Cross Country: (Alex Cross 14) - Softcover

Patterson, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099514575 ISBN 13: 9780099514572

Publisher: Arrow, 2009

Synopsis

When Detective Alex Cross is called to investigate a massacre-style murder scene, he is shocked to find that one of the victims is an old friend. Angry, grieving, and more determined than ever, Cross begins the hunt for the perpetrators of this vicious crime. He is drawn into a dangerous underworld right in the heart of Washington DC that leads him on a life-threatening journey to the Niger Delta, where heroin dealing, slave trading and corruption are rife.

At the centre of this terrifying world, Cross finds the Tiger - the psychopathic leader of a fearsome gang of killers who are not what they seem. As Cross tracks the elusive Tiger through Africa, he must battle against conspiracy and untold violence.

Alex Cross is in a heart-stopping chase that takes him across a vast and uncompromising landscape and finds him not only hunting for a horrific killer, but also fighting for his own survival.

About this title

Review:

The Alex Cross thrillers of James Paterson have become something of an institution. His criminal psychologist protagonist is one of the most vividly etched in the field, and the now-lengthy series of books has set a consistently high standard, even though Paterson's famous reliance on co-writers has become rather controversial. Cross Country involves Alex Cross in a caustic personal war against major-league corruption. It’s a narrative that takes the reader across a massive canvas. Alex is called in after a murder investigation - a crime that has resulted in considerable carnage. He discovers to his horror that the victim is an old friend, and this makes his search for the criminal involved even more determined than usual. His quest takes him into the underworld corners of Washington, DC, and even on to a massively dangerous odyssey to the Niger Delta.

The stakes are customarily high in James Patterson's crime narratives, but the author has ratcheted them up even more than usual here, with heroin traffic and the slave trade mixed into a heady brew. Perhaps the most memorably drawn character here is the psychopathic head of a group of killers, the 'Tiger'. The latter’s battle with Alex Cross has clearly re-energised the author, and Cross Country has all the compelling qualities of the earlier novels. If you haven't sampled an Alex Cross novel recently, this is the one to pick up. --Barry Forshaw

Review:

"[Cross Country] opens with one of the most chilling murder scenes I've read in a long time ... High-octane stuff" (Daily Express)

"It was absolutely fantastic ... Cross Country has an amazing sense of speed, there's a really brilliant tension in the plot ... You're just completely engrossed in it from start to finish ... The story is unrelentingly exciting" (The Simon Mayo show, BBC Radio 5 Live)

About this edition

• Publisher: Arrow
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0099514575
• ISBN 13: 9780099514572
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 448