Triple Cross by James Patterson (Alex Cross #30)

 Synopsis

Detective Alex Cross hunts down a serial killer who’s murdering entire families—and who will next be coming for Cross.

A methodical killer is targeting multigenerational families in and around Washington, DC—striking under cover of darkness, triggering no alarms, leaving no physical evidence of any kind.  

Alex isn’t the only one investigating. Also on the case is a charismatic true-crime author who sees patterns the detectives miss. 

The writer calls “The Family Man” a perfect crime story. Alex knows there is no perfect crime—the investigation should never become the story. Unless the ending falls somewhere between fact and fiction.

PHEW! If you read my review of the previous book in this series, 'Fear No Evil', you saw that I was disappointed in not fully enjoying an Alex Cross novel. 

In comes Triple Cross! And it more than made up for the poor experience I had with #29. 

Around DC, Alex Cross and his long-time partner John Sampson are trying to solve "The Family Man" murders. A ruthless killer is slipping into family homes at night, murdering them all, and slipping out while leaving zero evidence or trace of his existence (outside of the crime scene) behind. 

Bree is spending time in New York City on contract to figure out the secrets behind a large fashion company and trying to dig up the skeletons they've left behind. 

While all of this is going on, a big-name true-crime writer contacts Alex and John trying to get the scoop on the Family Man for his next novel. They have to deal with this distraction and figure out if this energetic author is responsible in some way. He HAS gotten super close to many criminal investigations and always seems to find new clues. 

'Triple Cross' was a wild ride from start to finish and had notes of the wonderful family dynamic that we have all come to love about the Cross Family. This book was fast-paced and remained interesting until the last page. 

5/5 Stars

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Fear No Evil (Alex Cross #29) by James Patterson

Synopsis

Alex Cross enters the final showdown with the relentless killer who has stalked him and his family for years.​

Dr. Alex Cross and Detective John Sampson venture into the rugged Montana wilderness—where they will be the prey. They’re not on the job, but on a personal mission. 

Until they’re attacked by two rival teams of assassins, controlled by the same mastermind who has stalked Alex and his family for years. 

Darkness falls. The river churns into rapids. Shots ring out through the forest. 

No backup. No way out. Fear no evil. 

Another installment in the Alex Cross series! Unfortunately, this one didn't really do it for me like most of the others have. 

The parts that were most interesting to me were when it flashed to Bree on her new job assignment in Paris. I love to see her character going down a different path from where she had been with DC Metro. 

Other than that, Alex and John were being hunted down by rival groups. But it didn't make much sense to me that they would be coming after them as hard as they were. And a lot of that storyline seemed to . . . out there and unrealistic to me. Even for a fiction novel. 

I was also angry that John's dream vacation got ruined. 

This was a book I just powered through because I care about the characters. It definitely wasn't a gem in the Alex Cross series. 

3/5 stars

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Deadly Cross (Alex Cross #28) by James Patterson

Synopsis

A scandalous double homicide in the nation's capital opens the psychological case files on . . . Detective Alex Cross.

Until Kay Willingham's shocking murder inside a luxury limousine, the Georgetown socialite, philanthropist, and ex-wife of the sitting vice-president led a public life. Yet few -- including her onetime psychologist -- had any inkling of Kay's troubled past in the Deep South.

Murdered alongside her is Randall Christopher, a respected educator whose political ambitions may have endangered both their lives. While John Sampson of DC Metro Police tracks Randall's final movements, Alex Cross and FBI Special Agent Ned Mahoney travel to Alabama to investigate Kay's early years.

They discover that although Kay had many enemies, all of them needed her alive. Alex is left without a viable suspect, and facing a desperate choice between breaking a trust and losing his way -- as a detective, and as the protector of his family.

A crime that reaches across so many different states with connections to many high-profile characters - including Alex Cross himself. 

Deadly Cross was one of those series installments that pulls you in right from the beginning and doesn't let go until you race through the pages. It featured a truly baffling crime that had so many potential suspects. And it kept me guessing until the very end. What a ride!

And we get a new level of character development for Bree Cross, which is always fun. If you enjoy the Alex Cross series, I can almost guarantee you'll enjoy this book. 

5/5 Stars

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Criss Cross by James Patterson (Alex Cross #27)

Synopsis:

In a Virginia penitentiary, Alex Cross and his partner, John Sampson, witness the execution of a killer they helped convict. Hours later, they are called to the scene of a copycat crime. A note signed "M" rests on the corpse. "You messed up big time, Dr. Cross."

Was an innocent man just put to death? Alex soon realizes he may have much to answer for, as "M" lures the detective out of the capital to the sites of multiple homicides, all marked with distressingly familiar details -- details that conjure up decades-old cases. Details that conjure up Cross family secrets. Details that make clear that M is after a prize so dear that -- were the killer to attain it -- Alex's heart would no longer have reason to beat.

This was a fun read! Not only is it always great to jump back into the Alex Cross universe and spend time with that family, but the story was intriguing and terrifying and kept the pages turning.

We also get to see Alex go almost a bit rogue now that he’s mostly an advisor and working just in this psychologist business. You can never take the action away from the Cross family though.

I feel like Criss Cross was unique in that almost every single character in the book had a major role. Of course the standouts were Alex, John, and Bree. But, the kids had a bigger role. And, Nana Mama was sassy as ever.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

M is a huge project for Alex to solve, and I guess we will have to wait for the next book to see if he does!

5/5 Stars

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Hope To Die by James Patterson

Synopsis:

Detective Alex Cross is being stalked by a psychotic genius, forced to play the deadliest game of his career. Cross's family--his loving wife Bree, the wise and lively Nana Mama, and his precious children--have been ripped away. Terrified and desperate, Cross must give this mad man what he wants if he has any chance of saving the most important people in his life. The stakes have never been higher: What will Cross sacrifice to save the ones he loves?

Hope to Die brings readers the conclusion to the story that began in Cross My Heart. It is a crazy and emotional run and has one of the most disturbing antagonists in the whole series to date.

Can there really be a perfect criminal? Or can one man withstand trying tests to take him down in the end?

That is Cross’s mission, and he learns a lot about himself and his family along the way.

I must say, with every book I read in this series, I just like Bree more and more as a character, and this one didn’t let me down there. She gets stronger and more integral to the series with every book, and she is definitely one of my favorite characters overall from this series.

Hope to Die is a page turner, and I don’t think anyone will be let down by the awesome ending.

Somehow I ended up reading this book before Cross My Heart. It made a lot more sense once I went back and read that one. Goes to show, you should never skip a book in a series.

4.5/5 stars

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Cross My Heart by James Patterson

Synopsis:

Detective Alex Cross is a family man at heart--nothing matters more to him than his children, his grandmother, and his wife Bree. His love of his family is his anchor, and gives him the strength to confront evil in his work. One man knows this deeply, and uses Alex's strength as a weapon against him. When the ones Cross loves are in danger, he will do anything to protect them. If he does anything to protect them, they will die.

Alex Cross’s family is always in danger. He is a well known man in the criminal circuit because he solves the majority of his cases.

This book takes it a step further. His family is actually taken away from him and he doesn’t know how to get them back. It seems that any action will cause their death. Being a family man, this is the worst reality he could ever imagine facing.

This novel brings us two cases – Alex’s family being taken and “massage” parlors being shot up and babies being kidnapped.

We meet two very different psychopaths. One is cold blooded and very intelligent. He is the one taking Cross’s life away from him. The other is a heartbreaking tale of a rotten childhood.

I wish the second case had been explored more. It seemed that after the reveal happened, the storyline was just dropped and never returned to it. I wanted to know more about the man.

Overall, this was a pretty fast paced book. But, it took me a bit of time to get through it. I accidentally read Hope To Die before this one, so I knew how everything turned out before it happened. If I didn’t it would have made this much more of a thriller for me, but it was still a page turner.

3.5/5 Stars

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Alex Cross’s Trial by James Patterson

Synopsis:

From his grandmother, Alex Cross has heard the story of his great uncle Abraham and his struggles for survival in the era of the Ku Klux Klan. Now, Alex passes the family tale along to his own children in a novel he's written--a novel called Trial.

Connected by blood

As a lawyer in turn-of-the-century Washington D.C., Ben Corbett represents the toughest cases. Fighting against oppression and racism, he risks his family and his life in the process. When President Roosevelt asks Ben to return to his home town to investigate rumors of the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan there, he cannot refuse.

United by bravery

When he arrives in Eudora, Mississippi, Ben meets the wise Abraham Cross and his beautiful granddaughter, Moody. Ben enlists their help, and the two Crosses introduce him to the hidden side of the idyllic Southern town. Lynchings have become commonplace and residents of the town's black quarter live in constant fear. Ben aims to break the reign of terror--but the truth of who is really behind it could break his heart.

This book is quite a step away from the regular Alex Cross novels, but it is every bit as intriguing… and much more disturbing.

It tackles the history of the Cross family led by one Abraham Cross a strong and extremely intelligent man living in the KKK dominated South.

It was hard not to cringe at some of the things going on in this book because the way people were, and still are, treated due to skin color is just plain sickening. It is one of those books that you don’t really want to believe, but know that there is some historical accuracy laced into every page.

It was a good book, but hard to get through for reasons above. I say any fan of the Cross series should definitely give it a shot even though it is separate from the main series.

4/5 Stars

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