Title: Kill Alex Cross (Alex Cross #18)
Author: James Patterson
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Format: Paperback
Date of Publication: May 24th 2012
Publisher: Arrow
ISBN13: 9780099570769
Detective Alex Cross is one of the first on the scene of the biggest case he’s ever been part of. The President’s son and daughter have been abducted from their school – an impossible crime, but somehow the kidnapper has done it. Alex does everything he can but is shunted to the fringes of the investigation. Someone powerful doesn’t want Cross too close.
A deadly contagion in the DC water supply threatens to cripple the capital, and Alex sees the looming shape of the most devastating attack the United States has ever experienced. He is already working flat-out on the abduction, and this massive assault pushes Cross completely over the edge.
With each hour that passes, the chance of finding the children alive diminishes. In an emotional private meeting, the First Lady asks Alex to please save her kids. But even the highest security clearance doesn’t get him any closer to the kidnapper – and Alex makes a desperate decision that goes against everything he believes in.
Kill Alex Cross is the prefect choice if you want a quick read. Here, we have two cases going on simultaneously. Though the attention is more towards solving the kidnapping case, the terrorism plot doesn’t lack substance. The book is beautifully paced, and the short chapters made me to keep going on reading. Plus, I didn’t find any dull moment in the book, so that’s a good point. Coming to the characters, Alex Cross as our protagonist was an okay choice. He seemed like a normal police officer. There’s nothing wrong with that but I thought there could be more to his character. The best character I found in this book was Hala, the Saudi Arabian woman, who is on a mission to destroy America. I wanted to know more about her and was excited whenever she entered the scene. The ending of the book provided 50-50 satisfaction. The kidnapping case had a good ending. But the terrorism case … not so much. It was just left hanging. I wish there’s more to that part of the story, and therefore I hope to find it in the books that follow this one. If that’s not the case, then I’ll be disappointed. One major hiccup in the book is the title. The title doesn’t justify the plot. In no way was I worried about Alex’s safety, so I don’t think the title works here. Other than that, the book was a fun read.
Final Verdict –
Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson get 4.5 out of 5 stars from me.