Criss Cross

“The past will hunt you down” it says right there on the cover and I wish it was sarcasm by Patterson to put it there. Because the past hunts only him down.

Let’s start at the beginning, though: In typical Patterson redneck manner, he lets Cross witness the state-sponsored murder of a killer he put away - right after Cross framed the guy... Cross himself about the framing part:

“You might ask if I believed the ends justified the means, and I’d answer that in this case, yes.”

Wow, just wow. But, hey, we’re not yet done with such crap because next to believing in state-sponsored murder, god and similar sources of evil, e. g. patriotism, Cross is just plain unbelievably dumb (how that reflects on his creator is left as an show more exercise to the reader…). An example: Right before heading deep down into an underground bunker (!) of one of those “preppers”, he asks his friend Sampson:

“I’m not back in an hour, use the Find My Friends app and come get me.”

Yes, riiiiiight…

Since our author obviously thinks he needs to be up-to-date with blackmail practices, he showcases his deep knowledge about crypto-currencies by letting a nerd (of all things…) say the following:

“The Ethereum stopped moving,” he [the nerd] said. “Okay,” I said. “Where is it?” “In two hundred and fourteen accounts spread out all over the world. Some of it has been downloaded to so-called hard wallets, but I have the codes for them. Not a Bitcoin of it has been spent, though. As far as I can tell.” “So it’s just sitting there?”

You’re not required to know but Ethereum and Bitcoin are two different crypto-currencies and the above is like saying “he didn’t spend a Dollar from the thousands of Euro”. It just makes no sense and simply displays how ignorant the author actually is.

But let’s put these blunders aside - is it a decent story? Well, it’s not too bad but, unfortunately, we’ve ready it all before - Jannie running? Check! Nana Mama being an annoying wise-crack? Check! Ali being… Well, I won’t spoil that one for you but, hey, “the (history) book on the shelf, Is always repeating itself” - WATERLOO! (Yes, Abba is much more entertaining!)

Patterson doesn’t stop at repeating himself, though, no: He even puts in large portions of previous investigations, including some Kyle Craig crap and other rehashed nonsense.

And then there’s the ending… Again, I won’t “spoil” (haha!) it for you but, honestly? How cheap can one author get?

Seriously, James Patterson is dead to me. And nothing of value was lost.


Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram show less

Alex Cross witnesses the execution of convicted killer Michael Edgerton, a man whose family believes Doctor Cross framed him. However, Alex and his partner, John Sampson, are certain Edgerton is the killer.

But a copycat crime, with a cryptic note from “M,” causes Alex to wonder if they’ve just seen an innocent man executed. And then the bodies begin to pile up, each scene brings memories of past cases. The taunting notes continue; Alex is determined to put the case to rest.

And then the unthinkable happens . . . .

In this, the twenty-seventh outing, the past and present weave an intense, gruesome tale. With the expected characters in place, the story unfolds with non-stop action, unexpected reveals that ramp up the tension, and the show more author’s trademark short chapters keep the suspense building. With most of the storylines tied up as the story wraps up, there’s just the expected cliffhanger that leaves readers to wonder what will happen next.

The introspectiveness of Alex Cross throughout the narrative gives depth to the character and keeps readers involved in the telling of the tale. Despite being part of a long-running series, the book works as a stand-alone since it weaves in sufficient backstory to keep everything nicely humming along. There’s much to appreciate in this perfect addition to the Alex Cross canon.

Highly recommended. show less

This action-packed crime thriller brings Alex Cross and the DC Metro Police, FBI, and other law enforcement agencies up against the mastermind called M. Who is M? No one knows, but he's taunted Alex for decades. The story begins with the execution of another bad guy, Mikey Edgerton, who was fond of beheading people. Then, an ex-FBI Agent, Marty Forbes, is arrested for killing and beheading six people on a boat, but says M framed him. As more kidnappings take place, Alex's investigation takes him to the 'anthill', a gigantic underground bunker built by Dwight Rivers, a wealthy survivalist. It would seem the perfect place to do evil, but Alex and his friend, John Sampson, find nothing.

While this story features lots of new bad guys, Alex's show more past nemesis, Kyle Craig, comes roaring back as several sightings of a Craig look-alike appear on camera. Is it possible that Craig is still alive? I appreciate that the author takes the reader back to several of Alex's past cases. After all, a man like Alex Cross, who has been in law enforcement for decades, has undoubtedly accumulated some lifetime enemies, even if they might be copy-cats. As a rule, Alex Cross books are always entertaining and full of surprises. I found this story was no exception. show less

Yeah, another James Patterson mind candy book!! And yes I have to admit that Patterson is a secret pleasure of mine. He is really a good story teller (generally) and a decent writer but there is little depth to his writings.

Of all James Patterson's series Alex Cross and the Women's Murder Club are far above much his writings. And this one is no exception. With Alex Cross you have to accept that frequently Alex and his family are targets of the killers that Alex is hunting. And yes hunting, to me, is the proper description of the typical Alex Cross story. This one is no exception, his hunt has turned to a quest to track down a demented serial killer who appears to be the incarnation of a rogue FBI agent that died a fiery death several show more years ago. His MO is the same and he taunts Alex with IMs and notes ultimately bring Alex's family deeply into this confusing and surreal nightmare.

As with most Patterson's books character development, at least beyond Alex and his family, is minimal; just sufficient enough that are not entirely cardboard characters. In this instance there is little substance to his antagonist as throughout the story he is more of a shadow or a figment that Alex has in his mind.

While this is nothing more than mind candy if you enjoy a well written story and mystery believe you would enjoy this one. show less

M is back and seeking retribution: he wants to make sure that Alex doesn't forget that he is not the hero everyone believes. In fact, the opening scene in the book is the execution of a serial killer, where Alex cut a corner. There are a series of women abducted and decapitated, and an ex-FBI agent Martin Forbes is in prison awaiting trial for murdering/decapitating human traffickers on a yacht. As Alex and John Sampson start to investigate, they catch glimpses of their adversary, who seems to be ... the mastermind, Kyle Craig, who Alex saw burn to death (or did he?) A lot of misdirection as M plays with Alex until things get very personal as someone close to Alex is kidnapped. I liked some of the new technology Patterson uses: show more crypto-currency, backtracing, disappearing messages on Wickr, etc. Maybe 3.5 stars. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed reading CRISS CROSS by James Patterson. This story left me second-guessing who the killer was every time I closed the book. Then a new murder happened and my theory was blown to bits. The suspense near the end caused me to continue reading way past my bedtime to see how it all turned out. I wasn't disappointed. Now I have to wait for the next story to be released to see if "M" continues the killing spree and goes after Alex's family again. Highly recommended.

Criss Cross is the twenty-sixth book in the Alex Cross series by James Patterson, this was originally published in 2019 and is very welcome. This is a great addition to the series where we see Cross questioning his action and their outcomes. There also happens to be a copycat who is taunting Cross which does not make his life any easier.

Cross and Sampson are at Greensville Correctional Centre a high security prison in Virginia they are there to observe an execution. The execution is of Michael ‘Mikey’ Edgerton who had chosen to die by the way of ‘Old Sparky’ the electric chair. After the execution has been carried out the mother of Edgerton attacks Cross and makes a statement he is uncomfortable with. When they are back in show more Washington, Cross is called out to a murder which on the surface looks exactly like those committed by Edgerton. Cross is asking himself if he really did find the real killer and did, they execute the right person?

Cross and Sampson review some of their old cases along with their current caseload. Edgeton’s family assessing the new murder see the copycat murder as proof that Mikey was innocent. M or whoever he really was and how did he know so much about Edgeton’s crimes. Whoever he was he was recreating all of Mikey’s crimes and Cross in his desperation turned to the FBI for help. Was Edgerton really a guilty man? Will Cross find the truth. show less