Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
New York : Little, Brown and Company, [2016]
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Thriller. HTML:For Alex Cross, the toughest cases hit close to home-and in this deadly thrill ride, he's trying to solve the most personal mystery of his life. When his cousin is accused of a heinous crime, Alex Cross returns to his North Carolina hometown for the first time in over three decades. As he tries to prove his cousin's innocence in a town where everyone seems to be on the take, Cross unearths a family secret that forces him to question everything he's ever known. Chasing a ghost he believed was long dead, Cross gets pulled into a case that has local cops scratching their heads and needing his help: a grisly string of socialite murders. Now he's hot on the trail of both a brutal killer, and the truth about his own past-and the answers he finds might be fatal.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
Cross Justice, James Patterson, author; Ruben Santiago-Hudson, narrator
At first, when the narrator starts reading, it is a bit off-putting. His voice almost lulls the reader into a trance, but then, as the story develops, it picks up a cadence and tone that keeps the reader enthralled and wide
When the book opens, there is a beautiful woman named Coco in a Palm Beach mansion. She is selecting clothes and jewelry from the closet of the woman she has just murdered. She shows no remorse for the crime, but rather thinks she was justified in performing her heinous act. Coco is a cross dresser, a man, who in that moment of time truly believes he is a woman.
At the same time as this occurs, Dr. Alex Cross, his wife Bree, their son and daughter are in a car on their way to Starksville, North Carolina. Alex has not returned to see his family there in decades. He has few memories of his life there, and some of those that he has are distorted. Alex and Bree are both detectives with the Washington DC metro police. Recently, they have suffered through some trying times, and this trip, taking Alex back to his roots, is supposed to help them recover from that stress. Making matters a bit more complicated for them is the fact that their cousin Stefan has recently been arrested. He has been accused of drugging and raping a young female high school student and of an even more serious crime, the horribly brutal rape and murder of a young male high school student. Both victims were students in the school in which he was a teacher, and the evidence has mounted up against him. Stefan insists he has been framed. Alex and Bree agree to keep an open mind and work together with Naomi, their niece, who is the lawyer defending Stefan, to see if they can find out if he is telling the truth about his innocence. Starksville’s history is not unblemished. There is racial tension and a questionable justice system.
During their stay in Starksville attempts are made on their lives, attempts are made to frame their daughter and Alex learns devastating secrets about his family that turn his life upside down, drastically altering all of the ideas he had previously held about his mother and father. When Alex learns that his father did not die in North Carolina, but actually, unknown to all but an uncle, had moved to a town in Florida where he eventually killed himself, Alex decided to travel there to see what he could discover about that part of his father’s life. He flew into Palm Beach and opportunely became involved in, and assisted in, the investigation of the murders committed by Coco, the above cross dresser. Meeting the detectives in charge of that case, as he pursued information on his father’s last days, eventually proved invaluable to him in his investigation into the crimes committed in Starksville.
As this story proceeds, the reader will no doubt wonder how both of these cases are related, if they are at all. The many sub plots in this well constructed mystery are knitted together so logically that the narrative does not get confusing, but rather it gets more and more suspenseful. Slowly, the hidden lives and secrets of many of the characters come to light, and the connections between Palm Beach and Starksville will shock the reader as the crimes are solved.
Take this book on an airplane, to the beach, to a bench in the park; listen to it in the car as you drive. Allow yourself to be swept away into the world of a really creative mystery with a conclusion you will never guess!
At first, when the narrator starts reading, it is a bit off-putting. His voice almost lulls the reader into a trance, but then, as the story develops, it picks up a cadence and tone that keeps the reader enthralled and wide
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awake. Each character has a distinct voice and personality. This book has a similar plot line to the recent book by Michael Connelly, which also has a similar title, “The Crossing”. There is a criminal who insists he is falsely accused and law enforcement is corrupt; drugs, rape and murder are afoot. Then the storyline veers in an entirely different direction. If you liked “The Crossing”, you will probably also like this book and vice versa.When the book opens, there is a beautiful woman named Coco in a Palm Beach mansion. She is selecting clothes and jewelry from the closet of the woman she has just murdered. She shows no remorse for the crime, but rather thinks she was justified in performing her heinous act. Coco is a cross dresser, a man, who in that moment of time truly believes he is a woman.
At the same time as this occurs, Dr. Alex Cross, his wife Bree, their son and daughter are in a car on their way to Starksville, North Carolina. Alex has not returned to see his family there in decades. He has few memories of his life there, and some of those that he has are distorted. Alex and Bree are both detectives with the Washington DC metro police. Recently, they have suffered through some trying times, and this trip, taking Alex back to his roots, is supposed to help them recover from that stress. Making matters a bit more complicated for them is the fact that their cousin Stefan has recently been arrested. He has been accused of drugging and raping a young female high school student and of an even more serious crime, the horribly brutal rape and murder of a young male high school student. Both victims were students in the school in which he was a teacher, and the evidence has mounted up against him. Stefan insists he has been framed. Alex and Bree agree to keep an open mind and work together with Naomi, their niece, who is the lawyer defending Stefan, to see if they can find out if he is telling the truth about his innocence. Starksville’s history is not unblemished. There is racial tension and a questionable justice system.
During their stay in Starksville attempts are made on their lives, attempts are made to frame their daughter and Alex learns devastating secrets about his family that turn his life upside down, drastically altering all of the ideas he had previously held about his mother and father. When Alex learns that his father did not die in North Carolina, but actually, unknown to all but an uncle, had moved to a town in Florida where he eventually killed himself, Alex decided to travel there to see what he could discover about that part of his father’s life. He flew into Palm Beach and opportunely became involved in, and assisted in, the investigation of the murders committed by Coco, the above cross dresser. Meeting the detectives in charge of that case, as he pursued information on his father’s last days, eventually proved invaluable to him in his investigation into the crimes committed in Starksville.
As this story proceeds, the reader will no doubt wonder how both of these cases are related, if they are at all. The many sub plots in this well constructed mystery are knitted together so logically that the narrative does not get confusing, but rather it gets more and more suspenseful. Slowly, the hidden lives and secrets of many of the characters come to light, and the connections between Palm Beach and Starksville will shock the reader as the crimes are solved.
Take this book on an airplane, to the beach, to a bench in the park; listen to it in the car as you drive. Allow yourself to be swept away into the world of a really creative mystery with a conclusion you will never guess!
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LibraryThing member Berly
Alex Cross is my new favorite detective! I think Cross is the only detective I know who has a happily-married-with-kids background. Wife, Bree, and his two kids, Jannie and Ali, and the amazing Nana Mama, his grandmother, all trek down to North Carolina where Cross must try to get his cousin off
And... This is a two-for-one mystery, well, actually a three-for-one mystery! This book reveals deep, dark secrets from Cross' childhood. And while digging deeper into his past, Cross travels to Florida where he stumbles upon a mysterious ring of socialite murders. That's three mysteries! Humorous, intriguing, fast-paced with several close calls as people try to get rid of Cross and avoid getting caught. Totally recommended.
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the hook for a grisly murder. I have missed a few installments and will have to go back and find them: because I like Cross and Bree so much, but it was just fine to read this out of order. And... This is a two-for-one mystery, well, actually a three-for-one mystery! This book reveals deep, dark secrets from Cross' childhood. And while digging deeper into his past, Cross travels to Florida where he stumbles upon a mysterious ring of socialite murders. That's three mysteries! Humorous, intriguing, fast-paced with several close calls as people try to get rid of Cross and avoid getting caught. Totally recommended.
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LibraryThing member finallycj
It's James Patterson. What more can I say ?? A great read that makes you feel you know the characters like family and friends.
LibraryThing member ebrahmstadt
It'a been a few years since I've read a Cross book, and as expected, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Alex goes back to his roots in NC and is helping investigate his nephew's rape/murder case. Several unexpected twists here, as we tend to get from these Cross novels. Great read.
LibraryThing member joannemonck
Haven't read an Alex Cross novel in years. This was a good one and keep my interest.
LibraryThing member Nataliec7
Fabulous, just fabulous. This is the last book that I have of this series and it just got good again, like - really good.
This is actually the best book in the latter part of the series.
Alex's cousin is accused of raping and murdering a young man and is on trial. Alex has to return to his hometown
Then there is big family secret that comes out at the end. This book deserves a read. I just loved it!
This is actually the best book in the latter part of the series.
Alex's cousin is accused of raping and murdering a young man and is on trial. Alex has to return to his hometown
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to try and prove his cousins innocence. The whole family return and its been 30 years since they have been back. As per usual, Alex and Bree get totally caught up in the case and end up in danger at times.Then there is big family secret that comes out at the end. This book deserves a read. I just loved it!
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LibraryThing member Carolee888
I have a bone to pick with the person who decided that it was alright to begin the first CD with a long preview of an upcoming book. With CDs, it is impossible to skip ahead to where the real book starts so I listened for a while and then it run until it got to Cross Justice by James Patterson. At
At the beginning of the story, Alex Cross, his wife, Bree, Nana Mama and his two children are with him on a trip to his hometown, Starkesville, North Carolina. His cousin, a gym teacher has been of torturing and killing one of his students. He wants to get at the truth and also find out the full story of what really happened to his parents and led to his adoption by Nana Mama.
I have read books from this series before but not lately so I wasn't familiar with any of his family members. At the beginning there were quite a few characters introduces and I got confused with the characters in the preview in the other book. Also the reader laid on the Southern accent so thickly that it came off as false in the beginning. I did enjoy learning about Alex Cross's childhood and the mystery that connected with his cousin. Later the confusion seemed to calm down and I enjoyed the courtroom scenes.
To me, as soon as the author stopped introducing new characters, the story got better. I also enjoyed the sound effects. The pace picked up and the story got more enthralling on the last CD.
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the end of the story, most of the last CD covered another long preview! I don't mind the one at the end so much as the preview at the beginning. Because of that I have decided to never listen to another book on CD by James Patterson. At the beginning of the story, Alex Cross, his wife, Bree, Nana Mama and his two children are with him on a trip to his hometown, Starkesville, North Carolina. His cousin, a gym teacher has been of torturing and killing one of his students. He wants to get at the truth and also find out the full story of what really happened to his parents and led to his adoption by Nana Mama.
I have read books from this series before but not lately so I wasn't familiar with any of his family members. At the beginning there were quite a few characters introduces and I got confused with the characters in the preview in the other book. Also the reader laid on the Southern accent so thickly that it came off as false in the beginning. I did enjoy learning about Alex Cross's childhood and the mystery that connected with his cousin. Later the confusion seemed to calm down and I enjoyed the courtroom scenes.
To me, as soon as the author stopped introducing new characters, the story got better. I also enjoyed the sound effects. The pace picked up and the story got more enthralling on the last CD.
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LibraryThing member buffalogr
Everyone in the family heads for Starkesville, NC...out of character for the Cross' family and really unnecessary for the plot. The characters are some we've not met before; some, we hope remain in subsequent episodes. The book reveals deep secrets from Alex's childhood....one wondered? Plot wise,
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there's about three going on and it's often hard to keep them separate. Show me the next in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member Carlathelibrarian
I really enjoyed this Alex Cross book. Alex heads off to his birth town to help out his cousin who is accused of horrendous crimes. While he is there, some information about his parents deaths comes to light. In the previous books, his parents are not really mentioned so this story was very
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interesting to me and gave some dimension to Alex and Nanna. Jannie is training with some University students and suddenly is accused of using drugs. While all this is going on there is another spate of murders happening in Palm Beach Florida that Alex gets mixed up in when he searches for information about his father. These multiple story lines all fit together extremely well in the conclusion of this book. I enjoyed it very much. Show Less
LibraryThing member rmarcin
Alex goes home to NC where he was born, and where his niece Naomi is now a lawyer. I believe she first appeared in Kiss the Girls, the first Alex Cross novel. I thought this story was a little too neat, with all the loose ends tied up neatly. Is this the final Cross book?
LibraryThing member PaulaGalvan
Excellent book! Alex Cross, with his wife, Bree, Nana Mama, and his kids, decides to take a long overdue trip back to his roots. Visiting Starksville, North Carolina was supposed to be a vacation after their narrowly escaped death at the hands of a demented madman named Thierry Mulch months before.
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Still, Alex also wants to help his cousin, Stefan Tate, who is on trial for his life. The story takes us back to Alex's roots, where we glimpse his childhood and Nana Mama's tumultuous background. The plot is gripping as the author alternates between the murder trial and another Palm Beach, Florida, case. Just as you're beginning to wonder how these two cases relate to the Cross family, there's a huge surprise twist you will not see coming. This edition of the Alex Cross series is packed with action, suspense, and emotion—another winner from Mr. Patterson. Show Less
LibraryThing member amalficoast
I have yet to read a bad Alex Cross book by James Patterson. This one I really enjoyed. Stayed up too late to finish it.
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — Thriller/Suspense — 2017)
Language
Original publication date
2015
Physical description
395 p.; 25 inches
ISBN
0316407046 / 9780316407045
Other editions
Cross justice by James Patterson (Ebook)