Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Cross Country by James Patterson

About the book: A MURDERER OF ASTOUNDING CRUELTY Detective Alex Cross is called to the worst murder scene he has encountered in all his years on the force. Someone with less than zero regard for human life has slaughtered a family–and then more killings, each one more ruthless than the last, quickly follow. One of those death comes terrifyingly close to home, and Alex realizes that he is chasing a horrible new breed of killer.

A CITY IN CHAOS As Alex and his girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, dig deeper into the case, they become entangled in the deadly African underworld of Washington DC. What they discover there is so shocking that they can barely comprehend it: a strongly organized gang of teenage thugs headed by a diabolical warlord known only as the Tiger. When the elusive killer's trail turns up in Africa, Alex knows that he must follow. Alone.

ALEX CROSS TRACKS A KILLER CROSS COUNTRY When Alex arrives in Nigeria, he discovers a world where justice is as foreign as he is. Unprotected and alone in a strange country, bombarded on all sides by the murderous threats of the Tiger, can Alex manage to both survive and catch the killer? From the #1 bestselling author James Patterson comes Cross Country-the most heart-stopping, speed-charged, electrifying Alex Cross thriller ever.

Quote from the book: He walked off the court, and a man came up to him. This particular man couldn’t have been more out of place, since he wore a gray suit and he was white. “Ghedi Ahmed,” said the white devil. “You know who he is?” The Tiger nodded. “I know who he used to be.”“Make an example of him.” “And his family.” “Of course,” said the white devil. “His family too.”

My Thoughts: I am a long time Alex Cross fan. I hate to say it but I was fairly disappointed in this book. It was not an escapist read at all for me. I'm thinking that Patterson wrote this as a vehicle to showcase the reality of brutal crimes (genocide, rapes, torture, starvation, amputations, etc.) that have become a part of daily life in many areas in Africa. The violence was nonstop & I found the plot unbelievable. I missed Nana Momma.

Audio CD
Publisher: Hachette Audio; Unabridged edition (October 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1600248241
ISBN-13: 978-1600248245

3 comments:

Jo, a retired teacher said...

I have been disappointed in several of Patterson's more recent novels, and I read other reviews of this one and decided to skip it. You have convinced me.

Teddyree said...

I've also been a long time fan of Patterson but I have to confess I gave this one a scathing review!

rohit said...

An enjoyable read Cross Country by James Patterson. loved the way you wrote it. I find your review very genuine and original, this book is going in by "to read" list.