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Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross #1)

by James Patterson (Goodreads Author)

3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 · rating details · 125,195 ratings · 1,840 reviews

Along Came a Spider begins with the double kidnapping of the daughter of a famous Hollywood actress and the young son of the secretary of the Treasury. And that's only the beginning! Gary Soneji is a murderous serial kidnapper who wants to commit the crime of the century. Alex Cross is the brilliant homicide detective pitted against him. Jezzie Flanagan is the female super...more

Kindle Edition, 343 pages

Published (first published January 1992)

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Mar 03, 2013 Bilge Kaan Kaya rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alex-cross, detective, serial-killer, mystery, favorites

Bu zamana kadar Polisiye kitaplarda hep kitap boyunca dedektiflerin düşüncelerini okumuştuk.Peki ya katilinde düşüncelerini okuma şansımız olsaydı...
İşte bu kitap bize bu şansı veriyor.Kitap boyunca polisiye olay örgüsünün yanında hem efsane dedektifimiz Alex Cross'un ve onun azılı düşmanı Gary'nin düşüncelerinin yansıtılması gerçekten etkileyiciydi.Bunun yanında kitap hem karekterleri derinlemesine anlatırken hem heycanı hemde gizemini korumasını iyi biliyor.James Patterson'un okuyucuyu yormaya...more

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Dec 07, 2008 Marnie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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Aug 25, 2007 LJ rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, police_procedural, usa, contemporary_post_1945

ALONG CAME A SPIDER (Police Procedural/US/Cont) – Poor
Patterson, James – 1st in series
Warner Books, 1992- Paperback
The daughter of a famous actress and son of the secretary of the Treasury has been kidnapped. The boy's body is found and the kidnapper demands that Detective Alex Cross be the one to deliver the $10M ransom. The money is taken, but the girl is not returned and Alex joins forces with Jezzie Flanagan, the supervisor of the Secret Service, to find the kidnapper.
*** I had some real pro...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Scott Porch rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A reasonably scripted thriller with some cringe-worthy lines that should never have gotten past a high school-educated editor. Alex Cross is a black, working class police detective in Washington, D.C., which was refreshingly different for a hero in a procedural thriller. The story moved along and was not predictable. But that was some crappy writing.

As with the Left Behind series – and, frankly, a lot of other mass-market stuff – the really bad writing was in the short turns of phrases that were...more

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May 27, 2007 stephanie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: trashythrillers, mystery

the first of the alex cross novels, i was very surprised by the characterization of cross. i guess there is a lot of development over time, but the cross that i was introduced to in mary, mary is only like this cross in a peripheral way - reminded me of bad fanfic. if you think trashy thrillers don't deal with the big issues, like race, this proves you wrong - this whole book is about race and interracial romance and the like. in fact, it beats you over the head with it. which - i didn't even re...more

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May 02, 2013 Life Between Coffee Spoons rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Alex Cross remains a wildly popular character, so I took the plunge and read the first in the series. The result was so-so, even trying to keep in mind that this is Cross' introduction. Four stars would be too generous; three stars feels somewhat harsh.

Liked: The only other Patterson I have read ("You've Been Warned") defined badly written. I recognize that was mostly written by the co-author, so I came back to read a "real" Patterson. This had a lot of chapters too, but it didn't feel like it....more

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Mar 20, 2013 Joel Kirk rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Alex Cross is an articulate, educated black man who is a homicide detective Washington D.C. police department. He just needs to be in a better novel.

In this debut novel that features said character, Cross is put on a case to find two, white, wealthy kids abducted from a private school. This bothers him somewhat as he was on a case where two black children are missing, and yet no law officials seem interested.

The villain of the piece is Gary Soneji, who masqueraded as an instructor of the private...more Alex Cross is an articulate, educated black man who is a homicide detective Washington D.C. police department. He just needs to be in a better novel.

In this debut novel that features said character, Cross is put on a case to find two, white, wealthy kids abducted from a private school. This bothers him somewhat as he was on a case where two black children are missing, and yet no law officials seem interested.

The villain of the piece is Gary Soneji, who masqueraded as an instructor of the private school; he is your typical psycho who is also brilliant and wants to be remembered throughout history. (These types of villains showed up a lot in the films of the 1990s).

Cross meets a beautiful, blonde, white FBI agent named Jezzie whom he has a relationship with, and gets serious with...only that he finds out that she (in a confusing plot turn) had something to do with the two abducted white children. She was only faking a relationship with Cross to get police information from him; Jezzie and two other officers (also in a confusing plot turn) somehow took charge of the abducting operation of the private school children.

Cross, in an unrealistic manner, catches Jezzie by going back to an island they traveled to early in the novel, having people placed strategically in places as if he had clairvoyance that Jezzie would 1. Come back with him to the island. 2. They would travel the exact way where his people would be waiting. 3. Jezzie would say exactly what he needed to know in order to have evidence to arrest her, and her cohorts.

Interestingly, Jezzie is the one who is given the death penalty, and Soneji is not....(only hinting from his cell that he will be back). Moreover, it is said that Soneji had something to do with the missing black kids as well!

Now, as aforementioned, I am familiar with the film adaptation of this novel; and, that wasn't an improvement. It was actually worse. Both the film and the novel it was based on is confusing, convoluted, and generic or cliched...not too mention unrealistic with how certain things automatically fall into place, or how the main character has - as aforementioned - plot clairvoyance.

I do plan on reading the next entry, `Kiss the Girls,' and I hope there is an improvement. (less)

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Mar 19, 2013 Bruce Ferraro rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Along Came a Spider. Patterson, James. New York: Warner Books, Inc, December 1993. 494.

Along Came a Spider, a novel by James Patterson, is the first in his crime/suspense series featuring Detective Alex Cross. The book is split into a prologue, the main story, and and an epilogue. The book is fair length with 494 pages. Alex Cross is a forensic psychologist in the Washington D.C. Police force chasing down a crazed kidnapper with the help of a female secret service agent creating a very interesti...more Along Came a Spider. Patterson, James. New York: Warner Books, Inc, December 1993. 494.

Along Came a Spider, a novel by James Patterson, is the first in his crime/suspense series featuring Detective Alex Cross. The book is split into a prologue, the main story, and and an epilogue. The book is fair length with 494 pages. Alex Cross is a forensic psychologist in the Washington D.C. Police force chasing down a crazed kidnapper with the help of a female secret service agent creating a very interesting suspense triangle. The purpose of this book is to keep the reader on the edge of his/her seat throughout most of the book. Patterson entangles love and deception into that will keep your mind twisting and turning just like a spider that came along.

The novel begins with Alex Cross investigating a murder of a black family in D.C. when he is pulled off the case to investigate the kidnapping of two children from very prestigious parents. A math teacher from the school, Gary Soneji, is the kidnapper. Soneji seems to have a multi-personality disorder; he is either known as the psychotic Gary Soneji or the family man Gary Murphy. The FBI is brought on to the case to help the D.C. police. The Secret Service is also helping the investigation because one of the children kidnapped was under Secret Service protection. Jezzie Flanagan, a Secret Service agent, begins a passionate affair with Cross which further creates suspense in the plot.
Overall, Patterson did an excellent job of completing his goal of a top-notch crime thriller. For each chapter, he had one of the main characters like Cross, Flanagan, or Gary talk in first person. This kept Patterson’s bias out of the plot and the reader could really focus on the character’s reactions and thoughts to the events. Patterson also did an amazing job at extending the plot. He did not have the plot unravel over a couple months, but the plot unwound over years in the book. Overall,” I’d rather read this book than watch the Cubs lose.”- Bruce Ferari
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Feb 24, 2013 Angela rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thrillers, in-the-movies, whodunit

I read one of these books years ago, right before a movie came out, and the fact it was series went right over my head. There's never a sense you should automatically remember every single adventure Cross has, and I greatly appreciate that. Some authors recap a little too much, and it takes away from the books. Cross being black also never occurred to me, but it's a fact you can't claim ignorance to with this book. An interracial romance is very prominent, and never distracts from the actual cas...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Ryan Gillespie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone

Recommended to Ryan by: Tami Tabor

Shelves: james-patterson

James Patterson. The man writes a book and you read it. It's plain and simple. He knows how to write a mother-fucking story. This wasn't the first book I read but damn. The dude keeps makin' a brother come back for more. It gets even better when you're reading a book about the REAL OG: Alex Cross.

Short attention span? James Patterson's books come automatically equipped with small chapters.

Enjoy reading before bed? Forget about it. You're laying down in bed, right? HAIL NO. This shit has you on t...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Matthew Esham rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was looking for something a bit different to read and my brother lent me the Alex Cross series.

I couldn't put book 1 down, and have already dug into book 2, breaking one of my own rules about not starting the next novel until I write the review of the one I just finished. But life has been hectic. Oh, well.

On to the story.

Alex Cross is an African-American detective who also has a degree in psychology. He works on the tough streets of D.C. where violent crime is an everyday occurrence.
James...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Solim Civoreb rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ok so I watched the movie starring Morgan Freeman before reading this book which sort of ruined it for me but trust me I learned my lesson. The only thing the movie got right was the name of the characters, and the main theme/plot of the book which was the kidnapping. I could not believe how off the movie was compared to the book, but enough about that. This was probably the most I was engaged into a mystery/thriller/suspense book since I read A Cold Day In Paradise by Steve Hamilton which got m...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Jeph Lewis rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked up this book because the lead character was name-dropped in an episode of Castle. That, I've come to realize, was one of the worst decisions of my young life.

Nathan Fillion plays charismatic ne'er-do-well Billy Blanks in this murder-mystery turned homoerotic romp. Billy and his life-mate Henry "Walter" Geralds decide to start a Children's bookstore that they name after their favorite line from Little Miss Muffet, Along Came a Spider. At ACaS, the two proprietors are constantly labeled a...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Jane Stewart rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-suspense-police-procedural

It was well done, but I wasn’t emotionally consumed.

The plot, the events, and actions were very well done. I was surprised and pleased. The book definitely kept my interest. The main reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because I didn’t smile. I think of Grisham who takes me to the 5 star level. He writes a similar genre, but he makes me smile, either at the intriguing characters, or the “wow that is so exciting” when being chased or trapped or wondering if the hero will survive.

At times I felt im...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Pr Latta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

[eBook - Thank you, Little, Brown and Company, for letting me read this digitally from my library] First in the phenomenally popular Alex Cross (AKA Nursery Rhyme) detective series, this title is now almost 20 years old. The current rage of forensic science makes the actual police work feel very dated and the whole field of technology/communications has changed radically but frankly, it didn't interfere too much with the story. Though Cross is a detective, this feels more like a suspense novel t...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Bonnie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: should-have-stopped-after-ten-pages

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Ugh, I did not enjoy this book.

Please note that this review contains SPOILERS and I pretty much ruin the end of the story for anyone who hasn’t read the book!!!

Every single character in this book is an arrogant jerk, including Alex Cross! In the beginning of the book, Cross and his partner are investigating the murder of a family in one of the poorer neighborhoods’ in Washington D.C. called Southeast. The Mayor pulls them from the murder scene after about 15 minutes of investigation to work a...more Ugh, I did not enjoy this book.

Please note that this review contains SPOILERS and I pretty much ruin the end of the story for anyone who hasn’t read the book!!!

Every single character in this book is an arrogant jerk, including Alex Cross! In the beginning of the book, Cross and his partner are investigating the murder of a family in one of the poorer neighborhoods’ in Washington D.C. called Southeast. The Mayor pulls them from the murder scene after about 15 minutes of investigation to work a kidnapping at a rich private school. Mr. Cross, who has a psychology degree that might prove to be useful in analyzing the motives of the kidnapper and find the kids, is pissed. My question to Mr. Cross: Are you the ONLY detective in the D.C. police force who is capable of solving the Southeast murder case? If so, the D.C. police commissioner really needs to trim the incompetent fat off of their force.

Secondly, I got so sick of reading about how hot Jezzie was. I get it, she's a pretty girl. However, you don't need to remind me every 10 pages of this when you describe yet another "intimate moment" between Alex and Jezzie that says the same thing as the previous 20 “intimate moments.” If you cut about half of the romance scenes and investigations that did not contribute to the actual solving of the case, the book might have been bearable.

Lastly…. James Patterson tells this story from several different perspectives (Alex Cross, Jezzie Flanagan, Gary Soneji/Murphy, and Maggie Rose). However, there are a lot of details that he fails to reveal in order to provide a twist for the reader. Mr. Patterson, if you are going to tell Cross' story in first person, you cannot spring anything he knows later on. It really annoyed me that the author told the story from the psycho’s perspective earlier on and then stopped halfway through the book because Gary Soneji is claiming to be Gary Murphy. I.E. Gary has “multiple personalities.” I don’t know if I, as the reader, was supposed to know that Soneji is full of crap the entire time or really question his sanity. The author also did this from Jezzie’s perspective. He essentially told her back story in the beginning and then her perspective dropped out of the book until the end. I don’t like to be jerked around in a story and prefer the characters be consistent.

I do not recommend this story and cannot understand why the Alex Cross series is so popular. The only positive thing that I can say about this book is that it is well written and the author gives a lot of detail on the characters.

Oh, and it pissed me off that Cross' grandmother, Nana Mama, told him that she doesn't trust white people and that she wanted him to end his relationship with Jezzie. I hate it that she was right about Jezzie because that just supports her racist opinion of white people.(less)

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Jan 28, 2012 Felicia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-read, kindlepurchase2009

What I Loved: This is the first book in the Alex Cross series and it was a fantastic introduction of the Cross Character. I had seen this movie but I don't think I had ever read the book. The case was compelling and the twist (even though I knew it was coming) still kind of caught me off guard. James Patterson truly has a way of sucking you into a story and never quite knowing which way he is going to turn.

What I Liked: The pacing was a little off in this book but with that in mind I liked how e...more

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Dec 19, 2011 Samuel Thrysøe rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having watched the movie quite a while ago and remembering enjoying it, my expectations for the book were quite high. Unfortunately they were not to be met. While the plot is refreshing and catching, the narrative style spoils the experience with a ridiculous amount of one page "chapters" serving only to refresh inactive and docile characters without really fleshing out their feelings and personas.
This reminded me very much of the style in Star Wars 1-3, where George Lucas would often visit a p...more

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Nov 08, 2011 Jonathan Nkangabwa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

James Patterson has created a page turning, murder/kidnapping mystery called Along came A Spider, which will keep its readers actively reading. Readers will travel along with Alex Cross in order to find a psychopathic serial killer who is on the loose and up to no good. The adventure begins in Washington D.C. where Gary Soneji, an extremely intelligent math teacher, who is plotting to pull of the crime of the century by kidnapping the daughter (Maggie Rose) of a movie actress and the son (Shrim...more James Patterson has created a page turning, murder/kidnapping mystery called Along came A Spider, which will keep its readers actively reading. Readers will travel along with Alex Cross in order to find a psychopathic serial killer who is on the loose and up to no good. The adventure begins in Washington D.C. where Gary Soneji, an extremely intelligent math teacher, who is plotting to pull of the crime of the century by kidnapping the daughter (Maggie Rose) of a movie actress and the son (Shrimpie Goldberg) of the Secretary of the Treasury. He is able to kidnap the children, and trick many police officers, secret service men, and others. This is when Alex Cross, famous detective, is put onto the case. He has a Ph.D in psychology and seems best suited to deal with this horrible case. The story is then advanced with a demand for a ransom, body of one of the children, and a love affair between Cross and Jezzie Flanaganis (first female supervisor of the Secret Service) that seems to be very deceiving. Will Alex Cross be able to stop the sinister Soneji from killing his victims? If you really want to find out, you need to read this book!

The book seems to be taken over several years in the Washington D.C. area and has a few main characters. One is Alex Cross, who is the protagonist of the novel. Alex is an African American who is a single father (wife Maria died from a shooting that occurred before the novel) trying to solve his recent kidnapping case. He is a very family oriented man, because there are numerous instances where he has heart to heart interactions with his children, of whom he cares so deeply for. His main goal in the novel of course is to take down the infamous Gary Soneji. Gary is a math teacher at the Washington Day private school. He has a split personality and it is very clear in the book. One part of him is telling him to commit his heinous crimes (calls himself Gary Soneji), while the other side is telling him that he shouldn’t commit anymore horrifying crimes (calls himself Gary Murphy). Gary is a character that must be analyzed in order to get the whole picture of why he does what he does and his motivations. One thing that he really wants is attention, because there was a part in the story where he left a note for the police at a crime scene saying, “I want to be somebody!” The next character is Cross’ lover, Jezzie Flannagan. She is a young woman who falls in love with Alex. This is tragic because she is white and he is black. She handles the racism much better than Alex does.

This was a very good book for one. The reason is that the book always keeps the reader questioning who is responsible for what. The reader will always be guessing as to who had kidnapped the girl and who murdered the teacher. There is so much action and suspense that the reader will not be able to help speeding throughout the chapter in order to get to the next scene. The antagonist of the story can be sympathized with and also un-sympathized with. Gary has two personalities with two extremely different motives. The reader can either see Gary as a trapped man in a killer’s body. Or a killer trapped in an unsuspected civilian’s body. Either way you look at it, this character’s can be analyzed in many other ways. I liked this book and recommend it to others! 4.5 stars for Along came a Spider.
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Oct 21, 2011 Kristensilvermoore rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries

Okay, I was really disappointed by this novel, which I listened to as an audiobook while working on my computer. James Patterson is one of the most popular authors out there, so though I didn’t expect him to be a literary genius, I did expect him to be a good storyteller. I was sorely disappointed.

There were plenty of twists and turns in plot—I’ll give him that—and I did want to continue reading (or rather, listening) to see how everything turned out, but I was unimpressed by his dull, first-pe...more Okay, I was really disappointed by this novel, which I listened to as an audiobook while working on my computer. James Patterson is one of the most popular authors out there, so though I didn’t expect him to be a literary genius, I did expect him to be a good storyteller. I was sorely disappointed.

There were plenty of twists and turns in plot—I’ll give him that—and I did want to continue reading (or rather, listening) to see how everything turned out, but I was unimpressed by his dull, first-person/third person narration, as well as his unremarkable dialogue. I know that this book wasn’t meant to be funny, but there were times in the book that the characters laughed, and I couldn’t help but think, Why are they laughing?! Nothing is even remotely funny in this novel. In day-to-day life, people say amusing things all the time, and since this novel takes place over the span of several years, you would think I might get a chuckle or two from the audiobook, but you would be wrong.

I also wasn’t impressed by the characters in this book. Being inside of Alex Cross’ mind is sooooo boring, no matter what exciting events are going on around him. I also hated Jezzie almost from her introduction into the novel. What kind of name is “Jezzie” anyway? Is it supposed to be short for Jezebel? Who would name their child that? Is that name Patterson’s attempt at a biblical allusion, to somehow give depth to his otherwise straightforward narrative? If so, that’s pretty lame. The character of Soneji/Murphy was probably the most interesting and well-developed, but I think that’s the nature of this kind of character. The only character I felt fond of at all was Sampson, who was the nearest thing to a funny character in the entire book, and he was more cute and endearing than funny.

As to the plot of the novel, there were about ten too many twists and turns, which made it drag for the last half of the book. The pacing of the novel is quite sluggish. By about 2/3 of the way into the novel, I was like, Are you kidding me? Is this novel ever going to end? Patterson definitely doesn’t like loose ends, because he tied up every last one of them, which I found highly annoying rather than satisfying. In some ways, I can see why this novel was made into a movie (though I will never ever watch it). While I was listening to it, I found myself imagining Denzel Washington (circa 1998) as Alex Cross, Katheryn Winnick (from Bones)as Jezzy, Grizz Chapman (from 30 Rock) as Sampson, and Kevin Spacey (circa 1998) as Soneji/Murphy. (As much as I love Morgan Freeman, he was at least 10 years too old for the part of Cross.) I think it was almost written like a movie script, but a script for not a very good movie. I debated between giving this book one or two stars, and I ended up giving it one star, because listening to it on audiobook, I was able to finish it, but I don’t think I would have if I had been reading it.
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Aug 27, 2011 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One thing about library borrowing is that you can check out books that you never would buy. It is actually kind of freeing. And, if there aren't any good books available as ebooks, you can use the opportunity to check out books that you wouldn't have read otherwise. Books such as as Along Came a Spider by James Patterson.

Now, I know that popular fiction is popular for a reason. But these authors who just pump out book after book after book, each book so similar to the last, tend to get tedious....more One thing about library borrowing is that you can check out books that you never would buy. It is actually kind of freeing. And, if there aren't any good books available as ebooks, you can use the opportunity to check out books that you wouldn't have read otherwise. Books such as as Along Came a Spider by James Patterson.

Now, I know that popular fiction is popular for a reason. But these authors who just pump out book after book after book, each book so similar to the last, tend to get tedious. I therefore find myself avoiding these types of books. My favourite books tend to be those that I would pick up in a English Lit class at university, not at a drugstore.

I guess I'm just a snobby elite on the outside. But the reality is... I'll devour a James Patterson book just like anyone else.

At least that is what I learned when I decided to read Along Came a Spider.

I decided to make my first James Patterson novel be one that began a series. So, I put on hold Along Came a Spider, which is the first in the Alex Cross Series, and 1st to Die, from the Women's Murder Club series. I figured that I didn't have nearly enough murder and mystery in my life, so a little bit of that in book form couldn't hurt. Along Came a Spider was the first book to become available.

This book was actually a really great read. It was suspenseful and kept me guessing until the very end. I do admit, I started to pick up on the plot twist pretty early on.

James Patterson wrote an engaging crime novel that keeps the reader questioning. After all the whodunit questions, the reader is faced with a moral question - where do our sympathies lie? Why do I, as a reader, feel differently about one villain than I do about another? Why is one morally reprehensible while the other evokes sympathy? Am I, the reader, condoning terrible behaviour? Am I complicit?

I really love it when a writer is able to do more than just write plot. James Patterson clearly demonstrates that he can write a good story, but when he is able to question the reader's complicity, then I realize that I have read a good book.(less)

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Aug 26, 2011 Elizabeth Noah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have read other Alex Cross books but, finally was able to read the first one in the series. I did like it in that I felt it really gave me the background/indepth that I was looking for in Alex and who he was and why he ticked.

This story does the introduction of Gary Soneji. I have read about him periodically thru out other books in the series. Now I know how he came into the big picture. Nice to know the entire background (so to speak) of Gary and what he means.

The story is based on Gary havin...more

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Apr 24, 2011 Kathleen Hagen added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-audio-books, 2011-mysteries

Along Came a Spider, by James Patterson, b-plus, narrated by charles Turner, produced by Time Warner Audio, downloaded from audible.com.

This is, I believe, the first Alex Cross book, or at least near the beginning of the series. Alex Cross is Black and a detective in Washington D.C. He is also a trained forensic psychologist and sometimes provides profiles or even interviews suspects to help come up with a conclusion. In this case, we have a serial kidnapper and murderer who wants to be consider...more

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Apr 12, 2011 Greg Gountanis rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

James Patterson is one of the most prolific authors of all time, generating a bevy of titles--individually and with multiple collaborators--and constantly extending the boundaries of his brand. Along Came a Spider is Patterson's first novel, and his first in the Detective Alex Cross series.

When a multi-personality killer kidnaps two children from a prestigious day school, the race is on to find them. Enter Alex Cross, part-detective, part-psychologist. Cross must use his wits and at times his p...more

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Mar 23, 2011 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Lovers of Crime Thrillers and Police Procedurals

Shelves: contemporary, suspense, popular-fiction, ultimate-reading-list, fiction, novels

I've read over a half dozen of Patterson's Alex Cross novels, and of those I've read this first one is the best. A lot of the reason I kept reading after this one is the protagonist detective, Alex Cross. He's likable and relatable here. He's a black detective and psychologist in Washington DC. One who doesn't want to leave the old neighborhood and raising two young children with his grandmother having lost his wife. Cross is smart, but most of all, in the first person parts of the novel, he con...more

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Dec 12, 2010 Riccarla Roman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Along Came a Spider" by James Patterson is a great "OMG!" book because that's what you'll say after almost every chapter.

This is the first Alex Cross book and sets up our hero nicely. A widower with two children and a grandmother at home, he is one of an elite squad called in to investigate a double kidnapping at a prestigious Washington D. C. school. Apparently the children have been kidnapped by a teacher but it goes way beyond this. Gary Sonejii is probably one of the most socio/psychopathic...more

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Sep 08, 2010 Matisse rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As a big fan of crime books I've been recommended James Patterson books for a while but have never managed to find the first book of his Alex Cross Series. ( I have to read books in order, it's my little thing.) Finally I found it in a charity shop and soon got down to read it. And it was brilliant! The story was complex and original, as well as the characters.

Alex Cross is not like any other main character I've read before. And that makes this book so good, it's different which is hard when you...more

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Feb 20, 2010 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Patterson fans, people who like thrillers

Recommended to Julie by: Amanda, Holly 1, Meg

Shelves: 2010, action-suspense

Having read several other James Patterson books (from other series), I was interested to see how the first Alex Cross book would compare.

You can definitely tell the difference between this book and the later Pattersons, where he is writing with a co-author and putting out three books a year. This one seemed to have more depth to it and I couldn't blow through it in a day like his more recent works.

I like the character of Alex Cross, but I find him to be volatile and outspoken, sometimes not to h...more

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Feb 07, 2010 Sandra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Snowbound with no power but with Along Came a Spider...this novel was a great way to pass the time.
As with most detective/heroes, Alex comes with an interesting and unbeatable combination of characteristics: he’s black, working class, still lives with the grandma who raised him, is a police detective with a PhD. in psychology from a prestigious school, he’s handsome, and he’s tough. The paper back copy I read had a photo of Morgan Freeman on the cover, which was disconcerting, because while F...more

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Jan 11, 2009 Carrie (envinoveritas) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009

Ah the lure of mass market fiction... I often refer to Patterson novels as "TV for your brain". Page turning, edge of your seat excitement? Yes. Intellectually challenging? Not particularly.

This is the first introduction to character Alex Cross, a DC detective whose differentiating characteristic is his intrinsic morality, love of his children and his doctorate in psychology. A failed attempt in private practice leads him to policework.

Cross lives with his grandmother Nana and 2 young children....more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
the best alex cross book in the series?	38	177	May 14, 2013 03:49am
Best Black Detective of All?	5	24	Apr 28, 2013 11:41pm
How would you compare Cross with Easy Rawlins?	2	10	Apr 27, 2013 10:38am
maria's death	1	11	Apr 19, 2013 07:00am
Why Alex Cross isn't liked	87	294	Apr 16, 2013 02:01pm
Alex Cross Too White?	5	32	Mar 13, 2013 07:39am
Alex Cross Movie	13	78	Feb 18, 2013 03:45am

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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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Quotes from Along Came a Spider

“I never miss a good chance to shut up” — 18 people liked it

“What do you talk about to a murderer, and someone you loved, over a perfect dinner and cocktails? I wanted to know so many things, but I couldn't ask any of the real-questions pounding in my head. Instead, we talked of the coming vacation days, a "plan" for the
here and now in the islands.” — 2 people liked it

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Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross #1)

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