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Alex Cross's Trial
(Alex Cross #15)
by
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
...moreGet A Copy
Hardcover, 380 pages
Published
August 24th 2009
by Little, Brown and Company
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Start your review of Alex Cross's Trial (Alex Cross, #15)
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 believe ...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 believe ...more
I actually loved this deviation from the normal Alex Cross series books. The plot was devastating to read about and as a human being seeing that this is how things were handled and discussed about other human beings is shameful and horrendous. I think books that talk of this matter are so helpful to humanity. It reminds us to be better people.
My quick and simple overall: enlightening and interesting.
My quick and simple overall: enlightening and interesting.
For those of you who are fans of Alex Cross (and I am one), this book is a surprise. It is not about the Alex Cross we know and love, but about his ancestors.
I have mixed feelings about this book - it's well written, engaging, and holds you until the end - many of the features I look for when choosing a book. The characters are memorable.
However, the topic - the old South (1906) full of hatred, prejudice, lawlessness, and separation is a bitter pill to swallow. I recognize how far we've come in ...more
I have mixed feelings about this book - it's well written, engaging, and holds you until the end - many of the features I look for when choosing a book. The characters are memorable.
However, the topic - the old South (1906) full of hatred, prejudice, lawlessness, and separation is a bitter pill to swallow. I recognize how far we've come in ...more
Jan 12, 2021
Rob
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2021-reads,
historical-fiction
Book 15 in the Alex Cross series published 2009.
3 stars
This is fairly entertaining read from the JP factory but for the life of me I can’t understand why it is apart of the Alex Cross franchise.
Given that the story is about racial emancipation in the southern states of America in the early nineteen hundreds long before Alex Cross was even a twinkle in JP’s eye.
The only connection To Alex Cross is a character by the name of Abraham Cross, Alex’s great grandfather. But this character could have be ...more
I've been meaning to read from the Alex Cross series for awhile now (ever since the corresponding movie/series came to Netflix), but haven't for reasons. So now I have, even though it is a book that is not part of the main timeline.
This book takes us back to Alex's ancestor, Abraham, who is not the main character. In the early 1900s people of color were free from slavery, but not from segregation and prejudice....or lynchings. Our main character, Ben Corbett, is sent on a mission to Mississippi, ...more
This book takes us back to Alex's ancestor, Abraham, who is not the main character. In the early 1900s people of color were free from slavery, but not from segregation and prejudice....or lynchings. Our main character, Ben Corbett, is sent on a mission to Mississippi, ...more
I have read many, many of James Patterson's books -- and have enjoyed every one of them. However, this book is by far the best book that he has written, and should be read by even those who are not familiar with his books and characters.
It is a different type of book altogether, and is written from the viewpoint of Alex Cross, his protagonist in so many novels. It is also a historical-type book, in that it is the story of an event which took place in Alex Cross's family long before he was born. ...more
It is a different type of book altogether, and is written from the viewpoint of Alex Cross, his protagonist in so many novels. It is also a historical-type book, in that it is the story of an event which took place in Alex Cross's family long before he was born. ...more
Patterson tries to write about a very real, very serious, and very horrifying period in history - lynchings in the early 1900s in the Southern United States. Instead, Patterson writes one of the worst books that I have ever had the misfortune of reading.
This book is filled with so many tropes and caricatures that it is damn near laughable, and is written in a manner so pedestrian, that I'm willing to put money on it that the Twilight books (which I have not read) were written better. The writin ...more
This book is filled with so many tropes and caricatures that it is damn near laughable, and is written in a manner so pedestrian, that I'm willing to put money on it that the Twilight books (which I have not read) were written better. The writin ...more
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
Not about Alex Cross, just a story of a family member in times of extreme racism.
Not for me.
Not for me.
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
This book sort of threw me for a loop because it's not about Alex. It's about his ancestors. Which don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book at all but it's really hard to write out this review.
In Alex Cross's Trial, Patterson talks about the old south where Racism is alive and kicking and no one knows what the hell "equality" means. The main character in this book, Ben Corbett, arrives back to his hometown in Mississippi after six years of being away. Ben goes through hate-filled assaults from pe ...more
In Alex Cross's Trial, Patterson talks about the old south where Racism is alive and kicking and no one knows what the hell "equality" means. The main character in this book, Ben Corbett, arrives back to his hometown in Mississippi after six years of being away. Ben goes through hate-filled assaults from pe ...more
Another disappointment from Patterson. Although this story starts out as a compelling, though heartwrenching read,the ending once again is slapped together in a rushed and highly implausible finale. The main character gets on a high horse, crusades all around town stirring up the citizens, who have proven themselves murderous, callous, white supremacist, and then says adios, and heads back to his safe lily white world, leaving the black family he befriended and all the other black citizens on th
...more
I really liked this book. I enjoy Patterson books in general, but this one, I feel, is one of his better works. Patterson and Dilallo keep you on the edge of your seat with events and fully involved in the characters. They point out the human frailties of fear and feeling of safety in packs, ego and the use of any means (or any one) to better ones self image, greed and discrimination and all the other things the human animal clearly shows as normal traits. The most dangerous animal walks on two
...more
Aug 24, 2015
❆ Crystal ❆
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
g-crime-mystery-thriller,
library
1 pathetic star. This is book 15 in a MODERN crime, mystery series. This book isn't about Alex Cross's Trial. It isn't about Alex Cross at all. It's about hate in Mississippi in the early 1900's. I thought it was poorly written and it doesn't belong in this series. I didn't enjoy even 1 small part of this book. Horrible is the best word to describe.
...more
This is a Mystery/Thriller, and this is the 15th book in the Alex Cross series. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I could not put this book down. (*)
Alex Cross’s Trial by James Patterson & Richard Dilallo delivers an incredible, yet alarming story. The setting is early 1900’s, during the era of President Theodore Roosevelt. Ben Corbett is a young lawyer who does not take on the big money cases, choosing to fight against oppression and racism instead. The President asks Ben to probe into some nasty rumours about what the outlawed Ku Klux Klan is up to in the Deep South, Ben having been born and raised in Eudora, Mississippi. He is told to loo
...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
At last, Patterson has redeemed himself in my eyes. For too long he has cranked out book after book full of fill-in-the-blank story lines. The names and scenery would change, but the story remained the same. It had gotten to the point where I could figure out "who done it" within the first five chapters of any of his books. But this book? This book here? The master storyteller is back!
Titled Alex Cross's Trial, don't be fooled. Alex Cross is briefly mentioned in the first two pages, but the stor ...more
Titled Alex Cross's Trial, don't be fooled. Alex Cross is briefly mentioned in the first two pages, but the stor ...more
Alex Cross's TRIAL
Early 20th century, Theodore Roosevelt President, the Klan in Mississippi, and trouble comes knocking for one Washington attorney - 30 year old Ben Corbett a young family man who must leave his wife and two daughters at the bequest of the President. Who can say no to the President? This story of tough times opens our eyes to the mood of the south and the struggles of those who lived through it all. An exciting, gruesome thriller indeed just as we have come to expect from James ...more
Early 20th century, Theodore Roosevelt President, the Klan in Mississippi, and trouble comes knocking for one Washington attorney - 30 year old Ben Corbett a young family man who must leave his wife and two daughters at the bequest of the President. Who can say no to the President? This story of tough times opens our eyes to the mood of the south and the struggles of those who lived through it all. An exciting, gruesome thriller indeed just as we have come to expect from James ...more
This book was wonderfully gruesome. It really made me consider what black people went through only a couple of decades ago. No wonder so many people are still angry about discrimination that may not have happened directly to them. I would still be angry too if my family were treated in such horrible ways.
Story about racism in the south.
Set in 1903 Mississippi attorney Ben Corbett has been sent by President Teddy Roosevelt to investigate the stories of lynchings. He soon comes in conflict with the Ku Klux Klan and his very life is endangered as he can trust no one.
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
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
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
Wow! I really was setting myself up to go through one more of the Alex Cross series. It seems like it's about tapped out... he's getting way too predictable, and kind of full of himself. But no... this is different. This is written by 'Alex Cross' and is about a family member of his... time is during Teddy Roosevelt's presidency, and takes place in Eudora, Mississippi. All about the color issues of the time... Ku Klux Klan, lynchings, mob rule, etc. Seemed a bit graphic at times... but that may
...more
Wow, this is the best Alex Cross book yet-and it does not even feature Alex Cross:)
This book takes place during in 1907 in Euphora, Mississippi where a white lawyer-Ben Corbett (a well known Washington attorney who takes on charity cases and is known to champion the "colored/negroe" cause)-is sent by President Theodore Roosevelt to his hometown in Mississippi to investigate rumors of escalating Klan lynchings and has him hook with Alex Cross's heroic ancestor Abraham Cross. The story is face pac ...more
This book takes place during in 1907 in Euphora, Mississippi where a white lawyer-Ben Corbett (a well known Washington attorney who takes on charity cases and is known to champion the "colored/negroe" cause)-is sent by President Theodore Roosevelt to his hometown in Mississippi to investigate rumors of escalating Klan lynchings and has him hook with Alex Cross's heroic ancestor Abraham Cross. The story is face pac ...more
Although definitely not what I was expecting, this definitely was a worthwhile read. The story is about lynchings in the early 1900's, and someone who finds the courage to speak up and denounce what is happening. Even though it is a work of fiction, stories like these ones need to be told. We need to understand history in order to not to repeat it. Unfortunately we repeat it all too often, and so little of us have the courage to stand up to the evils in this world. But fortunately some do such a
...more
Though not my favorite Patterson read, I found the historic setting of this story fascinating. The elements of the white attorney Ben Corbett's narrative, the turn of the century hostility toward black Americans, the tension and suspense of lynchings and a trial,, and the characters ancestral to Alex Cross combined to create a narrative I couldn't put down.
...more
Patterson at his best. A unique idea to have a character in your novels write a book. I was captivated by the history woven into the novel and Patterson took me to an earlier time and place in our history.
Thumbs up for this exciting bit of writing.
Thumbs up for this exciting bit of writing.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trying to muddle through | 3 | 15 | Sep 25, 2015 08:25PM |
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ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author and most trusted storyteller. He has created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist writing today, with his Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Private, NYPD Red, Daniel X, Maximum Ride, and Middle School series. He has sold over 380 million books wo ...more
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author and most trusted storyteller. He has created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist writing today, with his Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Private, NYPD Red, Daniel X, Maximum Ride, and Middle School series. He has sold over 380 million books wo ...more
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