Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson

Synopsis: The year is 1906, and America is segregated. Hatred and discrimination plague the streets, the classroom, and the courts. But in Washington D.C., Ben Corbett, a smart and courageous lawyer, makes it his mission to confront injustice at every turn. He represents those who nobody else dares defend, merely because of the color of their skin. When President Roosevelt, under whom Ben served in the Spanish-American war, asks Ben to investigate rumors of the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in his home town in Mississippi, he cannot refuse.

The details of Ben's harrowing story--and his experiences with a remarkable man named Abraham Cross--were passed from generation to generation, until they were finally recounted to Alex Cross by his grandmother, Nana Mama. From the first time hear heard the story, Alex was unable to forget the unimaginable events Ben witnessed in Eudora and pledged to tell it to the world. Alex Cross's Trial is unlike any story Patterson has ever told...

First line: "Let her hang until she's dead!"

My Thoughts:There are some series and some authors that, when a new book comes out I just buy it without reading anything about it. The Alex Cross series is one of those. SO...I was greatly surprised upon hearing the introduction to find that this was not an Alex Cross novel. Then I noticed that there was a co-author, Richard Dilallo. This story made me think of "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Time to Kill" but I didn't feel it was as good as either one. The story was a page turner, a fast read, but not a mystery.

The main characters, Ben, Moody, and Abraham were wonderfully written. I wish Abraham had been in it more, what a great character. Their integrity and courage during the extreme racism in post-Civil War Mississippi was inspiring. I knew that lynchings occured then and later, however I didn't realize how common they were. I found "Trial" hard to read in places because of the realistic violence, and because of the images the story painted. But it had to be to show the horrors people faced. Would I recommend it? If you were looking for another Alex Cross book, this is not one. I would say it was a compeling read, but wouldn't call it fun.

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