Cross (Alex Cross Series #12)

by James Patterson, Peter J. Fernandez, Jay O. Sanders

Overview

Alex Cross faces the most cunning, psychotic killer of his career in the blockbuster James Patterson novel that inspired a major motion picture.
Alex Cross was a rising star in the Washington, D. C. Police Department when an unknown shooter gunned down his wife in front of him. Alex's need for vengeance was placed on hold as he faced another huge challenge: raising his children without their mother.
Years later, Alex is making a bold move in his life. He has left the FBI and set up practice as a psychologist once again. His life with Nana Mama, Damon, Jannie, and little Alex finally feels like it's in order. He even has a chance at a new love.
Then Cross's former partner, John Sampson, calls in a favor. Now Cross must go on the hunt for the most cunning, psychotic killer he has ever faced. . . and it pushes him dangerously close to the breaking point.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780759569744
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	11/13/2006
Series:	Alex Cross Series
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	14,139
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

James Patterson has had more New York Times bestsellers than any other writer, ever, according to Guinness World Records. Since his first novel won the Edgar Award in 1977 James Patterson's books have sold more than 300 million copies. He is the author of the Alex Cross novels, the most popular detective series of the past twenty-five years, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. He writes full-time and lives in Florida with his family.

Hometown:

Palm Beach, Florida

Date of Birth:

March 22, 1947

Place of Birth:

Newburgh, New York

Education:

B.A., Manhattan College, 1969; M.A., Vanderbilt University, 1971

Website:

http://www.jamespatterson.com

Read an Excerpt

Cross

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By James Patterson

Little, Brown

Copyright © 2006 James Patterson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0-316-15979-4

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Chapter One

"I'M PREGNANT, ALEX."

Everything about the night is so very clear to me. Still is, after all this time, all these years that have passed, everything that's happened, the horrible murderers, the homicides solved and sometimes not.

I stood in the darkened bedroom with my arms lightly circling my wife Maria's waist, my chin resting on her shoulder. I was thirty-one then, and had never been happier at any time of my life.

Nothing even came close to what we had together, Maria, Damon, Jannie, and me.

It was the fall of 1993, a million years ago it seems to me now.

It was also past two in the morning, and our baby Jannie had the croup something terrible. Poor sweet girl had been up for most of the night, most of the last few nights, most of her young life. Maria was gently rocking Jannie in her arms, humming "You Are So Beautiful," and I had my arms around Maria, rocking her.

I was the one who'd gotten up first, but I couldn't seem to get Jannie back to sleep no matter what tricks I tried. Maria had come in and taken the baby after an hour or so. We both had work early in the morning. I was on a murder case.

"You're pregnant?" I said against Maria's shoulder.

"Bad timing, huh, Alex? You see a lot more croup in your future? Binkies? More dirty diapers? Nights like this one?"

"I don't like this part so much. Being up late, or early, whatever this is. But I loveour life, Maria. And I love that we're going to have another baby."

I held on to Maria and turned on the music from the mobile dangling over Janelle's crib. We danced in place to "Someone to Watch Over Me."

Then she gave me that beautiful partly bashful, partly goofy smile of hers, the one I'd fallen for, maybe on the very first night I ever saw her. We had met in the emergency room at St. Anthony's, during an emergency. Maria had brought in a gangbanger, a gunshot victim, a client of hers. She was a dedicated social worker, and she was being protective-especially since I was a dreaded metro homicide detective, and she didn't exactly trust the police. Then again, neither did I.

I held Maria a little tighter. "I'm happy. You know that. I'm glad you're pregnant. Let's celebrate. I'll get some champagne."

"You like being the big daddy, huh?"

"I do. Don't know why exactly. I just do."

"You like screaming babies in the middle of the night?"

"This too shall pass. Isn't that right, Janelle? Young lady, I'm talking to you."

Maria turned her head away from the wailing baby and gave me a sweet kiss on the lips. Her mouth was soft, always inviting, always sexy. I loved her kisses-anytime, anywhere.

She finally wriggled out of my arms. "Go back to bed, Alex. No sense both of us being up. Get some sleep for me too."

Just then, I noticed something else in the bedroom, and I started to laugh, couldn't help myself.

"What's so funny?" Maria smiled.

I pointed, and she saw it too. Three apples-each one with a single childlike bite out of it. The apples were propped on the legs of three stuffed toys, different-colored Barney dinosaurs. Toddler Damon's fantasy play was revealed to us. Our little boy had been spending some time in his sister Jannie's room.

As I got to the doorway, Maria gave me that goofy smile of hers again. And a wink. She whispered-and I will never forget what she said-"I love you, Alex. No one will ever love you the way I do."

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Cross by James Patterson Copyright © 2006 by James Patterson. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

Peter Jay Fernandez goes all-out in interpreting James Patterson's troubled hero. Fernandez wrenches emotion out of every scene, even when he's portraying Cross's tough-as-nails grandmother, an elderly black woman. He's made even better by the addition of narrator Jay O, Sanders in several roles, including the cold-as-ice-villain, "The Butcher".—Audio File

From the Publisher