The Alex Cross series seemingly has been around forever. Cross is certainly James Patterson’s best-known creation (which is saying something, given his prodigious creative output). He has kept the series popular by evolving the life of his character, as well as the supporting cast, and giving readers far more than their money’s worth by featuring two or more plotlines that either run separately or intersect. Patterson changes things yet again with TARGET: ALEX CROSS, which features a plot that is strong enough --- and important enough --- to take over most of the book from beginning to end.

This is arguably Patterson’s most ambitious work, a surprise at this late date. It begins fittingly enough with a funeral for the much beloved President of the United States, who was struck down unexpectedly by an undiagnosed tumor. The Republic endures, at least for a few days, before chaos strikes. A series of assassinations takes place that runs so long and deep that a constitutional crisis occurs. It is obvious that this is not a lone gunman scenario, as someone is playing mop-up behind the shooters, and the different vignettes indicate that the assassinations are also murder-for-hire. Who is behind everything, and why?

"[TARGET: ALEX CROSS] is loaded with suspense...and contains at its core a compelling and puzzling mystery that will keep most readers guessing until the story’s conclusion, which is a bit Agatha Christie but ultimately all Patterson."

Cross, who is working with the FBI, asks a crucial question: Who profits? The answer unfolds throughout the book, as the body count rises and the assassins engage in some breathtaking subterfuge to make their respective escapes.

Meanwhile, Cross’ wife, Bree Stone, is at a career crossroads. She is now the chief of the Washington, D.C. detectives when the first assassin strikes in the heart of the city she has sworn to protect. She is given an ultimatum that amounts to go big or go home: solve the case, or lose her recent and hard-won promotion.

The pressure is huge for both members of the Cross household, which maintains a steady course with Nana Mama at the helm. A potential for a new addition to the Cross family --- not to mention an entirely new Patterson series --- is introduced as well. Cross also acquires an interesting new client in his private practice, an occurrence that indirectly provides an unresolved secondary plot thread that apparently will be followed into the next book. However, the focus here is primarily on the assassinations and the resulting chaos it creates.

TARGET: ALEX CROSS features what is arguably the most complex plot in the series to date. It is loaded with suspense --- even by Patterson’s high and well-established standards --- and contains at its core a compelling and puzzling mystery that will keep most readers guessing until the story’s conclusion, which is a bit Agatha Christie but ultimately all Patterson. Those who have strayed from the series recently for whatever reason, thriller fans who have never read an Alex Cross novel, and readers who have been on the train from the beginning of the series will find much to love here.