Detective Alex Cross is back and this time on the trail of a gunman who is killing of some of Washington's corrupt politicians. Besides having to stop a killer who some are calling a hero, Alex's one time friend and now most dangerous enemy Kyle Craig is back in D.C.. Kyle has returned to take his revenge on Alex for sending him to prison and this time it's more personal than ever.

In this latest installment in the Alex Cross series, Alex is working homicide in Washington and getting ready to marry his girlfriend and fellow detective Brianna Stone but their plans are put on hold when two corrupt congressmen are killed. The case quickly explodes and when the FBI gets involved, Alex is forced to work with agent Max Siegel who challenges him at ever turn. Else where Kyle Craig, also known as Mastermind, has come up with a plan to take down Alex and all those close to him and finally make Alex suffer for imprisoning him.

I love Alex Cross. While I thank J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood for kicking off my paranormal romance obsession, it was James Patterson that got me really into reading to start with. That being said, this was not my favorite of the series but I thought it was better than the last few released. The book started out scattered. It jumped from one person to the next and was a bit confusing at first. Once the murders and investigation started, things started to come together and it felt like earlier books in the series. We are allowed into the mind of a really great character then are given a chance to see through the murder's eyes and see the story from his perspective. Kyle Craig even comes back in a more prominent role. Kyle is bad to the core and his arrogance is impressive. He really believes he is a genius and artist and that Alex deserves to pay for catching him. I can't help but like villains and to me Kyle is one of my favorites to hate.

But then things start to scatter again. Another murderer with a different agenda is brought in that could have been left out, things fall a little too conveniently in place and the big face to face between Kyle and Alex that has been building up for a few books felt rushed and fell short of my expectations. There was enough suspense and action to keep me going till the end but this was another book that failed to capture everything that got me hooked into reading that the earlier books had. Even with its faults, Cross Fire was better than the last few Alex Cross books and it did capture some of the same spark the first books in the series had. It just didn't hang on to it but it gives me some hope that the next book will improve even more.

Stephanie