Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Alex Cross, the detective invention of American crime writer James Patterson, was always destined to make history, and to be immersed into the fabric of society in his fictional, and yet relatable, Washington D.C. The longevity of the man has transcended time itself it seems as the characters have not only become fully fleshed out, but an institution to the long term fans of the books, and to the hopes of those behind the new television series due to hit before Christmas.
The course of Alex Cross’ life has never been easy, the criminals keep getting smarter, more dangerous, more attuned to dedicated family man’s way of thinking, his belief, his ethos, and the older he becomes the more likely it seems he finds adversaries waiting at every turn ready to embarrass him and destroy him. This is plain to see for the reader in the latest instalment of his time as one of the truly great fictional detectives as what could be the final turn of the screw of the Maestro group and their mysterious leader throws the full weight of their organisation at Cross, his wife, and those closest to him in the thrilling and absorbing The House Of Cross.
Striding as ever between what may be two separate cases, the plot of the novel finds itself, perhaps subconsciously, commentating on how the United States of America has vexed itself in turmoil during the last eight years, of how in one moment of wavering duty, the tenseness of the situation faced by Alex, his wife Bree, and his friend John Sampson, reaches a natural fissure, a possibility of cracks developing in what has always been a harmonious relationship.
It is in this moment which could be seen as a throwaway examination of a temptation to do right or be successful which reminds the reader that that this is often the issue with politics as a whole, and The House Of Cross clearly defines that sense of unbalance within the nation’s psyche.
As ever James Patterson brings a dedication to the character and the sense of justice, whilst all the while casting a beady eye on the drama of race relations and the law of the land in such a way that is distinctive and uncontested; a reason that the high moral attitude of the family works so well within the narrative of the novel.
The House Of Cross might see the end of Maestro as an antagonist, but as we enter into a new direction for American politics it is doubtful that this is the end of Alex Cross.
Ian D. Hall