James Patterson, Cross

This is one of the worst books I've read in a long time. Cross is the first James Patterson book I have ever read, although I have seen the movies for Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. The inside cover says James Patterson is the most popular author of crime ficiton in America and I can only surmise from this statement that America hasn't read many books.

The author uses so many exclaimation marks I felt like I was reading something written by a 1990's valley girl. The characters are not very well-developed and I read the entire novel feeling like I'd missed something. I realize this is a book from a series but if a book is any good, you should be able to pick it up and read it without feeling like you have to read every other book in the series first.

Also, the main villian was chilling and crazy and a great "bad guy" but if I read "Mistake!" one more time, I was going to throw the book across the room. Patterson writes from the viewpoint of the killer, which is interesting but hardly original. Worse, the dialogue was annoying about it, thinking things like "Mistake? Mine? No! Theirs!" and "Mistake! But whose?"

Patterson also puts in a little annoying blips about other characters from other books that have nothing to do with the story and do not develop the plot in any way -- a not-so-subtle hint to buy and read his other books too. Personally, I wouldn't bother.

If you like crime novels, try the Silence of the Lambs series instead. It's obvious to me that James Patterson wants to follow in Harrison's footsteps, but he fails because he is essentially a mediocre writer at best. Where Harrison's characters are gruesome and frightening, Patterson's fall short and end up being just boring.

Maybe he uses exclamation marks to make the reader think they are reading something interesting.

Cross

James Patterson

Little, Brown, November 2006, $27.99

ISBN 0316159794

Though he has had much success in bringing dangerous serial killers to justice, one failed case haunts highly regarded forensic psychologist Alex Cross. Years ago someone murdered his wife Maria. That culprit was never caught, and her homicide became a cold case, except in the mind of Alex. However, Alex has decided it is time to move past law enforcement and begin a safer practice, so he can be there for his family.

Michael "Butcher of Sligo" Sullivan once worked as a self-employed hit man for hire; the mob contracted many hits to this violent butcher. However, he feels betrayed, so he has declared a vendetta war with the mob. Collateral damage and rapes are just part of his lunacy. The FBI asks Alex for his help, but he refuses until they pull the ace from the deck. There is a strong tie between this deadly killer and the murder of Maria. Alex needs in, but he promised his family he was out.

Alex is at his best in this cat and mouse battle with a diabolical sadistic psychopath, as he has strong pulls from family members, especially pressure from his offspring, who remind him of his vow and want him out of the serial killer hunt. Sligo is a fascinating adversary in that total evil macabre way, as the audience, though expecting the hero to remain standing at the end, would not want to bet against this clever butcher who knows how to play the psychological strings of his opponents like a violin virtuoso. James Patterson is at his best with the twelfth Cross thriller.