When in need of a good "page turner" novel, James Patterson's Alex Cross series is always a safe bet for me. The books may not be "Great Literature," but they are well-crafted and suspenseful, filled with effective plot twists and peopled with interesting, well-drawn, complex characters.

This particular installment of the series finds Alex Cross back in private practice after resigning from the FBI. But just when it seems that his days of crime-fighting are over, he is faced with the possibility of finally catching his wife's killer. And, with the help of his old D.C. police partner, John Sampson, the hunt is on!

Both Cross and his current nemesis are plagued by memories. Cross is lost in memories of Maria, who died in his arms over a decade prior. She was the woman who brought out the very best in Alex, and he cannot let go of her memory. His adversary, Michael Sullivan (AKA: the Butcher), is haunted and tormented by memories of his father -- the sadistic monster whose abuse made Michael the twisted, psychopathic killer that he is.

As usual in the Alex Cross series, the story is fast-paced and suspenseful. The characters are believable and multi-dimensional. And there are always surprises in store for the reader. ( )

Cross is the twelfth volume in James Patterson's constant Alex Cross series. This installment has been a very long time coming as the murderer of Alex's wife, The Butcher, returns and is causing havoc in Washington DC, raping and threatening young women across the capital.

Alex Cross is grieving over his long dead wife Maria and is missing her more than ever. Alex is becoming more and more depressed as he works for FBI, he eventually quits to spend more time with his family. Despite setting up his own private detective office, Alex gets pulled into an FBI rape case. When Alex is visited by his wifes killer, the Butcher, his thoughts become filled with those of Maria once more. Soon, Alex begins making connections with the Butcher and the FBI rape cases...

Cross has been my favourite of all of Patterson's books that I have read to date and the better of the two Alex Cross books I have read (Mary, Mary and Cross). As I have only read two books of the series I suppose it would be a little hasty to say it's the best in the series as many say Alex Cross's Trial is the best, but I've yet to read it. I dislike James Patterson's writing style if I'm honest, the description he provides of the surroundings, locations and characters, I feel, are simply not deep enough and he needs to go into further detail when he is describing. Also, all of the Patterson's I have ever read all appear to be told mostly from the first-person of the main protangonist and the rest of the story in third-person. However as Patterson mentioned in a recent interview that he plans to continue writing about Alex Cross until the character has expanded to all of his potential power. So why the hell write from the first-person of a character you don't even know?

Nevertheless, Patterson has seemed to have changed his usual formulae he has used in the past from: murder, murder, murder...to the one used in Cross: rape, threat, murder. This book is good and better than the previous books in the series, but not the best writer I ever read. I hope Patterson's Alex Cross series improves in the future...

As I said in my Lifeguard review, I don't hate Patterson, I just dislike what I've read so far. ( )

2007

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. ( )

Starting to get closer to catching up on the Alex Cross series. This book was a long time coming, as Alex finally comes to face his wife’s killer.

Alex’s new life is running smooth, he doesn’t seem to have too many problems, but when a series of rapes and murders start to mirror the past, Sampson pulls Alex back to work to help save the lives of those remaining.

I really enjoyed this book, as one of the biggest mysteries has been solved. But in the Cross world, somethings aren’t always as they seem – there may be a few more surprises in store. With a cliffhanger ending, I am anxious to get started on the next book.