DEADLY CROSS is a wild ride. It is certainly one of the most complex of the 28 books in the Alex Cross series. With three different cases confronting Cross and John Sampson of the DC Metro Police, no one can accuse James Patterson of not giving his readers more than their money’s worth.

This latest installment begins with the grim discovery of a male and female, both in a state of partial undress, in an automobile in the early morning hours. This rocks DC on a number of levels. The woman is Kay Willingham, a local hard-partying socialite who also is the ex-wife of the Vice President of the United States. The man is Christopher Randall, a much-beloved educator who had built a highly respected charter school in the District from the ground up.

"[T]his book feels as if Patterson, even at this late date in his career, is hitting a new plateau in the series, which should spark renewed interest in this already extremely popular character and author."

While there had been a whiff of scandal to Christopher leaving his wife for Kay, he hadn’t suffered any ill effect from his choice until now. When his wife takes off immediately after the discovery, it is more or less assumed that she is responsible for the murder. Indeed, she is found with a gun in her possession, the ballistics for which match the bullets that dispatched Christopher and Kay. However, a couple of things don’t quite add up for Cross, and the further he investigates, the more he thinks that someone else is behind the killings.

The double murder isn’t Cross’ only case. There have been a number of incidents over the past several months that involve someone abducting, raping and murdering young girls in the District. They are taking place with some rapidity, indicating that the killer is losing control of his despicable impulses. As a result, time is of the essence for Cross to catch the doer and put him down for good. If that were not enough, someone is shooting random individuals in a somewhat delicate portion of their anatomy and leaving behind graffiti that states “Shoot the Rich.”

One of the cases is solved in due course, but the other two are far more complicated, involving some good old-fashioned police work, an extensive document dive and a trip to Alabama, where a few innocuous questions eventually result in Cross being caught in a lead hailstorm. Even worse, a new abduction hits close to the Cross household, putting him on the trail of a killer who has operated quietly for years but who absolutely must be stopped and whose latest victims need to be located as soon as possible before time runs out for them.

DEADLY CROSS is a pivotal entry in this long-running series. One important secondary character makes their last appearance. Their absence --- and the reason for it --- will play out over the course of at least the next couple of installments. There also is a bit of foreshadowing occurring here that will affect another character, though that could go either way. Regardless, this book feels as if Patterson, even at this late date in his career, is hitting a new plateau in the series, which should spark renewed interest in this already extremely popular character and author.