Cross Country: 14 (Alex Cross Novels) - Softcover

Patterson, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 044653630X ISBN 13: 9780446536301

Publisher: Vision, 2009

Synopsis

Unprotected and alone, Alex Cross is chasing a horrible new breed of killer. When the crimes hit close to home, he must hunt down the source . . . before it finds him first.
When the home of Alex Cross's oldest friend, Ellie Cox, is turned into the worst murder scene Alex has ever seen, the destruction leads him to believe that he's chasing his most dangerous enemy yet. As Alex and his girlfriend, Brianna Stone, become entangled in the deadly Nigerian underworld of Washington D.C., what they discover is shocking: a stunningly organized gang of lethal teenagers headed by a powerful, diabolical man-the African warlord known as the Tiger. Just when the detectives think they're closing in on the elusive murderer, the Tiger disappears into thin air. Tracking him to Africa, Alex knows that he must follow. Alone.
Heart-stopping, speed-charged, and electrifying, Cross Country is a stunning thriller from "the man who can't miss" (Time).

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: Vision
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 044653630X
• ISBN 13: 9780446536301
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 448