Criss Cross

Many thanks to NeGalley and Random House for an ARC of this book.

The terrible formatting on this advanced review copy made reading incredibly difficult. So many paragraphs lacked spaces completely, so that all the words ran into one another for line after line, meaning IfirsthadtodecipherwhatthewordswerebeforeIcould read the actual story. (I’m sure my example shows the point!) Annoying, frustrating, and utterly ridiculous. What’s the point of sending out advanced review copies if the reviewers can’t actually read the book?

Okay, rant over on the lack of formatting. Now onto the book itself …

This being a James Patterson novel, I had high hopes. Those hopes were to be dashed upon the rocks of let-down and boredom. It was an okay read, but not one that gripped me or pulled me in or entertained. The plot was predictable. The characters are card-board cut outs and replicas of one another. I didn’t feel any connection to any of them and, thus, couldn’t care less what happened to them. One of the comments in the ‘praise’ section at the front of the book claims that Mr Patterson is the gold standard by which all others are judged. All I can say is, I hope that bar gets raised again and soon. Otherwise we’re all in trouble.

It gets two stars from me.

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! An okay read. Didnt love it. Didnt hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA Lots of issues with this book.

I love the way James Patterson includes Alex Cross’s family in each of his mysteries. If you don’t like that, you might not like this book, because Nana Mama, wife Bree, and children Jannie and Ali are prominent parts of the narrative as Alex and his friend John Sampson chase one or more serial killers and kidnappers who are out for revenge and to make it look like Alex framed an innocent man who is executed in the early part of the book. Patterson books don’t go stale because he incorporates every modern law-breaking method there is, from the use of crypto-currency and burner phones to disappearing messages on Wickr. Throw in some survivalist hideaways and plastic surgeries and it is hard to figure out who is hiding where. Threats are coming from every direction and strike Alex where he is most vulnerable. What ploy will he invent this time to race against the clock when lives are on the line? Can he stop the mysterious “M”? The ending is vintage Patterson.

I seem to be saying good but … all too often in recent years. Some of my favorite authors are disappointing me: Lee Child, John Grisham, Patricia Cornwall, James Patterson. The body counts, grisly manners of death, far-fetched plots, etc. are really off-putting. In this case (Criss Cross) an implausible plot with too many murder victims to keep track of and a not-so-surprise ending were a waste of time.

I really loved the premise of this one. Alex Cross, whom the world sees as the best detective ever, is forced to look back on his cases, the choices he made, and decide if he did the right things. A villian claiming the moniker of a dead man is rehashing some of Crosses Greatest Hits- or are they his worst mistakes? I liked seeing this more insecure side of Cross, and how his family, friends and even coworkers reacted to him. The premise was outstanding, and I found myself riveted by the story. Now, I will say that the writing was a bit more messy than I am used to from Patterson, and that this is most definitely not the book to choose if you are jumping into the series for the first time. I felt like I loved it more because I had a feel for these characters and that interested me. The idea of a villain targeting Cross… let’s face it, it’s been done. But the way this M did it was interesting, All the prep work, the thought that went into each crime scene to bring back memories of past cases… I was here for this. Honestly, M might be one of my favorite Patterson villains. For me, this was a five star book.

On the adult content scale, there’s a lot. Language, deeply disturbing violence, substance abuse… this is definitely geared toward the more mature reader. Let’s give it an eight.

The only good thing I can say is this book was a fast read fro me. His stories are getting to be so predictable. No where near the early books. But still I keep hoping and preorder.

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