The 1,000th…

This is my 1,000th post on Civilian Reader. Which is pretty cool. I’d never expected to keep the blog going this long – nor did I ever expect it to become even remotely as popular as the stats suggest. I started it as a way to write about the books I was reading, more in order to keep my hand in at writing during long, empty stretches of my PhD (months of reading, followed by couple-of-week-blitzes was my normal approach to each chapter).

I’m not sure what I actually intended to do with this post. Perhaps ramble on at length about Lessons Learned, Milestones, and other self-indulgent topics. But the more I thought about it, the less interesting I thought that post would be.

Instead, I thought I’d offer just a quick few thoughts on some books that marked important milestones in my reading history before I started the blog, and have therefore not featured (or at least, not since people actually, you know, started reading it…). They are not always the best examples of any given genre that I’m fond of (a couple of them certainly aren’t), but they each hold a very special place on my shelves, and always will.

BEA Days the Second & Third

So BEA is now DONE! Three days of insane book-related madness, hustle and bustle. Overall, as my first con/expo, I would say it was an interesting and “fun” experience, but also one that I think is a very acquired taste… Will I go again? If I’m in New York next year at the same time (please-oh-please let me be here), then certainly – the chances to meet authors, publicists and editors who I know only via email or Twitter has been great, and it’s always nice to prove you are a real person.

So, without further ado, here’s the haul from the second and third day, with synopses, artwork, and some comments… [Day One Here]

“Kill Alex Cross”, James Patterson (Grand Central/Century)

A terrorist threat, and the President’s children have been kidnapped

Detective Alex Cross is one of the first on the scene of the biggest case he’s ever been part of. The President’s son and daughter have been abducted from their school - an impossible crime, but somehow the kidnapper has done it. Alex does everything he can but is shunted to the fringes of the investigation. Someone powerful doesn’t want Cross too close.

A deadly contagion in the DC water supply threatens to cripple the capital, and Alex sees the looming shape of the most devastating attack the United States has ever experienced. He is already working flat-out on the abduction, and this massive assault pushes Cross completely over the edge.

With each hour that passes, the chance of finding the children alive diminishes. In an emotional private meeting, the First Lady asks Alex to please save her kids. But even the highest security clearance doesn't get him any closer to the kidnapper – and Alex makes a desperate decision that goes against everything he believes in.

I’ve read all of Patterson’s Alex Cross novels, and I’d been a little disappointed with some of the later instalments of the series. However, much to my pleasant surprise, Kill Alex Cross turned out to be a stand-out novel, and perhaps the best since Four Blind Mice (which is the point after which I think they started to lose quality). If you’re a fan of the series, and like me haven’t loved the more recent instalments, this should help you reacquire your faith in Patterson as a writer. It’s not as good as the first eight novels, but it shows some of the qualities that made his earlier novels so good and addictive.

“Cross Fire” by James Patterson (Century)

Snipers, Killers, and the Cop stuck in the middle

Detective Alex Cross is planning his wedding to the woman he loves, Brianna Stone. But this blissful existence begins to unravel when Cross is called to the scene of the perfectly executed assassination of two of Washington DC’s most corrupt and publically hated political figures. As more crooked politicians are picked off with similar long-range shots, public opinion is divided – is the marksman a vigilante or a hero?

Media coverage of the case explodes, and the FBI assigns agent Max Siegel to the investigation. As Cross and Siegel battle over jurisdiction, Alex receives a call from his deadliest adversary, Kyle Craig. The Mastermind is in DC and will not stop until he has eliminated Cross, and his family, for good.

James Patterson’s Violets Are Blue was the first thriller I read and devoured. I was living in Japan at the time, so getting more of his novels was a little difficult, but I managed to find a couple of them. In some ways, Patterson deserves the blame for getting me back into reading in a big way (him and Bernard Cornwell, actually, as I was also working through all the Sharpe book at the time). After getting back to the UK, I read everything by Patterson that was available at the time, and for the most part loved them (there were a couple of duffs). Then he started farming titles out to other authors, and the quality took a dive. The main Alex Cross series, however, remains his and his alone and is still his best. There have been wobbles along the way, and not every instalment has gripped me, but they all – Cross Fire included – give me exactly what I’m expecting and want: a quick, entertaining thriller fix.

eBook Milestone Reached

On May 6th, Sony announced that its US-based eBooks Store had surpassed the 10-million-mark for downloads. This is a pretty impressive feat (I know I’ve helped out with plenty of purchases…).

They also released the top ten sellers for their store, which are as follows:

1. Dan Brown, “The Lost Symbol”

2. James Patterson, “I, Alex Cross”

3. Stephanie Meyer, “Breaking Dawn”

4. Stephanie Meyer, “Eclipse”

5. Kathryn Stockett, “The Help”

6. Stephanie Meyer, “Twilight”

7. Stephanie Meyer, “New Moon”

8. Alice Sebold, “The Lovely Bones”

9. Stieg Larsson, “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”

10. Nicholas Sparks, “The Last Song”

Not the broadest selection (Stephanie Meyer’s done very well indeed…). I suppose it’s both predictable and yet also surprising: given the preponderance of “romantic” fiction that seemed to be the quickest genre to embrace the eBook format, it’s not represented at all. That Meyer’s Twilight series dominates… I wonder if it was boosted by sales to people who didn’t want to be seen with the actual books…? It’s always a possibility.

I have no idea how many eBooks Amazon has sold for its Kindle machine, but it would be interesting to see a comparison (of sales and all-time top ten bestsellers).

“I, Alex Cross”, by James Patterson (Century)

[ UK / US ]

Detective Alex Cross is pulled out of a family celebration and given the awful news that his niece, Caroline, has been found brutally murdered. Cross vows to hunt down the killer, and soon learns that Caroline was mixed up in one of Washington's wildest scenes; linked to a modern-day Hellfire Club where your every desire is available (at a steep price).

And she was not this killer's only victim. The hunt for her murderer leads Alex and his girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, to a place where every fantasy is possible, if you have the credentials to get in. Alex and his partner, Bree, are soon facing down some very important, very protected, very dangerous people in levels of society where only one thing is certain - they will do anything to keep their secrets safe.

As Cross closes in on the killer, he discovers evidence that points to the unimaginable - a revelation that could rock the entire world as, for perhaps the first time, a serial killer might have ties to the White House.

Reading and reviewing James Patterson’s novels these days can go either way. One possibility is that you’ll be entertained and enjoy every minute of it. The other possibility is that you won’t be able to stand the ordeal of reading the novel. With I, Alex Cross, however, Patterson has managed to find the middle ground, with an uneasy balance of fast-paced serial killer-chasing action and slow personal “angst”.

There are parts of this novel that are as gripping as you might expect from such a successful author, as his pacing and prose pull you along for the ride and with the case. The hunt for the serial killers, and the political scandal, corruption and intrigue that goes hand-in-hand with Cross’s investigation are gripping, entertaining and very good. You find yourself wanting Cross to charge out, guns blazing, as he hunts down Caroline’s killer, the mysterious “Zeus”. The characters in the main story are interesting and pretty well created, if standard Patterson-fare.

The side story, involving Cross’s beloved grandmother’s illness, and the impact it has on Cross and his family, is completely boring and totally predictable. The pace of the novel drops precipitously whenever Cross goes back to be with his family. As always, Patterson is clearly trying to make Cross’s family life a juxtaposition to his work life. But, unfortunately (and by now predictably) the author pours on so much schmaltz, with almost every character over-emoting and crying at the drop of a hat, that you just can’t help but not care. Or skim-read these sections, which is what I ended up doing. If this had been written in an earlier novel in the series, I’m sure I would have cared a great deal more. But now I just don’t.

If Patterson had focused more on the actual case that forms the premise of the novel, and the implications of Cross’s investigation (there are some novel developments that I was intrigued by), and less on the family, this would have been a Patterson novel of much higher quality, and one that I probably would have read much quicker and more towards the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, this wasn’t to be.

It might also be pointed out that the US cover is misleading – it states that a “beloved” member of the Cross family is killed, when really Alex knows basically nothing about Caroline.

Patterson’s Cross novels have been a favourite of mine for years, ever since I picked up a copy of Violets Are Blue while in Japan. I read as many as I could get my hands on, and have read every one since. The quality is in noticeable decline, however, and I’m not so sure I’ll rush out to read the next one. I have Alex Cross’s Trial, which was co-authored with Richard Dilallo, but I’m not finding myself in any hurry to get to it.

Patterson has done better, but a long time ago. Anything in this series after Four Blind Mice has a noticeable drop in quality, while everything before it is of superior quality. I, Alex Cross will still entertain, and there’s plenty of good content in here (and it’s certainly better than the shelves of co-authored books he produces these days). Gripping in places, only to be disrupted by unwanted and unnecessary over-emoting. If you like fast paced thrillers, then certainly pick this up.

A very cautious recommendation.

Also try: Vince Flynn, Mike Lawson, David Baldacci, Kyle Mills, Alex Berenson

“Cross Country”, by James Patterson (Century)

Alex Cross returns in his 14th thriller.

A brutal gang of killers is sowing despair and death by wiping out entire families. No one knows why, or whether the deaths are connected in some way. After a friend and her family are butchered by the pack of killers, Alex Cross becomes obsessed with finding and bringing down those responsible, following his prey – the psychotic “Tiger” – all the way to the Niger Delta in Africa.

There’s something comfortably predictable about each new Alex Cross novel from Mr. Patterson (who I think is now officially the most prolific author, perhaps ever). You know that the plotting and pacing of the novel are going to be hovering around warp-speed for the entire duration of the novel. You know the antagonists will be horrific in their brutality. You know that the novel will be richly detailed (even when you’d rather it wasn’t). You know that Alex Cross will save the day. And you know that the brutality of whatever investigation forms the plot will be balanced by the Hallmark-esque family life of our hero.

So much better than his ever-growing co-authored output, Cross Country fills all these criteria, and is an excellent addition to his flagship series. The scope is greater this time around, both in terms of sending our trusty protagonist abroad, but also weaving a number of issues and threads into the narrative, including: heroin trafficking, the international slave trade, and also the oil and gas trade.

For those who have become disillusioned by Patterson’s reliance on co-authored works, the return of Alex Cross should be welcomed and embraced. The schmaltz and overly-emotive elements of his other, shared works is largely absent (the saccharine-sweet Cross-family-life aside), and the series continues to be genuinely thrilling and gritty. Cross Country is proof that, when he puts his mind to it, the author still has it in him to pen thrillers of considerable quality. He will probably never again reach the quality of the first seven books in the series (see below), but this one is nonetheless a great read.

Recommended for any looking for a quick, entertaining thriller.

For Fans of: Andrew Grosse, Peter de Jonge, John Sandford, Robert Crais, Michael Connolly, Matthew Reilly, James Rollins, Lincoln Child & Douglas Preston

Series Chronology: Along Came A Spider (1993), Kiss The Girls (1995), Jack & Jill (1996), Cat & Mouse (1997), Pop Goes The Weasel (1999), Roses Are Red (2000), Violets Are Blue (2001), Four Blind Mice (2002), The Big Bad Wolf (2003), London Bridges (2004), Mary, Mary (2005), Cross (2006), Double Cross (2007), Cross Country (2008), Alex Cross’s Trial (10/09/2009 – in UK)

James Patterson & Andrew Gross, "Lifeguard" (Headline)

There is something decidedly ridiculous about this novel. First of all, the main protagonist, Ned Kelly ("Like the outlaw") is an idiot. Supposedly he has a degree in government and was a teacher. So why, pray, does he do so many stupid things?!

Ned joins some lifelong friends in a scheme to make $1million each, in one easy swoop - stealing 3 pieces of art from a wealthy Floridian. Only thing is, they're set up and things spiral out of control for care-free (and hitherto conviction-free) Mr Kelly.

Instead of dealing with the problem like a sane person, Ned decides to go all outlaw (like his name) and try to fix things by himself. This only gets him into more trouble.

True, there is no way this book would have been written if he hadn't gone on the lam, ignoring all common sense and logic. If nothing else, we meet some interesting characters - from Ned's Kiwi biker friend; Ned's "nemesis" Ellie Shurtleff, the FBI agent who's after him, but falls for him; bad guys who are actually written well, and you find yourself despising them, rather than rooting for them (as can be the case in many poorly written thrillers)... Characterisation is good, but not brilliant. The dialogue, cliches and cheese aside, does work nicely, and rarely sounds forced or unnatural.

As with all James Patterson novels, you have to shelf certain truths about the world, and simply enjoy the ride, trying not to grimace at the way people only seem to experience extremes of emotion (elation or despair - we'll have nothing else, thank you!), how some of the cheesiest phrases uttered by man seem to be met with delight and success. And people fall in love way too quickly, and with too many people (knowing they are the one for them, surely, can only happen twice in a couple of months with only the most fickle of people...).

Written with one of the ever-growing hordes of collaborators, Andrew Gross tends to work on the better novels ("2nd Chance", "3rd Degree", "The Jester"), but I think it perhaps Mr Gross' input that jacks up the emotions and schmaltz. "The Jester" had the most ridiculous ending, and Lucy Boxer, the main characte of "2nd Chance" and "3rd Degree" kept crying all the time!

Like always, there are a gazillion chapters, too (okay, there are 120, in 311 pages), so the pace is ramped up to the max throughout.

It's fun. It's rollicking in all the right ways. It's a good summer read. It's typical Patterson. Enjoy.

www.jamespatterson.com