Triple Cross: (Alex Cross 30)

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One of my all time favourite authors, and he did not disappoint. Alex and John are working the case of a serial killer who kills entire families. They have a clever killer on the run, never leaving any clues. At the same time, Alex's wife, Bree has a top secret case in New York. The Alex Cross books are always full of action and adventure, and with short chapters, they are really hard to stop reading. The plot of Triple Cross has the right amount of suspense, mystery and action, but the ending—while entirely satisfactory—feels somewhat tame compared to the previous volume’s high-adrenaline clash set in the wilderness of Montana. In a welcome move, Patterson gives Bree a large share of the action that gets her close to death more than once, and I wish he keeps the trend going. It seems that Patterson has heeded the request of his fans, including me, to resolve the longstanding mystery of ‘M’, and Triple Cross has Alex getting close to the elusive, seemingly omniscient opponent. alex and samson are up against a killer who murders whole family.... from the parents to the children to the grandparents...all butchered and no rhyme or reason to it....

Over three decades and 30 books, the character of Alex Cross has stood the test of time pretty well. He’s hunted many serial killers. Way too many. He has faced many villains and life-threatening moments. He has done his best to keep his family safe and support them. He has grown and changed in many ways, but his ethical and moral compass has remained true and strong, a prime example and model for doing good, no matter what the situation is. Some of his adventures have been really good, some okay, and a few not so great, but that’s par for the course.Patterson has, over almost three decades, built a stellar cast of characters in this series and all he needs to do is concoct plots and situations to challenge those, which he does supremely well in Triple Cross. It is always a pleasure to reconnect with Alex and his friends and family, including the dream grandmother—Nana mama. The new characters, especially NYPD detective Rosella Salazar and fashion designer Phillip Henry Luster—both part of Bree’s story—are well-crafted too and deserve another appearance or two. As usual, Patterson seasons the thrilling tale with the delightful happenings in Alex’s family, from Nana mama’s delectable dinners to the exploits of Alex’s kids—this time the athletic prowess of his daughter Jannie. As of November 2021, there are 29 books in the Alex Cross series. The series has remained a fixture on top book lists, with new editions of Alex Cross books continuing to be eagerly awaited by fans of detective fiction. While Alex continues his homicide investigation wife Bree is investigating the alleged murky secrets of a Fashion icon. When a mysterious serial killer known as "M" launches a deranged "investigation", Alex Cross and his partner must unearth long-forgotten secrets to survive -- or risk getting buried themselves. The narrative flips between the entirely separate cases that Cross and Stone are investigating, with occasional contributions from the Family Man and Tull’s researcher. Both cases are somewhat intriguing, although the blurb “a serial killer who’s murdering entire families—and who will next be coming for Cross” is quite misleading. Targeting of Cross’s own family has been done rather too many times already, but not this time.

One additional complaint. The other members of Cross’s family seem to be aging—a bit slowly, but the children are growing older on a delayed time span. However, Nana Mama appears to be the same age as she was when the series started almost 30 years ago. She must be 110 now, but Patterson seems to want to keep her around 90, because were she to die, Alex Cross might actually have to show some emotional development. And to make matters worse, Alex’s and Bree’s investigations may be connected somehow to a mysterious organization known as Maestro and its leader who calls himself M. The same organization that has taunted and haunted them before with text messages and even tried to killed them multiple times when their worked interfered with their operations. Quite some suspension of disbelief is required to accept that a professional like Bree Stone would make such a mess of a covert operation, and her cavalier attitude to involving a civilian in a potentially dangerous situation. The resolution of that case comes out of left field and leads right into a teaser for the next book. Inevitably, there are a few points where the reader needs to suspend disbelief, particularly where the lead couple’s cases intersect. And, probably due to having two cases running simultaneously, the final reveal of the Family Man’s identity and the motive behind the chilling murders was not as impactful as I had expected. However, Patterson makes up for the shortcomings by closing Triple Cross on a nail-biting note with the exciting possibility of a face-off between M and Alex in the oncoming episode. Simple language, short chapters, crisp dialogues and vivid descriptions make Triple Cross a rapid, riveting read, and it is not to be missed by the fans of this splendid series and any other reader looking for all-round entertainment.There’s a link between the two cases which helps them solve them but a revelation at the end blows everything else into the water. James Patterson is said to be the world’s most popular author with sales in excess of 400 million. I can understand why. He is a master of his craft. Using simple words and phrases that anyone can understand, and hooks at the end of every chapter, the pace rattles along so no sooner have you started to read than you find yourself at the end.