I, Alex Cross by James Patterson (pp. 400)

One of the better Patterson offerings in the Alex Cross series. From the start a page turner, which is typical for Patterson’s writing style. Here we get, the brutal murder of his estranged niece. Cross takes on the case and runs into a government cover up that goes to the highest levels of the White House.

Of course, you get the gruesome serial killers, the attempts and threats of the Cross family, multiple players who are trying to cover their tracks and the high-drama of smart, moneyed men who feel like they can do anything with their exceeding power.

This is the 16th installment of the series. Some of his novels feel like he’s phoning in chapters of fluff wasting the reader’s time. This one has a much more even and solid plot development – making for a much better read that’s reminiscent of his earliest works. There wasn’t a lot of (badly written) extraneous sex scenes or relationships with family members that don’t establish anything new about a character we’ve gotten to know pretty well in the last 15 installments.

Overall, very readable for Patterson and the genre. Hopefully Patterson’s prolific publishing won’t dilute his signature character in future installments.