Double Cross (Alex Cross) [BARGAIN PRICE] (Hardcover)

by James Patterson (Author)
Key Phrases: James Patterson, Double Cross, Kyle Craig (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Bestseller Patterson's 13th Alex Cross thriller (after 2006's Cross) pits the legendary profiler, now retired from law enforcement and working as a psychiatrist in private practice, against two serial killers. Kyle Craig, Cross's former colleague in the FBI (who was revealed to be the Mastermind, a particularly vicious and resourceful murderer, in 2001's Violets Are Blue), has managed to escape from a Colorado maximum-security prison and is steadily working his way through his list of those he holds responsible for his capture and incarceration. Cross, who heads the list, is drawn back into police work by his love interest, Maryland homicide detective Brianna Stone, who's been assigned to the task force focusing on the D.C. Audience Killer (or DCAK), who stages high-profile and sadistic murders to get the most public attention possible. Even newcomers will find themselves turning the pages to see how everything turns out, but significant plot holes and implausibilities make this a far cry from the similar, but far more suspenseful, two-front war waged by Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs.
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Review
"This novel gives the reader double excitement with not one but two maniacs after Alex Cross...Even if you are not an Alex Cross fan, you will enjoy this thriller by James Patterson. Be sure to add Double Cross to your reading list." (BestsellersWorld.com )

"Double Cross is a strong, addictive page turner. It is definitely worth the trip to the book store." (TheMysterySite.com )

"DOUBLE CROSS is one of Patterson's best works to date, full of action and excitement. One cannot read DOUBLE CROSS without feeling as if there are even bigger things yet to come from Cross and his creator." (Bookreporter.com )

"If, like me, you are an Alex Cross fan, run, don't walk, to your favorite book store and get up to date on the life of Alex Cross. If you enjoy fast paced, well written intrigue, you'll devour Double Cross, just as I did." (AllThingsGirl.net )

"Double Cross is vintage Patterson. It is fast moving and suspenseful and takes the occasional surprise twist. Life for a Patterson fans doesn't get much better than this." (1340MagBooks.com ) --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (November 13, 2007)
• ISBN-10: 0316015059
• ASIN: B001G8WXHI
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (204 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #384,040 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars James Patterson has found his deus ex machina, and it is the chapter stop!, January 30, 2008

By	Eric C. Rawlins "horror buffed" (Manhattan, NY/Rutherford, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Double Cross (Alex Cross) (Hardcover)

(Note: this review contains minor spoilers.)

I received this book by accident from BOMC, as I did not respond in time to my monthly selection. It had been a long time since I read one of James Patterson's novels, so I decided to go ahead and give this one a try. Initially, it was a rapid page-turner, with one dramatic scene following quickly on the heels of another. But about a third of the way through, I just stopped, no longer intrigued, as I discovered that these bite-size chapters - 126 in a 300-page book - were just that, authorial cop-outs which allowed him to spoon-feed drama to the reader without actually earning suspense, intrigue, or suspension of disbelief.

If you ran the text together, removing the half-page graphic that begins, and the empty space that ends, each chapter, this story would take up probably no more than 150 pages. In those few pages, Patterson introduces us to 35 speaking characters identified by their first and last names, three killers and their ten alternate identities, and one copycat killer. Fifteen adults (and one foetus) are killed, their murders described in moderate detail (as much as a one-to-two page chapter allows, anyway). Patterson also follows a number of characters as they fly to such far-flung locations as Washington, DC, Florence, Colorado, Kalispell, Montana, and even Paris, France, traversing the globe as quickly and easily as if they were hopping on BART or the MTA.

What Patterson DOESN'T describe is how his various killers gain access to a number of the victims, some of whom are FBI agents highly trained in the art of self defense. Or how they get away from the scene of such crimes, especially when they are committed for maximum spectatorship. Or how the guards in a maximum-security prison handling a criminal the equivalent of Ted Bundy in notoriety and body count could be fooled by a change of clothing and a latex mask. Or how that same killer, with a nationwide APB warrant out for his arrest, can hop a plane to Europe. Nor does Patterson describe much in the way of character development - the only person in the whole book who seems to grow at all is protagonist Alex Cross' son Damon, an extremely ancillary character who gets all of one and a half chapters in the whole book.

And therein lies the double-edged sword of Double Cross: while the extremely short chapters allow Patterson to move the story quickly, they also act as a crutch, allowing him to cheat the hard stuff (as Misery's Annie Wilkes, who knows all about the miracle rescues and impossible escapes from the black and white serials of the fifties, would say, he's a "dirty bird!"). Don't know how to get a character from A to B believably? Use a chapter break! Don't know how to reconcile known police procedures with letting a criminal escape detection? Use a chapter break! Don't know how to plausibly get a young, virile, Quantico-trained FBI agent into the clutches of a known killer? Use a chapter break! While the format initially adds to the excitement of the read, it ultimately allows Patterson to cheat the reader, diminishing the overall experience.

While this is certainly not the worst book I've read in years, it's one of the weakest, most derivative of the Alex Cross novels, and of Patterson's work in general. The use of two sets of serial killers does not add much in the way of drama - the killer Kyle Craig does not actually target Cross or anyone known to Cross until the very end of the book, and when he finally does, it is not to kill Cross but to warn him. It feels more like a contrivance in order to fit the title than a well-considered plot device. The sudden love affair with new character Detective Bree Stone also seems manufactured and artificial. In fact, her character seems to exist only to get Cross involved in the case; though he describes Stone, a veteran of the MPD, a full detective, and lead on the investigation, as "poised," "competent," "a pro," and "good at [her job]," it is Cross himself who directs the forensics teams, makes most of the connections and breaks, rescues Stone from reporters' questions during a press conference, and ultimately solves the case. And the way Cross just waltzes into the main investigation of the story in the first place, without ever formally being hired, re-inducted, or contracted, never sits right with me - surely you can't just walk into a live, taped-off crime scene as a civilian with no current ties to the police or FBI? Add to that some weak editing ("...photographs...of...Bree, Sampson, and I," "Who was I trying to kid?," "Kyle Craig had hung himself!," etc.), re-hashed and implausible plotting, and unnatural-sounding dialogue towards the end, and you have yourself what appears to be a phoned-in performance by Patterson running on fumes (and perhaps needing to put braces on the grandkids, or the mortgage for a fifth house).

I have definitely enjoyed other, better books by Mr. Patterson, and have read far worse fiction than Double Cross in the recent past, but would advise anyone tempted to pick this one up to borrow it from the library first, or spend the three hours it'll take to read it with a "free" copy in the aisles of Barnes & Noble - it's just not a keeper.

69 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When Terror and fame meet...., November 13, 2007

By	Fred Black "Black Beard" (Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Double Cross (Alex Cross) (Hardcover)

I have always been a big fan of the Alex Cross Novels (With the exception of London Bridges (Alex Cross Novels) and I don't care for his other books written by other authors with his named stamped on top), so I was excited to receive and advance readers copy of Double Cross (Alex Cross)! I waited for a slow day a the Marina before cracking it open and was soon lost in the world of Cross. Alex has become like a old friend, having read so many of his trails, adventures, and tragedies.

Alex's life has become more settled since we last saw hin in Cross. He is back at work tending to his patients and living a normal life with his girlfriend Brianna Stone--detective Stone that is. But of course this cannot last. Washington DC and the east cost are a jitter because of a number of elaborate murders, these are not just murders but spectacles. This guy is a grisly showman. A murderer who wants fame---and to scare the pants off the entire DC metro area. Of course it is up Alex and Brianna to bring this guy down...but at what cost?

Patterson's master plotting, lightening fast chapters that keep you turning the pages are again on display and make for a great beach read! For Patterson like pacing I have to recommend the cult classic "A Tourist In The Yucatan" ripping good thriller!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Impossibly Improbable!, December 25, 2007

By	Contraria2 "Contraria2" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Double Cross (Alex Cross) (Hardcover)

I have read so many JP books, so I come in expecting a vacation from reality. But this book? Come on...

How can Alex and his partner be thinking about making love (like two immature teenagers) every 15 minutes when there are two crazy killers out there WHO HAVE BOTH THREATENED HIM, HIS FAMILY AND HER??! They travel to Montana and are upset they don't have time to "do it", while back in DC there are TWO killers wreaking havoc?

How was big tough Samson "kidnapped"?

As soon as this guy escaped prison, (which in itself was so impossible...) why weren't the judge and Alex's family relocated? The judge is home sleeping -- with her family -- peacefully, while this mad man lurks the streets? (And tell me, please, how was he able to go to Paris? He had passports made prior to his conviction, just incase?)

And because Nana wouldn't WANT to leave the house Alex just leaves his whole family there unprotected?

The end, while in the alleyway with both of them, is so dumb!

I could go on for hours like this, but suffice it to say, you cannot/will not get scared, be in suspense or care about all the grisly deaths in this book! In fact, you will laugh at the absurdity of it!