James Patterson’s Cross Country is full of action, conspiracies, and danger. Detective Dr. Alex Cross is called to the scene of a horrific murder of an entire family when Cross realizes that Ellie Cox was his first love in college. Her death and that of her family tug at his heartstrings and strengthen his resolve to find her killers.
As he investigates the crime, he discovers a gang of boys led by a man calling himself the Tiger is behind the murders and much more.
“The boy was eleven years old and fearless as a crocodile in a muddy river. He raised his pistol much larger than his own hand and fired it into the shivering father’s forehead.” (Page 5)
Through short chapters and quick action scenes, Patterson builds the tension in Cross Country, leaving readers on the edge of their chairs as Cross hunts down another vile criminal who recruits boys as young as ten who have been orphaned in a number of African nations to become killers. Traveling to Nigeria, where it is clear Cross has not seen as much horror as he thought he had, the detective lands in hot water with local police and a swath of criminals.
“I shook off whoever was on my right arm and swung at whoever had my left. None of them was stronger than me, but collectively they were like fly paper covering every inch of my body. I fought even harder, fighting for my life, I knew.” (Page 183)
Patterson is an excellent story teller, and Cross Country has more violence in it than the previous Cross novels. Readers may be disturbed by the sexual violence and blatant murders committed by the criminals in this novel. Additionally, the resolution of this novel comes about more because of luck or circumstance than because of Dr. Cross’s deductive skills, which readers traditionally look forward to in these novels. However, those looking for a great police procedural with a mix of nearly impossible overseas intrigue, Cross Country is for them.
For another take on Cross Country, visit my mom’s review. Also take a look at Washington, D.C., and my Alex Cross poem. Check out the other bloggers posting for Detectives Around the World Week. Thanks to Hachette Books for providing me with a free review copy.
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Also don’t forget about today’s stops on the National Poetry Month Blog Tour at the life (and lies) of an inanimate flying object, her giveaway, and Evelyn Alfred.
This is my 5th book for the 2010 Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge.
James Patterson
When multiple homicides occur, Cross often is briefed at the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters in the Henry J. Daly Building, which was named after Sgt. Henry “Hank” Daly. He also often runs into the FBI at Quantico and elsewhere. Cross has crisscrossed the United States a number of times, but now he’s even traversed the ocean.
After reading a number of these novels, I think Washington, D.C., is an excellent location to have as a home base. The city has a high crime rate and is the home of espionage and more, but in 
