Hot CROSS buns with hot cross guns.... (Cross - James Patterson)

Member Name: sparkymarky1973

Product:	Cross - James Patterson
Date:	25/02/09 (32 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: At last the greatest untold story can finally be told...

Disadvantages: Lacks punch, feels predictable, is a bit of a let down

The story that Patterson fans have long been waiting for is that of the murder of Alex Cross's wife; all we have ever been told is that she was shot down in a drive-by leaving Alex to care for their two children. There has long been a sense that maybe Patterson was keeping that paticular back-story aside as collateral for when he began to run out of surplus plots and hit a dry spell, so it is no surprise then that here, tweleve books into the Alex Cross series, that this untold story is finally given an airing....

The book begins with a flashback to those happier times with Cross and partner, John Sampson, tracking down a mob hitman, supposedly the best of the best, who is intending to take out a Mafia Don. Their suspect gets away but not before giving the pair a smug bow as he completes his assignment. Days later, Cross's wife is shot down and dies in his arms.

Years pass by, Cross changes profession several times and is responsible for taking down all manner of serial killers and general bad types. He has a reputation and this has lead to his family being threatened one too many times. Hence, Cross leaves the FBI and opens up a private practice as a psychologist. Unfortunately John Sampson, old friend and former partner, has a request to make; he is on the trail of a serial rapist and could do with Cross's expertise. And when links between this case and the death of Alex's wife, Maria, become apparent suddenly Cross finds the line between his personal and professional lives once more being crossed. Could Alex this time finally discover closure for his longest unsolved case? Could be this case that gives him some answers?

This should be the crowning point of the Alex Cross series but, for too many reasons, it ends up being less than satisfactory. The villan resembles too much the bad guy from the previous novel and there is a real feeling of de ja vu whenever he takes centre stage. For an idea that has been left simmering on the back-burner for so long, the plot appears to have gotten quite tepid. And everything feels a tad too neat and resolved. The murder of Maria has long been like Patterson's version of the disappearance of Mulder's sister in The X-Files, and, like when that story was covered in the popular T.V show, the end result here is also disappointing!

It's not a bad novel just not one of his best and, like all his books, is a light bite of a read that won't take long to finish! It's just that with each book, I find myself missing the tight plots and suspense of early Alex Cross! A good example of how Patterson is running out of ideas is that in the next book, he intends to bring back The Mastermind, Kyle Craig much as he continuousally brought back Gary Sonjeii again and again and again. The best thing Patterson did was bump Sonjeii off and, personally, I hope he is about to do the same with Craig. And, by all acounts reading a fellow Dooyooer's review of his latest book, it looks as though for book 14, Patterson is going to send Cross to Africa??!!?? Much as I am addicted to these trashy thrillers and will no doubt read the next two in the series, still I am torn by the possibility that Patterson's latest plots smack of desperation?

With so many of my one-time favourite authors going the same way (Jeffrey Deaver and Patricia Cornwell spring to mind) at least I can comfort myself that there are plenty of newcomers emerging every week to challenge these best-selling writers to their crown.

Heres hoping that Patterson doesn't do Alex Cross to death the way Cornwell has with Scarpetta! Old thriller heroes sometimes should be let out into the pasture to die with dignity not flogged like a dead horse!

Summary: Alex Cross solves the murder of his wife years after the event!