Alex Cross's beloved DC is in turmoil as Saudi terrorists unleash deadly
attacks upon the city at a time when all the alphabet agencies are already
scrambling about trying to locate the two kidnapped children of the President
of the United States. Is there a connection?The misleading title, a two-pronged storyline that proceeds at two different paces and with varying degrees of suspense, the overall similarity (at least of the kidnap scenario) to a previous (and stellar) Alex Cross novel (Along Came a Spider) and various questions unasked and/or unanswered make for an embarrassingly tepid reading in James Patterson's latest Kill Alex Cross (Little Brown & Co, 384p, Isbn-0316198730).
There's no mistaking that the quality of Patterson’s writing continues to shrink along with the length of his chapters.
The terrorist plot is the one spot of (mild) interest in an otherwise cliched story. The planning and dedication that goes hand in hand with fanaticism, the splinter cells operating independently and with deadly accuracy, and other aspects are chilling in the extreme. Despite the great beginning, this aspect of the storyline ends so abruptly and pointlessly as to leave the disappointed readers gaping in shock.
As previously mentioned, the kidnap plot is eerily similar to the Gary Soneji book, though not as equally well executed. It's hard to appreciate that only Alex Cross asks the right questions or is able to extract pertinent information from the correct culprit just in the nick of time. Too many coincidences leave the readers feeling cheated.
Alex Cross’ personal life, which used to be pretty interesting, receives a mild upheaval but the author never goes much into it. Ditto with his ongoing friendships. Nothing is mentioned about his complicated professional life as well.
Overall, there is nothing very new or exciting about this so-called
thriller. I got the distinct feeling that the author is just going through the
motions and churning out story after story without any depth or sincerity to them.
This is especially evident if you’ve read the Alex Cross novels in order. This
one in particular can be described as all show and absolutely no heart.
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4 People said:
I totally appreciate your review. I have definitely noticed a decline in my favorite series. :( I will still read it, but I have no intention of running out to get it. Thanks so much for your honest opinion.
Definitely get it from a library to read. Not worth buying... or keeping. Thanks for stopping by, Kalea-Kane!
Great review. I haven't read James Patterson in a while, but am still reading his earlier Alex Cross novels in order. It's sad to read about great authors lose steam. I'll be taking your advice and borrowing this one from the library.
want to read it, as it seems interesting from it's title
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