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 destructi...
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reviews
Jan 04, 2009
Matt
rated it: 
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
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Jan 20, 2011
Jennifer
rated it: 
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 More...
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 More...
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Jan 22, 2009
Dana
rated it:
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
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(3 people liked it)
Nov 21, 2008
Glenn
rated it: 
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.
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Nov 25, 2008
Chris
rated it:
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.
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Jan 15, 2009
George
rated it: 
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 al More...
"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 al More...
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(4 people liked it)
Oct 11, 2011
Caitlin
rated it:
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 t More...
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 t More...
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(1 person liked it)
Feb 12, 2012
Afsana
rated it:
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 More...
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 More...
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(1 person liked it)
Feb 10, 2009
Suzanne
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Feb 09, 2009
Nicole
rated it:
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 wr More...
Some stand out issues for me:
(1) The murders were too gruesome and violent - completely out of character for Patterson's wr More...
Dec 11, 2008
Jill
rated it:
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.
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Jan 08, 2009
Aaron
rated it: 
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.
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Feb 07, 2012
Ben
rated it:
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
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Jul 26, 2011
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...
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...
May 08, 2011
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 t More...
Alex decides to travel t More...
Mar 10, 2011
Bev
rated it:
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, i More...
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, i More...
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Nov 08, 2010
Kyle
rated it:
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 More...
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 More...
May 22, 2010
Tony
rated it:
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 More...
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 More...
May 03, 2010
Chris
rated it:
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? More...
Will Alex make it out of Africa alive? More...
Mar 28, 2010
Jayesh
rated it:
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 More...
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 More...
Dec 04, 2009
Max
rated it:
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 whi More...
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 whi More...
Nov 25, 2009
Dan
rated it:
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 seve More...
"Cross Country" is a true page-turner as only a Patterson novel can be. I stayed up a lot later than usual seve More...
Oct 12, 2009
Mocha Girl
rated it:
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
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Jan 27, 2009
Ruth
rated it:
I was reading On Beauty when Emily said that a friend had lent her this book and she wondered if I wanted to read it. I just had to read it right away. So, I decided to give it a try since I usually like Patterson's books. When I first started to read the book and discovered that it was going to involve going to Africa and the horrible crimes that were taking place there, I was not so sure that I wanted to read it. After I got into it, however, I found that I enjoyed it. Cross goes to a horr
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Jan 17, 2009
Hans
rated it:
Yep. I'm still a completist, so I read this Alex Cross book too.
Much better than many of the Alex Cross series. I'll give Patterson some credit for trying to bring some political issues to a greater light and for dropping most of the detailed product placement that has started to fill so many pages in the last few books.
The story is far fetched especially the deep motivation to put his life (and family's life of the line).
And yes, the chapter lengths still More...
Much better than many of the Alex Cross series. I'll give Patterson some credit for trying to bring some political issues to a greater light and for dropping most of the detailed product placement that has started to fill so many pages in the last few books.
The story is far fetched especially the deep motivation to put his life (and family's life of the line).
And yes, the chapter lengths still More...
Aug 01, 2011
Christopher
rated it:
Patterson's works are truly real page-turners, and Cross Country is certainly no exception. I read all 406 pages in a couple of days, simply because it is next to impossible to put down. I don't know for certain whether or not the information that Patterson provides regarding the conditions in African countries is 100% accurate; I wouldn't, but I am giving him the benefit of the doubt, and it is obvious that he did a massive amount of research to complete this novel, and I definitely commend him
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Jun 25, 2010
Joe
rated it:
Many readers think that the Alex Cross character was unbelievably out of place in Africa. Why? Someone’s gotta go. Isn’t he Alex Cross? Isn’t this a fictional thriller and part of an unending series? Maybe those readers have a problem with Patterson’s depiction of the gross and depraved conditions in the depicted African countries where the human condition is in constant upheaval and human life isn’t valued much and the bad guys rape and ravish the general populace with minimal interference (and
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Mar 23, 2009
Kambin
rated it:
This is pretty much what you'd expect from Patterson, whose scenes of violence have become more graphic of late. In my view he's stepped out of his comfort zone in a few ways with this book, and I eagerly anticipate future instalments in the series to see where his style develops to. Some examples:
1/ He allowed a female character to die, although, in hindsight, it was the best solution so as not to complicate future books in the series. This differs from when he killed off Cross' More...
1/ He allowed a female character to die, although, in hindsight, it was the best solution so as not to complicate future books in the series. This differs from when he killed off Cross' More...
May 10, 2009
Kelly
rated it:
This may sound really dumb, but I just realized I read the most recent book in the Alex Cross series first. I bought this book cheap at a used book store and simply started reading it with out thinking to check that first. As many James Patterson Fans can tell you, his books are not obviously numbered. Well, earlier today I searched it to see what book I needed to read next, and found out that this is actually the 14th book in the series. Now I get to go find all of the other 13 books that prece
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