Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Cross Country (Alex Cross #14)

by James Patterson (Goodreads Author)

3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 · rating details · 16,629 ratings · 1,174 reviews

When the home of Alex Cross's longtime friend, Ellie Cox, is turned into the worst murder scene Alex has ever seen, he is devastated. The destruction leads him to believe that he's chasing a horrible new breed of killer. As Alex and his girlfriend Brianna Stone begin the hunt for the villain responsible for the killings, they quickly find themselves entangeled in the deadl...more

Hardcover, Large Print, 480 pages

Published November 17th 2008 by Little, Brown and Company (first published January 1st 2008)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson

Favorite James Patterson Novels

17th out of 51 books — 233 voters

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Best Crime & Mystery Books

210th out of 3,368 books — 7,805 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 04, 2009 Matt rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-thriller

I decided while I was reading the latest book in the Alex Cross series by James Patterson that reading Mr. Patterson's work is similar to eating at McDonald's. You know with both that there won't be any grand expectations in the experience you will gain with both, yet somehow there is an unseen force that compels one in either reading another Patterson novel or eating something from Mickey D's. After you finish reading Patterson's book (and eating at Mickey D's), you know the memory of the exper...more

like 15 likes · see review

Aug 06, 2010 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jennifer by: jennsicurella@verizon.net

Shelves: mystery

As readers, we have to be willing to suspend our disbelieve once in a while for the enjoyment of a book. Cross Country, the 14th Alex Cross novel, asks readers to go well beyond normal suspension and travels very far into unrealistic territory.

Alex Cross, devoted family man who often feels guilty for abandoning his children for a day or two, travels to Africa on a case. He ventures into known danger, leaving his family, friends, girlfriend, police job and psychiatric patients behind to chase aft...more

like 6 likes · see review

Jan 22, 2009 Dana rated it 2 of 5 stars

So, this may be blasphemous, but I thought this book was pretty lame. I have to admit, I don't normally read thrillers or mysteries and this is my first Patterson book, but honestly, I don't think it lives up to the hype. Granted, I read the book in two days, but not because the storyline was particularly compelling. It was more because the chapters are so short that I just had to keep going. Patterson does a good job of ending each chapter with a question or cliffhanger, but overall it wasn't w...more

like 4 likes · see review

Nov 21, 2008 Glenn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries-and-thrillers

The books with Alex Cross are the best of James Patterson's work. Recently I've been disappointed in a lot of the collaborative efforts where Patterson authors books with a second author. I read that a lot of these are just "ghost" books - Patterson provides the outlines and the other authors write most of the novels, and it definitely shows. Stick with the books that don't have a second author's name on them if you want to read the best that Patterson has to offer.

like 6 likes · see review

Nov 25, 2008 Chris rated it 1 of 5 stars

I've always liked the Alex Cross books, but this one was a dud. Alex takes it upon himself to follow a murderer he's after to Africa. While in Africa, he gets beaten up, jailed & threatened countless times. It seemed to me that the plot was a way for Patterson to let us all know about the horrible violence & living conditions in Africa. I thought Alex acted so out of character. I think I just finished reading it for old times sake.

like 7 likes · see review

Jan 15, 2009 George A/k/a rated it 5 of 5 stars

OK, allow me to begin by confessing that I am a devout James Patterson fan and that the Alex Cross storyline is my favorite. That being said, I enjoyed this book a bit more then most of the other reviewers. In fact, it was one of my favorite Alex Cross books. I read it in one day...at the risk of losing my job security. LOL!
"Cross Country" was all about exposure. This riveting story shows the reader a side - a more vulnerable side - of Alex Cross then one is accustomed. It also reminds the reade...more

like 5 likes · see review

Oct 11, 2011 Caitlin rated it 2 of 5 stars

I haven't read James Patterson in a long time and after this book, I am wondering if I will pick him up again.
Did I stay up too late reading this book and fly through it to find out what would happen next? Yes, but there were so many things wrong with this book, I don't know where to start.
The story became far-fetched so often that I almost abandoned the book (how many times can Alex get beat up in this book? Who in their right mind would run around Africa for so long and leave their family be...more

like 1 like · see review

Feb 12, 2012 Afsana rated it 1 of 5 stars

this was not one of his best books

I read it and enjoyed it on a superficial level but found that the storyline seemed a bit far fetched

Alex cross is on the hunt for a gang of killers who kill whole families. The gang is made of children and led by a vicious killer who does not hesitate to wipe out the entire family due to his unhappiness with one.

The story enfolds mainly in a foreign land where Alex has chased the killer (not even sure it is the right one) ignoring the fact that this unlike othe...more

like 1 like · see review

Feb 10, 2009 Suzanne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like 4 likes · see review

Feb 09, 2009 Nicole rated it 1 of 5 stars

I am a HUGE fan of James Patterson's Alex Cross series. I look forward to each of the new releases with great anticipation. However, I must say, I was completely disappointed by this addition. I wish I had read the reviews before reading this. It was a quick read with the usual Patterson short chapters But, the woven storyline was completely missing.

Some stand out issues for me:
(1) The murders were too gruesome and violent - completely out of character for Patterson's writing style. The detail...more

like 5 likes · see review

Dec 11, 2008 Jill rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was worthwhile in the sense that it continued the Alex Cross saga, but other than that, it wasn't very satisfying. More far-fetched than usual, and yet the books have started becoming monotonous. I'm ready to move on to other series.

like 2 likes · see review

Jan 08, 2009 Aaron rated it 3 of 5 stars

Alex Cross returns for another adventure, only to find himself dragged into the political upheavals that are still tearing up post-colonial Africa in countries such as Nigeria and the Sudan. It all begins as Dr. Cross is drawn into an investigation of a family that is butchered in their ransacked home in Georgetown. While doing the initial walk-through, it does not take long for Alex to realize that he knows the mother of the family, Ellie Cox. In fact, she was his college sweetheart.

After coll...more Alex Cross returns for another adventure, only to find himself dragged into the political upheavals that are still tearing up post-colonial Africa in countries such as Nigeria and the Sudan. It all begins as Dr. Cross is drawn into an investigation of a family that is butchered in their ransacked home in Georgetown. While doing the initial walk-through, it does not take long for Alex to realize that he knows the mother of the family, Ellie Cox. In fact, she was his college sweetheart.

After college, Ellie went on to become a writer, and Alex comes across her most recent manuscript, an examination of why Africa's nation's struggle to reach stability when they have access to moneys from natural resources. It is this investigation that gets the attention of Tiger, a terrorist/gun-for-hire who works with his team of boy-soldiers to assassinate and butcher people (and usually their whole families) for money.

The deaths of the Cross family is duplicated in other similar murders, and Alex follows a lead on the Tiger that brings him to Nigeria, where he is confronted with government officials that seem to work hand and hand with the countries underworld leaders and CIA officials who are reluctant to do anything more than protect him from death.

I do have to say this is the first time that I found myself really not liking Alex as a character. He has always been the hero who rises to the occasion to take down the monsters that he seems most able to tackle. This often puts his friends and family in danger, something that has often made a number of them ask him to slow down a bit. These are pleas that he always ignores and finds ways to convince them they are worrying too much. All the while they continue to get hurt.

This time, he becomes an uber-hero who unrealistically seems able to solve international problems while the "stupid" professionals who have been working on resolutions for years are portrayed as evil. Patterson clearly has a political motive behind the theme of the book. I have to say I support what he is trying to promote, particularly as he brings the reader into the darkest corners of refugee camps created to house those who have escaped from Darfur or the horrible corruption that is evident in many of the petro-governments in Africa. With that said, the plot and the character suffers from the forced fit.

I would rather have had a standalone novel written with a character that has the background and the training (more than a police detective and psychologist) to play James Bond or Jack Ryan and save the day.(less)

like · see review

Apr 13, 2013 Abhishek rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One always knows what to expect from an Alex Cross novel. A psychotic killer on the loose, brutal murders, a detective with a never-give-up attitude on the chase, and illustrations of the toughness in him to keep facing his demons and emerging out stronger. The question is, whether the typically fact-paced novels of James Patterson can continue to keep you hooked after you have read a bit too many? The answer is, yes! Cross Country is another typical Cross novel with a different location backdro...more

like · see review

Apr 02, 2013 Alec17sbcglobal.net rated it 4 of 5 stars

Cross Country was written by James Patterson. This book is about a fictional detective, Alex Cross. In this book Alex Cross is pursuing a ruthless killer known just as “The Tiger”. This book has every element in a crime/ mystery book that you could wish for. It has suspense, action and it will keep you up reading all night.

I enjoyed this book very much. This book was a great mystery. This book kept me reading all night. This book is very interesting, it always kept me on the edge of my chair wai...more

like · see review

Mar 30, 2013 Cassy rated it 1 of 5 stars

My dad brought this home for me, I think a friend had loaned it to him. He asked if I like thrillers, I said I did. I thought I liked thrillers, at least. If this book is the true representation of thrillers then I'm not so sure anymore.

To be fair, I doubt that I, a sixteen year-old overachiever who is artsy and likes classics, was the target audience. But still, I was expecting something like Alex Rider, a series I loved as a child. Instead I got Alex Cross, an adult detective with a tragic bac...more My dad brought this home for me, I think a friend had loaned it to him. He asked if I like thrillers, I said I did. I thought I liked thrillers, at least. If this book is the true representation of thrillers then I'm not so sure anymore.

To be fair, I doubt that I, a sixteen year-old overachiever who is artsy and likes classics, was the target audience. But still, I was expecting something like Alex Rider, a series I loved as a child. Instead I got Alex Cross, an adult detective with a tragic backstory and apparent skills that he doesn't seem to be employing.

I hated the style of the writing. Most of the chapters are about a page and a couple paragraphs long. The sentences are simple, and hardly any meaningful description is used. Exclamation marks are way overused as well. Really, the only time they should be used is in dialogue. In order to truly see what I am talking about, I will have to quote the book. During an action scene, we get this gem: "Then I dove for his legs!" It stands alone as a paragraph, and it's even italicized. Phrases similar to this popped up all over the place in the book, like ugly weeds that prevent you from enjoying the garden.

I am also bugged by the thriller aspect of it. Whole scenes of destruction and action and death happen in a single chapter (which is only a page long). Granted, there are some gory and horrific things that happen, but I found myself not caring. The action also mostly involves Alex Cross getting the crap beaten out of him, which makes me doubt his abilities, and it isn't thrilling.

Ah, Alex Cross. What a guy. He is impulsive, and rushes into many situations where he is almost killed, but has his skin saved by someone dumb enough to do it, and as soon as Mr. Cross can get up, he charges into the next dangerous situation. He also is short-tempered. During a meeting where Alex describes the horrible killings and the reasons, someone makes something of a joke of the reasons. What does he do? Throws a clipboard at the wall. What a great way to get people to respect you and to solve problems. Maybe I should try this next time.

Mr. Cross also almost cheats on his girlfriend, a detective back home, with a GORGEOUS (that was often emphasized) journalist. Don't worry, that love triangle is taken care of in the most cliche way, and Alex stays pure. But really, I find this guy to be highly unlikeable, because his impulsiveness, cluelessness, hot temper, lack of kickass skills, and plain stupidity. I was starting to wish that he would just get shot during one of the millions of times that he was beaten and captured.

I don't know what to say to my dad. I guess an honest "I didn't like it" will do. But I just didn't like it, I kind of hated it.

In conclusion, this wasn't even a guilty pleasure, because it sucked so hard. I might be judgemental, but excuse me for wondering WHY ON HEAVEN, EARTH, AND HADES is this series a best seller?!? Who reads this and enjoys it? I'm not being mean, I am truly baffled.(less)

like · see review

Nov 15, 2012 Stacey rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Aug 29, 2012 Goldie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally posted on My Book Musings.

Just finished Cross Country by James Patterson and although I’m not exactly raving about it, I think it still deserves 4stars. I’m satisfied with the plot, the style of writing, and loose ends were all tied up quite nicely. Moreover, although I was not exactly kept on my toes the way I was with Cradle and All, I still enjoyed the book. It was very informative and it’s quite different from the previous Cross novels because, as the title suggests, Cross went to...more Originally posted on My Book Musings.

Just finished Cross Country by James Patterson and although I’m not exactly raving about it, I think it still deserves 4stars. I’m satisfied with the plot, the style of writing, and loose ends were all tied up quite nicely. Moreover, although I was not exactly kept on my toes the way I was with Cradle and All, I still enjoyed the book. It was very informative and it’s quite different from the previous Cross novels because, as the title suggests, Cross went to other countries.

Alex Cross was once again involved in a seemingly-senseless murder mystery. But this time, the murder affected him personally because the mother of the family who died was his ex-girlfriend way back in college and things were pretty serious between them before. Furthermore, he was pretty sensitive to the killings of kids. Aside from that family, more and more people were dying and it all points to one killer –> the Tiger. However, he’s from Africa and the only way to catch him is to go there.

And so Alex Cross goes to Africa, blindly, I might add. From there, the persona of Alex seems to be different as he was almost always the underdog. He was always beaten up and always kidnapped. I think he’s getting old. Anyway, once there, James Patterson doesn’t mince words with the situation there. I actually kind of like the plot because it touches on the political issue on the intervention of America in Darfur, or the lack thereof, and the truly horrible situation back there. I found myself saying “crap” a couple of times due to the frank dialogue about the treatment of women in Africa.

“When I was young…I was raped…they used the handle of a shovel.”

What? I don’t even want to imagine how that happened but that’s just one example of how life is in other parts of the world.

As to writing style, I think he’s better off writing alone because his signature style is largely affected by having a co-author. In this book, he actually explains whodunit and the reason, as opposed to his previous Cross novels, where he doesn’t really tell you and you’ll just end up frustrated. The story was smoothly written, fast-paced, with enough thrill to make you continue reading but not as much excitement and does not inspire the same level of curiosity as his other books did.

However, the book has an exciting finish that actually makes me want to buy the next book just to find out what happens next! Don’t worry, the plot in this book is finished by the 400+ pages (in hardbound) but there’s just something in the ending, which I won’t reveal, that might make you go “Aw shucks, gotta get the next one!”

Do I recommend the book? Hmmm it’s a good enough book to add to your collection and some might enjoy it more than I did. It’s worth the money, actually although it’s just not very exciting! I think the bar was raised higher than ever after reaching Cradle and All. But go ahead and get your copy for leisure reading this holiday season :)

Ciao!(less)

like · see review

Aug 21, 2012 Mary rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Feb 15, 2012 Frank rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thrillers-mystery

I was a little mixed on this one. This was definitely not a typical Alex Cross story. This one takes Cross to Africa in search of the killers of an old college sweetheart (who had been working on an expose of the goings on in Nigeria) and her family. As usual, this was a page-turner with some extremely bad characters from Africa committing some extremely brutal murders in both the U.S. and Africa. While in Africa, Cross sees first hand some of the outrages being perpetrated on the African people...more

like · see review

Feb 07, 2012 Ben Dutton rated it 2 of 5 stars

Off ill for a month with a nasty, virulent virus (aka The Flu), I found my concentration lacking, but still desirous to read, I picked up the latest volume from “The World’s Bestselling Thriller Writer” (as the cover deems him), James Patterson. This is the thirteenth Alex Cross novel – the character created by Patterson in Along Came A Spider, back when Patterson wasn’t the commercial factory he is today – and sees Cross trailing an African killer, The Tiger, who swarms with a legion of killer...more Off ill for a month with a nasty, virulent virus (aka The Flu), I found my concentration lacking, but still desirous to read, I picked up the latest volume from “The World’s Bestselling Thriller Writer” (as the cover deems him), James Patterson. This is the thirteenth Alex Cross novel – the character created by Patterson in Along Came A Spider, back when Patterson wasn’t the commercial factory he is today – and sees Cross trailing an African killer, The Tiger, who swarms with a legion of killer children. Patterson, then, is commenting upon the civil wars of Africa, using their horrors to create entertainment.

Like many of the bestselling thriller writers – Dan Brown et al – Patterson is a poor writer. His prose is striped to the bare essentials, with chapters of no more than two pages (though some appear longer because of the print size, the white space and huge chapter headings. I’ve not read much of Patterson’s work outside of the Alex Cross range (of which, I’m almost ashamed to admit, I have read them all), but it does strike me that this is his most successful brand (and it is a brand now). Cross, a detective and psychologist for the Washington DC police force, has faced his fair share of brutal killers – the common criticism of these kinds of books comes into play here: just how many psychopaths can there be to stalk just one man?

Cross Country, like all those previous books, roars along. There is barely time to catch your breath. It jumps continents and countries with almost no regard for the laws of physics, and the characterisation is, as ever, sketchy at best. The writing is almost unilaterally bad. Yet for the three hours I submit to this character, once a year, it’s entertaining in a bad movie manner, it’s entertaining in a way other novels are not. Never would I reconsider rereading one, or would I ever class them as good – even for their genre (there are much much better crime writers) – but I like Alex Cross – a good father and good son in a genre where many of its ‘heroes’ are flawed, alcoholic and damaged – and I think Nana Mama a hoot.

So not great literature, but for a few hours downtime, good fun.(less)

like · see review

Jul 26, 2011 Beverly added it · review of another edition

Is it so bad I've started rooting for the killers?

Can James Patterson go one book without finding a new, utterly vacuous love interest for Alex Cross? When will Alex Cross learn if people want him dead that badly, maybe he should leave well enough alone? He almost got killed half a dozen times, if not more, in this book, and his family was almost murdered too. You'd think that would have taught him not to stick its nose where it didn't belong. He had no reason to go to Africa, except to risk hi...more

like · see review

May 08, 2011 Youssef El-aguizi added it

This story talks about two massacre-style murder cases which had happened. The first one was in Washington D.C. It was Alex Cross's college friend called Ellie Cox, who had been murdered along with her family. After that Alex Cross decides to hunt down whoever is responsible for these murder cases. He starts off investigating in Africa after he knew that there is a Nigerian criminal and leader of a gang of teenager's killers was responsible for all of this violence.
Alex decides to travel to Afri...more

like · see review

Mar 10, 2011 Bev rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-mystery

A quote from the book best describes "Cross Country." "It was baffling, it was incomprehensible. Just wrong on so many levels."

The only reason I can think of that MIGHT have inspired James Patterson to write this awful book is that he might recently have become aware of the plight of millions of people in various African countries and thought he could use his popular character, Alex Cross, to shed light on a truly appalling situation.

However, that said, it was a terrible book with a totally unb...more

like 3 likes · see review

Nov 08, 2010 Kyle Hendrickson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Kyle Hendrickson
Ms. Campanella
English 3, Period 5
8 November 2010

Cross Country Review
James Patterson has done it again. James Petterson has written many books in the cross series and each one better then the last. The book I read was Cross Country and by far the best one yet. It is classified as a Fiction/literature in your local Barnes & Noble The book was very well written and descriptive in its own eccentric and yet gruesome way. The
The book starts off in Washington D.C. where The prota...more Kyle Hendrickson
Ms. Campanella
English 3, Period 5
8 November 2010

Cross Country Review
James Patterson has done it again. James Petterson has written many books in the cross series and each one better then the last. The book I read was Cross Country and by far the best one yet. It is classified as a Fiction/literature in your local Barnes & Noble The book was very well written and descriptive in its own eccentric and yet gruesome way. The
The book starts off in Washington D.C. where The protagonist Detective Alex Cross has just heard about a gruesome murder and has yet to find out it was one of his old friends. He gets there and the scene is gory messy and he slips in a pool of blood after the heart stopping new was delivered to him. This is where Detective Bree Stone is introduced this is Alex’s girlfriend, along with Sampson whom is Alex’s and Bree’s friend as well. After this scene Alex learns who the murder is and sets out to find out who or what he is, and try to put a stop to his murders.They call him the Tiger for many reason many to horrid to say he obviously is the antagonist. His trip is to………Africa during what may turn into a civil war. He is greeted so kindly when he arrives and is beaten and thrown in jail. The rest of his stay in Africa rockets down hill leaving behind a few broken noses and a lost friend. The Meat of the story will have your eyes glued to them until the end which of coarse will be ended with one of James Patterson’s infamous little time bomb of a cliff hanger is the best way to describe it.
The Theme of the great book is The world is not as it seems and within its little nooks and crannies lies little pockets that can only be described as hell. He targets this theme by taking Alex to Africa and showing the reader all of the horrers the go on daily. The conflict is man vs. man between Alex and the Tiger. The book is written very well and keeps the reader interested the whole time with gruesome details, very very intense scenes, well thought out characters, and much more youll have to find out for your self. His writing style goes into detail about all of his adventures. He also describes the horrid situation on Darfur and Seire Leon.
This is an amazing book and one of my favorites of the series but I would recommend to start at book one. I know there are many but believe me you will not regret reading them at all they are great books and this one so far is the best. They are written very well and keep the reader interested from the beginning; which I might add is intense from just the first 20 or so pages of the book. This book is well worth the money and the five stars I award it.
(less)

like · see review

May 22, 2010 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars

James Patterson- Cross Country (Vision 2009) 4 Stars

Just when Detective Alex Cross thought that he had seen the worst of the worst, a crime scene comes along that knocks him off his feet. It is by far the most horrific crime scene he has ever scene. An old girlfriend of his is murdered and her whole family is killed along with her. The Dragon Slayer is on the case and he will not let up until he has either died or solved the case. Another scene much like the first comes along and he is shown jus...more James Patterson- Cross Country (Vision 2009) 4 Stars

Just when Detective Alex Cross thought that he had seen the worst of the worst, a crime scene comes along that knocks him off his feet. It is by far the most horrific crime scene he has ever scene. An old girlfriend of his is murdered and her whole family is killed along with her. The Dragon Slayer is on the case and he will not let up until he has either died or solved the case. Another scene much like the first comes along and he is shown just how merciless this killer is. He has uncovered something he had never imagined, a foreign thug is using teenage boys to do his dirty work and the man Known as the Tiger is now in Africa. Alex goes against everyone’s advice and follows this ruthless murderer across the globe. Does he have what it takes to survive when everyone wants him dead?

I found Cross Country to be refreshingly different from the rut Patterson has fallen into with his Cross series. The introduction drew me in right away; it was full of intrigue and the usual despicable murder. Patterson then goes right into Cross at the crime scene with his girlfriend (fellow detective Bree), and we quickly discover that the murdered woman was an old flame. I was very pleased to find out that he would be in Africa following the killer, as that would leave less chance for Patterson’s usual family scenes which are overdone. This is the reason why this book was refreshing, there was less about Alex Cross’ family and more about the case. I did find that the fact that once again his family is threatened to be slightly annoying, as it happens in nearly every single Cross book, and I am sure that this does not really happen as often as Patterson makes it seem. I enjoyed the fast-paced action in this novel and loved the plot. I would definitely recommend Cross Country to thriller fans and readers of James Patterson.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

(less)

like · see review

May 03, 2010 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: tenth-grade

Alex Cross and his new girlfriend/partner are hunting an international killer. after his longtime friend Ellie Cox and her family are brutally murdered, Alex is devastated. Despite warnings from his grandmother, Alex makes up his mind to chase down this killer if it's the last thing he does...literally. apparently, the Tiger, the only name this killer goes by, knows all about Alex and trys, in vain, to stop Alex from reaching Africa at all costs.

Will Alex make it out of Africa alive? or will he...more

like · see review

Mar 28, 2010 Jayesh Naithani rated it 3 of 5 stars

Get ready to follow detective Alex Cross into an an incredible chase of a insanely vicious killer into Africa. And then when he becomes the hunted instead, after getting back to home soil.

In the entire story it almost appears like Alex Cross does not have any particular plan in mind in catching the killer in Africa. He simply seems to shows up in places, meets people by chance, then things happen, the bad guys find him instead, do all sorts of bad things to him that no ordinary man would be able...more

like · see review

Dec 04, 2009 Max rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have never read any books by this author before, so I figured I'd give him a try.

Overall I liked the book and the story. It got a little muddled at the end, but perhaps this is because (as I found out later) there are many books in this series and I imagine a bit of character development has happened that I didn't know about. It still stood on its own, but I'm sure I would've enjoyed it more having read some other books first. The end of the book referenced another character which I'm presumin...more

like · see review

Nov 25, 2009 Dan Darragh rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Let me compare this book to the Road to Hana. The Road to Hana is a "must" for people making that once in a lifetime trip to Hawaii, specifically Maui. It's a little over 35 miles but takes forever because of all the curves and hills. There's some of the most fabulous scenery along the way you'll ever see. However, once you get there, Hana itself -- ain't much.
"Cross Country" is a true page-turner as only a Patterson novel can be. I stayed up a lot later than usual several nights, as I raced thr...more

like · see review

Oct 12, 2009 Mocha Girl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-suspense-thriller

In the fourteenth installment of the Alex Cross series, James Patterson delivers an action-packed suspense which doubly entertains and heightens the reader's socio-political awareness. Cross Country opens as Alex arrives on scene to investigate the brutal and sadistic mass murder of a Georgetown family. The case immediately becomes personal when he recognizes the matriarch as his collegiate lover, Ellie, an established professor and published author. Quite naturally, he vows to find the killer(s...more In the fourteenth installment of the Alex Cross series, James Patterson delivers an action-packed suspense which doubly entertains and heightens the reader's socio-political awareness. Cross Country opens as Alex arrives on scene to investigate the brutal and sadistic mass murder of a Georgetown family. The case immediately becomes personal when he recognizes the matriarch as his collegiate lover, Ellie, an established professor and published author. Quite naturally, he vows to find the killer(s) to avenge Ellie and her family.

When within a few hours murders of other prominent diplomatic families are slain in the same manner; Cross finds a strong lead in an African mercenary known as the "Tiger;" a man who uses "lost" Sudanese boys as his henchmen. Taken from today's headlines and other books (A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, What Is The What by Dave Eggers), these "lost boys" are orphaned children who are often taken from camps where they are then drugged, trained to kill, and perform horrific acts toward their countrymen and peers. Alex follows the Tiger to Nigeria and within minutes of landing, he is kidnapped, beaten and imprisoned for three days; only to be rescued by a cocky, obnoxious, and seemingly indifferent CIA operative. Just as innocent victims are starved, dehydrated, and stripped of all their money and belongings as well as their inalienable rights, so is Alex. In this episode, he suffers from terrible physical and mental abuse. He is threatened and tortured, but that does not stop his relentless pursuit of the Tiger through the streets of Lagos, the jungles of Sierra Leone, and the refugee camps in the Sudan (Darfur).

Despite the governmental corruption, ugly politics, corporate greed, and police brutality, Alex manages to befriend a few brave, good-natured people. A maimed diamond mine worker with a prophetic name (Moses) and a beautiful Nigerian journalist, both act as his guide and savior in some very tight situations. Cross Country satisfies a promise Alex (and perhaps Patterson) makes to several of his African benefactors -- a promise to live to tell their stories, recount the atrocities (genocide, rapes, torture, starvation, amputations, etc.), and witness the depravation of their human rights.

Surprisingly, Alex is on the defensive throughout most of the novel. Although he was anxious to see the "Motherland," there was no one to greet him with a warm embrace, nor was there time to bask in the sun -- he was fighting for his life constantly. The plot ends in typical Patterson fashion -- there is a rather weak climax and somewhat predictable plot twist (I was disappointed that so much was "told" to us in a few pages of Epilogue rather than "shown" to truly wrap up the loose ends neatly) and obviously culminating with Alex, our hero, living for another crime frighting episode. I think fans of the series will be pleased with this offering. (less)

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (37)

More editions...

Genres

Mystery

187 users

Thriller

81 users

Mystery > Crime

56 users

Suspense

41 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

37 users

Mystery > Detective

20 users

Mystery > Murder Mystery

17 users

Adult

14 users

Adult Fiction

9 users

Adventure

7 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About James Patterson

Offical US Site
Offical UK Site

The subject of a Time magazine feature called, "The Man Who Can't Miss," James Patterson is the bestselling author of the past year, bar none, with more than 16 million books sold in North America alone. In 2007, one of every fifteen hardcover fiction books sold was a Patterson title. In the past three years, James has sold more books than any other author (according...more

More about James Patterson...

Books by James Patterson

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Cross Country

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Cross Country

“The hardest mysteries to solve are the ones you come to near the end, because there isn't enough evidence, not enough to unravel, unless somehow you can go all the way back to the beginning - rewind and replay everything.” — 7 people liked it

“Who but the devil lives like a king in the middle of hell” — 7 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Cross Country
avg rating	preview: Cross Country Goodreads rating: 3.79 (16629 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1713912.Cross_Country?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344270626l/1713912.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1713912.Cross_Country?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Cross Country by James Patterson[/url]

Cross Country (Alex Cross #14)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website