Cross Country by James Patterson

Cross Country by James Patterson is a recent novel of the “Alex Cross” series.  I had never read a novel from this series until I came across this one, but have heard a lot of good things about the series and of all the novels written by James Patterson.

The first thing I really appreciate about this novel is the fact that I didn’t have to read the previous novel of this series to understand what is going on.  I was able to jump right into the story without getting the feeling that I was missing something.

The novel starts with the lead character, Alex Cross, investigating brutal murders of two families in Washington D.C. one of the victims is Alex’s college sweetheart.  The investigation becomes more and more personal, while more murders of similar fashion occur.  This takes Alex to Africa in pursuit of the heartless killer… but things quickly turn for the worse.

This novel explores the brutality, corruption, and instability in Africa.  It provides the reader with a realistic representation of certain regions of Africa, but at the same time it presents a more human perspective.  When reading this novel I was constantly reminded of the movie “Blood Diamond”, the difference being that this novel more gruesomely follows a much more depressing plot.

Cross Country is an intense experience for any reader that can handle it, but I believe that it’s intended for readers above the age of 14.  This is another great novel and I give it a 4.5/5.