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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.

Roses are red
Pop goes the weasel
Cat and mouse
Jack and Jill
Kiss the girls
Along came a spider

Recommended Reading Order

  1. Along came a spider

    • 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.

    Along came a spider1
    4.2

  2. Kiss the girls

    Two killers compete with each other for who can commit the most murders. One lives in Los Angeles and specializes in dismembering his victims, the other operates in the Carolinas, his specialty being college girls. By the author of Along Came a Spider.

    Kiss the girls2
    4.0

  3. Jack and Jill

    • 448 pages
    • 16 hours of reading

    Alex Cross, the detective hero of Along Came a Spider, Kiss the Girls, Cat and Mouse and Pop Goes the Weasel, makes his third appearance in the explosive international bestseller from one of the world's most popular thriller writers -- now reissued in striking new cover style.

    Jack and Jill3
    4.0

  4. Cat and mouse

    • 512 pages
    • 18 hours of reading

    Just as Alex Cross is beginning to feel that life is good and he is finally coming out of the depression he's been in since the death of his wife, he is called to Union Station train terminal - a man is on the loose, firing at random into the swarming crowds of travellers. Psychopath Gary Soneji seems determined to go down in a blaze of glory, and he wants Alex Cross to be there. Will this be the final showdown

    Cat and mouse4
    3.8

  5. Pop goes the weasel

    • 512 pages
    • 18 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.

    Pop goes the weasel5
    4.0

  6. Roses are red

    • 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."

    Roses are red6
    4.1

  7. Violets are blue

    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.

    Violets are blue7
    4.0

  8. Four Blind Mice

    • 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.

    Four Blind Mice8
    4.0

  9. The big bad wolf

    • 432 pages
    • 16 hours of reading

    Alex Cross battles the most ruthless and powerful killer he has ever encountered - a predator known only as "the Wolf. "Alex Cross's first case since joining the FBI has his new colleagues stymied. Across the country, men and women are being kidnapped in broad daylight and then disappearing completely. These people are not being taken for ransom, Alex realizes. They are being bought and sold. And it looks as if a shadowy figure called the Wolf - a master criminal who has brought a new reign of terror to organize crime - is behind this business in which ordinary men and women are sold as slaves. 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 the Wolf 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-fiancee, Christine Johnson, comes back into his life - and not for the reasons Alex might have hoped.

    The big bad wolf9
    4.0

  10. London bridges

    • 448 pages
    • 16 hours of reading

    Alex Cross, Washington, DC, FBI agent, is back in his most explosive adventure yet. And so is the Wolf. And so is the Weasel. Alex Cross is on vacation when he gets the call. A town in Nevada has been annihilated and the Russian super-criminal known as the Wolf is claiming responsibility. Major cities around the globe are threatened with total destruction and the thought of such dark genius at work makes Alex's blood run cold. Cross is catapulted into an international chase of astonishing danger. Arriving in London, he fights his way through a torrent of false leads, impersonators and foreign agents. Then, in the most unforgettable finale, Alex Cross confronts the truth of the Wolf's identity - a revelation that even Cross himself may be unable to survive. Full of the high-voltage action and enthralling intrigue for which James Patterson is best known, LONDON BRIDGES is an unforgettable thriller that will grip you from cover to cover.

    London bridges10
    4.0

  11. Mary, Mary

    • 403 pages
    • 15 hours of reading

    FBI agent Alex Cross is on vacation when he gets a call from the Director. An actress has been shot outside her home in Beverly Hills. Afterward, an editor for the Los Angeles Times receives an e-mail recounting the murder in shocking detail, signed Mary Smith. Her calling card - The authorities fear this is only the beginning. Mary Smith is targeting Hollywood stars and power brokers, and she is getting better every time. This case is like nothing Alex has ever confronted before. Could this be the plan of an obsessed fan or a spurned actor, or is it part of something much more terrifying? And how could a woman be capable of these vicious crimes?

    Mary, Mary11
    4.0

  12. Alex Cross

    Also Published as CROSS

    • 416 pages
    • 15 hours of reading

    Alex Cross was a rising star in the Washington, DC, Police Department when an unknown shooter gunned down his wife, Maria, in front of him. The killer was never found, and the case turned cold, filed among the unsolved drive-bys in D.C.'s rough neighborhoods. Years later, still haunted by his wife's death, Cross is making a bold move in his life. Now a free agent from the police and the FBI, he's set up practice as a psychologist once again. His life with Nana Mama, Damon, Jannie, and little Alex is finally getting in order. He even has a chance at a new love. Then Cross's former partner, John Sampson, calls in a favor. He is tracking a serial rapist in Georgetown, one whose brutal modus operandi recalls a case Sampson and Cross worked together years earlier. When the case reveals a connection to Maria's death, Cross latches on for the most urgent and terrifying ride of his life. From the man USA TODAY has called the "master of the genre," CROSS is the high-velocity thriller James Patterson and Alex Cross's fans have waited years to read - and the pinnacle of the bestselling detective series of the past two decades. This novel was originally published under the title Cross. The movie tie-in editions are published under the title Alex Cross. (less)

    Alex Cross12
    4.0

  13. Double Cross

    Alex Cross returns in this high action, stunning murder mystery. Alex Cross and his new girlfriend Detective Brianna Stone are caught up in the terror.

    Double Cross13
    4.0

  14. Cross Country

    • 406 pages
    • 15 hours of reading

    When the home of Alex Cross's oldest friend, Ellie Cox, is turned into the worst murder scene Alex has ever seen, the destruction leads him to believe that he's chasing a horrible new breed of killer

    Cross Country14
    3.7

  15. Alex Cross's trial

    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.

    Alex Cross's trial15
    3.9

  16. I, Alex Cross

    In "I, Alex Cross," Detective Alex Cross is devastated by the murder of his niece and vows to find her killer. As he investigates, he uncovers a dangerous world tied to Washington's elite and a notorious club. With thrilling twists and revelations, this gripping tale showcases Cross at his best.

    I, Alex Cross16
    4.0

  17. Cross Fire

    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 . . .

    Cross Fire17
    4.1

  18. Kill Alex Cross

    The 18th novel in the bestselling Alex Cross seriesThe President's children have been kidnapped.Tasked by the desperate First Lady with finding her children, Cross is racing against the clock - and to have any chance of saving them, he must make a desperate decision that goes against everything he believes in...

    Kill Alex Cross18
    3.9

  19. Merry Christmas, Alex Cross

    • 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.

    Merry Christmas, Alex Cross19
    3.9

  20. Alex Cross, Run

    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?

    Alex Cross, Run20
    4.0

  21. Alex Cross - 19: Cross My Heart

    • 419 pages
    • 15 hours of reading

    James Patterson raises the stakes to their highest level, ever-when Alex Cross becomes the obsession of a genius of menace set on proving that he is the greatest mind in the history of crime. Detective Alex Cross is a family man at heart--nothing matters more to him than his children, his grandmother, and his wife Bree. His love of his family is his anchor, and gives him the strength to confront evil in his work. One man knows this deeply, and uses Alex's strength as a weapon against him in the most unsettling and unexpected novel of James Patterson's career.When the ones Cross loves are in danger, he will do anything to protect them. If he does anything to protect them, they will die.CROSS MY HEART is the most powerful Alex Cross novel ever, propelled by the ever-ingenious mind of James Patterson, the world's #1 bestselling writer.

    Alex Cross - 19: Cross My Heart21
    4.1

  22. Hope to Die

    • 512 pages
    • 18 hours of reading

    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.

    Hope to Die22
    4.2

  23. Cross Justice

    • 448 pages
    • 16 hours of reading

    The toughest cases are the ones that hit close to home. When his cousin is accused of a heinous crime, Alex Cross returns to his North Carolina hometown for the first time in over three decades. As he tries to prove his cousin's innocence in a town where everyone seems to be on the take, Cross unearths a family secret that forces him to question everything he's ever known. Chasing a ghost he believed was long dead, Cross gets pulled into a case that has local cops scratching their heads and needing his help: a grisly string of socialite murders. Now he's hot on the trail of both a brutal killer, and the truth about his own past - and the answers he finds might be fatal.

    Cross Justice23
    4.3

  24. Cross the Line

    • 400 pages
    • 14 hours of reading

    For Detective Alex Cross, it's a killer who thinks he's the good guy...As Cross pursues a murderer who's appointed himself judge, jury and executioner, he must take the law back into his own hands - because although this killer has a conscience, the city Cross has sworn to protect is rapidly descending into chaos...

    Cross the Line24
    4.1

  25. The people vs. Alex Cross

    • 432 pages
    • 16 hours of reading

    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

    The people vs. Alex Cross25
    4.1

  26. Target: Alex Cross

    • 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.

    Target: Alex Cross26
    3.9

  27. Criss Cross

    • 432 pages
    • 16 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

    Criss Cross27
    4.2

  28. Deadly Cross

    A scandalous double homicide opens the psychological case files on Alex Cross . Cross is left grieving, questioning who would want them dead, and why. While Cross's former Metro Homicide partner John Sampson tracks Christopher's final movements, Cross and FBI Special Agent Ned Mahoney travel to Alabama to investigate Kay's past.

    Deadly Cross28
    4.2

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