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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
This novel was a page turner. I pretty much read it in one sitting.
My grandma recommended it because it is set in Nigeria. I'm not a huge James Patterson fan and I don't like how his chapters are 2-3 pages long as they make the book feel choppy but the plot was very interesting.
My grandma recommended it because it is set in Nigeria. I'm not a huge James Patterson fan and I don't like how his chapters are 2-3 pages long as they make the book feel choppy but the plot was very interesting.
I enjoyed this book--it was pretty typical Patterson, with the exception of the setting.
In this book Cross goes to Africa. In the US we are so lucky that we have rule of law, that we have a way to petition the government for our rights. In Africa it is sheer hell. Government officials rape and murder and wipe out whole families. However horrific Mr. Patterson portrayed it--the reality is worse.
I'm glad Mr. Patterson veered into this horrific storyline if only to show us what is going on and to get people interested in that part of the world that needs so much help.
In this book Cross goes to Africa. In the US we are so lucky that we have rule of law, that we have a way to petition the government for our rights. In Africa it is sheer hell. Government officials rape and murder and wipe out whole families. However horrific Mr. Patterson portrayed it--the reality is worse.
I'm glad Mr. Patterson veered into this horrific storyline if only to show us what is going on and to get people interested in that part of the world that needs so much help.
In the fourteenth installment of the Alex Cross series, James Patterson delivers an action-packed suspense which doubly entertains and heightens the reader's socio-political awareness. Cross Country opens as Alex arrives on scene to investigate the brutal and sadistic mass murder of a Georgetown family. The case immediately becomes personal when he recognizes the matriarch as his collegiate lover, Ellie, an established professor and published author. Quite naturally, he vows to find the killer(s) to avenge Ellie and her family.
When within a few hours murders of other prominent diplomatic families are slain in the same manner; Cross finds a strong lead in an African mercenary known as the "Tiger;" a man who uses "lost" Sudanese boys as his henchmen. Taken from today's headlines and other books (A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, What Is The What by Dave Eggers), these "lost boys" are orphaned children who are often taken from camps where they are then drugged, trained to kill, and perform horrific acts toward their countrymen and peers. Alex follows the Tiger to Nigeria and within minutes of landing, he is kidnapped, beaten and imprisoned for three days; only to be rescued by a cocky, obnoxious, and seemingly indifferent CIA operative. Just as innocent victims are starved, dehydrated, and stripped of all their money and belongings as well as their inalienable rights, so is Alex. In this episode, he suffers from terrible physical and mental abuse. He is threatened and tortured, but that does not stop his relentless pursuit of the Tiger through the streets of Lagos, the jungles of Sierra Leone, and the refugee camps in the Sudan (Darfur).
Despite the governmental corruption, ugly politics, corporate greed, and police brutality, Alex manages to befriend a few brave, good-natured people. A maimed diamond mine worker with a prophetic name (Moses) and a beautiful Nigerian journalist, both act as his guide and savior in some very tight situations. Cross Country satisfies a promise Alex (and perhaps Patterson) makes to several of his African benefactors -- a promise to live to tell their stories, recount the atrocities (genocide, rapes, torture, starvation, amputations, etc.), and witness the depravation of their human rights.
Surprisingly, Alex is on the defensive throughout most of the novel. Although he was anxious to see the "Motherland," there was no one to greet him with a warm embrace, nor was there time to bask in the sun -- he was fighting for his life constantly. The plot ends in typical Patterson fashion -- there is a rather weak climax and somewhat predictable plot twist (I was disappointed that so much was "told" to us in a few pages of Epilogue rather than "shown" to truly wrap up the loose ends neatly) and obviously culminating with Alex, our hero, living for another crime frighting episode. I think fans of the series will be pleased with this offering.
When within a few hours murders of other prominent diplomatic families are slain in the same manner; Cross finds a strong lead in an African mercenary known as the "Tiger;" a man who uses "lost" Sudanese boys as his henchmen. Taken from today's headlines and other books (A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, What Is The What by Dave Eggers), these "lost boys" are orphaned children who are often taken from camps where they are then drugged, trained to kill, and perform horrific acts toward their countrymen and peers. Alex follows the Tiger to Nigeria and within minutes of landing, he is kidnapped, beaten and imprisoned for three days; only to be rescued by a cocky, obnoxious, and seemingly indifferent CIA operative. Just as innocent victims are starved, dehydrated, and stripped of all their money and belongings as well as their inalienable rights, so is Alex. In this episode, he suffers from terrible physical and mental abuse. He is threatened and tortured, but that does not stop his relentless pursuit of the Tiger through the streets of Lagos, the jungles of Sierra Leone, and the refugee camps in the Sudan (Darfur).
Despite the governmental corruption, ugly politics, corporate greed, and police brutality, Alex manages to befriend a few brave, good-natured people. A maimed diamond mine worker with a prophetic name (Moses) and a beautiful Nigerian journalist, both act as his guide and savior in some very tight situations. Cross Country satisfies a promise Alex (and perhaps Patterson) makes to several of his African benefactors -- a promise to live to tell their stories, recount the atrocities (genocide, rapes, torture, starvation, amputations, etc.), and witness the depravation of their human rights.
Surprisingly, Alex is on the defensive throughout most of the novel. Although he was anxious to see the "Motherland," there was no one to greet him with a warm embrace, nor was there time to bask in the sun -- he was fighting for his life constantly. The plot ends in typical Patterson fashion -- there is a rather weak climax and somewhat predictable plot twist (I was disappointed that so much was "told" to us in a few pages of Epilogue rather than "shown" to truly wrap up the loose ends neatly) and obviously culminating with Alex, our hero, living for another crime frighting episode. I think fans of the series will be pleased with this offering.
So predictable. I only read it because I've read the other 35 Alex Cross books and I need my closure on the series. Still waiting ...
This was one of the best entries in the Alex Cross series. In addition to the thrilling page turning action, it calls attention to all of the horrible atrocities that are taking place on the continent of Africa even to this day. It also points out how little coverage these events get in the media. I still wonder how much loss and violence Alex Cross can stand without cracking up himself.
Actual rating: 4.25 (Actual review starts at paragraph 2)
I feel that I should start by saying that I greatly enjoy murder/mystery/thriller books. I enjoy trying to piece together "who done it" and where the killer might be hiding out. I enjoy the rush of adrenaline that sometimes comes from waiting to see if the detectives will catch the killer before he can kill again. Even though I bring all these things up that I enjoy, I will say that some murder/mystery books, even though very enjoyable, do not earn very many stars after I have read them. They can be very predictable and even though enjoyable, may not quite hit the note I was looking for. This is frequently the case with the Alex Cross books. I would consider them bubblegum for the mind. Even though it is fun to chew, you don't get much sustenance from it and after a while, it can become a little much to chew. These books do just that for me. I enjoy reading them after I have finished reading a very large or dense book because I can easily and quickly fly through them without having to focus or worry about things like symbolism, character motivation, or analysis. I just finished reading the second Song of Ice and Fire book (A Clash of Kings) by George R.R. Martin and even though it was very good, it was very dense; I felt the need for a break after reading it. Cross Country by James Patterson was definitely the break I needed and for some reason, reading Alex Cross this time felt much more enjoyable and therefore received a higher rating than I have given an Alex Cross book in the past.
In typical Alex Cross fashion, there is a murder to solve and a killer to find. I was very entertained by the plot of this story and I was kept guessing as to how all the clues tied together. Something about this Alex Cross book had me more engaged than the last few I have read.
I have mixed feelings about the fact that Alex left the United States to go after the international killer (there were international killers in other books and Alex didn't pick up and leave the country for literally the entire book). I understand that the person who died at the beginning was a friend of his, but for some reason it didn't sit well with me from the get-go that Patterson chose to write as though Alex were in Nigeria for the entire book.
With that said, I thought Patterson did a marvelous job of exposing the reader to the gruesome horrors that happen on the other side of the planet. I not sure how much of the book is based on true stories and news events, but I felt more than a little shocked at the horrors that some other parts of the world can hold. This book's injuries and murders felt so much more graphic and personal compared to the other books and I haven't been able to quite figure out why. Alex goes through some very horrific scenes himself in which he is tortured and injured which might be why it felt more personal - usually the injuries, tortures, and murders are happening to other characters - not Alex Cross. Other characters close to Alex experience these same horrors which also made it feel so much more personal compared to past books. These scenes definitely kept me on the edge of my seat, made me not want to put the book down, and therefore earned this book a little higher of a rating compared to the other Alex Cross books that I have read so far.
I'm jumping right into the next Alex Cross book before this Alex Cross high wears off and before the school year starts up. I've heard the next is quite a bit different compared to the other Alex Cross books, but I'm looking forward to another James Patterson quick read.
I feel that I should start by saying that I greatly enjoy murder/mystery/thriller books. I enjoy trying to piece together "who done it" and where the killer might be hiding out. I enjoy the rush of adrenaline that sometimes comes from waiting to see if the detectives will catch the killer before he can kill again. Even though I bring all these things up that I enjoy, I will say that some murder/mystery books, even though very enjoyable, do not earn very many stars after I have read them. They can be very predictable and even though enjoyable, may not quite hit the note I was looking for. This is frequently the case with the Alex Cross books. I would consider them bubblegum for the mind. Even though it is fun to chew, you don't get much sustenance from it and after a while, it can become a little much to chew. These books do just that for me. I enjoy reading them after I have finished reading a very large or dense book because I can easily and quickly fly through them without having to focus or worry about things like symbolism, character motivation, or analysis. I just finished reading the second Song of Ice and Fire book (A Clash of Kings) by George R.R. Martin and even though it was very good, it was very dense; I felt the need for a break after reading it. Cross Country by James Patterson was definitely the break I needed and for some reason, reading Alex Cross this time felt much more enjoyable and therefore received a higher rating than I have given an Alex Cross book in the past.
In typical Alex Cross fashion, there is a murder to solve and a killer to find. I was very entertained by the plot of this story and I was kept guessing as to how all the clues tied together. Something about this Alex Cross book had me more engaged than the last few I have read.
I have mixed feelings about the fact that Alex left the United States to go after the international killer (there were international killers in other books and Alex didn't pick up and leave the country for literally the entire book). I understand that the person who died at the beginning was a friend of his, but for some reason it didn't sit well with me from the get-go that Patterson chose to write as though Alex were in Nigeria for the entire book.
With that said, I thought Patterson did a marvelous job of exposing the reader to the gruesome horrors that happen on the other side of the planet. I not sure how much of the book is based on true stories and news events, but I felt more than a little shocked at the horrors that some other parts of the world can hold. This book's injuries and murders felt so much more graphic and personal compared to the other books and I haven't been able to quite figure out why. Alex goes through some very horrific scenes himself in which he is tortured and injured which might be why it felt more personal - usually the injuries, tortures, and murders are happening to other characters - not Alex Cross. Other characters close to Alex experience these same horrors which also made it feel so much more personal compared to past books. These scenes definitely kept me on the edge of my seat, made me not want to put the book down, and therefore earned this book a little higher of a rating compared to the other Alex Cross books that I have read so far.
I'm jumping right into the next Alex Cross book before this Alex Cross high wears off and before the school year starts up. I've heard the next is quite a bit different compared to the other Alex Cross books, but I'm looking forward to another James Patterson quick read.
If Alex Cross would just listen, he could save himself and his family a lot of grief. What made him think it was ok to fly to Nigeria when he has NO JURISDICTION there?
Subtlety and nuance are nowhere to be found in this book. Cross goes to Africa and and narrowly misses being killed too many times for credibility. The carnage around him is unfathomable, yet somehow he escapes again and again and again. I guess Patterson did some reading about any number of corrupt regimes and regional political instability in Africa and wanted to share his insights with Alex Cross fans. He might have painted a more interesting picture if he's have used a paintbrush instead of a sledge hammer. And the incessant intrusions by KC were superfluous and annoying.
I love the Alex Cross books!
This one is right up there with all the others I have read. I found myself holding my breath in spots, and I read some of this on my work break and almost missed getting back on the clock on time, I was so engrossed!
Only problems:
1. I missed John Sampson. He showed up here and there. And I can normally count on him being some comic relief. There were very few LOL bits in this book. I think it was one of the darkest ones yet.
2. Alex Cross sure took a beating. Several actually. Turning into the Jack Bauer of books. The things that had happened to him seemed to have little effect later on in the story. His broken nose (example) seemed to run out of steam as far as being mentioned, considering it was very sore and getting infected.
Alex really shouldn't get close to people. Ever. Sad.
And this has the perfect set up to continue on with the series.
This one is right up there with all the others I have read. I found myself holding my breath in spots, and I read some of this on my work break and almost missed getting back on the clock on time, I was so engrossed!
Only problems:
1. I missed John Sampson. He showed up here and there. And I can normally count on him being some comic relief. There were very few LOL bits in this book. I think it was one of the darkest ones yet.
2. Alex Cross sure took a beating. Several actually. Turning into the Jack Bauer of books. The things that had happened to him seemed to have little effect later on in the story. His broken nose (example) seemed to run out of steam as far as being mentioned, considering it was very sore and getting infected.
Alex really shouldn't get close to people. Ever. Sad.
And this has the perfect set up to continue on with the series.