Hope to Die begins with
a book signing for Marcus Sunday, writer of "A Perfect
Criminal". He’s met by an intelligent young lady
who helping him with a favor. They commit a murder by the
second chapter. By the third chapter, Alex and his family
are coming home from a game to find the kitchen remodel started
in Cross My Heart now complete and Nana Mama, Bree,
and the kids are thrilled – the blissful dream turns
into a nightmare. Alex wakes to an empty house and a living
nightmare. His family is gone and Mulch continues to torment
him. Now he’s threating to kill Alex’s family,
one by one. Enter detective Tess Aliyah. Tess’ father
was with the department, as well. She delivers the news of
the first body. It’s difficult to explain the case or
what Alex is going through without giving away spoilers because
Hope to Die is the conclusion of Cross My Heart and
both books are dramatic to say the least. Some of the scenes
played out in my mind like a movie. In the first chapters,
Patterson gives listeners/readers a brief spoiler from Cross
My Heart and reminds us it’s only been a week or
so since Alex lost his family (in Cross My Heart).
His goal is to appear to cooperate with the crazed killer
who took his family as he hunts the man down. It’s a
case that has Alex hitting the road and across water at some
points. Mulch twists Alex in the wind one too many times and
this may be his undoing. Hope to Die takes the Alex
Cross series to new heights; its nonstop thrills and twists
and turns – as in what is, isn’t, and what should
be, will be. Alex even gets a little psychic help, too. Let’s
hope once it’s all over Alex Cross gets the vacation
he deserves.
The audio version is narrated by Michael Boatman and Scott
Sower, and what an intense narration it is. Patterson goes
to extremes with these grisly scenes and depraved bad guys.
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself yelling at Mulch
and his cohorts. I had to take a break from the suspense genre
after listening to Hope to Die.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Along
Came a Spider #1
Kiss the Girls #1
Jack
and Jill #3
Pop
Goes the Weasel #5 - Audio
Violets
are Blue #7
Four
Blind Mice #8 - Audio
Big
Bad Wolf #9
London
Bridges #10
Mary
Mary #11
Cross
# 12
Double Cross #13 - Audio
Cross
Country # 14
Alex Cross Trial - Audio
#13
I,
Alex Cross #16 - Audio
Cross
Fire #17
Kill Alex Cross #18
Merry Christmas, Alex Cross #19
Alex
Cross, Run #20
Cross
My Heart #12
|