The ninth installment in the Alex Cross books, The Big Bad Wolf, reminds me why it is I still read James Patterson.
Alex Cross is now working for the FBI. Facing two years of probation and a whole lot of orientation classes, Alex thinks he’ll finally get to spend some quality time with the kids. But Alex is special, so special that he’s immediately pulled into a serial kidnapping case. Well-to-do white women are disappearing at an alarming rate, and white slavery is on the rise. The latest victim, Katherine Connelly, the wife of a judge, pushes this case straight to the top of the pile for the FBI.
Alex is on the hunt for the leader of the kidnapping ring, one nasty Russian, former KGB and now head of the Red Mafyia that goes by the code name: Wolf. This is one seriously bad dude, and is one of Patterson’s better villains. The novel is replete with twists and turns and creditable red herrings, all of which make for a fun rollercoaster of a read.
Not that there isn’t room for improvement, I mean, it is James Patterson. The book started off a little clunky for me, as Katherine Connelly is ingeniously kidnapped by the poorly named villains, The Couple. (eyeroll) Patterson clearly doesn’t spend a lot of time thinking up clever names for his characters. I liken it to the initial start of the rollercoaster ride, you know, that trek up that first incline. About the time we reach the top, the Wolf in all his evil glory has been introduced and oh boy hold on cause here’s where Patterson shines, at least when all the stars align to give us a decent villain and a decent plot.
The kidnapping ring gives Alex something to sink his teeth into, but as he’s jumped from the Washington PD to the FBI, he’s also hogtied by bureaucracy, and not all of the Feebees play nice with our Alex. He is a bit of an upstart, after all, waltzing in and landing a big case without first paying his dues like the other agents had to.
And then there is the obligatory personal crises (or what I like to call filler) for our intrepid cop/psychiatrist/FBI agent. In books past it was little Jannie with a brain tumour, the death of just about every woman Alex hooked up with, the kidnapping of fiancée Christine, even Nana Mama was playing the sick card for a book there. In The Big Bad Wolf, we find Alex entangled in a custody battle with former fiancée over Little Alex, Cross’ toddler son. Whatever helps Patterson reach his required word length, I guess.
But don’t let my cynicism steer you away, this truly is one of the better Cross books I’ve read in quite some time. Here’s hoping I won’t have to wait so long for another as I reach for #10 in the series….
Till next time, happy reading!
L :)
| TBR = 26 | WPL = 32 |
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