James Patterson is a prolific writer - he has the ability to make you "see" the events of his novels as they unfold. And, his Alex Cross character is by far one of my favorites, so I was looking forward to sinking my teeth in this next installment.

I was a bit disappointed, however. Although Patterson did a great job of keeping my interest throughout the book, I found that the ending left a lot to be desired. He wrapped things up too quickly and too neatly for my taste. In addition, based on the ending, [SPOILER ALERT HERE], I expected to see greater decline in Kyle Craig's personality and sanity. That just didn't happen, making the "big finish" at the end of the book unconvincing and unbelievable.

I really enjoy Patterson's books, but I think he is beginning to just crank them out and I find myself continually disappointed in some of his recent works. I would much prefer that he take time to really focus on character development and write and publish fewer books each year.