I read this in 4 days.
Loved it.
It's the latest in the Alex Cross Detective/Mystery Series. I'm sure some of you have read his books. I have read every single Alex book and the previous one was so intense I had to take a break so when this came out last year, I didn't take it from the library. But after reading a couple of "deeper" books recently with lots of history, etc. I needed something quick and easy. It was both but it was also a bit of a nerve-racking thriller. Patterson at his very best with this character! (don't read it though unless you've read Cross My Heart and actually if you have never read any Alex Cross books, start with the first one and read them in order. The entire list is on the author's website. You can read his books out of order and be fine with knowing what's going on but a few of them build on each other and I think they are more exciting that way.
STORY SUMMARY
Alex Cross's family has been kidnapped. Every last one of them. Nana Mama his 90+ grandmother. Bree, his wonderful wife. Damon and Jannie, his 2 teenagers. Ali, his little boy.
A madman named Thierry Mulch is threatening to kill them one by one. Mulch doesn't care about money or mercy even though Cross will do anything to get his family back.
Mulch is obsessed with studying the psychology behind a criminal mind......especially a "perfect criminal".
Alex is outraged. He is also gripped with a fear that is raw.
And as he races against time to save his family, he begins to realize that Mulch doesn't just want to become the perfect criminal.....he wants to create one...and he intends for that person to be Alex Cross!
Will Cross find his family in time?
MY THOUGHTS
I have read the Alex Cross series since the very first one came out back in 1993....in fact, I read it the summer my oldest daughter was born! And I was hooked. I have read each Alex Cross book that comes out but the previous one which goes along with this one saddened me so much that I had to have a break.
I'm glad I finished this storyline. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire 4 days. It is chilling. It is gripping. It is so descriptive that at two different places I actually had tears in my eyes because I have loved these characters for so long that they seem real and I could feel Alex's pain when he first looks at the dead bodies. Plus I just couldn't believe his family was gone!
The way the author tied the two books together is brilliant and typical Patterson. He picks up the story about a week after everything has happened (the kidnappings and the first dead body). He also explains in a very good and quick manner, the back story so even if you don't read the previous novel (Cross my Heart), you will be abreast of what is going on.
This kind of reading isn't difficult. But some scenes are a bit graphic. He is writing about a narcissistic psychopath after all! If you like fast paced, energetic, well written, and suspenseful novels, this one is for you!
I really believe that this is his best Alex Cross book yet.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (due to thematic material).
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.
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