2018 Book Review #10: The People vs. Alex Cross

This author holds the Guinness World Record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers.

And his Alex Cross detective series are the ones I read. 

This book is his 25th novel in the series.  I have read them all, in order, and love them!

STORY SUMMARY

Alex Cross, the famous Washington, D.C. detective and psychologist, has always upheld the law and has taught his three children, Damon (now in college at Johns Hopkins University), Jannie (now a high school sophomore) and Ali (now at a charter school and aged 9) to do so as well. His wife Bree Stone is a detective as well.

But Alex is now at odds with the law because he has been accused of killing three of Gary Soneji's cult followers! (Gary was a character in a few previous novels whom Alex finally caught) No one believes that he acted in self-defense other than those closest to him.

Will the jury see him as just another rogue cop gone bad??

While he prepares for his trial and to prove his innocence, his best friend and former partner, John Sampson (married to Billie), brings him a very gruesome and disturbing case:  blonde teen girls are being kidnapped and held hostage with the perpetrators making videos to make it look like they are being tortured and killed!  Murder, it appears, is the new form of entertainment on the world wide web.  Although Alex has been suspended from working cases due to the upcoming trial, he can't help but get involved.

With his professional and personal lives on the line, Alex will still do whatever it takes to stop a dangerous criminal and to find those 6 girls alive.  But will it cost him his freedom??

MY THOUGHTS

Brilliant.  This plot is brilliant.  Fast-paced as usual and short chapters making you turn page after page far into the night.

I love seeing Alex's family grow up and rally around him.

I shudder to think that some of internet entertainment might actually occur (and I'm sure it does exist to some degree).

This book touches on the power of strong marriages, the effects of ALS, (one character has this diagnoses), prescription drug misuse/addictions,  and the problem of cops shooting innocent people in this country.

 I don't want to reveal which way the jury's verdict went regarding Alex Cross as I don't want to ruin the plot for you.  But it was excellently executed!

Some of the content is a bit disturbing but nothing is too graphic and there is no swearing or s*x scenes other than one short one to describe two of the blonde girls and set up their character development.

If you like drama, action and mystery, you will love the Alex Cross series of books.

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (due to mature content).

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.