Customer Review(s)
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Not the Best Alex Cross
Comment: I usually love this series, but this book definitely wasn't one of the best.
Too much of the book was spent focusing on Alex's new girlfriend, Wonder Woman. By the end, I was hoping one of the bad guys would throw her off a bridge. She was portrayed as some kind of supercop, but yet she was very unprofessional -- massaging Alex's shoulders during strategy meetings and always managing to find a moment to whisper some suggestive come-on to him. I just couldn't stand her and hope she doesn't last long.
I also found Alex to be very irresponsible in this book. Normally his family comes first. Yet with two different lunatics threatening his family, he did nothing to protect them and thought nothing of jetting off to Montana or a romantic weekend with Wonder Woman, leaving them alone and vulnerable. That's not the Alex I've come to know in previous books.
I also wish we'd get some closure on these same perps over and over and over. How many times can you read about Kyle Craig threatening Alex and his family before you start to realize that nothing is ever going to happen to any of them? That whole story arc was ridiculous, from the great escape to Alex figuring out the Hallmark clue (talk about obscure!) to the ending. How about some fresh crazies for Alex to chase? It would be a welcome change.
Customer Rating: Summary: How Much More Can Patterson and Cross Take?
Comment: Alex Cross has faced some of the most heinous murderers imaginable and this time around he must face two. A new monster has taken center stage as he has made killing a spectacle by murdering his victims in crowded, public places. As if the Audience Killer wasn't enough of a nightmare, it seems the deadly Mastermind (Kyle Craig) himself has escaped from prison and is on the hunt again. Alex Cross has hands full this time and it will take every ounce of skill and luck he can muster to stop these deadly killers.
Double Cross is certainly not the best Alex Cross novel James Patterson has written, but there is still plenty here to satisfy his rabid fans. Alex Cross himself is Patterson's most intriguing and beloved character and once again you can't help but find yourself immersed in his passion for justice. The tension Cross feels between family and duty always adds a dose of relevancy to the story drawing us even further in. The villains here are as nasty as ever, and the Audience Killer murder scenes are especially frightening and disturbing. Kyle Craig's return at first felt like a bit of a stretch to me, but I was surprised at how much I bought into this plot element as the story progressed.
As this series continues on I can't help but wonder how much more both Alex Cross and James Patterson can take. Admittedly, Patterson always finds a way to bring me back and I'm eager once again for the next installment. Let's just hope Patterson can continue to find ways to breathe new life into this fan favorite character.
Customer Rating: Summary: Severe lack of plot and twists to keep you going...
Comment: Let me first say that I am usually a big James Patterson fan. Judge & Jury, Lifeguard, and The Quickie were much, much better than this, simply because of the plot developments and unexpected twists. This novel can essentially be summed up by the following outline.
Murder
Detectives are clueless
Murder
Detectives continue to be clueless
Murder
Detectives still have absolutely no leads and keep talking about how they have no leads
Murder
Detectives get an obscure lead that turns out to essentially be crap
Detectives are captured themselves
Detectives escape, capture one bad guy, allow the other bad guy to escape.
THE END
What turned me off about this book that usually keeps me going in the other novels is the lack of plot and suspense. The fact that the detectives have no leads or clues at all for about 90% of the book just leaves me bored! For something like that, Judge & Jury is definitely the way to go, a 5-Star!
Thanks for reading my review!
