it is Cross or Boxer, they always are meeting the most evil, vile human life form they have ever seen before, in each novel. I hate gratuitous violence. Tell a story, for crying out loud. Subtle is good. Bludgeoning the reader is Bad.

Readers who are entertained by detailed and brutal rape scenes and mutilations will appreciate this novel. It almost seems today that crime fiction writers are competing with each other to see who can create the most sadistic villain, the most gore. Patterson, Grisham, Sanford.... One thing we know for certain: violence puts the author at the top of the bestseller lists.

Which leads us to the next question: what became of the sub-genre of crime fiction in which an intelligent detective, through reasoning, discovered the murderer? The only non-horrendously violent crime fiction today is the so-called "cozy," in which the quasi detective is a prescient cat, or a diminutive Texas grandmother, or a Mennonite innkeeper, often complete with shoo-fly pie recipes.

The Butcher in "Cross" is a super-human purveyor of murder who definitely does not pass on recipes for pineapple upside-down cake. One cannot help but wince as he proceeds relentlessly from victim to victim, hacking them up with a scalpel, then taking photos of them for his scrapbook (forgive the pun). He is humorless, vicious, pitiless, and egotistically one dimensional. His pursuer, Dr. Cross, is just as flat, although the writer does throw in a family with kids and grandmother that are awww so cute.

The pace is so fast here (a Patterson trademark) that everything except the end of the tunnel is a blur. There's no real atmosphere, not much in the way of characters, except for the standard issue in this sort of novel. The plot is nothing more that a series of violent incidents featuring the Butcher and the expected reactions from Dr. Cross. The plot could be shortened or lengthened by simply cutting or adding an episode with the Butcher. But that's not plotting an entertaining story. That's typing.

Obviously there is a good market for this sort of thing. Still, I yearn for something just a wee bit more challenging.

I have been a true Patterson fan for years and I must say that the last installment of the Cross' series was extremely disappointing. I agree with the other review in this page which mentions the Mercedes product placement. Patterson basically devotes and entire chapter and then some extra mentions to discussing a Mercedes Benz model, going as far as to mention how nice the dealership was to "Alex Cross", the engine power of the vehicle, the interiors, I mean it was obnoxious and ridiculous and had nothing to do with the story. Most of all, it was painful to read through, hoping that the torture would soon end and there would be something substantial coming up (which there wasn't).

It looked as if James had received a Mercedes for free in exchange for this huge promotion in his book. Don't get me wrong, people should be able to benefit from their success but this is definitely not the way to do it. If James Patterson wants to go sign autographs at the Mercedes Benz dealership that's one thing; but do not betray the reader's loyalty to the Cross stories and the customer expectation by inserting such useless content.

I even wrote a note about this to Patterson (via his website) but have not received a reply.

From now on, I will wait to read the reviews before buying another one of his books. If you skip this one, you will not miss anything.

In this book, while chasing a serial killer and helping a battered woman deal with her abusive cop boyfriend, Cross finally gets the chance to go after the man that killed his wife years ago. Sounds good but the writing lacks punch. Patterson needs to take a break from this series for a bit as it has grown stale.

I don't know how anyone can give this book 5 stars. I started reading JP's earlier books and loved them. When he decided he was really important (read: arrogant), his books took a turn for the worse. Every book is worse than the last but I stupidly keep reading them, thinking they will improve. When JP insisted that he could write women because he was raised by women (as stated in the letter to the reader in the advance of First to Die), I knew he'd lost it. What an insult to women! The characters are flat and lifeless. I knew immediately that he did not write the series and that it was ghostwritten. But this was not revealed until the 2nd or 3rd book. I suppose he thinks his readers are too stupid to pick up on this. But, I digress; this review is about Cross. Again, the characters are flat and lifeless and completely unbelievable. The monotony of the book has a "nice" interlude early on in the form of a Mercedes commercial. How much did they pay you for that, JP? And I suppose that Alex Cross is so unflappable as to not require grieving time for the death of his wife. The entire book is insulting to we as readers that we would be so gullible as to not see through the arrogance of the writer. JP has become so enamored with himself and the possibility of more monetary success that he has abandoned the types of stories that made him successful. He doesn't care about the entertaining of the reader, only about making money and churning out his books as quickly as possible. To top it off, he doesn't even write half of what he puts his name on. I know other authors do this but he blatantly takes credit for everything rather than admitting that his name is now only a brand instead of the real thing. Shame on you, James Patterson!

If Patterson novels have had a saving grace over the course of the last five or so years (which is questionable) it would be the Cross series. However, in this novel, as in so many of his others of late, dispassionate, predictable, one-dimensional characters and plotlines permeate the pages. This is definitely the worst Cross novel I have ever read. That's really dissapointing, seeing as I was led to believe this novel would harken back to the days when Patterson actually gave a damn about the story (ie. Kiss the Girls, Hide and Seek). Instead we get another bland, commercialized, trite, by the numbers, laughable thriller designed to cater to indiscriminating vacation readers searching for a little escapist fluff. The ending is so contrived and lame, it's beyond comprehension that he could be actually be proud to put his name on the jacket cover. This is the absolute last Patterson novel I will ever read; I gave him a chance to prove he gives a damn, and it's clear, to me at least, that he doesn't. If you're looking for mystery/crime/thriller writers that don't patronize a reader's intelligence try James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, Gregg Hurwitz, and many others who know how it's supposed to be done. Conversely, if you're looking for a quick, mindless read, I guess you could worse than Cross. 2 Stars.

Am I wrong but in every other book where he mentions Alex's wife dying, wasn't she running to a 7-11 type place for milk when it was robbed and she was killed in there????? I know I have read this explanation for Maria's death in more than one Alex Cross novel.