Cover of I, ALEX CROSS
courtesy of Little, Brown and Company
I, ALEX CROSS by James Patterson

James Patterson returns to his most successful character in his new novel I, ALEX CROSS. Once again Washington, DC Detective Alex Cross and his partner Bree hunt down a killer. But in this case it is personal. This killer has murdered one of Alex’s relatives and he is determined the man or woman responsible for this crime will be brought to justice.

Once again Patterson uses his short, staccato chapters to move the reader through his book at a breakneck pace. This abbreviated way of writing is only effective for those who have been following this series of stories. If you didn’t know of Alex’s relationship with his grandmother from prior stories, you wouldn’t learn much about it here.

You also come to know Bree after their courtship has been underway for many months. The prior information about them is lost to new readers as is old information about his three children Damon, Jannie and Ali.

This need for prior information is important when you read a book like I, ALEX CROSS because it is an emotional story as well as a suspenseful one. During the course of the plot someone in Alex family gets very sick and might die. The emotional impact associated with this person is muted if you don’t have all the background. Cross doesn’t deliver it in this book but assumes you have carried it forward from the other stories.

It should also be noted that Patterson is getting a little more graphic in his descriptions of the evil events that occur in his books. The crimes involved in I, ALEX CROSS are a little kinkier and more horrific than others have been. Patterson makes sure that the full impact of the violence permeates the entire book.

Cross is still the central figure and he is as heroic and undaunted as ever. Plus his having a personal interest in seeing the crime(s) solved makes it even more interesting. The fact he is torn between pursuing leads and looking after a sick member of his family adds an intensity to the story that otherwise would not have been found. Cross is first and foremost a family man.

The blend of personal life and professional life is one of the things that draws readers to Patterson’s books which feature the detective. They have invested in this man and want him to act consistently with what they have learned of his character. In I, ALEX CROSS they are not disappointed.

Patterson is a unique writer. He manages to write his novels in his own form of shorthand and still make them successful. Several other authors have tried to imitate him but they have all failed. Patterson is one of a kind and I, ALEX CROSS is his latest super-successful novel.

I, ALEX CROSS is published by Little, Brown and Company. It contains 374 pages and sells for $27.99.
 

 

 

 

 

©2009 Jackie K. Cooper

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