Cross Fire Author: James Patterson | Language: English | ISBN:
B003UBTX6I | Format: EPUB
Cross Fire Description
Wedding bells ring
Detective Alex Cross and Bree's wedding plans are put on hold when Alex is called to the scene of the perfectly executed assassination of two of Washington D.C.'s most corrupt: a dirty congressmen and an underhanded lobbyist. Next, the elusive gunman begins picking off other crooked politicians, sparking a blaze of theories--is the marksman a hero or a vigilante?
A murderer returnsThe case explodes, and the FBI assigns agent Max Siegel to the investigation. As Alex and Siegel battle over jurisdiction, the murders continue. It becomes clear that they are the work of a professional who has detailed knowledge of his victims' movements--information that only a Washington insider could possess.
Caught in a lethal cross fire As Alex contends with the sniper, Siegel, and the wedding, he receives a call from his deadliest adversary, Kyle Craig. The Mastermind is in D.C. and will not relent until he has eliminated Cross and his family for good. With a supercharged blend of action, deception, and suspense,
Cross Fire is James Patterson's most visceral and exciting Alex Cross novel ever.
- File Size: 1496 KB
- Print Length: 353 pages
- Page Numbers Source ISBN: B0052QP0PM
- Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (November 15, 2010)
- Sold by: Hachette Book Group
- Language: English
- ASIN: B003UBTX6I
- Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,741 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
As one might readily guess by the title, CROSS FIRE is the latest installment in James Patterson's Alex Cross series. As often happens in a series once it reaches a certain point in its life span, this 17th book constitutes a perfect place for newcomers to jump on, while giving fans more reasons --- as if they needed any --- to continue on.
I should also say that, if you were an early fan of the series and haven't dropped in on it for a while, this is a wonderful opportunity to renew old acquaintances. Patterson returns to old form here, and the novel is much better for it. The plot is deeper and more complex than those of his more recent predecessors, yet his stated goals in his writing --- to move the plot and the reader along quickly --- are still met, and admirably so. This is a book that should make everyone very happy indeed.
Quite a bit happens in CROSS FIRE. As the cover will tell you, Alex Cross gets married, and Kyle Craig returns. Craig is Cross's one-time friend turned bitter enemy. Having escaped from an imprisonment that Cross was instrumental in effecting, Craig has vowed revenge and pursues it with single-minded intent. Cross is involved in a high-priority case that threatens to literally blow Washington, D.C. away. A pair of highly skilled snipers are killing high-profile white criminals, seemingly at will and vanishing without a trace. Cross is unaware that Craig has infiltrated the investigation, and is not only working side by side with Cross but also inserting himself into his household.
In the meantime, Craig cannot resist taunting Cross over the telephone and going so far as to leave him cryptic messages at other crime scenes.
I was very excited to read this book. I loved 'I, Alex Cross' and after reading the previews of 'Cross Fire' I thought that this book couldn't miss especially with the return of Kyle Craig.
The story starts out interestingly enough. Kyle Craig is plotting and planning in elaborate ways to snake his way into Alex Cross's life. In the meantime there are sniper shootings going on all over Washington, D.C. The problem that I found with these concepts was the fact that they really didn't seem to be all that original. We've all heard about the sniper shootings that took place in Washington in 2002 and it seemed like Patterson simply played off of that concept in order to create this story.
The other issue with this storyline is it seems to be almost unfinished in many ways as well as very familiar in his other stories. It seems as though there is always a 'boss behind a boss' when it comes to murderers in Patterson's books and this book was no different. However, this storyline seems unfinished in the sense that the reader is lead to believe that there is another big bad wolf out there and then all of the sudden nothing more is mentioned of it.
By the same token, the characters were not particularly what you would come to expect from James Patterson. Kyle Craig is a cold, calculated psychopathic murderer and it seems as though in this book and with this story line he has lost some of his craziness. I was waiting for this big event to take place and although there is some drama toward the end of the book, it is not quite the showdown that I really accepted.
I enjoy reading Alex Cross books and I will continue to read them. However, after waiting a year for another Alex Cross book, I am slightly disappointed by this one.
Cross Fire Preview
Link
Please Wait...