Book Review

I love to read. When I was little and my family would go on road trips I had to pack a back pack of just books (big chapter books) because I read them so fast. My brothers were the same way.

Josh gave me "Cross Country" by James Patterson for Christmas. I started reading it on Sunday night after I finished the book I was currently reading. It is about 400 pages and I just finished it.

Normally I LOVE James Patterson books - especially the Alex Cross and Women's Murder Club series. But, I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Without giving anything away, it is extremely sad as well as political. Below is the synposis that is posted on Amazon.com.

In over a decade of police work, it is the worst murder scene Alex Cross has ever seen. A family has been butchered in their home. And more killings follow. One after the other. Each more gruesome than the last. The only lead is an elusive trail left by a diabolical African warlord know only as The Tiger. It leads Alex Cross into the dark underbelly of Washington DC and beyond, into a true heart of darkness in Africa herself.

Most of the book takes place while Alex is in several African countries. Cross is confronted with unspeakable violence and suffering in Africa. I, more than most people, am all for bringing more of the things that people in Africa struggle with to American's attention, but this was still hard to read. And I doubt that any of it is really exagerated. It did make me want to get on a plane and go help, but I wanted to do that anyway.

So, if you like James Patterson books, I would read this, just be prepared for an emotional conflict and some graphic descriptions.

I will start my next book tomorrow. As of right now I think it is going to be "Close to You" by Mary Jane Clark.