Cross Country is the fourteenth in the Alex Cross series of books written by James Patterson. The audiobook edition, by Hachette Audio is available in both abridged and unabridged versions. This is a review of the unabridged edition.
Cross Country Plot
Cross Country follows detective Alex Cross as he is on the hunt for the leader of a gang of brutal killers who massacre entire families. The killers' actions are made that much more horrifying by the fact that they are all teenagers. Alex Cross has a personal involvement in the case when he is faced with the brutal murder of an ex girlfriend and her family.
Alex Cross follows the killer to Nigeria where he faces the twin challenges of catching the killer and staying alive. Meanwhile back in the US, his girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, continues investigations, before Cross's own family becomes targets for the killer.
Cross Country is a thriller and adventure story. While the plausibility of the plot won't hold up to scrutiny (listeners may well wonder, for instance, why Alex Cross puts his life on the line for a friend from his distant past and Cross brushes with death too many times for credibility) and many of the plot twists are hard, if not impossible to believe, what James Patterson is providing readers and listeners with is a fast paced piece of popular fiction.
Cross Country Narration
Cross Country is narrated by Peter Jay Fernandez and Dion Graham. This format of multiple readers works well with this style of book. Peter Jay Fernandez has narrated other books in the Alex Cross series and obviously enjoys his parts. Dion Graham narrates his parts with relish and the two readers styles very much complement each other and give a good quality performance.
The narration moves the plot along at a constant pace, allowing each action scene to be absorbed before moving on to the next. Both readers inject personality into their narration without the feel that they are acting the parts.
About James Patterson
Since publishing his first thriller in 1976, James Patterson become one of the best-known and bestselling writers of all time. He has sold more than 140 million copies of his books worldwide. James Patterson's two most popular series of detective fiction are the Alex Cross series and the Women's Murder Club. He has also written a number of other bestsellers and has won an Edgar Award. More information can be found on the James Patterson website.
Conclusion
While some listeners will find the plot too hard to believe and implausible and perhaps not up to the standard of other books in the series, the audiobook is well produced and the readers provide a first class narration that makes the book an enjoyable, if brutal, listen. The nature of the content means that this is not a book for everyone. The descriptions of violence are graphic and listeners may find that the spoken word polarizes this – there is no opportunity to skip over text.
Listeners who are unsure whether to invest in this audiobook may wish to borrow a version from a library. This is the perfect way to listen to the book and for listeners to make up their own minds before buying the audiobook.
Further Information:
- Publisher: Hachette Audio; Unabridged edition
- Publication Date: November 2008
- ISBN-13: 978-1600243899
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