It’s so hard to let go of an author whose work you’ve followed for years. And yet, after reading “Cross Country“, it’s time for me to wish a fond goodbye to James Patterson. Alex Cross has gone from being one of my favorite detective characters, to being just another formula for success. And while I still like a lot of Patterson’s old stuff, from Cross in “Kiss the Girls” or “Along Came a Spider” to his sappy stuff like “Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas“, I just cannot keep reading his new stuff.

For some reason, it appears that Patterson thought that by going super gruesome, he could stimulate excitement about his books again. I’m all for gruesome when it fits the story and is appropriate. I’ve read “The Hot Zone” (my review) and I like Patricia Cornwell novels and yet I would still say that Patterson pushed it too far. Boiling children alive in oil? Putting grenades in people’s orifices? Raping dead women? If you want to read the “Saw” of books, go for it, but that’s not what I’m looking for.

The villain, called Tiger, seemed like an interesting character, but he never really developed beyond a shadowy figure (cue spooky music). And the big confrontation scene ended was to simply and conveniently. Was Patterson’s deadline looming so he just threw in something?

I thought I had learned my lesson after “Judge & Jury” (my review). But then I spotted “Cross Country” and all those fond memories of the good old days with Alex Cross flooded me and I forgot all common sense, picked it up and read it. And I regretted it. Learn from my mistakes! “You’ve Been Warned” (that book is terrible, do not read it!!!!).