London Bridges

November 8, 2004
Any thriller writer, wannabe or actual, would do well to study Patterson's 10th Alex Cross novel. A sequel to last year's The Big Bad Wolf
, the book is a model of economy, delivering a full package of suspense, emotion and characterization in a minimum number of words. The story brings back not only Big Bad Wolf
's arch-villain, the Russian mobster known as the Wolf, but also an earlier Patterson bad guy, the Weasel, recruited by the Wolf to further his plans. These involve extorting Western powers for billions of dollars to avoid major terrorist attacks on New York, London, Washington and Frankfurt—attacks the Wolf offers a preview of by wiping out a town in Nevada by aerial bombardment after hustling its citizens to safety, then by doing the same to a village in England without evacuating the populace. The novel features numerous exciting scenes, most notably one in which Cross is kidnapped, then shackled to a suitcase atomic bomb. It's not the steady tension, the numerous colorful locales, the reliable action climaxes nor the novel's effective doomsday gloss that makes this thriller work so well, though. It is, of course, the characters, and in Cross, Patterson continues to elaborate his finest hero, cerebral yet emotional, dedicated yet flawed, caught between duty and family. Regrettably, the novel is marred in its final chapters by a series of surprises that skirt playing unfair with the reader, but most Patterson fans probably won't mind and they are legion enough to send this to the top of the charts, for good reason.

July 1, 2004
It's Alex Cross vs. the Big Bad Wolf again, even as terrorists grab major world cities from New York to Frankfurt.

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 3, 2005
In his 10th adventure, Alex Cross, now working full time for the FBI, is confronted by two of his most deadly foes: the faceless ex-KGB agent from last year's Big Bad Wolf
, who's known as "The Wolf" and is threatening four metropolises with nuclear destruction; and the insane serial killer The Weasel, last seen in Patterson's Pop Goes the Weasel
. Patterson's action is fast and furious, and narrators Fernandez and O'Hare do a fine job of keeping up with him. O'Hare does especially well with his performance of The Wolf, giving the Russian-accented villain a calm, almost soothing vocalization that nicely counters his sadistic actions. Fernandez brings a warm humanity to Cross, especially in scenes with his family, giving listeners a break from the murder and mayhem that rule much of the book. The narrators' performances are accompanied by well-placed music and sound effects. Each chapter opens with an ominous ticking clock and an electronically distorted voice announcing the chapter title, a technique that at first seems fitting for the book's style and tone, but soon becomes more annoying than effective. Still, this one quibble will not stop Patterson's fans from thoroughly enjoying the latest installment in the Cross series. Simultaneous release with the Little, Brown hardcover (Forecasts, Nov. 8, 2004).