Fear No Evil (Alex Cross, 29)

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Cross and Sampson were planning an adventure getaway when all this commenced, but their plans have been delayed. Once they were on board, Cross received a threatening text from M that showed him how he knows the location of each member of his family. The action begins immediately as we witness CIA operative and potential traitor Catherine Hingham being tortured to death by an unknown adversary. This is just the start of CIA personnel and other members of the law enforcement and intelligence fields being targeted. To make matters worse, after the target is eliminated, the killers go after their family and attempt to murder them all --- from grandparents to young children. It is safe to say that FEAR NO EVIL is not for the faint of heart. That being said, who better to meet this violence head on than Alex Cross?

Kudos, Mr. Patterson, for finding new ideas to challenge your protagonist. It just did not impact me as I had hoped. The focus was also on Alex’s best friend, John Sampson, and his daughter, which deserved some stage time too. I enjoyed his time on the stage a lot. He’s more than Alex’s best friend; he’s really Alex’s brother and is a key influence and balance to Alex, and I appreciated his moments to shine. Overall, this was one of the better Alex Cross novels, moving the “M” storyline forward to a hopeful conclusion in the next book which will be his 30th outing. James Patterson’s Alex Cross series has endured for almost three decades, bringing to readers worldwide the unadulterated storytelling prowess of one of the most prolific and biggest selling authors in the world today. Fear No Evil, the 29th Alex Cross novel, had me excited from the moment I received the e-ARC courtesy of the author and the publishers via the lovely NetGalley! Their environment is different, and the intensity is literally out of this world. 29 books later and the Alex Cross series is holding its own. In this thrilling book, Alex and Sampson find themselves in a fight for their lives. Action, danger and intgrigue all play very closely together in this utterly exciting addition to one of my favorite series.I wrote this review originally for NetGalley, which appears here... https://www.netgalley.com/book/234063... Good things – this was one of Patterson’s better Alex Cross novels. The tempo was fastmoving with lots of drama. The plotlines pretty much were delivered in staccato fast-moving fashion, along with a few curveballs thrown in to make the outcome more interesting. There wasn’t much family development other than Bree’s storyline, which I enjoyed for the most part. She deserved some well- earned time in the spotlight and delivered strong.

Now, the 29th book in the series – “Fear No Evil” – has been read, and it is my first review of 2022. Come the end of the year, come Alex Cross, the much-loved protagonist created by James Patterson and the only series he still writes solo. Throughout the rest of the year, James Patterson‘s releases are all about collaborations, where the co-writers touch or style contributes to the eventual outcome. Similarly, this series is completely James Patterson and the series reflects that as well. Alex Cross and his lovable family comprising of Nana Mama (Alex’s 90-year-old grandmother and the matriarch of the family), his wife Bree, sons Damon and Ali, and daughter Jannie. Each with their colorful shares in the progress of the series.

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Now, that I complimented the “M” storyline, I need to explain that I also had problems with it too. One if the challenges with reading Patterson is that you have to suspend your disbelief at times because the action scenes and storylines are a bit unrealistic. Some novels require more disbelief than others. This was one where the level of disbelief needed was extremely high. There was a lot of shooting, stabbing, and killing in this one. The body count and torturing were higher than normal, and that is saying a lot for a Patterson novel. I want someone who can help me understand the situation enough to halt the needless killing. . . . You do know that you can never stop that kind of violence, Señor Cross. I’ve spent my whole life in it. Never once stopped. Oh, maybe a week here, a week there. But violence, fighting for what’s yours, building an empire, becoming as king—that is the natural course of life. How are you going to stop life doing its violent things?” Bad things - Ali had a small storyline, which could have been expanded and involved the reader more. Instead, Patterson went with a reveal after the fact approach which I felt like was a missed opportunity to develop Ali directly.

In a fast paced-book with all of the tension and suspense that Patterson brings to these books, the reader is treated to a number of scenarios where the body count rises and the danger increases, building the tension until we realize that Cross and Sampson are in the maelstrom of several brutally violent outbursts from which escape is hardly likely. There are things that didn’t work for me, as well, in Fear No Evil. About twenty years after he first appeared, M is as elusive as ever, and that is just not done. And there are a few questions—questions I can’t mention here for fear of spoiling it—that are left unanswered, perhaps to hook the reader onto the next episode; but someone of Patterson’s stature doesn’t have to do that, does he?

Throughout the entirety of the Alex Cross series, Patterson has consistently included the strong bond of friendship and love, and this continues with Fear No Evil. Cross is still the supportive husband to Bree and good friend and longtime partner to John Sampson, always there in their times of need. I liked the mysterious “M” (or “Maestro”) storyline and the way its unfolded over several books. It feels like with the way this book ended, Patterson is setting up for a big Cross/”M” faceoff in the next one to coincide with it being the 30th Alex Cross and an anniversary book. It could be Patterson’s own version of WrestleMania with some surprises and payoffs. But then, I may just be wishing. We’ll see. Either way, it is time to bring the “M” storyline to come to a boil and culminate.

James Patterson is the best-selling author in the world. At this point he is practically an institution. However, even though I have been reading his work since the very beginning, nothing quite measures up for me like his classic thriller series featuring Alex Cross. The good doctor has come a long way since ALONG CAME A SPIDER, as FEAR NO EVIL will demonstrate. No one gets this big without amazing natural storytelling talent - which is what Jim has, in spades. The Alex Cross series proves it ' Lee Child The action, when we eventually got there, felt over the top, like Patterson tossed out all the explosives at once because he’s bored with his own characters. I normally love Patterson’s short chapters, but here the constant jumping between the various storylines and characters felt disjointed, until the last quarter, when the focus finally narrowed.Engrossing as always, this also manages to bind two separate stories nicely together and the breathtaking climax well justifies the long wait for the new Alex Cross. The chemistry and camaraderie between Alex and John, that between Alex and Bree, and in fact, between all members of the extended Alex Cross family is nuanced and warm. it makes you want to be a part of such a family. Nana Mama is the smart twenty-first century grandmother, much like Seamus from the Michael Bennett series. Ali is also becoming quite a detective, on his own time and has a small little subplot of his own here. All the while Patterson teases with the elusive identity of his main antagonist and why they would be targeting Cross. There will be some answers, and some surprises, though one answer was, I felt fairly predictable, but not enough to spoil what is a tense and adrenaline-fueled thrill ride through the beautiful and wild Montana rapids. The main part of the plot is set in the beautiful wilderness of Montana with a sub plot involving Bree taking place in Paris. Alex and a still grieving Sampson are about to leave on a much needed trip into the wilderness when they’re called to a murder scene in the middle of Washington, DC. It soon becomes clear that someone is targeting Federal Agents.