L Reads Alex Cross #12: Cross

Having reached a dozen Alex Cross books, James Patterson branches off from his childhood rhyme titles with Cross, a book that finally allows the titular detective to catch his wife’s killer.  It’s a good book, still corny in parts, but finally I’m seeing some decent writing in this series and it’s a pleasure.

 

The book opens in 1993, the last days of Maria Cross’ life, as she’s brutally gunned down in the streets of Southeast Washington.  At the time, Alex has little realization that the mob hitman, “The Butcher”, who he’s trying to catch, is directly responsible for Maria’s death.  

 

Fast forward eleven years.  Alex has finally quit the FBI, opening up his own psychotherapy practice, though agreeing to consult occasionally for the Washington PD and the FBI.  Nana Momma and the kids have finally had enough of his absentee parenting and putting himself in constant danger.  It’s a nice change from the constant whining that permeated the previous books as Cross tried to decide to stay a cop or find another line of work.  One of the cases he’s handed is that of a serial rapist, whose identity is finally revealed to be The Butcher.  Teaming up with his former WPD partner, John Sampson, Cross is hot on the trail, slowly unearthing more and more details of this depraved rapist and killer, and quickly realizing the trail leads back to his wife, Maria.

 

For me, this book was a breath of fresh air.  Lots of loose ends in Cross’ past are finally getting tied up into neat little bows.  Hopefully in subsequent books, Cross can move forward with his life and begin to grow as a character.  I think that lack of growth is what has irritated me the most with this series.  This twelfth book, Cross, gives me hope.

 

Till next time, happy reading!

L

 

 

L Finishes up the Hunger Games Trilogy with Mockingjay

I am so irked at this series right now I could spit!

 

Warning:  Contains SPOILERS!!!

 

To give the book justice, I wasn’t really in the mood to read Mockingjay, but as it was already a week overdue at the public library, I figured I’d better read it now, or return it and wait a few months for my name to hit the top of the hold list again.  Considering how ambivalent I’ve been about the series, that was probably a mistake.

 

I was looking forward to this final novel in the trilogy, hoping to finally see the Capital fall and Katniss Everdeen and her friends and family triumph.  It’s blatant good vs evil territory, after all.  So when the book opens to find Katniss firmly entrenched in District 13 and part of the rebel plot to overthrow the Capital, I had some hopes.  Quite obviously, she’s expected to transform into the Mockingjay and become the face of the rebellion, helping 13 rally the districts in the war against the Capital.  She agrees to do this but has some conditions:  first, the victors captured by the Capital, including Peeta, must be given immunity.  Second, Gale must accompany her.  Third, she gets to kill President Snow.

 

District 13 is an interesting place to live.  Built solely underground, the community lives by very strict rules, under the leadership of President Coin.  It’s quite obvious Katniss has merely swapped one dictatorship for another, though Coin appears to be far more human and concerned with the welfare of her subjects than Snow ever did.

 

As the war wages ever closer to the Capital, Katniss is once more torn between the two loves in her life: Gale and Peeta.  Who will she choose?  A lot of the book is still taken up with this question making the trilogy bear a striking resemblance to another series of books known to many of you as Twilight.  Yes, Katniss, Gale and Peeta could easily be Bella, Jacob and Edward.  And the very things that irritated me about Twilight (which I quite loved btw), irritate me about the Hunger Games:  that is wishy-washy females who can’t decide which guy they want and who play one off the other while they take their time seeing who kisses the best.  Okay, so maybe not quite that bad, and it’s obvious that I’m not doing one iota of justice to this book because of one very simple fact:

 

The author kills off Prim!!!!

 

Yes, Katniss’ reason for being, the innocent, sweet little sister she lives for, determined to create a better future for, the one and only person who makes Katniss even remotely human and likeable DIES!!!!!!!!!!

 

WTF?!?!?!?

 

I nearly threw the book at the wall, but I felt the wall was undeserving of such abuse.

 

There is, if not an overly satisfying happy ending to the series, at least an ending filled with hope and improvements for the future, and yes, an end to the despicable Hunger Games.  I am very glad however the series was only three books and not more. 

 

Till next time, happy reading!

L

 

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read.  One does not love breathing”

~ Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird