Dec 30, 2008

Cross Country by James Patterson

Miriam at Hatchette Group sent Cross Country by James Patterson for my review. However, while I've been an avid James Patterson reader for some time, I decided to have the biggest James Patterson fan I know review it. My mom, Pat, offered to review the book for me. I'm sure my review will follow sometime in 2009.

About the book (from Amazon.com):

In this 14th Alex Cross thriller, Cross, a Washington, D.C., police detective, takes on a very different quarry—a human monster known as the Tiger with ties to the African underworld. When the Tiger and his teenage thugs butcher writer Ellie Cox, her husband and children in their Georgetown home, Cross is devastated because Ellie had been his girlfriend in college. The Cox family massacre proves to be just the first in a series. Cross pursues the Tiger to Nigeria, where the profiler finds himself at the mercy of corrupt government officials who may be working with the Tiger.

Here's what Pat had to say about the latest in the Alex Cross Series:

James Patterson's Cross Country is a page turner from beginning to end.

Alex Cross and Brianna Stone are called to a horrific crime scene, one of the worst murder scenes Cross has encountered in his entire D.C. police career. Families are brutally murdered in their homes. One scene involves Cross' ex-girlfriend Ellie Randall Cox and her family, and the death of the entire family. Ellie was a reporter who uncovered a series of brutal murders happening both in the United States and Nigeria, Africa.

Cross ends up in Africa on the trail of a notorious killer, Tiger, and his boy killers. From the moment Cross sets foot in Nigeria, he is kidnapped, beaten, and shot at. The fast-paced style that Patterson has cornered the market on continues in this latest Alex Cross story. Everyone Cross comes in contact with is dying or in danger, and eventually, Tiger follows Cross back to Washington, D.C.

This book is fantastic, and I would rate it with 5 stars. It will keep readers glued to the page until they are finished. This is one of the better books in the Cross series, and setting a portion of the tale in Africa was unique and believable.

***Don't forget about the Gods Behaving Badly Contest, which runs through January 5 at Midnight EST.***

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have not read James Patterson till date!

I think I ought to.

Jeannie said...

Thanks, Pat, for the review. I'll let my mom know about this book too. P.S. I did get my mom "Against Medical Advice" for Christmas- thanks to you. :D

Serena said...

Gautami: Patterson started my Mom's reading binge. She never read when I was a kid.

Jeannie: I'm glad we could be of service in your holiday shopping.

bermudaonion said...

I loved this book, too, even though it's different from the other Alex Cross books. Patterson recommends reading What is the What to learn more about what's going on in Africa. Great review, Pat.

Serena said...

Bermudaonion: I will get to this in 2009 I'm sure. I can't leave Alex Cross hanging for too long.

Jo-Jo said...

I haven't read any James Patterson yet either, but I did just recently win this audiobook. I am looking forward to it!

Anna said...

Great review, Mom! I might actually have to read an Alex Cross novel now. Gasp!

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric

Serena said...

Jo-Jo: you should start with the audiobook. :) I wish I had the audiobook of this one...I could probably get to it faster. LOL

Anna: I think Alex Cross books are better than the others.

Serena said...

Gottawrite Girl: This is a book you should put on your list...for later.

The Bookworm said...

I still havent read James Patterson. I need to read him one day.
great review by your mom :)

Happy New Year!
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

Jeannie said...

"Jeannie: I'm glad we could be of service in your holiday shopping."

You always give fantastic reviews, Serena. And now that your mom is posting her thoughts on some books too- well, how can I not check out the books? :D

Happy New Year!

Serena said...

Jeannie: Have a great new year as well. And I'm glad the reviews are helpful.

Serena said...

Naida: I think that you should try an audiobook of James Patterson.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure I've read some James Patterson in the past (? titles escape me, this must have been pre-blogging and pre-LibraryThing!), but none of his Alex Cross series.

Thanks for the ringing endoresement, Serena and Pat.

And speaking of ringing ... Happy New Year!

Unknown said...

Thanks for the guest review. I was waiting to see what your mom thought of it.

Happy New Year!

Serena said...

Dawn: I like the Alex Cross books the best of all his books.

Janel: Thanks for stopping by. We had a good new year's eve. I hope you did as well.

Anonymous said...

"Cross Country" is by far the worst Alex Cross novel to date, and perhaps Patterson's worst book to date. The entire plot is so amazingly unbelievable, and none of the characters are explored or even well thought out. Very disspointed for an Alex Cross fan.

Serena said...

Josef: I'm sorry to hear that you didn't like Cross Country. I haven't read it yet myself. My mom reviewed this one for me. She enjoyed it. To each her own. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your opinion.