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204th out of 395 books
—
2,078 voters
Alex Cross's Trial (Alex Cross #15)
by
James Patterson (Goodreads Author),
Richard DiLallo
Separated by time
From his grandmother, Alex Cross has heard the story of his great uncle Abraham and his struggles for survival in the era of the Ku Klux Klan. Now, Alex passes the family tale along to his own children in a novel he's written--a novel called Trial.
Connected by blood
As a lawyer in turn-of-the-century Washington D.C., Ben Corbett represents the toughest case...more
From his grandmother, Alex Cross has heard the story of his great uncle Abraham and his struggles for survival in the era of the Ku Klux Klan. Now, Alex passes the family tale along to his own children in a novel he's written--a novel called Trial.
Connected by blood
As a lawyer in turn-of-the-century Washington D.C., Ben Corbett represents the toughest case...more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
August 24th 2009
by Little, Brown and Company
(first published January 1st 2009)
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This review of the book Alex Cross's Trial, by James Patterson & Richard Dilallo, is by Hans W. & Lindsay.
With all due respect to Mr. Dilallo, I decided that since James "paid-by-the-chapter" Patterson no longer needs to be the primary author of the Alex Cross books, I no longer need to be the primary reader of the fore-mentioned series.
Here is what my reader had to say about this book:
Lindsay: 2 stars
"I'm sorry, but this is NOT the book that "Alex Cross" would write. I find it hard to...more
With all due respect to Mr. Dilallo, I decided that since James "paid-by-the-chapter" Patterson no longer needs to be the primary author of the Alex Cross books, I no longer need to be the primary reader of the fore-mentioned series.
Here is what my reader had to say about this book:
Lindsay: 2 stars
"I'm sorry, but this is NOT the book that "Alex Cross" would write. I find it hard to...more
If you are familiar with the Alex cross saga then you will know that James Patterson's book a always written in the present time. In the book “Trial” it is in the the past. It does not even have Alex Cross his self in the book but Crosses ancestor (Abraham Cross). The book was not even written from Abraham Cross point of view but in the point of view of the his associate Ben Corbett. Although the book did have the same theme of the cross books. There was a mystery to to be solved and a trial at...more
Oct 22, 2012
Doris
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
history addicts, history students, fans of Barbara Hambly's Benjamin January series
Although we are inundated with commercials suggesting we read James Patterson's "Alex Cross" books, this was not really an Alex Cross. It was more of a preword by Alex, then the novel itself purports to have been written by him.
A good conceit.
The story itself dealt with lynchings in Mississippi in 1906 (also the year of the deadly San Francisco earthquake which nearly leveled that city). The story dealt with a truth which many people, especially Southerners, denied for years – the Klan was ali...more
A good conceit.
The story itself dealt with lynchings in Mississippi in 1906 (also the year of the deadly San Francisco earthquake which nearly leveled that city). The story dealt with a truth which many people, especially Southerners, denied for years – the Klan was ali...more
For Patterson, I thought this was a very powerful novel delving into the racial injustices in the South during the early 20th century. Although the title of the book implies that this is an Alex Cross thriller, it is actually much more. It tells the story of Cross' great uncle, Abraham, and his cousin, Moody, in the town of Eudora, Mississippi. It is the story of lynchings, racial bigotry, hatred, and violence towards African Americans at that time, and paints a very ugly picture of man's inhuma...more
I've been a fan of Patterson's for a long time. Alex Cross is my favorite character although he's really not one in this book. This subject matter has always been of interest to me and I've ready many historical fiction books which I enjoy, although this book is not historical fiction in the truest sense.
Patterson stayed true to form with his short chapters which I really love. I couldn't put this book down and it didn't long for me to read it.
There were so many juxtapositions in this book: firs...more
Patterson stayed true to form with his short chapters which I really love. I couldn't put this book down and it didn't long for me to read it.
There were so many juxtapositions in this book: firs...more
Alex Cross is featured in nearly two dozen novels under the James Patterson brand. This book’s title, however, is a bit deceptive if the reader is expecting another modern psychological thriller. One of the chief characters is A. Cross—Abraham, not Alex. The story purportedly is a rendition from the files of Benjamin Corbett, illustrating Abraham Cross who is fingered as an uncle to Alex’s grandmother, Regina Cross, otherwise known as Nana Mama in the other Cross tales.
Ben Corbett is a Southern-...more
Ben Corbett is a Southern-...more
Aug 02, 2011
Christopher Cook
added it
It took me a very long time to finish reading this novel because of how disturbing it is; it really is difficult to get through because of the gruesome detail exercised in regards to, specifically, lynchings, and while it may be true that Patterson's work usually is fairly gruesome, it is a lot more difficult to read something that is based on something that really did happen. Every character that is lynched in this novel represents a person that really did live once until his life was cut short...more
This was my first (and likely last) James Patterson novel. The premise is interesting enough and the period in which the novel was set certainly furnishes a rich backdrop on which to craft a compelling narrative. This effort, alas, falls short.
As with all too many popular novels, Alex Cross's Trial (in which, by the way, Alex Cross is wholly tangential), never exceeds a 6th grade reading level and contains precisely zero subtlety. If there's a point Patterson wishes to make, prepare to have it b...more
As with all too many popular novels, Alex Cross's Trial (in which, by the way, Alex Cross is wholly tangential), never exceeds a 6th grade reading level and contains precisely zero subtlety. If there's a point Patterson wishes to make, prepare to have it b...more
I grabbed this from the new releases shelf at my library, because it had Alex Cross' name on it. Over the years I have really enjoyed James Patterson's Alex Cross novels. Now its my fault for not reading the synopsis, but I have to say I was a little disappointed that the book wasn't "really" an Alex Cross novel. I sort of feel that this was a marketing ploy to get Cross fans to buy the novel.
That being said, I enjoyed it. It is by no means a great book, but you won't be disappointed. It is you...more
That being said, I enjoyed it. It is by no means a great book, but you won't be disappointed. It is you...more
I gave up reading James Patterson books a while ago because I felt they were becoming too repetitive. S.O.S., as they say. But I was intrigued a few months ago when I discovered The Murder of King Tut, a decent enough historical fiction novel. Then my wife turned me on to this, another piece of historical fiction set in Mississippi around the turn of the 20th Century.
Ben Corbett is a D.C. lawyer who takes civil rights cases like they're going out of style, despite them being low pay and high inv...more
Ben Corbett is a D.C. lawyer who takes civil rights cases like they're going out of style, despite them being low pay and high inv...more
Another fast read "by" Patterson. Who's really writing his books, anyway? Who is Richard Dilallo & why is his name on this book as a co-author? What is his contribution, since he's never written any previous books?
The premise of the story is engaging, but doesn't live up to its potential. This is the story of Ben Corbett, transplanted white Mississippian, and an investigative assignment back in his hometown. During the course of the investigation he works with Abraham Cross and finds out so
...more
First off...the books title is a misnomer...especially to those of us who are addicted to the Alex Cross persona! After the first few pages...he is no longer mentioned as we travel back in time to 1906 to Eudora, Mississippi where Abraham Cross and his daughter Moody live. Abraham is great uncle to Alex Cross...and Alex has heard the story of his uncle from his grandmother. This is presented as being Alex's novel of his family's story.
The story delves into the dealings of the Ku Klux Klan in Eud...more
The story delves into the dealings of the Ku Klux Klan in Eud...more
I know that this is being haled as another edition in Alex Cross series, but I can't help but feel they slapped a two-page introduction at the beginning and changed a couple of character names to take an interesting by an obscure author and shoot the sales up because of ties to Patterson. It is a cheap ploy, and it irks me even as I find that I enjoyed the book.
The introduction states that the book is actually by Alex Cross. He has been wanting to tell the story for years. The Trial looks back t...more
The introduction states that the book is actually by Alex Cross. He has been wanting to tell the story for years. The Trial looks back t...more
I started to give this one three stars; then as I wrote I realized it wasn't even worth that so I dropped it to two. I am not a James Patterson fan and this book illustrates several of the many reasons why. The supposed premise of the book is that it is a historical look at his popular character Alex Cross' ancestor and his life in early 1900s Mississippi. However, that ancestor was at most a minor character so in the end I felt cheated on that point alone. The main character was instead a lawye...more
Blurb from Goodreads
The year is 1906, and America is segregated. Hatred and discrimination plague the streets, the classroom, and the courts. But in Washington, D.C., Ben Corbett, a smart and courageous lawyer, makes it his mission to confront injustice at every turn. He represents those who nobody else dares defend, merely because of the color of their skin. When President Roosevelt, under whom Ben served in the Spanish-American war, asks Ben to investigate rumors of the resurgence of the Ku Kl...more
The year is 1906, and America is segregated. Hatred and discrimination plague the streets, the classroom, and the courts. But in Washington, D.C., Ben Corbett, a smart and courageous lawyer, makes it his mission to confront injustice at every turn. He represents those who nobody else dares defend, merely because of the color of their skin. When President Roosevelt, under whom Ben served in the Spanish-American war, asks Ben to investigate rumors of the resurgence of the Ku Kl...more
It's 1906 and Ben Corbett is on a mission to his old home town, Eudora, Mississippi, for his old army commander, the President, Teddy Roosevelt. There are reports of lynchings of blacks with authority's tacit permission. The Klan, outlawed forty years ago, was reportedly operating.
Ben, a Harvard law graduate, returns to his hometown for the first time since his mother's funeral. He's to met Abraham Cross, a black man, who will aid him in his investigation.
What he finds sickens him and when he s...more
Ben, a Harvard law graduate, returns to his hometown for the first time since his mother's funeral. He's to met Abraham Cross, a black man, who will aid him in his investigation.
What he finds sickens him and when he s...more
I needed a little light-hearted break from a couple of intense books I've been reading, and what better than a James Patterson/Alex Cross, right? WRONG!!! It was a good read and kept me up until after 3 a.m., but a light-hearted break it was NOT! Actually, it was a very disturbing book, certainly thought-provoking and certainly worthy of that thought. Set in Mississippi in 1906, Alex Cross's grandfather is one of the main characters, along with Ben Corbett, a young D.C. lawyer and Harvard grad w...more
Ok, first off it you are expecting another Alex Cross suspense novel you will be disappointed, because this one isn't. It starts off by telling you that the Cross family has a history of keeping their history alive with oral stories passed down from generation to generation. It the moves into one story, that of a Mississippi born young lawyer, Ben Corbett, who is practicing in Washington DC taking on more poor and often black clients, much to the dismay of his wife who hopes he will take a more...more
Alex Cross is writing the story of his great-grandfather because he believes it deserves to be told. This book has a similar vibe to the other Alex Cross books but has nothing to do with him and just a little to do with his great-grandfather. The story was still interesting and heartbreaking at times.
Mostly set in 1906 in the small town of Eudora in Mississippi where lynchings and beatings still continue. The KKK is still around even though it had been outlawed for many years. Ben Corbett is a w...more
Mostly set in 1906 in the small town of Eudora in Mississippi where lynchings and beatings still continue. The KKK is still around even though it had been outlawed for many years. Ben Corbett is a w...more
Feb 24, 2011
Liz
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
james patterson fans
Recommended to Liz by:
self
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This is a fast read, but not a great book. It is perfect for a three hour airplane trip.
Ben is an idealistic lawyer, who is losing his wife because he devotes so much time to good works. TR asks him to investigate lynchings in his home town in Mississippi. He goes, and he discovers that lynchings are common. He even gets lynched himself. Abraham Cross is the wise old African-American, and his daughter is Moody. Ben has a nice relationship with them.
Ben does not have a good relationship with...more
Was VERY hesitant to read this at first, once realising that this novel really wasn't relevant to the Alex Cross series. Even as I began to read it, I nearly put it down due to the period it was set and, well it was a little slow at first!
But as I got further along, it became easier to read, and I couldn't put the damn book down! It was disturbing, with gruesome detail that was nearly hard to read, yet very educational, because even through this is a fictional novel, it's based on events such...more
But as I got further along, it became easier to read, and I couldn't put the damn book down! It was disturbing, with gruesome detail that was nearly hard to read, yet very educational, because even through this is a fictional novel, it's based on events such...more
This is the worst book of Patterson's I have read and probably won't waste my time with his stuff in the future. The book has huge print and the chapters are on average, 1.5 pages. Chapter 62 has 1302 words and is just about one page!!!
This is a joke. If Patterson thinks he will continue to outsell most other authors putting this drivel out on the market and churning 4-6 books out a year, he is kidding himself.
I think that his publishers need to take him to task. These books are not even worth p...more
This is a joke. If Patterson thinks he will continue to outsell most other authors putting this drivel out on the market and churning 4-6 books out a year, he is kidding himself.
I think that his publishers need to take him to task. These books are not even worth p...more
A nice fast-paced read as usual from James Patterson. The Alex Cross character didn't feature as much as I thought he would (only writting the foreword) which I was quite pleased about. Personally I think this book could have done with out any reference to Alex Cross whatsoever. I'm a big fan of the Alex Cross series but have never liked the on-going story line that Cross wrote Along Came A Spider, so like that Cross supposedly wrote this book too even less. However this was a very good story wi...more
alex crosses trial, by James Patterson.This book is a book of many different genres. for example: historical fiction, fiction, realistic fiction, and many more. There are many characters in this book, but the main one who makes the story happen is Ben Cross, a lawyer form washington D.C.
the story takes place in a little town in D.C. where Ben lives now. ben is on a trial case and when he gets a note from president rosevelt he goes on a mission that will change his life. Ben has to go back to h...more
the story takes place in a little town in D.C. where Ben lives now. ben is on a trial case and when he gets a note from president rosevelt he goes on a mission that will change his life. Ben has to go back to h...more
Sep 18, 2009
Richard
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
History lovers, anyone who likes mystery; Patterson fans.
Recommended to Richard by:
I try to read all Pattersons work.
Set primarily in rural Mississippi in 1906, Alex Cross relates a story involving his cousin, Moody; his Grandmother Nana Mama's uncle, Abraham Cross; and a D.C. attorney looking into hate crimes for President Theodore Roosevelt.
Full of violent characters in an extremely violent time, Abraham Cross helps the President's investigator determine what is happening with lynchings across the South. He also includes famous persons like W.E.B Du Bois and Ida B. Wells-Barnett.
Unfortunately, there is not a...more
Full of violent characters in an extremely violent time, Abraham Cross helps the President's investigator determine what is happening with lynchings across the South. He also includes famous persons like W.E.B Du Bois and Ida B. Wells-Barnett.
Unfortunately, there is not a...more
I'm sorry, but this is NOT the book that "Alex Cross" would write. I find it hard to believe that he would focus all his energy on Ben and his happiness at the end of the book and give very little in the way of character development and concern about his own family. There's NO way that Moody would be safe and sound when Ben left, after all that happened. It makes me sad to think in the South at the turn of the century they would have lynched her the second Ben stepped foot out of town and had no...more
This is my first James Patterson novel and i got to say he is my favorite author. In this historical Fiction story Alex Cross is sent deep down in the south to his home town Eudora,Mississippi. He is sent there by President Theodore Roosevelt to investigate the numerous crimes of lynching there. At first he is glad to accept this assignment but realized the risks. When he gets there he visits old friends and his family,but after that he gets to work. First he goes to the local sheriff to get som...more
Even though the title use the Alex Cross character name, this story has absolutely nothing to do with the Alex Cross book series. The only "link" to Alex Cross is the first 2 or 3 pages of the book when Alex is 'talking' and explaining that his great grandfather is a character in this story of racial unrest in the South.
The main character is a lawyer from Washington DC who is asked personally by President Teddy Roosevelt to investigate stories of lynching in his southern home town. Then the Pre...more
The main character is a lawyer from Washington DC who is asked personally by President Teddy Roosevelt to investigate stories of lynching in his southern home town. Then the Pre...more
James Patterson let his Detective Cross character write a book called,"ALEX CROSS'S TRIAL." The idea is to put on paper one of the Cross family's histories, previously passed down only by spoken word.
In the Roosevelt era, a white lawyer, Ben Corbett, is sent by the president, back to his hometown of Eudora, Mississippi to check if tales of lynchings are true.
Corbett finds a body in every tree, (including, at one point, his own) and a false friend behind every door.
The depictions of the hangings...more
In the Roosevelt era, a white lawyer, Ben Corbett, is sent by the president, back to his hometown of Eudora, Mississippi to check if tales of lynchings are true.
Corbett finds a body in every tree, (including, at one point, his own) and a false friend behind every door.
The depictions of the hangings...more
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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
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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
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