Cross Country - James Patterson

==Synopsis==

Alex is called on to help the investigation of the deaths of an entire family, when he gets there he realises one of them is Eleanor Cox his ex girlfriend. Witnesses have mentioned that the perpetrators, although masked seemed to be very young, they could even children.

Soon there is another mass killing and once again Alex, Bree and John are called in to investigate, yet again it seems that children are involved.

All too quickly Alex discovers that the person they want for these murders has left the country, but Alex can't just leave it there, he wants to bring him to justice for Eleanor's sake, and to do so he must travel to Africa and put his own life in danger.

==My Thoughts==

I enjoyed this book, but there was something very sad about it. Throughout Alex's trials in Africa we hear of the horrendous atrocities which happen on a daily basis to real life residents of those countries, and it seems inappropriate to enjoy a reading book detailing the rape and murder of young children, knowing that there is probably a young child suffering at that moment in time. But I did enjoy it, because as dark as some of the scenes were, the book is about more than a few pages.

Again, even though I said I enjoyed the book there are an awful lot of plot holes in it, and I don't like the way Patterson is trying to turn Alex into some John McClane style action hero, he has always helped the police from the sideline, getting inside the mind of the killer, and occasionally coming up against bad guys during the course of the investigation. And throughout the entire series of books he has struggled with the dilemma of catching the bad guy, or spending time with his family. Yet here we're supposed to believe that he can set that quandary aside with a flick of a switch and rush off to one of the most violent and dangerous places on earth. And we're supposed to believe that his current girlfriend has absolutely no problem whatsoever with him rushing off half way around to world because of his feelings for a dead lover!

I've mentioned before in a James Patterson book review that I like the short chapters, because you're not waiting for ages to get to the next chapter if you find yourself dropping off whilst reading (as is the case with the book I'm reading at the moment, and it's very annoying), but I think he's taken it to the extreme in some cases with this book. A couple of chapters were only 2 pages long, and once you take away the large header and footer, the actual text only takes up one page. The book was paced quite nicely though, but there was one part of the storyline that I would have removed, but I can't say much as I don't want to spoil it, except to say I thought Alex had far more integrity.

I do think James Patterson should think hard before producing another Alex Cross book though, because he seems to be running out of ideas and taking Alex in a direction that is completely inappropriate considering everything we know about Alex.

Double Cross - James Patterson

Double Cross is part of the Alex Cross series of books by James Patterson which started off several years ago with Cat and Mouse.

== Synopsis ==

Alex has given up consulting for the FBI, and moved back into private practise. He hasn't cut all ties with the police though, because he's still dating Bree (Brianna Stone) who's a senior homicide detective, and of course his best friend is John Sampson, also a detective.

Whilst on a weekend camp with Bree, she receives a call to attend a murder scene. Rather than mess around swapping cars Alex travels to the scene with all intentions of waiting in the car, but curiosity gets the better of him, and he goes up to the scene. He soon finds himself being drawn into the investigation despite his reservations.

Unbeknownst to Alex, at the same time Kyle Craig, who was Alex's nemesis for so long is planning his escape from death row, but what does the so called Audience Killer who Alex is now trying to catch have to do with Kyle Craig?

==My Thoughts ==

If you haven't read any of the Alex Cross series you may find some aspects of this book a little confusing. Having said that, it's also a standalone story, there are a few references to previous books, but it shouldn't spoil your enjoyment too much.

The whole series is great though, so if you are going to pick one up, then I'd highly recommend reading them from the beginning.

Double Cross is written in Patterson's usual style; the book flows at a steady pace, and never becomes dull. He also writes in very short chapters, some of which are only a couple of pages long, and although it might seem that short chapters will break up the flow, they actually do the opposite, they help keep the tension going throughout the novel. I also prefer shorter chapters, as I generally read for pleasure (rather than to study) when I go to bed, and there's nothing worse than starting to drop off, but having another 20 pages to read before you get to the end of a chapter.

Unusually for Alex Cross novels, there is very little attention paid to his family, they are mentioned on occasion, and there's one incident involving Damon, but his normal angst regarding his family versus police work are played down in this novel.

There are two parts to the ending of this book, one part I thought was obvious from very early on in the book and wasn't a surprise at all, the second part however I was surprised at.

I would definitely recommend this book, but in order to get the best out of it, I would recommend reading the Alex Cross series from the beginning.