-"Cross Country"
by Dr. D ~
By James Patterson ( New York: Little,Brown and Co-Hachette Book Group, 2008, 406 pages)
The latest offering in the Detective Alex Cross series. This story begins with the incredible slaughter and dismemberment of a family in Washington DC by a teenage Nigerian gang. Cross follows the evidence all the way to Nigeria and then on to Darfur in pursuit of a gang leader called Tiger.
In the process, he becomes involved with CIA operatives and becomes a fish out-of-water in Africa and a danger to himself and the others he comes in contact with. Cross finds himself arrested by the police and thrown in jail in Nigeria and nearly killed.
The story gives one a taste for the chaos and lawlessness of Africa along with the incredible heartache and on-going slaughter taking place in Darfur.
Dr. Cross escapes from Africa with his life but on return to Washington DC, the tables are turned and Cross and his family have become targets of the gang and leader that he was pursuing.
Oh yes, it does have the surprise ending that has become a signature part of the series. A real page-turner and bound to keep you glued to the book from page one all the way to the finish. *Top