|
Publisher:
Little Brown / Time Warner |
Release
Date: November 17, 2003 |
ISBN:
0316602906 |
Format
Reviewed: Hardcover |
Genre:
Mystery-Police Procedural |
Reviewed:
2003 |
Reviewer:
Lawrence Greenberg |
|
The
Big Bad Wolf
By James
Patterson
This
is a real humdinger. Alex Cross, James Patterson's series detective,
has now joined the FBI and is almost immediately assigned his first
case which pits him against a vicious pakhan, or chief, of the Solntsevo
Red Mafiya-Russian gangsters known for their brutality and cunning.
This one, nicknamed the Wolf, is smarter than most of his ilk and
is reaping enormous revenue by dealing in white slavery.
Cross
has to contend with multiple issues. There's the series of kidnappings
and occasional murders associated with the case. There's his ex-lover
wanting their young son back after a year's hiatus. And there's
Cross' own standing as a former cop, now in the FBI, who's often
viewed with some suspicion by fellow agents. Patterson gives his
story momentum by layering on the kidnappings, the piecing together
of information by Cross and his colleagues, and by shuttling back
and forth between the case and Cross' domestic affairs, as well
as the private thoughts of the kidnapped women and the criminal
element. Cross' own thoughts and his personal life are meant to,
and do, provide the human element of the author's main character.
Patterson
is a smart writer whose Alex Cross doesn't just go through the motions
in this case; the sometimes grotesque violence definitely affects
him personally. It's easy for the reader to identify with him as
he gets involved in the case's intricacies, which include bouts
of cyberspace chatting, sudden raids, debriefings, interrogations,
and even botched operations. As well, Patterson's writing is clean
and concise, with no unnecessary verbiage, a real pleasure to read.
And the ending definitely leaves the door open for the return of
the Wolf
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Along Came a Spider #1
[audio]
Kiss the Girls #2
[audio]
Jack and Jill #3 [audio]
Pop Goes the Weasel #5 [book]
[audio]
Violets are Blue #7 [book]
Four Blind Mice #8 [book]
[audio]
Big Bad Wolf #9 [book]
London Bridges #10 [audio]
Mary Mary #11 [audio]
Cross # 12 [audio]
Double Cross #13 [book]
[audio]
Cross Country
# 14 [book]
Alex Cross Trial #13 [book]
[audio]
I, Alex Cross #16 [book]
[audio]
Cross Fire #17 [audio]
Kill Alex Cross #18 [audio]
Merry Christmas, Alex Cross #19
Alex Cross, Run #20 [audio]
Cross My Heart #21 [audio]
Hope to Die #22 [audio]
Cross Justice #23 [audio]
Cross Kill #23.1 [audio]
- short story
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