Alex Cross Series

This series follows a brilliant psychologist and investigator as he delves into the darkest corners of the human mind to catch elusive criminals. With each new case, he confronts complex puzzles and personal demons that test his resolve and intellect. The suspense escalates as he closes in on the truth, often at the peril of his own safety. Fans of gripping, psychologically driven thrillers will appreciate this series for its clever plots and compelling protagonist.

Recommended Reading Order

Along came a spider
James Patterson
528 pages
19 hours of reading
Discover the classic thriller that launched the #1 detective series of the past twenty-five years, now one of PBS's "100 Great American Reads" Alex Cross is a homicide detective with a Ph.D. in psychology. He works and lives in the ghettos of D. C. and looks like Muhammad Ali in his prime. He's a tough guy from a tough part of town who wears Harris Tweed jackets and likes to relax by banging out Gershwin tunes on his baby grand piano. But he also has two adorable kids of his own, and they are his own special vulnerabilities. Jezzie Flanagan is the first woman ever to hold the highly sensitive job as supervisor of the Secret Service in Washington. Blond, mysterious, seductive, she's got an outer shell that's as tough as it is beautiful. She rides her black BMW motorcycle at speeds of no less than 100 mph. What is she running from? What is her secret? Alex Cross and Jezzie Flanagan are about to have a forbidden love affair-at the worst possible time for both of them. Because Gary Soneji, who wants to commit the "crime of the century," is playing at the top of his game. Soneji has outsmarted the FBI, the Secret Service, and the police. Who will be his next victim? Gary Soneji is every parent's worst nightmare. He has become Alex Cross's nightmare. And now, reader, he's about to become yours.
1
4.2
Kiss the girls
James Patterson
Two serial killers - one working the East Coast, and the other the West - may be in cahoots, thinks washed-up police det. Alex Cross after his niece is abducted.
2
4.0
Jack and Jill
James Patterson
432 pages
16 hours of reading
The spellbinding No 1 bestsellers Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls introduced Washington homicide detective Alex Cross. Now he's back -- in James Patterson's most explosive and powerful novel yet. On home territory once more after the horrors of the Kiss the Girls case, Alex Cross faces his most harrowing challenge: a pair of ice-cold killers who are picking off the capital's rich and famous one by one with chilling professional efficiency. As the whole country awaits the identity of the next celebrity victim, only Alex Cross, with his proven ability to get into the minds of the most deranged killers, has the skills and the courage to crack the case -- but will he discover the truth before 'Jack and Jill' set their sights on Washington's ultimate celebrity target? A relentless rollercoaster of heart-pounding suspense and jolting plot twists, Jack and Jill proves once again that no one can write a more compelling thriller than James Patterson -- the master of the non-stop nightmare.
3
4.0
Alex Cross: Cat and Mouse
James Patterson
512 pages
18 hours of reading
20/20 Edition - Headline 20th Anniversary Edition Two powerful and exciting thrillers packed into one, CAT AND MOUSE is an electrifying tour de force from the master of the non-stop nightmare. Filled with hatred and obsessed with gaining revenge on detective Alex Cross, psychopath Gary Soneji seems determined to go down in a blaze of glory. And he wants Cross to be there. But will this be his final showdown?
4
3.8
Pop Goes the Weasel
James Patterson
342 pages
12 hours of reading
In POP GOES THE WEASEL, James Patterson has created a formidable villain every reader will see in the shadows when the lights are out, a tender love story, a plot powered by relentless suspense and psychological thrills kicked up to an all-time high. 'It's all just a game, darling. I play with three other men. Their names are FAMINE, WAR and CONQUEROR. My name is DEATH. You're a very lucky girl - I'm the best player of all.' Geoffrey Shafter : a man who never loses, he is prepared to play the game of games for the highest stakes of all. Alex Cross : senior Washington, DC homicide detective, he is determined, whatever the consequences, to unmask the man he has nicknamed the weasel, the prime suspect for a spate of killings that Cross has been forbidden to investigate.
5
4.0
Roses are red
James Patterson
416 pages
15 hours of reading
Detective Alex Cross's investigation of a series of bank robberies in Washington, D.C. which have led to the deaths of bank employees and their family members, puts him on a collision course with the mysterious criminal known as "The Mastermind."
6
4.1
Violets are blue
James Patterson
The mastermind of ROSES ARE RED is back - and he's hot on Alex Cross's trail. Meanwhile, Alex is drawn in to his most bizarre investigation yet. Two San Francisco joggers are found dead - bitten and hung by their feet to drain the blood from their bodies. Further murders in California, and then on the East Coast as well, completely baffle Alex and the FBI. Is this the work of a cult, of role players, or even of modern-day vampires? Desperate to stop the deaths, Alex teams up with Jamilla Hughes, a savvy woman detective from San Francisco, and the FBI's Kyle Craig. The result is two fantastic mysteries in one non-stop thriller that will have readers furiously turning the pages all over the world.
7
4.0
Four Blind Mice
James Patterson
416 pages
15 hours of reading
Detective Alex Cross is on his way to resign from the Washington, D.C., police force when his partner shows up at his door with a case he can't refuse. One of John Sampson's oldest friends, from their days together in Vietnam, has been arrested for murder. Worse yet, he is subject to the iron hand of the United States Army. The evidence against him is strong enough to send hem to the gas chamber.
8
4.0
The Big Bad Wolf
James Patterson
416 pages
15 hours of reading
Alex Cross's first case since joining the FBI has his new colleagues perplexed. Across the country, men and women are kidnapped in broad daylight and then disappear completely. These people are not being taken for ransom, Alex realizes. They are being bought and sold. And it seems The Wolf is the master criminal behind this terrible trade and who is bringing a new reign of terror to organized crime. Even as he admires the FBI's vast resources, Alex grows impatient with the Bureau's clumsiness and caution when it is time to move. A lone wolf himself, he has to go out on his own in order to track his new prey and try to rescue some of the victims while they are still alive. As the case boils over, Alex is in hot water at home, too. His ex-fiancée, Christine Johnson, comes back into his life - and not for the reasons Alex might have hoped. Full of the unexpected twists and heartrending surprises that James Patterson delivers better than any suspense writer alive, The Big Bad Wolf is an unforgettable thriller from the 'master of the suspense genre' (Sunday Telegraph).
9
4.0
London Bridges
James Patterson
416 pages
15 hours of reading
Alex Cross must face the world's most dangerous agents, criminals, and assassins. The fate of the world rests in his hands. In broad desert daylight, a mysterious platoon of soldiers evacuates the entire population of Sunrise Valley, Nevada. Minutes later, a huge bomb detonates a hundred feet above the ground and lays waste to homes, cars, and playgrounds: a town annihilated in an instant. The Russian supercriminal known as the Wolf claims responsibility for the blast. Alex Cross is on vacation in San Francisco with his girlfriend, Jamilla Hughes, when he gets the call. World leaders have just four days to prevent an unimaginable cataclysm. Racing down the hairpin turns of the Riviera in the most unforgettable finale James Patterson has ever written, he confronts the truth of the Wolf's identity, a revelation that even Cross himself may be unable to survive.
10
4.0
Mary, Mary
James Patterson
480 pages
17 hours of reading
Somebody is intent on murdering Hollywood's A-list. A well-known actress has been shot outside her Beverly Hills home. Shortly afterwards, the Los Angeles Times receives an email describing the murder in vivid detail. It is signed Mary Smith. More killings and emails follow - the victims are all major Hollywood players. Is it the work of an obsessed fan or a spurned actor, or is it part of something far more terrifying? As the case grows to blockbuster proportions, Washington, DC, FBI agent Alex Cross and the LAPD scramble to find a pattern before Mary can send another chilling update. Filled with the ruthless and shocking twists that make his fans hunger for more, MARY, MARY is James Patterson's most sophisticated thriller yet.
11
4.0
Cross
James Patterson
Alex Cross was a rising star in Washington, DC, Police Department when an unknown shooter killed his wife, Maria, in front of him. Years later, having left the FBI and returned to practising psychology, Alex finally feels his life is in order... Until his former partner, John Sampson, calls in a favour. John is tracking a serial rapist in Georgetown and he needs Alex to help find this brutal predator. When the case triggers a connection to Maria's death, could Alex have a chance to catch his wife's murderer? Will this be justice at long last? Or the endgame in his own deadly obsession. From the man the Sunday Telegraph called 'the master of the suspense genre', CROSS is the ultimate, high-velocity, high-emotion thriller, and the one Alex Cross's fans waited years to read.
12
4.0
Double Cross
James Patterson
464 pages
17 hours of reading
The latest in James Patterson's most popular series featuring the legendary Alex Cross
13
4.0
Alex Cross: Cross Country
James Patterson
432 pages
16 hours of reading
The 14th novel in the bestselling Alex Cross series A killer’s trail leads Detective Alex Cross to Africa – and a whole new world of danger. Called in to investigate a massacre, Alex Cross is shocked to discover an old friend among the victims. Furious and devastated, he sets out to get justice. The lethal Washington D.C. underworld leads him to the Niger Delta, where the heroin and slave trades are rife, and to the terrifying, psychopathic perpetrator of the massacre: the Tiger. But nothing is what it seems, and as Cross travels deeper into this dangerous world of corruption and conspiracy, his own survival is on the line…
14
3.7
Alex Cross's trial
James Patterson
From his grandmother, Alex Cross has heard the story of his great-uncle Abraham and his struggles for survival in the era of the Ku Klux Klan. Now, Alex passes the family tale along to his own children in a novel he's written - a novel called Trial. As a lawyer in early-twentieth-century Washington DC, Ben Corbett represents the toughest cases. Fighting against oppression and racism, he risks his family and his life in the process. When President Theodore Roosevelt asks Ben to return to his hometown to investigate rumours of the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan there, he cannot refuse. Arriving in Eudora, Mississippi, Ben meets the wise Abraham Cross and his beautiful daughter, Moody. Ben enlists their help, and the two Crosses introduce him to the hidden side of the idyllic Southern town. Lynchings have become commonplace and residents of the town's black quarter live in constant fear. Ben aims to break the reign of terror - but the truth of who is really behind it could break his heart. Written in the fearless voice of Detective Alex Cross, Alex Cross's Trial is a gripping story of murder, love, and, above all, bravery.
15
3.9
I, Alex Cross
James Patterson
391 pages
14 hours of reading
The 16th novel in the bestselling Alex Cross series They’ve come for Detective Alex Cross’s family. Now he’ll come for them. At a family celebration, Alex Cross hears the shocking news that his niece Caroline has been murdered. Grieving and furious, Cross’s investigation takes him to Washington D.C.’s wild underground subcultures – and reveals that Caroline wasn’t this killer’s only victim. Partnering with his girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, Cross finds himself confronting a world of unchecked power, where the capital’s most powerful people are hiding dirty, dangerous secrets that they’ll stop at nothing to protect. As they close in on the killer, the evidence begins to point to the unimaginable – a revelation that could rock the entire world…
16
4.0
Cross Fire
James Patterson
A sniper has Washington's corrupt elite in their sights. When two of the most corrupt people in politics are assassinated by a skilled sniper, Detective Alex Cross is called to action. As more crooked politicians are picked off, the media frenzy intensifies. Public opinion is divided - is this anonymous marksman a villain or a hero? As Cross investigates the case, he receives a call from his deadliest adversary and his worst fears come true. The Mastermind is in DC, and this time he won't stop until Cross and his family are dead . . .
17
4.1
Kill Alex Cross
James Patterson
384 pages
14 hours of reading
With relentless danger around every corner, Detective Alex Cross is hunting down a kidnapper . . . but only if someone powerful doesn't kill him first. The President's son and daughter are abducted, and Detective Alex Cross is one of the first on the scene. But someone very high-up is using the FBI, Secret Service, and CIA to keep him off the case and in the dark. A deadly contagion in the water supply cripples half of the capital, and Alex discovers that someone may be about to unleash the most devastating attack the United States has ever experienced. As his window for solving both crimes narrows, Alex makes a desperate decision that goes against everything he believes-one that may alter the fate of the entire country. Kill Alex Cross is fast, exciting, and tightly wound, full of "fast-and-furious action" (Washington Post).
18
3.9
Merry Christmas, Alex Cross
James Patterson
417 pages
15 hours of reading
The 19th novel in the bestselling Alex Cross seriesDetective Alex Cross is called into action on Christmas Eve - and he'll be lucky to see the New Year...Celebrating Christmas with his family, Alex Cross knows that his phone ringing means this won't be a Merry Christmas.
19
3.9
Alex Cross, Run
James Patterson
505 pages
18 hours of reading
Three killers are on the rampage in the capital and dead bodies are piling up. Alex Cross is in charge of all three investigations and has never been under more pressure. But with a crisis at home that threatens to tear his family apart, Alex's attention is divided. While Cross tracks the killers, he doesn't notice that someone is tracking him. Can Alex unravel the cases and find the killers in time? Or will he be the next dead body on the list?
20
4.0
Cross my heart
James Patterson
544 pages
20 hours of reading
Alex Cross's whole world is crashing down around him. He has been hunted, stalked like prey, his predator priming himself for the kill. Cross has devoted his life to protecting others. Now he's unable to protect even those closest to him. As a police detective, he has made many enemies, but never like this. Everything he loves is being taken from him. Soon he will have nothing and no one left.
21
4.1
Hope to Die
James Patterson
Detective Alex Cross is being stalked by a psychotic genius, forced to play the deadliest game of his career. Cross' family - his loving wife Bree, the wise and lively Nana Mama, and his precious children - have been ripped away. Terrified and desperate, Cross must give this mad man what he wants if he has any chance of saving the most important people in his life. The stakes have never been higher: What will Cross sacrifice to save the ones he loves? Widely praised by the greatest crime and thriller writers of our time, Cross My Heart set a jaw-dropping story in motion. Hope to Die propels Alex Cross' greatest challenge to its astonishing finish, proving why Jeffery Deaver says nobody does it better than James Patterson.
22
4.2
La Gaja scienza - 1311: Il cuore dell'assassino
James Patterson
349 pages
13 hours of reading
Detective Alex Cross is being stalked by a psychotic genius, forced to play the deadliest game of his career. Cross's family – his loving wife Bree, the wise and lively Nana Mama, and his precious children--have been ripped away. Terrified and desperate, Cross must give this mad man what he wants if he has any chance of saving the most important people in his life. The stakes have never been higher: What will Cross sacrifice to save the ones he loves? Widely praised by the greatest crime and thriller writers of our time, Cross My Heart set a jaw-dropping story in motion. Hope to Die propels Alex Cross's greatest challenge to its astonishing finish, proving why Jeffery Deaver says "nobody does it better" than James Patterson.
22
3.7
Alex Cross - 21: Cross Justice
James Patterson
420 pages
15 hours of reading
The toughest cases hit closest to home. Alex Cross left his hometown, and some awful family tragedies, for a better life with Nana Mama in Washington, DC. He hasn't looked back. Now his cousin Stefan has been accused of a horrible, unthinkable murder, and Cross drives south with Bree, Nana Mama, Jannie, and Ali to Starksville, North Carolina, for the first time in thirty-five years. Back home, he discovers a once proud community down on its luck, and local residents who don't welcome him with open arms. As Cross steps into his family home, the horrors of his childhood flood back--and he learns that they're not really over. He brings all his skill to finding out the truth about his cousin's case. But truth is hard to come by in a town where no one feels safe to speak. Chasing his ghosts takes Cross all the way down to the sugarcane fields of Florida, where he gets pulled into a case that has local cops needing his kind of expertise: a string of socialite murders with ever more grisly settings. He's chasing too many loose ends--a brutal killer, the truth about his own past, and justice for his cousin--and any one of the answers might be fatal. In Cross Justice , Alex Cross confronts the deadliest--and most personal--case of his career. It's a propulsive, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that proves you can go home again--but it just might kill you.
23
4.3
Cross the Line
James Patterson
400 pages
14 hours of reading
Homicide Detective Alex Cross teams up with his wife to beat a D. C. criminal at his own game. Washington, DC, has never been more dangerous. After shots pierce the tranquil nighttime calm of Rock Creek Park, a man is dead: what looks at first like road rage might be something much more sinister. But Alex has only just begun asking questions when he's called across town to investigate a new murder, one that hits close to home: his former boss and the beloved mentor of Alex's wife, Bree. Now there's a killer on the loose, a long list of possible suspects, a city in panic, and nobody in charge of the besieged police force. . . until Bree gets tapped for the job. As Bree scrambles to find her footing and close two high-profile cases, new violence stuns the capital. What should be a time for her to rely on Alex for support and cooperation is instead a moment of crisis in their marriage as well as their city when their investigative instincts clash and their relationship reaches a breaking point. And the fiendish mind behind all the violence has appointed himself judge, jury, and executioner, with a terrifying master plan he's only begun to put in motion. To beat him at his own game, Alex and Bree must take the law back into their own hands before he puts them both out of commission . . . permanently.
24
4.1
The People VS Alex Cross
James Patterson
Detective Alex Cross has never been on the wrong side of the law. Charged with murdering followers of his old nemesis Gary Soneji, Alex Cross becomes the poster child for trigger-happy cops. He's the only one who knows that there's a real murderer watching from the shadows, one Cross must stop - even if it means he can't save himself
25
4.1
Target: Alex Cross
James Patterson
448 pages
16 hours of reading
Alex Cross and his family join men and women from across the nation lining the streets of Washington, DC to mourn the unexpected death of the President. With the country still in shock, the assassination of a prominent Senator strikes another devastating blow to the heart of the nation's capital. The new President calls on Cross to lead an unparalleled FBI investigation to help capture America's most wanted criminal. But what follows will plunge the country into chaos, and draw Cross into the most important case of his life.
26
3.9
Criss Cross
James Patterson
400 pages
14 hours of reading
"Could a ghost from his past take everything away from Alex Cross? Mere hours after witnessing the execution of a killer he helped put behind bars, Alex Cross is called to the scene of a copycat murder. A note signed 'M' rests on the corpse- 'You messed up big time, Dr. Cross.' Was an innocent man just put to death? As the executed convict's family launch a vicious campaign against Cross, his abilities as a detective are called into question. The enigmatic 'M' lures Cross out of Washington, DC to the sites of multiple homicides, all marked with distressingly familiar details that conjure up decades-old cases and Cross family secrets. Details that make it clear M is after a prize so dear that - were the killer to attain it - Cross's life would be destroyed."--Publisher description
27
4.2
Deadly Cross
James Patterson
448 pages
16 hours of reading
A scandalous double homicide in the nation's capital opens the psychological case files on Detective Alex Cross. Until Kay Willingham's shocking murder inside a luxury limousine, the Georgetown socialite, philanthropist, and ex-wife of the sitting vice-president led a public life. Yet few, including her onetime psychologist, had any inkling of Kay's troubled past in the Deep South. Murdered alongside her is Randall Christopher, a respected educator whose political ambitions may have endangered both their lives. While John Sampson of DC Metro Police tracks Randall's final movements, Alex Cross and FBI Special Agent Ned Mahoney travel to Alabama to investigate Kay's early years. They discover that although Kay had many enemies, all of them needed her alive. Alex is left without a viable suspect, even as he faces a desperate choice between breaking a trust and losing his way, as a detective, and as the protector of his family
28
4.2

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