London Bridges (Alex Cross)

This was my first Patterson book so I can't compare it to his other books. After reading some of the reviews here my expectations were low, and while the book wasn't great it wasn't awful either. The plot seems to be taken from a James Bond movie and while it's not very fresh or inspired, the plot moves quickly and the pace only slows down in the parts dealing with Alex Cross's private lives. These sequences didn't add anything to the plot. Perhaps they are relevant to some larger story arc throughout the series, I don't know.

Overall, I found "London Bridges" to be an entertaining, if somewhat uninspired, thriller. A quick read.

I love the Alex Cross series, so was favorably predisposed to this story! Two protagonists the Wolf and the Weasel, who bring intrigue and danger to the tale. It takes everything Agent Cross can bring to solve this case. As is true with all James Patterson books the action never stops and the story is always fast paced. This is an excellent read!

I've begun noticing that there is very little behavioral analysis by Alex Cross anymore. He seems more of an action hero than someone with a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins.

This means the plot is driven by coincidences and villains who overexpose themselves because they know they won't get caught.

It's still got action to burn, and at least THIS time the villain isn't someone who Patterson has used as a good guy in several previous books.

The book was fast-paced, you can read it in one sitting especially if you skip over the boring filler material with his Grandma, his kid who lives away, his ex-wife?, his kids at home, etc. I started skipping all that stuff several books ago, I can't believe Alex Cross doesn't weigh 500lbs. the way he eats.

Dr. Alex Cross is once again facing his old adversary, the Wolf, but this time, Wolf is joined by another evil murderer, the Weasel. Wolf has threatened to wipe out towns and cities all over the world with the use of portable nuclear weapons and starts by evacuating a small desert town in the US and then wiping it off the face of the earth. He follows this demonstration of his power by doing the same in England, but this time he doesn't evacuate the villagers. He is demanding a ransom in the billions to stop this threat and then proceeds to follow through with his plans. Alex is assigned to the case along with the CIA, FBI and English and French police. It's a real actioner which would make a great movie and finishes with the suggestion of a cliff hanger.

The Wolf...and the Weasel...are back. And, of course, their sadistic methods of murder, zamochit, and sexual deviancy are on full display from almost page one. The plot, however, is full of more holes than a sinking ship. Although I read this book in a few days(it is no doubt a page-turner), it wasn't nearly as suspenseful or enjoyable as The Big Bad Wolf.

Not helping matters, the dreadfully abrupt ending proves painfully anticlimactic and rings hollow. This is nothing short of formula-driven and was without a doubt written under the pressure of a submission deadline undoubtedly pushed by JP's publisher. It shows.

This was my first James Patterson book to read. My wife loves his books and had bought this book but had not read it yet. It was on the shelf and I had nothing else to read so I asked her if I could read it before her. It was very disappointing. No character development at all and in my opinion the plot was very unrealistic and the ending anit-climactic and foreseeable. I knew how the book was going to end at the half way point. To me I got the impression that the author was trying to rush out another book to make his publisher happy. My wife has since read this book and admits that this is not his best effort. She is trying to get me to read one of his other books because she promises me he is a good writer. So my suggestion is to skip this one and try one of his other novels first.

London Bridges is a book written by James Patterson. The book is about the FBI, CIA, and other groups from governments who are trying to capture the books main antagonist, the Wolf. The title is symbolic to the antagonist and foreshadows parts of the plot. The protagonist of the novel is Alex Cross. He is a member of the FBI.
Throughout the novel, there are switches in point-of-view; one chapter could be written in 3rd person, and the next chapter is written in 1st person. Some people will find this to be a nuisance, while others won't mind. Then there is the length of the book. It is a short book. What is bad about this is that it seems to lack information. It's like one minute the characters are in London and the next minute there in the United States. Again, some might enjoy the faster pacing, while others will just wish the book can give more detail because it is just an inconvenience for people to realize the setting has switched. Another headache to the story is the constant false leads. Yet again, some may enjoy the "suspense" it gives, while others will hate it. The reader is lead to one character revealing himself as the Wolf, when he is just another accomplice.
The plot is quite interesting, although it could have been better; it had potential. The plot of the story is there is a group that is threatening to bomb cities. The governments seek a way to capture them without suffering any bombings by the terrorists. Alex Cross, the protagonist, is a realistic character. He has a family whom he cares for and has to deal with being away from them to aid the FBI in capturing the antagonists. He has faults. He is unsure, almost throughout the novel, if the FBI is getting any closer to capturing the antagonists. He is what makes the novel worth reading.
London Bridges is a fast-paced thriller about a group of terrorists trying to destroy some cities and will only stop if they are paid a ransom. The book lacks details. If you are a fan of the Alex Cross series read it, if you are a fan of James Patterson read it, if you are a fan of thrillers or novels with similar plots read it; if you are expecting a story like his previous novels, be prepared to be disappointed though. I don't recommend reading this book if you are not a fan of the genre.

I was so mad when I finshed The Wolf that I threw it on the floor! (I've never done that to a book before and I am a little ashamed to admit it.) London Bridges was no better. The Wolf didn't end and it could have. It just stopped. Patterson and the publishers decided to streeeeetch an already thin plot into two books. More money for them! I'm a librarian, so of course I had borrowed it from the library but time-wise I still felt ripped off. I wanted to know how the story ended, so, stupid me, I borrowed the audio of London Bridges from the library thinking that might work. I should have known better. London Bridges seemed like a first draft sketch rather than a novel by an acclaimed author like Patterson! No depth. No character developement. Patterson kept asking questions through Cross instead of letting good writing formulate questions in our own minds. The oodles of blank space in the gutters and at the end of the 2 to 3 page chapters in both Wolf and L. Bridges (I looked at one) seemed like the publishers and author just wanted enough pages to be able to publish it into book form instead of a pamphlet! In listening to London Bridges instead of reading it, I realized filler is also possible in an audio! Dramatic music and echoing voices telling us the chapter number at the beginning of each chapter and then the reader stating the chapter number again! As if we cared! How annoying! Wow, what a waste of my time and taxpayers money. That is the last Patterson novel for me. I rate this 1/2 star. Too many GOOD books, so little time!

There are some authors who try to extend their stories beyond their core competency and come out successful. Michael Crichton for example, Great trian robbery/ eaters of the dead were some of his non-techno-thrillers. Some come with a bad product while doing it for eg: Forsythe writing Phantom of Manhattan!

London Bridges could be categorized in the second. James Patterson used to turn out fast paced psycho thrillers: Kiss the girls, Jack and Jill, etc. But recently, he has been adding unwanted gruesomeness for the sake of "shock factor". What Mr. Patterson dosent understand is that, we've got used to a lot innovative killings from the newspapers/TV that it dosent "shock" us anymore. Instead it is best to concentrate on the plot. All the novel from Roses are red were bad and lacked his old magic touch.

Mr. Patterson tried to write a political thriller using the characters lifted from his usual psycho stories. The novel is about a bunch of psychos trying to blow up all the major cities in the world. The scene where the Wolf calls up the president and asks for ransom "If you dont give me 2 billion.....boom!" and London goes down, was like the "1 million" scene from Austin Powers movie. None of the bad guys involved in the plan were professionals. After reading Tom Clancy, Ludlum, Forsyth, Higgins,etc one thing we all know for sure (eventhough we dont know in real world) is that a professional is the person who leads a big bad operation. We would'nt find a psycho killer trying to shoot the president or blow up New York. Mr. Patterson has employed a bagfull of killers who would like torturing people more than bombing them to do the task of blowing up the world. And finally Alex Cross saves the world ! Further, we are used to the ending where the bad guy walks away clean. Come on, every movie/ novel provides this ending that it is no more interesting. Alex's family problems used to be interesting, but in this novel, it gets into the same patterson as before: Alex meets a hot girl and has sex, cute kids, bossing Mama, Sampson's touching lines and at the end "he took my family". Why does the villain in all his novels like tormenting Cross instead of killing him. Finally, cross wins, the villain comes to his house, keeps a gun on kids/mama's temple while Cross kills him (the villain swearing "i'll get you")

I did not like Frederick Forsythe's Phantom, or Stepehen King's Tommyknockers (sci-fi) but still I appreciated the effort. But London Bridges is not worth the effort too. An absurd story, bad plot and irritating characters have made the novel unreadable. I am a big James Patterson fan but I would still discourage you to read the book.

This was not the typical Alex Cross series. The Big Bad Wolf had me shaking in my boots....I was traveling alone in Florida and was terrified...I was hoping for the same level of excitement/terror in London Bridges. Instead I got an Alex Cross who didn't seem sure of anything. I got a Wolf with an emotional motive. The storyline was weak and unconvincing. The wolf is never TRULY identified, although he was sure he killed him several times...I thought James Patterson should have delved into the female slave trade, he could have used the Weasal better...ANYTHING that pertained to the Wolf in the previous book....WEAK WEAK WEAK...don't buy get from local Library or wait for paperback. WEAK

This was the first Patterson book I have read, and it will be my last. Life is too short for this stuff. Nothing happens for the first four fifths of the book, and then when it does, it was like: "What was that?" I kept thinking that this is low-grade "James Bond versus the arch- villain". For some reason Patterson inserts a bunch of relationship stuff and "boo-hoo-hoo I can't see my kid because I'm divorced". Many loose ends and a conclusion(?) with no resolution.

Permit me to summarize for you: Bad guy is very bad, he shoots people, escapes, good guy chases, bad guy gets away, bad guy blows other people up, bad guy shoots more people in the head, yadda, yadda, yadda.

I wanted to enjoy this book, buy I really did not like it at all. The unabridged audio book version is horrible with annoying sound effects and distracting music.

If you choose to abuse yourself and read this book, do yourself a favor and borrow it from a library. Or better yet, pick up something written by Tom Clancy.

For anyone like me who has been an avid fan of the Alex Cross series, it has been very sad to watch the characters and writing deteriorate into a sloppy mess. The transformation from say "Kiss the Girls" to "London Bridges" is astonishing. It's almost like Patterson took some sort of pill overnight and forgot what made the Alex Cross novels so good. Pretty much every Cross book by Patterson since "Violets are Blue" has been weak (the exceptions being the very good "The Jester" and "The Beach House" - two of his best). People looking for suspensful thriller series involving a detective already know that Michael Connelly is currently the best out there. Go read a Bosch novel and forget this guy.

CAUTION: Several reviews of this book by disappointed readers include significant spoilers in the elaboration of their complaints involving the plot. THIS REVIEW INCLUDES NO SPOILERS.

The storyline of LONDON BRIDGES seems designed to captivate all Alex Cross fans. It includes his two most dangerous adversaries, the shadowy Wolf and the sadistic Weasel (Geoffrey Shafer), and revolves around a plot to blackmail the governments of the most powerful nations of the world by threatening to unleash widescale destruction in major cities around the globe. Part One of the story begins when a contingent of US soldiers evacuates the entire town of Sunrise Valley, Nevada (population - 315) shortly before it is totally obliterated by a powerful blast of unknown origin. While Alex Cross (now an FBI operative assigned directly to Director Burns' office) is investigating the blast, the Wolf secretly contacts the US Government and outlines his nonnegotiable demands. He also threatens to commence his threatened attacks on major population centers if his demands are not met within four days or if any attempts are made to locate him. When the governments involved temporize due to their reluctance to strike a deal with terrorists, the Wolf demonstrates his resolve by staging incidents in other countries which involve significant loss of life.

Despite the cooperation of Interpol and all the intelligence services involved, only fragmentary and often conflicting evidence is developed regarding both the Wolf's identity or his resources. Of course, readers familiar with Patterson's villians know that they are all masters of deception and purposeful misdirection; unsurprisingly, the Wolf is perhaps the best ever at escaping detection and eluding his pursuers. As the countdown towards the twice postponed deadline occurs, the tension reaches a crescendo and the world seems to be out of options. What a marvelous plot! And implemented in typical Patterson style, extremely short chapters, non-stop action at a truly breakneck pace, and Alex matched against a truly detestable villian. Thankfully, the story also contains much less than the usual amount of gruesome detail often involved in Alex's pursuit of the sociopaths which inhabit this series. While there is almost continual violence and death, most of it is described in a rather summary fashion and much of it is simply a reporting of the destruction resulting from the attacks initiated by the Wolf.

Unfortunately for Alex Cross fans, most of the familiar characters in the series have very limited roles in this episode. While Jamilla Hughes, Christine Johnson, and Kayla Coles are all tangentially involved in Alex's thoughts about his future, they as well as Damon, Janine, little Alex and Nana appear only infrequently throughout the narrative. Thus, the background information about Alex's life and cases (including the Weasel and The Wolf) and his decision to end his role with the DC Police Department and join the FBI contained in the earlier books of the series make it likely that while this novel can be read as a standalone story it is likely to be more enjoyable to readers of Patterson's previous works.

The major problem with the story is the number of holes and unexplained occurrences. Even readers wiliing to accept the main premise behind the plot will have to suspend belief on multiple occasions as the story procceds. The pace is so fast and the action so compelling that this is often not immediately obvious, but upon reflection I often realized that seeming loose ends that I assumed would later be tied up and references which I expected to be illuminated were left completely unexplained. In a novel where intrigue and misdirection play such a major part, such clarification is particularly important. Unfortunately, while the author clearly realizes the necessity of such closure and near the conclusion provides the minimal backstory details necessary for Alex to seemingly piece together the Wolf's identity, this summary does not completely compensate for much of the explanatory material that has previously been omitted. In many ways this story seems like an outline of what could have been a great book; it resembles an interesting skeleton that needs some meat on its bones. I suspect that the story will appeal immensely to speed readers and others who primarily focus on the plot rather than the supporting details or related character development. But in this case the author shortchanges his readers, and my frustration and disappointment is increased by the fact that books such as SAM'S LETTERS TO JENNIFER and SUZANNE'S DIARY FOR NICHOLAS clearly demonstate that he is capable of the careful attention to detail and more complex plot and character development that would have made this a superb novel rather than simply an undoubted commercial success.

In conclusion, this is a story with a five star plot which is presented in such summary form that it is lacking both in crucial plot details and meaningful character development. While such treatment may be familiar to readers of the Alex Cross series, they seem totally inappropriate when applied to an international political thriller rather the the usual murder mysteries for which Patterson is most famous. Thus, my rating is a compromise between the rating deserved by the excellent plot and and the author's two star execution of the idea. As mentioned previously, the more time I took to contemplate this story, the less satisfying it seemed.

Tucker Andersen

I am officially finished with Alex Cross novels. Patterson's early Cross novels (Spider, Girls, Jack & Jill) were great, but the books as of late have been getting progressively worse--and now London Bridges is the worst of all. The Wolf is an absurdly powerful enemy, and seems to have access to unlimited money, manpower, information, etc. Not only is the Wolf and the whole London Bridges storyline ridiculous, the multiple "fake" endings are even worse. Every time you think you know who the Wolf is, the rug gets pulled out from beneath your feet. Does Patterson even know who the Wolf is? Does he care? Does he think his multiple endings are good writing? It's a shame b/c Patterson has taken a great character and just ruined him with the crap he now sells masquarading as thriller novels.

In Salvador, Brazil, the Wolf abducts Colonel Geoffrey the "Weasel" Shafer; while hanging upside down, Weasel learns that the Wolf has a job for him. US Army soldiers evacuate the 315 residents of Sunrise Valley, Nevada. As the Wolf watched his plan in Sunrise Valley succeed via remote in Bel Air, a plane drops a daisy cutter bomb on the town leaving parched earth behind.

DC based FBI Agent Alex Cross on vacation visits his young son in Seattle before going to San Francisco to see his girlfriend Jamilla Hughes. FBI Agents Jean Matthews and John Thompson interrupt Alex's romantic interlude to inform him that FBI Director Burns needs him to attend to an emergency in Nevada. Weasel's photo near the Nevada destruction and a homicide shocks Alex. He senses THE BIG BAD WOLF is back. Soon threats to do to London, New York and other megalopolises what happened to Sunrise Valley arrive. Alex knows he must cross swords with Weasel and believes ultimately the Wolf.

The sequel to the BIG BAD WOLF is a terrific suspense thriller that showcases why James Patterson is one of the best the genre offers. The story line grips the audience from the moment the Wolf captures the amoral Weasel and never lets up until the climatic confrontation between Alex and the Wolf. Though the action is non-stop so that the audience never fully catches our breath, the tale is much stronger than the usual terrorist antiterrorists contest because key players such as Alex (obviously), the two prime villains, and a host of secondary cast members seem so real that the deadly caper feels authentic. James Patterson is on his top game with the tenth Cross thriller.

Harriet Klausner

I have been reading each Alex Cross book in order. Each one has been harder and harder to get through. The ONLY reason I gave this one even 2 stars is because I am hoping the GOOD writing we have come to expect from Patterson will return soon.

This book had so many turns and twists it was like being on the Tilt-A-Wirl and not in a good way.

Then after growing to hate and fear the Wolf the character is ended like that??!!! Give me a break. I am a 30 something accountant and I could have come up with a more shocking ending.

The Ole Mr. Patterson of past - PLEASE COME BACK !

This is the tenth in Patterson's Detective (now FBI special envoy) Alex Cross series, and from the outset, we would surmise that if you are not a faithful follower of the previous nine, you will be lost. First, both central villains are reprised from earlier books (the "Weasel" from "Pop Goes the Weasel"; and the "Wolf" from "Big Bad Wolf"), but it's not so clear how or why they are in cahoots. The Weasel in specific gets bumped off so unceremoniously that we almost wonder why he was even included in this novel. Second, and worse, the brief scenes featuring Alex's little boy and his mother Christine, Alex's current squeeze Jamilla, and his ex-partner Sampson, etc. etc., were so sketchy that the uninformed reader might think these segments irrelevant filler.

Couple that with an incredulous plot wherein the Wolf is leading the presidents of four countries around by their noses, almost a trite post-9/11 recital of terror with Al Queda thrown in every few chapters just for effect; it soon becomes clear this is not one of Patterson's better efforts. The storyline is as usual reeled out in short, three-page chapters, with action galore. But we are given so little meat, so little background, so little motivation to care, that the race toward the end of the book was almost anticlimactic. An overdose of red herrings and gratuitous slayings did little to endear the plot to us either.

While we generally enjoy Patterson's fast-paced thrillers, this one looks too much like a bad screenplay - you know the feeling: it's not that it's horrible, but you wonder later why you spent so much money for so little real entertainment. He can do much better, and so can you.

OK Patterson has clearly no plot here.........
I finished the book and i still dont know WHO exactly was the WOLF.......
the book is Predictable and yet it has some shocks.......
but again the paper thin plot ruins it.......
none the less it is Interesting and holds attention.....
But the ENDING was really BAD...........and how the WEASLE story line was ENDED was really CHEAP..........
Weasle Deserved better........
and so DID wolf!!!
i mean there was a moment in the book where i was like "OH MY GOD! the WOLF Is ------" but again in the next page Somebody else was WOLF.......
i mean Patterson clearly doesnot even know himself who WOLF is.......
ahhh i feel cheated.........
2.5/5

I've read all James Patterson's novels, so LONDON BRIDGES was a real letdown. It read more like a news account, rather than a novel, and I found myself skimming the pages as I would a newspaper article. Character development was zip, zero, zilch.

I have a suggestion for the next Alex Cross novel. Alex could awaken from a bad dream, the details of which are already fading, except that it involved both the Weasel and the Wolf and unbelievable worldwide chaos and terror. Then Alex could go downstairs to have breakfast with Nana Mama and the kids, and the REAL tenth Alex Cross novel could begin.

Please Mr. Patterson?

James Patterson has been one of my favorite authors, and I can't wait to pick up his new books as they are available. I asked for this one for Christmas. Sadly, I was very disappointed. The writing is stilted and the plot questionable. I feel, as do some of the other reviewers, that this book was churned out to meet a deadline. The only reason I finished it was because my husband paid full price for it as soon as it came out. Next time, I'll wait for the paperback version, or better yet get it from the library so I don't feel so ripped off!

I have been a fan of the Cross series and J. Sanford's Prey series from the beginning, and while there have been a couple of Prey novels that have let me down there has never been a Cross novel that did not come thru for me....until now that is.

Now while the read was good and fast (I am a fan of the short chapter style he uses) the story itself was dismal beyond belief, and by beyond belief I mean I could not believe after all the good work in the past Cross novels Patterson actually wrote this and said to himself "its done lets print and sell it". This book could not have come from the same person that wrote the other Cross books. I refuse to believe that Patterson would put two main villains from the past in one book and then kill one of them off in less than a page of text, in the middle of the story and then NEVER REFER TO THEM AGAIN. That's right Cross kills the Weasel in the time it would usually take him to play a tune on his piano and then there is not another single reference to the Weasel in the rest of the book. Why did he put him in the book in the first place? It's certainly not explained IN the book. There are several characters in this book along with the Weasel that are unceremoniously wiped out before you can even figure out why they were in the book in the first place. The whole Wolf character and storyline went very very bad, I don't even think the author could figure out who he wanted the Wolf to be so instead of coming up with something creative he just kills him off in the end. Bottom line, I would need the writing skills of James Patterson himself to truly explain how disappointing this book is compared to its predecessors, so if you are dying for a good Cross book go back and read "Violets are Blue" because this one will just make you angry.

Well the Alex Cross saga continues on with this time Alex once again facing some familiar foes if you read past alex cross stories(pop goes the weasel and the big bad wolf). The villians namely wolf the villian from the big bad wolf book who was the ex kgb agent who was running a secret website that fullfiled the desires of rich men who paid to have women of there desire kidnapped. He is introduced when a town in nevada is completely destroyed by a bomb luckily they take the towns people out as this is just a demonstration for a far greater threat which the wolf has threaten the world by telling the leaders of the world he will blow up 4 major cities unless he gets 2 billion dollars an the release of prisoners from the middle east.

He uses the services of another past criminal Geoffery Shafer from the story pop goes the weasel where girls were being murdered in se washington d.c.

This is another typical patterson story which is a pretty fast read with chapters 2 to 3 pages long yes most of patterson's book are not deep thinking stories they are what i would call fun reads fastpaced. So take an afternoon curl up with another good James patterson book

This book was okay. Not the very best of Patterson that I have read, but I stuck it out to see what happened. I thought the ending was kind of vague.

The WOLF is destroying everything he can from London, Paris, to New York. He blows up buildings and murders people in cold blood without a thought. And he wants Alex Cross dead of course.

Throughout the entire book, Alex is chasing the Wolf, trying to find out what his next dangerous move is going to be. But the Wolf makes it nearly impossible, and if Alex isn't careful, his own life and those of his family may be in the worst danger yet.

I've enjoye;d a number of Cross's books, but can't help but wonder if he farmed this one out to a High School boys' creative writing class. In short, it was just plain silly. Not bad, not thoughtless, just plain silly. The formula used by which every hireling of the villain does his task and then is summarily shot, blown up, knifed appears to come from boys who do a lot of video gaming, pressing buttons, watching people die. Please, Mr. Patterson, take some time off, relax, recreate, refuel, don't write a word for a year or so, then come back and give us another good Alex Cross story.

I've been a big fan of James Patterson, and his novels, following them avidly. But recently, the Alex Cross novels have began to take a downward slide. I keep reading, in hope that perhaps the next will be better than the previous one read, but so far, I've been let down. London Bridges was terrible, and made no sense at all. It appeared to be slapped together without any thought at all. I'm confused... I thought the Women's Murder Club novels were superb, so what's happening to Alex Cross?

Sometimes you'll read a book and when it's over it's like you've lost a good friend. This is not one of those books. The only reason I finished it was because I was traveling and had no other books.
It's just tedious. The super-hero is neither super no heroic. The evil mastermind is one dimensional. The "climax" is boring and predictable.
Usually when I'm about four pages into a book like this, I stop reading. It's just dull and trite. I can't believe it was published.

The only thing that interested me about this 10th book is the story line with Alex & his family. I liked the scenes with Alex & little Alex. The main story line was slow moving, weak & boring. I thought with The Wolf & the Weasel working together this story would have been better & exciting.

London Bridges, $7.99 US, is the tenth Alex Cross novel from bestselling author James Patterson. In this particular installment, two old foes (The Weasel, The Wolf) join forces in an attempt to target FBI agent Alex Cross for destruction, but why? What could these two psychopaths possibly have in common? The Wolf has gone haywire again, but this time he has a plan. In order to enact that plan though, he must first abduct Colonel Geoffrey Shaffer from his plush six-bedroom villa in Salvador, Brazil. With Shaffer's assistance then guaranteed, The Wolf vows to destroy Frankfurt, London, NYC, and Washington D.C. unless an exorbitant two billion dollar ransom is delivered.

On a much anticipated vacation jaunt to San Francisco -- before that Seattle -- Alex's hookup with Jamilla is interrupted when fellow agents intercept the couple at San Francisco International Airport. Alex leaves for Nevada immediately, and investigates after Sunrise Valley (Population: 315) is obliterated by an airborne bomb. To further confuse things, a cadre of uniformed soldiers had hastily evacuated the town at gunpoint just 15 minutes prior to the explosion. All buildings and residences within 500 yards of the drop zone were reduced to confetti by the blast, but rock climbers on a nearby hill managed to photograph an odd man that someone obviously enlisted to videotape the destruction.

Nobody is surprised more than Alex, when he visually identifies the suspect that the rock climbing enthusiasts happened to photograph. It can't possibly be true. He must be seeing things! Nonetheless, believing his eyes, Cross admits to his fellow investigators that the UNSUB in Sunrise Valley was tied to a Washington D.C. case he worked before joining the FBI. The man in the photo is Colonel Geoffrey Shaffer, the man in the photo is The Weasel! The mere sight of the Weasel sends his brains reeling, makes Cross sick. He doesn't understand what The Weasel could possibly have to do with the destruction of a small town. It just doesn't connect!

Disbelief that The Weasel could be involved in Sunrise Valley is set aside when The Wolf takes credit for the attack -- implicating Shaffer for his piece -- on a conference call between Cross, the head of the FBI, and the head of the CIA. Just to clarify, Cross and his sometime partner Monnie Donnelley dig into The Weasel's past looking for clues to confirm his possible participation. Strike One: previous experience as a merc, a mercenary for hire. Strike Two: familiarity with D.C. and London, two of The Wolf's announced targets. Strike Three: The Wolf repeatedly sends veiled threats through messengers, as Cross attempts to track down Shaffer in D.C.

One of the great things about Patterson is his propensity for globetrotting. The plot of this book zigzags from Brazil to Nevada, from Nevada to California, from California to Washington, from Washington to California, from California to Nevada, from Nevada to Washington D.C., from D.C. to Virginia, from Virginia to Cuba, from Gitmo to Saudi Arabia, from Saudi to New York, from Manhattan to Montauk, from Montauk to London, from London to Paris, from Paris to Washington D.C. and back, from Paris to Maryland, from Maryland to Virginia, from Virginia to the Allghenies, from the Alleghenies to Idaho, from Idaho to Zurich, from Switzerland to Nice, finally ending on Long Island.

Now, I think Patterson needs to settle Alex Cross's conundrum with women. James appears unsure what path his hero should follow. Patterson keeps Alex in a bitter place, widowed, residing with his elderly grandmother and a couple of half-orphaned kids. He introduced complexity with Christine Johnson and a third Cross offspring, Alex Jr. But no, that situation couldn't work out. Alex and Christine separate, Christine relocates to Washington state, then things mysteriously warm up between them. Alex gains a sympatico *California girlfriend named Jamilla, but keeps his distance. Now another monkey wrench appears, when healthcare worker Kayla gives Alex an impromptu kiss. Come on James; make a definitive decision for Alex!

What a huge disappointment. I started reading Patterson's books this year (2007) and have enjoyed them very much. They've been simple and somewhat intriguing diversionary reading. I like to read an author's complete catalog and I was looking forward to completing Patterson's.

Then I came across LONDON BRIDGES. Yikes! What was he smoking when he wrote this? What a mess! As I was reading, I kept wondering if whole chapters were missing. The fault is not gratuitous sex or violence. The sins were not those of commission, but those of omission. He inserted characters and situations that went nowhere. He raised questions he never answered. (What WAS the mysterious connection between Tom Weir and the Wolf? Why would a Wolf-imposter go through the agony of plastic surgery without anesthesia? Why imply that the FBI mole was one female when it was really TWO males? What did Al Queada have to do with the price of eggs in China? Why blow up bridges, kill thousands of people, and not even consider the emotional fallout of those disasters? Why would the Wolf allow himself to be seen by Cross while squeezing that silly little rubber ball?) That's just the tip of the iceberg. Had I inventoried and reported all the inconsistencies and "blanks," this would be a VERY long review!

I am SOOOO glad I was to see Patterson at a higher level before picking up this paper-and-ink disaster! Too bad he doesn't have a collaborator to blame for the nightmare of this book. "London Bridge has fallen down, fallen down, fallen down. London Bridge has fallen down: Un-der-statement!"

More and more half pages to make the book appear to me larger. This book has more new and insignificant characters introduced with lots of character discriptions to use as fill for this very shallow plot. After reading this book, I felt ripped off by the author, I have been an avid reader of James Patterson, but his last few books, I felt were mostly fill to get them out to the public. no quality, only for monetary gain.

I believe Mr Patterson must do a lot better than this poor showing for me to buy anymore of his books.

A very disappointed reader

I have been a big fav of James Patterson (JP)but recently his novels have taken a nose dive.

His novels used to have vivid characters, an addictive plot and storyline rich in details. Now we have a patched up unconnected 3-4 page chapters. Long gone the detailed hero and instead we have this James Bond/Batman hero charatcer who is more fit for a Marvel comic book than a serious crime novel.

This book is not even worth borrowing from library and reading for free. I had more thrills reading Sunday classifieds than this one.

Shame that someone like JP would produce something so low quality like this! I had to look at the cover a few times while reading to make sure it said James Paterson on front cover! And it did!!

This book is horrrrible to put it very politely!

I am offically out of his fanclub!

TWO BIG THUMBS DOWN!

Well, here is another story following the standard Patterson pattern. This story centered around two villains the Wolf and Weasel and a threat to destroy London, New York and Paris in a 4 day period. Alex Cross is sprung from his vacation when he gets the call to stop this before it's too late. Are the "Wolf and the Weasel" working together on this one? This book literally had me on the edge within the first few pages, and I read it while traveling from LA to New York. I couldn't put it down.

Well. I opened this on christmas day and was extremely excited! A new James Patterson - fantastic! But yet again (when will I ever learn?) I was disappointed... Like several of his more recent books, I felt there was a certain something lacking. Maybe I'm being cynical, but I guess he has deadlines, and has agreed to churn out a certain number of books in a certain timeframe... And you can tell.

I rocketed through this book, and I must say I thought it was really well paced all the way - it's the last four or five chapters that really annoyed me! I agree with other viewpoints that JP has not developed the characters and relationships in this one at all (personally I think Jamilla is pointless anyway) and the whole Christine/Baby Alex (The Boy?!?!) was really annoying too. But the thing that MOST annoyed me was that on the blurb of the book it reads :"Alex Cross confronts the truth of the Wolf's identity - A revelation that even Cross himself may be unable to survive."

Now, is it just me being thick, or does that NOT happen?? Ok, we find out the name of some random, but that doesn't actually rock his world now does it?? I re-read the last quarter of the book to make sure I hadn't missed anything and I'm positive that who the Wolf turns out to be is completely unrelated to Alex Cross in any way shape or form... And doesn't take the form of a revelation either. And there is no doubt that Alex Cross WILL survive (he's a money-earner for JP after all...)

Until the end, where it falls unbelievably flat, I thought this was a fab book! I knocked off two stars for this reason. Maybe I should have rated it lower, but I've been hooked on JP for years, and will still give him another chance next time too.

Hope this helps anyone reading the reviews - just don't read the official blurb and you won't be disappointed!

I long for the days of Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls. Now THOSE were two great books. If this were any book other than an Alex Cross novel, I would only give it two or three stars, but because it fills some inner need of mine, I liked it. Not that any of the Cross books are deep, nor are they supposed to be, but this one was far more shallow. Patterson kind of jumped around and left us hanging more than he needed to. Because these books don't come out much more than once a year, I need some DAMN closure man! Work with me. Oh well, until the next one.

Enjoyable. This was my first Alex Cross book that I have read. James Patterson does a great job at keeping things suspenseful. He definitely goes in to great detail and ties everything together in the end.

G.H. Prichard, author of "Hunt for the Witch"

After reading The Lake House, I swore I wouldn't read another Patterson book except for his Alex Cross series, so I bought Big Bad Wolf. It was awful, but I figured I'd give him one more chance and bought this one. What a waste! This book has the short, choppy sentences and short chapters like Where the Wind Blows, The Lake House, and Big Bad Wolf, and he continues to use italics to show emotion, instead of WRITING emotion. I don't know what has happened to Patterson, but this is the last of his books I'll ever buy! Why waste my time on a second (or third) class writer? By the way, did you notice how similar the dust jackets for this one and Big Bad Wolf are? Not just the writing that is boring...

This story of Alex Cross takes up right where the Big Bad Wolf left off; with Alex Cross in hot pursuit of the Wolf. The story starts out with a town in Nevada being blown clean off the map. Soon after we find out that Geoffey Schaffer (The Weasel) is alive and kicking. From there the Wolf tracks down the Weasel and enlists him to help him deal with Alex Cross. The story really picks up from there and never lets down. The plot revolves around assasinations, hitmen, government conspiracies, the CIA, the FBI, and The Wolf on a rampage, killing everyone who gets in his way. While all of this is going on the reader is faced with the task of trying to figure out who the wolf is. This is not easy as more than a few individuals claim to be The Wolf. With so many plot twists and action on just about every page you will be glued to the story. The only complaint I have about this book is that it was so interesting that it only took me a few hours to complete it.

I really don't understand why most people rated this book so low considering this a non-stop action thriller. In my opinion this is the best Alex Cross book since "Roses Are Red" and it is right up there with "Kiss the Girls" and "Along Came a Spider". The people who left bad reviews about this book are not true fans of Alex Cross. Either they are out of their minds or do not know a good book when they read one. If you like James Patterson and Alex Cross, ignore the other reviews, get this book. You will not regret it.

I won't waste a lot of your time. Suffice to say that James Patterson is best read on a plane or a beach. His stories are to contrived and the dialogue is pitiful at best. Try reading some of the dialogue he writes outloud as a test. Do people actually speak this way to each other???? Finally his books tend to run close to 400 pages but only because the chapters are so small, the words are spaced out, and finally there are less lines per page then your average book. You really are only getting about 250 or so pages from what I can see. Probably a good thing as his tales can be laborious. I have read three of his books and this is the last one I will read. Sorry I spent the money.

The WOLF and the WEASEL unite in this interesting story of LONDON BRIDGES.They work together, against Cross, and against the world. The governments of the United States, England, France, and Israel are put on notice: what happened in Sunrise Valley when it is desminated by a bomb will occur in their respective capitals, unless the Wolf is paid a king's ransom and several hundred "political prisoners" are released.

The narrator Kerry Shale did an excellent job with all the voices.

I found it fast pace and easy to follow. BUT my all time favourite of James Patterson is ALONG COMES A SPIDER

I picked up this book to introduce myself to a new mystery writer. I figured the 10th novel of a popular series would have to be passable. Boy was I wrong.

This book is weak. It has the following:

* Weak Characters (especially good guys)

* Weak Plot (writer got bored towards end)

* Weak Writing (phrases like "fairly certain")

I'm not interested enough in Patterson to give him another try. On to Hillerman!

If this screenplay thinly-disguised as an Alex Cross novel ever made it to film, audiences the world over will have to glue themselves to the seats of the cinemas to finish it, like they probably did for the banal, overly contrived prequel, `Along Came the Spider'. It is boring.

The plot is shockingly old - evil terrorists, scary bomb threats in the world's major cities, torture and megadecibel explosions - you can almost hear the explosions in your head every few chapters - drowning out plot, characterization, whatnot.

Twists and turns? One or two small ones to keep the audience on their toes, if not to justify this novel as a thriller in genre.

Worst of all, James Patterson wastes Alex Cross, super cool Washington DC-based crime fighter and devoted family man on yet another watered-down plot.

I've read every Patterson book and have always eagerly awaited a new one. This one is a huge disappointment. I'm afraid Patterson has fallen into the ranks of Nora Roberts/Danielle Steele/Sandra Brown...churning out meaningless drivel simply to meet his publisher's deadline. In London Bridges Patterson continues to beat a dead horse, rehashing his failed relationship with Christine, rehashing the evil villains of his past books, etc. It's time to put these issues to rest once and for all and come up with a new and fresh (read: INTERESTING) path for Alex Cross' life!!

When will James Patterson learn that he has been writing too much, dull, boring and well, just losing material?

I respect Alex Cross too much to believe in the claptrap.

Spare me world terrorist plots.

Write what you and Alex know, good cop crime novels, with maybe a little fantasy like Max, remember the flying girl?

Gave me chills until the end grossed me out.(The Lake House). I will not pick up another Patterson novel until he changes his ways.

Yo, James, my man, you must be rich enough. Take a rest, You need one, or you will lose your readers (me)

the blurb reads "a Russian monster "The Wolf" and another psycho "The Weasel" control tactical nukes located in four major cities and the dysfunctional Alex Cross is assigned to save the world"

does this sound like an old comic book, a bad "B" movie, something even worse? if so it's probably the latest James Patterson book, written to a level that would be emabrrassing to most other authors; can't we just chip in and send Patterson a blank check every couple of years so he doesn't embarrass himself again

This book starts ok, with the usual Patterson suspense and building of plots and subplots. Unfortunately, with this book an with the recent Lake House, James has forgotten how to close the deal. It's as if he thinks,"Well, I guess I've written 400 pages, so I better end it." Then he throws in a series of endings, none of which make sense - Alex Cross's family is kidnapped and returned with no real explanation of how this happened, where they were, and what the impact was. Not to mention there is great character build up about the Weasel, and his death is treated as a ho-hum event. Mr. Patterson has lost control of his writing and his books. I think I am done with him.

Despite the presence of all the key elements for a great or even good thriller, 'London Bridges' falls far short. For much of the book the 'good guys' are clueless and at the mercy (such as it is) of the 'bad guy', the almost too blood-thirsty Wolf.

What we get from Alex Cross, instead of investigative work (and his signature introspection), is a whirl-wind tour of our European allies. (By the way, the hill-top village in the south of France is Eze, pronounced like 'Pez'). In earlier books Cross was personally pitted against the bad guys, but in his new role with the FBI he is included due to his deep understanding of the criminal mind. Oh, yeah . . .

Which means, in this book, he's a tag-long, sitting by the sidelines, waiting for others to catch a break in the case . . .

The good guys don't have a clue, so Cross flies around a lot, and visits people. It's not even a chase as nobody knows where the Wolf will strike next. Too much ambiguity.

In 'London Bridges' James Patterson has 'gone Hollywood', substituting pyrotechnics for plot line. Instead of writing something interesting or challenging he shoots someone or blows something up. This can be good in a 'popcorn' movie, but it's slow death in literature.

I will continue to read Patterson, with somewhat less anticipation, if only because he is one of the few remaining mystery writers who can occasionally write a cohesive sentence, even if the action is drawn out, implausible or disjointed.

By the way, many of the lower-rated reviews on this page were more entertaining than 'London Bridges' . . .

It was number one. That's supposed to mean a good book, right?

Wrong.

The writing is bad. The dialogue--no one talks like that!

The plot would have been good in someone else's tender arms. Patterson has written a novel worse than Carol Higgins Clark's POPPED.

And I was expecting an explosive ending. It was more of a dud.

One star is too good for this simple, unrealistic novel. Come on, Patterson, if you're a master, write a book that lives up to that name!!!

It's a pity that we are not given a choice of zero stars, for this book certainly deserves it. It is absolutely the worst novel I have ever read. Complete rubbish, so bad I will never read another James Patterson novel.

One can forgive the weak, simplistic writing, especially for books that are easily read in airports and on planes; but even easy books should make sense, with a plot line that is discernibly interconnected, with point b following logically from point a, and with characters who don't just pop up out of the blue without foreshadowing or clues as to they're fitting in. But this book is full of so much deus ex machina, it reminded me of the intervention of Greek gods whenever their favorite characters got into trouble back in Troy or on Odysseus's journey back to Greece. To put it mildly, Patterson constantly stretches credibility in this book to the point that he insults our intelligence (and, for that matter, so does the publisher for allowing this book to be published and for burning us for the price).

The clincher is when Patterson--not Cross--presents the Wolf in New York for plastic surgery, after which the Wolf is shot in the throat by Cross and falls nine stories to his death, while a few pages later, the Wolf is miraculously resurrected in the final scene to be killed again! And, no, it's not something I missed. Read the passages over and over again, and it is clear that the Wolf was actually slain twice. Well, if he's going to have more than one life, why not give him nine and change his alias to something feline, such as Lion or Cougar.

Don't waste your money or your time on this book, unless you enjoy being had.

This is the first Patterson novel I have ever read, and it is certain to be the last. Most good authors draw the reader into a story by offering vivid descriptions and in-depth characters, but Patterson does none of that. The author's writing style is akin to that of a small child's, as he uncermoniously plunks the reader in the middle of boring locales populated with one-dimensional characters. Patterson then holds the reader's hand as he matter-of-factly recounts the explosion or gunshot du jour and then moves on without explanation, presenting a book written by a Ralph Wiggums-like child for immature children to enjoy. How does the reader know Alex was scared? The reader knows because Patterson clumsily beats him about the head and shoulders with writing similar to the style: "The man pulled out a gun, Alex was scared, Alex shot the man and he was happy, and the man was dead."

Don't believe me? Simply graze through the book and find where the hero handily dispatches an arch-nemesis in a scene so brief and without fanfare I had to read it twice to make sure the protagonist killed who I thought he killed, or skip to the end if you prefer and painstakingly wind your way through a series of forgettable characters each deadpanning that he or she is responsible for the antagonist's evil deeds.

Quite simply, this author shows a complete lack of imagination and creativity and this book should be avoided at all costs.

I've been reading each of Patterson's books as they were published for years -- and I truly enjoyed them all. Until this one. (I'll refrain from mentioning Lifeguard and Honeymoon which were equally horrible). London Bridges is written in such a simplistic style it could have been written by a high school freshman. What is with all the exclamation points, for heaven's sake? Every sentence is NOT that exciting!

If someone had never before read Patterson's work and was unfortunate enough to choose this title as a starting point, I'm afraid they would never read any of his earlier books.

With all the books that Patterson has been writing with co-authors (Maxine Paetro, Andrew Gross, etc.), one might begin to wonder if Patterson himself is really still with us. My personal theory is that something happened to him in late 2003 ("The Jester" - published in 2003 - was one of his last compelling books; and "Sam's Letters to Jennifer" - published early in 2004 - was the last truly wonderful book I've read by Patterson). Everything published under his name since then has been increasingly trivial.

Maybe he's in a coma or something, but his name has become such big business that they can't just pull the plug. Maybe his co-authors churn things out and the publishers issue them using Patterson's name to keep the dollars coming in. Unfortunately the quality is so poor that the sales can't possibly continue. No one can write 4 books a year and have them all be high quality, well-written novels (nope, not even Nora Roberts!). Patterson -- if he is indeed still alive and well -- needs to dump the co-authors, sit down and take a deep breath, and get back to writing the well-crafted suspense stories he was so good at.

Overall, I got the impression that either James Patterson rushed a little to write this book or the editing was a little sloppy. It had the typical intriguing James Patterson plot, with a pretty well-thought-out plan and plenty of suspense, especially at the end. The details were what made it disappointing, however. Alex's final showdown with the Weasel was downright anticlimatic, it was so quick, with no characters responding to it at all. A really traumatic thing happens in the Cross family, but we don't hear anything about how they react to it. We think characters are killed, such as in an explosion, but we never actually find out if they died or not. Other familiar characters were reduced to mere walk-on parts. It looks as if it was edited for length- if so, it would have been better longer.

James Patterson is one of my favorite authors, so I was very excited when this book came out. But...I must say, this is his worst book ever. I started it maybe like a month ago, and it failed to grab my attention one bit. It took me forever to read because I just wasn't interested in what happens. I almost contemplated putting it away without finishing it. There was no real plot to speak of. Nothing is ever satisfactorily explained. Characters from previous novels are brought back for no logical reason. And while I used to like Patterson's style of writing very short chapters, it seemed almost juvenile in this book. Literally like something a high school student could have written. I sincerely hope his next effort is better than this, or I will not be a Patterson fan much longer.

James Patterson doesn't like to waste words when he writes. The lack of depth is proof of that. And because of that this novel was quickly read and absorbed. An international thriller in which appears both the Weasel (whose quick demise also surprised me) and the Wolf.

It was entertaining enough to read--my library copy--but, as most people, I was disappointed with the overall depth and quickness, as well as the ending.

This London Bridge is not only falling down, it should have never been built (or written). There is still some of the old James Patterson magic, but this comes across as almost a parody of Patterson's work. Wolf and Weasel come across as more like

villains from a James Bond book. (unlimited money, unlimited manpower and unlimited bombs) The pace is fast and furious as with all Patterson books but that is where it ends.

Whilst probably the least believable of the Alex Cross' adventures London Bridges is definitely the fastest paced and most action packed of all the thrillers. Major villain The Wolf forces previous evil diplomatic immunity serial killer and one of my all time favourites British Colonel Geoffrey Shafer, aka The Weasel, to join his team, reaping mass murder and havoc across the USA and Europe.

The Wolf a James Bond type super villain who no one knows anything about let alone the true identity of is threatening major terrorist attacks in four major Western cities if ransom is not paid. When it becomes apparent the Wolf has nuclear weapons and will not hesitate to use them it is up to Alex to find him and capture him before the final deadline.

This is an enjoyable thriller but like I previously said, it is a little bit unrealistic and more James Bondish than previous Cross novels. The final chapters also seem to be a bit rushed and would have been more enjoyable and easier to understand if what happened was expanded over a few more. Tracking psychopathic serial killers was a little more believable for Alex than saving the world but London Bridges is a great read and a must for any Patterson or Alex Cross fan.

10th Novel featuring Detective Cross as the hero pitted against the Big Bad Wolf the arch nemises from the previous installment. Character building, you see Cross moving towards a decision about family in reference to his kid Alex Jr. and his relationships with Christine, former fiance, and new love Inspector Hughs. His immediate family is always there providing the love he deserves, but not demanding what they deserve, a true Father. Lots, and Lots of Action in this Novel. Everwhere from Paris, London, Washington, Tel Aviv, NYC, its big. Very Suspensful.....the kind that makes u want to read it and stop only when your finished. I read this one in less than one day, i just couldnt put it down. Great writing, but im disappointed with the outcome, the conlcusion. im not sure its fair to do what Patterson did. But for you to know what i mean, you have to read and find out. Its definitely worth the time and money, so check it out.

The bestselling crime novelist returns to his roots in London Bridges. An old Alex Cross enemy is back, and has joined forces with yet another sociopathic nemesis of Cross's. The mysterious Wolf is wreaking terror on the world at large--and threatening to blow up entire cities if he is not paid an obscene sum of money. Then Cross is shocked to find that both the Wolf and the Weasel appear to be working together...readers will be thrilled with this fast-paced novel, that plunges into action in various cosmopolitan cities across the world. In addition to the terroristic threats--as if that wasn't enough--Cross has a little drama on the domestic front. Does he really love Jamilla? Could there still be something between he and Christine, little Alex's mother? And what of Nana Mama's doctor, who also seems to have the hots for Cross?

Forget the naysayers. This is Patterson at his best; short chapters and all. Just when readers think they've got it all figured out....do they really? I don't know about you, but I'm still not quite sure who the Wolf is......

DYB

another great read from James Patterson. I am thinking Alex may be retiring. Who knows. Both the Wolf and the weasel killed and who was the patient at the doctor. I didn't know who was it till the end. and all those hired people do they get a free pass.

Overall, I got the impression that either James Patterson rushed a little to write this book or the editing was a little sloppy. It had the typical intriguing James Patterson plot, with a pretty well-thought-out plan and plenty of suspense, especially at the end. The details were what made it disappointing, however. Alex's final showdown with the Weasel was downright anticlimatic, it was so quick, with no characters responding to it at all. A really traumatic thing happens in the Cross family, but we don't hear anything about how they react to it. We think characters are killed, such as in an explosion, but we never actually find out if they died or not. Other familiar characters were reduced to mere walk-on parts. It looks as if it was edited for length- if so, it would have been better longer.

James Patterson is one of my favorite authors, so I was very excited when this book came out. But...I must say, this is his worst book ever. I started it maybe like a month ago, and it failed to grab my attention one bit. It took me forever to read because I just wasn't interested in what happens. I almost contemplated putting it away without finishing it. There was no real plot to speak of. Nothing is ever satisfactorily explained. Characters from previous novels are brought back for no logical reason. And while I used to like Patterson's style of writing very short chapters, it seemed almost juvenile in this book. Literally like something a high school student could have written. I sincerely hope his next effort is better than this, or I will not be a Patterson fan much longer.

James Patterson doesn't like to waste words when he writes. The lack of depth is proof of that. And because of that this novel was quickly read and absorbed. An international thriller in which appears both the Weasel (whose quick demise also surprised me) and the Wolf.

It was entertaining enough to read--my library copy--but, as most people, I was disappointed with the overall depth and quickness, as well as the ending.

This London Bridge is not only falling down, it should have never been built (or written). There is still some of the old James Patterson magic, but this comes across as almost a parody of Patterson's work. Wolf and Weasel come across as more like

villains from a James Bond book. (unlimited money, unlimited manpower and unlimited bombs) The pace is fast and furious as with all Patterson books but that is where it ends.

Whilst probably the least believable of the Alex Cross' adventures London Bridges is definitely the fastest paced and most action packed of all the thrillers. Major villain The Wolf forces previous evil diplomatic immunity serial killer and one of my all time favourites British Colonel Geoffrey Shafer, aka The Weasel, to join his team, reaping mass murder and havoc across the USA and Europe.

The Wolf a James Bond type super villain who no one knows anything about let alone the true identity of is threatening major terrorist attacks in four major Western cities if ransom is not paid. When it becomes apparent the Wolf has nuclear weapons and will not hesitate to use them it is up to Alex to find him and capture him before the final deadline.

This is an enjoyable thriller but like I previously said, it is a little bit unrealistic and more James Bondish than previous Cross novels. The final chapters also seem to be a bit rushed and would have been more enjoyable and easier to understand if what happened was expanded over a few more. Tracking psychopathic serial killers was a little more believable for Alex than saving the world but London Bridges is a great read and a must for any Patterson or Alex Cross fan.

10th Novel featuring Detective Cross as the hero pitted against the Big Bad Wolf the arch nemises from the previous installment. Character building, you see Cross moving towards a decision about family in reference to his kid Alex Jr. and his relationships with Christine, former fiance, and new love Inspector Hughs. His immediate family is always there providing the love he deserves, but not demanding what they deserve, a true Father. Lots, and Lots of Action in this Novel. Everwhere from Paris, London, Washington, Tel Aviv, NYC, its big. Very Suspensful.....the kind that makes u want to read it and stop only when your finished. I read this one in less than one day, i just couldnt put it down. Great writing, but im disappointed with the outcome, the conlcusion. im not sure its fair to do what Patterson did. But for you to know what i mean, you have to read and find out. Its definitely worth the time and money, so check it out.

The bestselling crime novelist returns to his roots in London Bridges. An old Alex Cross enemy is back, and has joined forces with yet another sociopathic nemesis of Cross's. The mysterious Wolf is wreaking terror on the world at large--and threatening to blow up entire cities if he is not paid an obscene sum of money. Then Cross is shocked to find that both the Wolf and the Weasel appear to be working together...readers will be thrilled with this fast-paced novel, that plunges into action in various cosmopolitan cities across the world. In addition to the terroristic threats--as if that wasn't enough--Cross has a little drama on the domestic front. Does he really love Jamilla? Could there still be something between he and Christine, little Alex's mother? And what of Nana Mama's doctor, who also seems to have the hots for Cross?

Forget the naysayers. This is Patterson at his best; short chapters and all. Just when readers think they've got it all figured out....do they really? I don't know about you, but I'm still not quite sure who the Wolf is......

DYB

another great read from James Patterson. I am thinking Alex may be retiring. Who knows. Both the Wolf and the weasel killed and who was the patient at the doctor. I didn't know who was it till the end. and all those hired people do they get a free pass.

Up to now I've been a Patterson fan. Knowing that - my wife bought me "London Bridges" for my reading during our recent vacation.

I'm a guy who finishes books - even when they become tedious. Part way through the book I was tempted to give up. Patterson kept throwing roadblock after roadblock in front of Alex Cross to the point of adnauseum. Endless variations of a theme as if there was a need to turn what was essentially a short story into a full length novel.

But I persevered, regretfully. It was as if Patterson himself got exhausted from his endless variations to keep the chase going and determined to end the misery in a few pages. A very unsatisfactory and implausable ending.

I'll definitely not buy (or borrow) another Patterson novel again w/o having seen a number of glowing reviews. "London Bridges" is one of the worst reading waste of times I can remember. And from an author I used to enjoy!

This had to be written by some first-time ghost writer. It has a ridiculous plot, a hero that doesn't seem to care what happens, a villain that somehow comes back to life without explanation, meaningless glimpses into the hero's home life, etc. The publisher should be forced to refund every buyer's money. And the book cover should be amended to list what the reviewers hopefully said:

"Any thriller writer would do well to study London Bridges..." Publishers Weekly (they left out "...so they will know what a really terrible book looks like.")

"...it is impossible to stop reading this book once started." BookReporter.com (they left out "...because you can't believe how bad it is and you keep waiting for some glimmer of intelligence to show up on the pages.")

Shame on the publisher and shame on the reviewers.

I happened to have listened to Patterson's "Big Bad Wolf" as an audio book, found it captivating, and could not wait for this sequel. What a disappointment.

All of a sudden the diabolical and vicious -- but small-time -- villain is a world-class terrorist able to blow up prominent structures and extort billion-dollar payoffs from governments. This, despite the fact that he kills off each and every one of his comrades so they won't be able to identify him. You'd think that word would spread among his circle of thugs that it's not worth whatever he's paying to work for this guy, 'cause he'll be bumping you off the minute the job is done.

Ludicrously, our hero, Dr. Cross, gets involved in cases involving the demolition of really famous bridges, though scant mention is made of what the effect of these catastrophes is on the cities involved or their populations. The lens is focused tightly on Dr. Cross and his comrades, and the chaos around him is a gray, fuzzy background.

Somehow, as the world experiences 9/11 all over again, we alternate between the really big search for the Wolf and Dr. Cross's comfy visits to Nana and the kids back home. This is entirely unbelievable and distracting. If Patterson wants to write thrillers in which his protagonist has a measure of humanity, fine -- but don't drop the domestic tranqulity into the midst of a heart-pounding search for an arch-fiend.

And finally among Patterson's many lapses of judgment -- having perhaps decided to haphazardly throw together (and cash in on) a quickie sequel -- he reverts to the unbelievable TV vehicle of having our hero not only jet anywhere and everywhere to precisely the spot for a confrontation, but then it is none other than Dr. Cross who makes the big bust. Real life is less interesting, of course -- when ordinary beat cops and postal inspectors and watchers of "America's Most Wanted" tend to be the ones who make the big collar -- but please don't ask us to believe that our man Cross will always come, like the cartoon character Underdog, to the rescue.

Patterson has had so many fetching books, but he sold out, or lost his grip, on this one.

I have read many of Patterson's books, including his last work 'The Big Bad Wolf', and enjoyed most of his works. However, maybe its my sense of paying attention to the fact that thriller writers or wannabe thriller writers have so much realistic material to draw from these days that I am simply not willing to accept the fantasim of thriller writing any longer. In 'London Bridges' I enjoyed the opening of the story; however, I felt as if I was on a downhill ski slope, and I was speeding thereafter

Unfortunatley, 'London Bridges' is predictable and leaves to many loose ends to clean up, which Patterson does not. Current suspense/thriller fiction, I dispear, seems to be less insightful, and so, less meaningful. Patterson could and should have done much better.

Lucky for me, I've been getting the Alex Cross books from my local library.

If I had to pay for London Bridges I would have stopped reading anymore of Patterson's books. The plot had so much potential, but it felt as if Patterson got bored and decided enough was enough. Really? This was the best you could do Mr. Patterson? You couldn't take a few chapters and fill in the blanks so that all of the scattered pieces you dropped along the way could get put together? I'm very disappointed. All the build up for that lame excuse for an ending.

And what about the Weasel? That was the best you could do with him? Sad, very sad.

You should start writing under the alias of Milli Vanilli. After all, it's all name and no substance.

I shouldn't be too upset I guess. I'm getting exactly what I paid for; nothing.

Alex Cross never disappoints, or maybe better said that James Patterson never disappoints when he writes an Alex Cross novel. I have been re-reading old novels while I wait for the new. Even thought I had read this book before, it was just as good the second time.

Ive read a couple of the Alex Cross novels and this one is by far the worst. I just kept reading asking myself when is this book gonna end. Everything happens so fast and then its over. I was disappointed in this one. I read Big Bad Wolf first and liked it alot and looked forward to this one but I was let down as were alot of other Patterson fans here. Hopefully his next one will be better.

Alex Cross is a multi-faceted career man and family man with great abilities. Alex is on the trail, around the world, chasing after Colonel Geoffrey Shafer, otherwise known as the "Weasel" and the "Wolf", two psychopathic killers. Using today's all too real terrorist threats as background, the Wolf haunts the CIA & FBI, as well as those equivalent agencies in London, Paris, and Germany. Deadly strikes and assassinations occur at the word of the Wolf. Collaborative efforts among governmental agencies to meet the Wolf's demands fail. Alex Cross is brought in to help find Geoffrey Shafer and the Wolf. The Wolf is a master of disguises and is expert at killing all those who might recognize him. Alex is on the scene of many tragedies and even escapes a potential nuclear detonation. Geoffrey Shafer and the Wolf are eliminated as global threats, or are they? London Bridges proves to be a classic Alex Cross novel.

I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book...and once I had it, it stayed on my night table for over three weeks. Needless to say, the book did not fulfill what Big Bad Wolf had left us tasting... I found this book to be extremely twisted, and not in the good way, Alex is in Seattle with his son for one page and next thing you know he is somewhere else trying to catch the Wolf.

I thought the Wolf would live up to his reputation in London Bridges, but both he and the Weasel fall short to the characters we'd come to appreciate in their first books. Here the Weasel is barely mentioned and you just can't catch glimpses of his old self.The Wolf is just a manipulating greedy criminal whom you can never tell if you're reading about him or not.

I admit I have been dissapointed, but I will not stop reading James Patterson novels, because I keep hoping to read another novel as exciting as Kiss the Girls.

Well I tried to read this book and it is so fraught with his turning everything into a crisis that it is ultra ho-hum. After reading the other reviews here, I can understand my lack of enthusiasm and interest in it. I have 2-3 chapters to go, and I don't like his style of 2-3 page chapters! Get on with the story, forget about making it a 3000 page tome full of half-filled pages. How lazy can you be! I'm not sure I'll try another one of his attempts.

This newest Alex Cross installment is not really as bad as some of these reviewers make it sound (in my opinion). The problem is that we are use to non-stop action from Patterson and his friend Alex Cross.

This book is a little short on action and jumps around alot, but its just great to get a new Alex Cross novel.

I would say to rent this one at the library or pick it up at the used bookstore.

I love James Patterson Novels and will continue reading them however as a continuation to the Big Bad Wolf, London Bridges was a poor follow up. The Plot was not satisfying and though the 'Wolf' was a the villan of all villans and adding the Weasel made the book more suspensful before reading...it was not strong.

However I look forward to the next Alex Cross Novel.

Literally, I could not wait to finish it. It was that bad. Unfortunately, it was a Christmas Gift From My Wife, so I had to finish it. I had told her a few weeks ago that I would like to get a copy of "The Bone Doctor" for Christmas, and I was looking forward to reading a well-written piece by a forensic anthropologist. Imagine my horror when I unwrapped the package and read the author's name. I smiled and thanked my wife profusely, but I knew I was in for a dreadful experience.

I had encountered Mr. Patterson's writing before, but I had never been able to actually finish reading one of his novels. I would say that Mr. Patterson writes at a fifth grade level, but that would be insulting to fifth graders the world over. He writes as if he has had human beings described to him, but has never actually met one. There is no character development, no logical story line, and no interest on this readers part.

Those of you who enjoy this type of book should consider buying the complete set of novels by William Shatner. Those are unreadable also.

I am so addicted to the Alex Cross series. I loved the excitement of the Wolf character and trying to figure who he was if he was a he or she. When you think you solved the mystery it all changes directions and something else more terrifying happens. I am so excited to start the next one. Good job James Patterson!

This tenth Alex Cross novel has it all, but it still falls short form the early masterpieces that are Along came a spider and Kiss the girls.

A couple of the reviews have stated how unbelievable the story is, but we have to remember that Alex Cross is now in an entirely different field, a field a lot of us know little about.

Alex is now with the FBI. Long gone are his days as a homicide detective, days where chasing demented serial killers/rapists seemed child's play compared to what he faces now.

In this new novel we enjoy seeing the return of The Weasel because it reminds us of Alex's earlier days. But The Weasel cannot compare with the powerful mind of Alex's biggest and most difficult nemesis: The Wolf.

The novel picks up fast, as is a trademark of James Patterson. It has all the twists, the easy reading, and the short chapters that has made Patterson successful. Oh, and of course, he couldn't do without the nursery rhyme title.

Though the novel has it all, I believe it thins out just a bit at the end. After reading the last page I was left wondering if I trully knew the identity of the wolf. But all in all it's a good read, leaving the reader wondering if there will be a follow up to this book or - just as Alex must be hoping - if it's really over.

I've read several Alex Cross novels and was rather anxious to dig into this newest installment. However I agree with most of the other reviews that this was not Patterson's best work.

What drew me into the earlier books was the combination of psychologist and detective. This seemed to be missing from London Bridges. Instead Cross spends the majority of the book chasing the bad guy(s) globe trotting on an FBI jet not exaiming the criminal mind and coming up with profiles, etc... Also, it seems cheap to bring back not just one previous villian, but two.

Despite the shortocmings, Patterson's skill as an author keep the pages turning quickly. If you're an Alex Cross fan this is still worth reading, but don't buy a copy (at least not a hard cover copy), get one from the library. Or I'll let you borrow mine.

JK

I have read all of the Alex Cross books and this is my least favorite. I love Alex's interaction with his family and friends and feel they were given but a passing nod in this book. Still, Patterson's books are good, fast-paced and entertaining. This is no exception. It is a bit disappointing compared to the others but still worth reading.

I thought the sequel to the Wolf's story was a little boring for Patterson. Terrorism plots have been over-done by many authors. I was also confused as to why there was such a big drama over Geoffrey Schafer being one of the villains, and then when Alex Cross finally kills him, there is no other mention of him in the book, and that part of the storyline is dropped completely, with no tie-in to the rest of the story. We never found out why the Wolf chose Schafer. I did like the ending, however. As always, Cross gets his man.

I have never been so mad in my life after reading a book. This is truly an insulting waste of the paper it was printed on.

I do not believe that James Patterson even wrote this; if he did, he has suffered major brain trauma. The plotting, tone, characterization, dialogue, etc. are juvenile and vapid. Chapters average 2 pages in length. You should not expect any complex sentences or thoughts as the writing is geared to a sixth-grade mentality.

This is not the Alex Cross you have known and loved in the early novels. He is quite the dunce in this, incapable of speaking complete thoughts or thinking coherently.

I guess Alex Cross novels 'jumped the shark" with "Roses Are Red" and 'Violets Are Blue".

Please, protect yourself. Save your time and money and avoid this mediocrity. Go buy and read a good Alex Delaware or Easy Rawling novel instead. You will thank me for my advice.

It took me 10 books, but I'm finally ready to give up on James Patterson's Alex Cross series. They've gone from great mysteries to unbelievable, international espionage/warfare books. I didn't read "London Bridges" immediately after the other 9 and found I had forgotten enough to make it impossible to follow this book. And the character development seemed to completely stop. Then again, maybe something spectacular happens after page 65. I'll never know and don't care any more.

I've read previous Patterson/Alex Cross mysteries and enjoyed them, but this one was disappointing. It felt like most of the story was about the agony of waiting helplessly for a terrorist's deadline to arrive. Many situations arose in which Alex Cross could do nothing effective or interesting, and the thrill of the chase was absolutely not there. Not much sleuthin' goin' on! My advice would be to forget "London Bridges" and read (or re-read!) some earlier Patterson/Cross stories.

Reviewer:K Dubbs (Strong Island, New York)

This book is very thrill seeking. I honestly hate anything that has to do with reading, but this book is something else. If you like action, blood, and gorey, this is the book to choose to read. The main character the Wolf is extremely powerful and dangerous. I like short chapters and this book has two to six pages for every single chapter. this book has about four hundred pages and one hundred and twenty five chapters. Its a great book and is extremely easy to read.you'll never know what the Wolf ha s palnned next.

I don't expect Shakespeare when I read Paterson, but I do expect a decent plot, and realistic characters. We get neither here. There is a lot of padding including gratuitous sex), and the plot that is there is way beyond suspension of disbelief,
such as terrorists that don't die, and who hold the world for ransom. I've enjoyed him many times before, but this time James Paterson has veered into another genre: fantasy.

Not the best of Cross's work BUT, I really think he must have been overwhelmed by: 1. Promotion? to the F.B.I., although he's been doing some of his best work with them in the past. 2. His trip to Europe and the Middle East? 3. His re-encounter with the Wolf and the Weasel, or his desire to rid himself of them for good?

I read through 40 reviews and found, unfortunately, I was not in the minority with my feelings, I'm sorry Mr. Patterson but please tell us that your getting pressure from your editors or something similar. I know you are better than this effort.

Are you sending Alex in a completely new direction? Please don't say you're tired of him. His family from Nanna on down through all of the children are really as interesting as his varied love interests. They appear to be more of a constant anyway.

This is my first James Patterson book and I have to say the Alex Cross novel was pretty darn good. The story had a way to keep you interested with all the twist and turns. I will look forward to reading my next Patterson book.

I am getting very disappointed in James Patterson. His original Alex Cross books were brilliant--this one I am afraid is not. Villians from past novels are now international terrorists???? The plot is bizarre and implausible. Besides this is not in line with the crimes of these villans in the past.

I have read every single book in the Alex Cross series (and buy them the second they hit the shelves). I am sorry I bought this book.

Patterson's imagination needs to take a break. Ever since, "When A Bow Breaks" where babies started to have wings, I started losing faith in him.

PLEASE get back to real down and dirty crimes and plausible plots. As a James Patterson fan, I was greatly disappointed.

It's sad for me to say I agree with all these negative reviews. James Patterson is far too good a writer to have his name associated with this latest effort. It is a rehash of so many of his earlier books. Mr. Patterson... please, please stop trying for quantity; slow down and return to your true talent. You are way too good to continue trying to write too fast.

This review is based specifically on the storyline of James Patterson's LONDON BRIDGES, and does not focus on edit or grammer issues for which I am not an expert.

The sequal to BIG BAD WOLF has its moments but does not deliever the big punch that Patterson did in its prequal. Yes, I am a fan of Alex Cross, and this story has some great moments, as Patterson does have the ability of bringing the reader into the action and tension. When Cross attaches himself to the nuclear bomb . . . I though this was terrific. Yet part of me says that has been done before, and perhaps, an educated concentration on other WMD's could have reved this story up bit. Perhaps I am being a bit hard, and my review would have been more enjoyable, but my reading experience was shot to the dogs toward the ending of the book. It simply did not make sense.

I will say that the character development here is typical of Patterson and he delievers once again. I really enjoy Cross, and Wolf and the way Patterson brings the world of Russia's underworld out to the reader are enjoyable.

I have always enjoyed Patterson's novels, particularly the Alex Cross books. London Bridges however was very disappointing. There is too much left unexplained with a lot of incomprehensible plot twists, don't get me wrong I love twist and turns, but in this book Patterson seems to be making it up as he goes along. The ending doesn't leave you wanting more as much as it leaves you going "huh?". Patterson has written some incredible stories but it is beginning to look as if he now just wants to crank them out to pay the bills.

This novel was a study in emotional packing of short chapters. The chase and almost caught scenes ran rampant and continued to pick up the pace all the way to the end. It was enjoyable, fast, and plenty of action but something of his usual just was not there. So it goes. Continuing to produce novel after novel must be very hard so we can expect a little off key every once in a while. Can't we?

Deep breath.

MAJOR PLOT FLAWS

1. I hate it when the bad guy kills off his own people,

yet the rest remain loyal. This guy kills everyone,

including all those financing him, and he stays

alive??? He wouldn't last an hour.

2. This guys blowing bridges around the world, and

only one american and some frenchies are looking

for him?

This story goes on and on with unbelievable events.

The assassinations are fun, but.

THE AUDIO BOOK WARNING - way too few audio

tracks. Tracks last toooooooo looooong. There are

so many chapter headings that don't even get there

own tracks. C"MON!

Unfortunately, I purchased "Honeymoon" with this

one, wouldn't have wasted the money otherwise.

p.s. there is a good sniper scene though, so that's something

October 24, 2004

Colonel Jeffrey Schaffer is not only a psychotic individual better known as the Weasel, but also a man wanted for more than a dozen murders in the U.S. and Europe. After a small town, Sunrise Valley, Nevada is blown off the map, literally! Only one body is discovered in the rubble.

Summoned to head up the investigation, is FBI detective-psychologist, Alex Cross, who has been visiting little Alex at Christina's house in Seattle. Cross-is aghast when a rock climber's digital camera reveals photos of the Weasel, near one of the bombing sites.

But Cross-senses the Weasel is not working alone, and feels the presence of the Wolf nearby. The Wolf is the most vicious HUNTER/KILLER Cross-has ever gone up against. Meanwhile, calls from an anonymous adversary do little to unravel reason of the heinous crime, as reports of similar bombings across the globe pour in.

Terrorists appear to have taken control, and threaten the world's biggest cities in a frightening and unthinkable way, making this tale realistic enough. With millions of lives hanging in the balance, Cross must think on his feet. Can the most powerful law enforcement agencies in the world stay one step ahead of these two evil geniuses'?

London Bridges is fast paced and will have thrill seekers of all levels, as well as varying adventure whims pumped up. Cliffhangers, shocks and twists throughout the book, will keep readers voraciously flipping the pages as the mystery begins!

Reviewed by Betsie

Of course, I am an Alex Cross fan. Unfortunately. I did not start this series from the beginning so I am playing catch up. London Bridge did not disappoint. Now some of the later and earlier references make sense. Great read and plenty of action to keep you interested.

I never read a review for this and now I wish I had. Without a doubt the worst James Patterson book I've read and I've have really enjoyed all his previous books. This one, however, seemed to be written in a hurry. All Alex Cross did was jet from one city to another. The entire premise was bizarre and the outcome of events was, well, boring. Without giving anything away to those who have not read this, there are a couple of events at the very end that were so badly glossed over that you wondered if Mr. Patterson was trying to get to a dinner party and had to finish in a hurry. Nope, not a good read at all. I'm hoping his next book will be a huge improvement!

This latest venture into the return character of the Wolf was fairly wild. As a avid reader of patterson novels I thought I had Wolf pegged but was wrong not once but 2xs by the imaginative plot twists. A little let down at end but very fast read!Check it out, but you do need to have read Big Bad wolf to understand the whole picture, here.

This is a typical Patterson book, until the last five chapters, and then it just sputters to a halt. Who exactly was the man who had the plastic surgery and jumped off the building? Why would Klara claim to be the wolf? What pressing business did Patterson have that kept him from re-writing this pitiful ending?

I think this is the last Patterson novel I will read. Utter rubbish, badly written (in five minutes?), and just for the paycheque I'd say. The prose includes so many italicised sentences and words: does Patterson want to emphasise EVERYthing you READ, to MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND what he's TRYING TO SAY? Give me a break, I can read already!!!

God, he's taken a huge fall here. Bad plotting, idiotic suppositions, poor flow, and - honestly! - a writing style you'd expect from a (just reasonable) writer as a first attempt at 16 or 17 years old. I'm no writer, but I know I could do better than this crap.

I have no idea how much Patterson or his publishers paid for the editorial reviews included here at the store, but they should be ashamed of giving praise to such a contemptible treatment of a (formerly) entertaining writer's fans.

I agree with most other reviewers this is not Patterson's best effort. The part that bothered me most is in Chapter 90 (paperback). Alex is out with his kids for the day and LONGS FOR THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. He even mentions plantations. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Alex Cross is Black, yes? Why in the world would a Black American man wish for, no long for, the nineteeth century? As Alex said ... a simpler time.

Only a white man would have written such a chapter.

Mr. Patterson, you can do better.

One shouldn't waste many words in reviewing this. The plot is out of some silly, puerile comic book of old. The characters are often laughable, especially the villains. The atmosphere is all over the place and never real. Even the obligatory sex scene is silly. In short, the book is a total waste of one's time.

The tenth novel in the Alex Cross series attempts to breathe a new life into the series. Unfortunately, bringing back two villains from previous installments and adding a huge terrorist plot make the novel fill rushed an bloated. Usually Patterson's fast pace works well with his story, but with so much happening, the novel could have benefitted from more time.

I was disappointed by this book, as a new comer to the series, I have seen the best of Patterson (Along Came A Spider, Kiss the Girls.) This definately does not compare to his earlier novels. The plot in this book is weak, and fails to hold the attention of the reader. Patterson is trying to hard, and the result is a book that flops about halfway through. If looking for a good thriller, read Thomas Harris if you haven't yet. I just hope that Patterson's future books are as good as his first few.

October 24, 2004

Colonel Jeffrey Schaffer is not only a psychotic individual better known as the Weasel, but also a man wanted for more than a dozen murders in the U.S. and Europe. After a small town, Sunrise Valley, Nevada is blown off the map, literally! Only one body is discovered in the rubble.

Summoned to head up the investigation, is FBI detective-psychologist, Alex Cross, who has been visiting little Alex at Christina's house in Seattle. Cross-is aghast when a rock climber's digital camera reveals photos of the Weasel, near one of the bombing sites.

But Cross-senses the Weasel is not working alone, and feels the presence of the Wolf nearby. The Wolf is the most vicious HUNTER/KILLER Cross-has ever gone up against. Meanwhile, calls from an anonymous adversary do little to unravel reason of the heinous crime, as reports of similar bombings across the globe pour in.

Terrorists appear to have taken control, and threaten the world's biggest cities in a frightening and unthinkable way, making this tale realistic enough. With millions of lives hanging in the balance, Cross must think on his feet. Can the most powerful law enforcement agencies in the world stay one step ahead of these two evil geniuses'?

London Bridges is fast paced and will have thrill seekers of all levels, as well as varying adventure whims pumped up. Cliffhangers, shocks and twists throughout the book, will keep readers voraciously flipping the pages as the mystery begins!

Reviewed by Betsie

Of course, I am an Alex Cross fan. Unfortunately. I did not start this series from the beginning so I am playing catch up. London Bridge did not disappoint. Now some of the later and earlier references make sense. Great read and plenty of action to keep you interested.

I never read a review for this and now I wish I had. Without a doubt the worst James Patterson book I've read and I've have really enjoyed all his previous books. This one, however, seemed to be written in a hurry. All Alex Cross did was jet from one city to another. The entire premise was bizarre and the outcome of events was, well, boring. Without giving anything away to those who have not read this, there are a couple of events at the very end that were so badly glossed over that you wondered if Mr. Patterson was trying to get to a dinner party and had to finish in a hurry. Nope, not a good read at all. I'm hoping his next book will be a huge improvement!

This latest venture into the return character of the Wolf was fairly wild. As a avid reader of patterson novels I thought I had Wolf pegged but was wrong not once but 2xs by the imaginative plot twists. A little let down at end but very fast read!Check it out, but you do need to have read Big Bad wolf to understand the whole picture, here.

This is a typical Patterson book, until the last five chapters, and then it just sputters to a halt. Who exactly was the man who had the plastic surgery and jumped off the building? Why would Klara claim to be the wolf? What pressing business did Patterson have that kept him from re-writing this pitiful ending?

I think this is the last Patterson novel I will read. Utter rubbish, badly written (in five minutes?), and just for the paycheque I'd say. The prose includes so many italicised sentences and words: does Patterson want to emphasise EVERYthing you READ, to MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND what he's TRYING TO SAY? Give me a break, I can read already!!!

God, he's taken a huge fall here. Bad plotting, idiotic suppositions, poor flow, and - honestly! - a writing style you'd expect from a (just reasonable) writer as a first attempt at 16 or 17 years old. I'm no writer, but I know I could do better than this crap.

I have no idea how much Patterson or his publishers paid for the editorial reviews included here at the store, but they should be ashamed of giving praise to such a contemptible treatment of a (formerly) entertaining writer's fans.

I agree with most other reviewers this is not Patterson's best effort. The part that bothered me most is in Chapter 90 (paperback). Alex is out with his kids for the day and LONGS FOR THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. He even mentions plantations. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Alex Cross is Black, yes? Why in the world would a Black American man wish for, no long for, the nineteeth century? As Alex said ... a simpler time.

Only a white man would have written such a chapter.

Mr. Patterson, you can do better.

One shouldn't waste many words in reviewing this. The plot is out of some silly, puerile comic book of old. The characters are often laughable, especially the villains. The atmosphere is all over the place and never real. Even the obligatory sex scene is silly. In short, the book is a total waste of one's time.

The tenth novel in the Alex Cross series attempts to breathe a new life into the series. Unfortunately, bringing back two villains from previous installments and adding a huge terrorist plot make the novel fill rushed an bloated. Usually Patterson's fast pace works well with his story, but with so much happening, the novel could have benefitted from more time.

I was disappointed by this book, as a new comer to the series, I have seen the best of Patterson (Along Came A Spider, Kiss the Girls.) This definately does not compare to his earlier novels. The plot in this book is weak, and fails to hold the attention of the reader. Patterson is trying to hard, and the result is a book that flops about halfway through. If looking for a good thriller, read Thomas Harris if you haven't yet. I just hope that Patterson's future books are as good as his first few.

I read Big Bad Wolf in a marathon session and couldn't wait for the sequel. Unfortunately, London Bridges didn't live up to my expectations. I expected that the story would be equally riveting and instead found a convoluted mess of characters that had nothing to do with one another at the core. The story line was disjointed and full of truly ridiculous plot twists that ultimately had little or no bearing on the outcome. Perhaps I missed the point? I don't know - I'm a big Patterson fan but found London Bridges to be lacking the mystery and intrigue I've grown so fond of. By the end, I really didn't care who was the Wolf. Not up to the usual Patterson quality.

Long flight ahead? Then this is not the book for you. Staring at the back of the seat in front will provide more gripping entertainment. This is the worst written book I have read in decades. Am I allowed to give zero stars? In a narrative full of supposedly critical deadlines his 'hero' is inexplicably AWOL from the action for huge chunks of time. He peppers the book with tidbits to imply that someone did some research, but you learn nothing that an hour on Google would not have provided. This is my first, but for sure my last purchase of a Patterson novel. Next time I will grab a Clancy or a Le Carre from my bookshelf to reread.

Again--James Patterson get up a good head of steam and fizziles in the end. Never really expaining things and leaving me empty again. It is a quick read, but Alex Cross is confussed with his life and not much of an investigator witht he FBI. Patterson should have stopped with "Along Came a Spider."

The Time Warner unabridged version I listened to sounds abridged. It's a mishmash poorly edited story that lacks cohesiveness. It was only 5 cassettes and they had to stretch it out to make that. Every chapter - some can't be more than a page - is unpleasantly announced with creepy fanfare in the background. "Chapter 22," Read "Chapter 22..."

Some characters are introduced twice as though they hadn't appeared earlier. It jumps in fits and starts as though a variety of previously conceived places and situations were thrown together at random. Sometimes it moves at a thoughtful pace and then it rushes through events - or maybe the "dramatic" music blasts you and just makes it seem that way.

I know, I know, he's a high-volume, good writer. I've read all his books. Of his last five, four have been 2nd quartile. But this feels tired. Contrived premise. Still a reasonably OK read though, for airline trips.

I rate 8 to10 books in this genre each month. I rate it based on a 0-5 point scale. This book rated Characters: 1.50. Realism: 2.00. Description: 3.00. Ah Ha: 2.00. The Read: 3.00. Overall, the book ranked 279 out of 362 books.

The plot was absurd, the behavior of key characters (such as the leaders of the FBI and CIA) was unbelievable and unrealistic and the role of Alex Cross puzzling. I got through a fourth of the book and put it aside. Cross is better as a big city copy than a world-saving FBI agent.

And lets not forget Theo. Another loose end that pops up out of nowhere (actually Seattle) and withers on the vine. It appears most of these reviews have had more thought and planning put into them than the latest from Mr. Patterson. But, c'mon, what did you expect? 'It is what it is', as they say. If you are surprised or disappointed his stories are quickly and unbelievably tied up, written in an open-ended style that can spawn ten more 'follow ups', have big print and short chapters and now cost $27.99 hardback, then either you haven't read his other books or failed to scan the pages in the book store before buying. I agree though, it looks like he did finish the book quickly to have a beer with friends.

I love the Alex Cross series and was really looking forward to reading this book. I was a little disappointed. I gave the book my full attention, but I felt like I had to go back and re-read some sections so that I could follow the storyline....perhaps it was the really short chapters that seemed to flip flop too quickly. The ending wasn't that good and I found it to be a little confusing at times - maybe it was just me. I would compare this book to a Saturday matinee movie....it was okay to fill the time with, but you wouldn't want to see it again or pay full price. Does that make any sense??

I liked the earlier Cross novels for leisure reading when not in the mood for more serious fare, but these newer ones (especially this one) are getting ridiculous, make no sense, have stale dialogue, and have crossed the boundary from serious detective stories to comic-book idiocy. The two vampire books were bad, but this one is unbelievable. I can't believe Paterson wrote it. In fact, I don't think he did. It had to be a staff-member of other amateur. The people who rate this book highly must be company plants. Alex Cross fans are more than disappointed. The series is no longer worth following.

I love James Patterson's Alex Cross and couldn't wait for London Bridges to come out since finishing all the others in the Alex Cross series. I usually read an Alex Cross in a couple of days, this one took me a couple of weeks. I hope the next one is better!

A disjointed and plotless series of events with no coherence, this book just details one bombing or killing after another, instigated by Freddy Krueger's omniscient and omnipresent half-brother. At the end it's wrapped up in two pages. Good thing I checked this one out of the library.

If this came with a money back guarantee James Patterson could go broke. He phoned this in and the ending is so poor I wonder how he can sleep at night taking the money. How he got paid for this book would be a better read than London Bridges. Ugh.

I picked this book up in the airport for an easy oveseas airplane read. What a piece of trash. Wooden characters. Poor writing. Terrible or non-existent dialogue. The plot itself had promise - perhaps a good screenwriter might do something with it one day. Mr. Patterson certainly did little with it. When the author described exploding bridges and massive bombs devastating central Paris as if he were reading the particulars of an income tax return I wanted to throw the book out the window. Would have, but we were at 36,000 feet.

I have never in my life thrown a book away until I read London Bridges. For the sake of other avid readers, I have kept at least one copy of this empty, dull, badly written book off the shelves. I was going to do a tongue-in-cheek review "thrilling, intriguing, full of mystery, twist & turns...NOT!" but then I thought someone might not read full review and actually purchase this book. I refused to even put this in a yard sale for free.

For every good Alex Cross book, we get 3 poor ones. This one was amongst the worst. Throughout the book there is zero character study on the two cheesy villains, the Weasel & the Wolf. Secondly, the weasel is popped with little more than a whimper, leading us to wonder why he was even part of the story, let alone be aligned with the Wolf. All in all the plot was very poor and the book was in not particularly entertaining. Even with the short chapters and fast pace to the book, I found myself struggling to get through it.

This book was a waste of time. Two page chapters, lots of blank spaces on the paper - is this to make you think you are reading a long book and getting your money's worth? The character of Alex Cross needs to be retired as I don't remember him actually solving the crime in this book - he just seems to travel around the world, watching what others have done.

Definitely not Mr. Patterson's best effort.

I was seriously disappointed in Patterson's latest attempt to write a book. I've read a lot of his books and this one was, by far, the worst. The story line was so far-fetched I wondered where it would all lead, as I'm sure Patterson also contemplated. And obviously, he failed to come up with anything tangible. The ending was so bad, it was almost as if Patterson's publishers were like, "Alright now, you need to finish this book today!" So, he quickly jotted down something and sent it on it's way. It'll be a while before I pick up another Patterson story.

I rushed to buy this Alex Cross novel, snatching it from beneath the unsuspecting nose of another fan! Die- hard Patterson fan? Yes indeed, devouring Pop the Weasel, for example, in the space of a single afternoons' sun worship! But this? I find it almost inconceivable that he could have produced such unadulterated nonsense, incoherant from beginning to end, pointless, ineffective, need I go on? Even my husband, to whom I introduced the pleasures of James Patterson, described it as complete rubbish! As a result of this, I have sought my literary pleasures elsewhere, barely casting a glance at 4th of July in the shops. Come on, James, you can and have done better than this rehash.

This book began holding my interest, and then split off in too many directions. Too many times the wolf was caught, then after him falling to his death, he is located and killed again. This is one of the first Alex cross novels,and I have read them all, that the ending was a disappointment. Love James Patterson still but not this one

It seems as if the author wrote this while running for a plane at an airport. Short, meaningless chapters, poor pacing, and inferior character development. Does anyone really care what happens to these characters? Not me.

How does this guy sell so many book?The writing is awful.Pedestrian and unoriginal.And the dialogue?Wooden. Patterson has no idea how people talk.Don't waste your time.Read other writers in the field who are much more talented.Like George Pelecanos,Laura Lippman,Dennis Lehane,Michael Connelly, Minetta Walters and Ian Rankin to name a few.

Alex Cross are my favorite James Patterson books. London Bridges had all the suspense and surprise that I expect with Patterson but this one didn't keep me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed this book but it isn't one of my favorites.

This author is incapable of writing more than a 4 page chapter.

There is zero substance to the story. The hero does absolutely nothing except travel - one has to wonder exactly WHAT does he do for the FBI. The violence is gratuitous. And to top it off, he manages to dispatch an arch villain in the space of a couple of sentences, with next to no build up to it.

Can't wait for the book to be over with. If you have a choice between this and another book - choose the other!

I have been a long time Alex Cross fan, but this book is just too ridiculous for words. I'm really wondering if this is James Patterson indulging in self parody. The villian is a cross between Dr. Moriarty, Lex Luthor, and Svengali who we are supposed to believe has "eyes and ears everywhere" and can easily subborn into treason high ranking police & intelligence officials all across North America & Europe. If Mr. Patterson is bereft of fresh ideas for Alex Cross I suggest he start a new series.

I thought this book was boring. Patterson usually has a balance of Alex Cross's personal life with his work life, but it seemed like he droned on and on about the new case. It was a bit dry. The ending also seemed strange and sudden, and it left me wondering what just happened. The identity of the Wolf is dissapointing and unimportant. I would not recommend buying this book, but you might want to borrow it from the library just to keep up with the series.

The center of London Bridges is the team up between two of Cross previous fors the Weasel and the Wolf but the teamup is poorly executed and unconvincing and as a result the novel falls flat Only Cat and Mouse is weaker among the Cross novels in my opinion

After reading the reviews, I am fully convinced that Patterson did not write his last 2 books. This is a talented author with a imagination and writing style that is unique. Why must these authors submit to the mass market just to publish. I felt the same way about Sidney Sheldon's new book. I guess I'll read London Bridges when I can buy it for less that $1.00

I have been a James Patterson fan for ages but I have to say that this is with out a doubt his worse book by far. They take a great character like the Weasel and basically kill him off in order to make this lame villain called the wolf a major player. The writing has falling from what it used to be and the story is not well told. I forgave Patterson a little too much for his last few novels but no more. He better get his butt in gear because if his next book is as bad as this one, it will be the last book I buy by him.

Read this book to find out how the Wolf plot ends. Alex Cross does a lot of globe trotting in this novel. It is okay, but the reason that I finished this book was to find out how the Wolf ends. It is not a very satisifying, nor conclusive, result.

In this pitiful disapointment of James Patterson, you can find neither excitment nor the psychological intrigue that made Alex Cross a literary icon. The chapters are short and written for those with an attetion span of a two year old child. James Patterson who was my favorite author until this book has failed MISERABLELY! With each book we watched Pattersons writting style change from intese psychological thrillers to this water downed mush that seems to have been written without any imagination or time. If you are an Alex Cross fan DONT READ! It will sour whathad been one of the greatest running character series!

Having been disappointed by several of the Pattersons with another authors name atttached, I thought wow he really wrote this one! But I was so disappointed the story was boring the writing way to spare. Even for a trash reader this was awful. I think soon we will find that Patterson is really dead, cause I doubt he wrote this one. His books used to be so rich and suspenseful now they are just boring. This will be my last Patterson, and if you read his kid's book you would join me in the feeling that he is just not writing anymore, he has people doing it for him. He is just a brand name and it has lost its luster.

I look forward to my "junk food reading" and sat down to read this one with excitement. It was a quick read, but the plot was boring and the ending unsatisfying. I hope the next Alex Cross story is a little more thrilling.

If it wasn't for the fact that I listened to the audio book version during my daily commute to work, I probably would have abandoned this book halfway through.

The end is confusing, and I'm left wanting more, not in a good way.

I have read several other in the Alex Cross series. This book

was disappointing. The dumest part was the where the "wolf"

warns of a terrotist attack on New York. Later he has his henchmen attach plastic elplosives to an unguarded bridge. It

was hard to believe. The rest of the story was difficult to follow and I found myself speed reading just to finsih it. I cannot understand how this was a bestseller its so bad.

I have read all of J Patterson's books and really love his writing style. However, London Bridges is a bit of a disappointment. It appears that the novel was rushed out. The last few chapters should have had a lot more detail and story but it looks like JP wanted to end it at a specific number of pages.

James Patterson fails his faithful readers with his latest Alex Cross novel. The story seemed contrived and unbelievable, almost like a report of activities. The dialog was trite and didn't draw you into the story. I kept wondering if Mr. Patterson actually wrote the book and I certainly feel cheated that I paid good money for a new book. Like Patricia Cornwell before him, I guess I'll no longer automaically buy his new books.

I as everyone i love James Patterson for his ability to make you become a part of the story. To have a feel for each character you actually hate the killer and you feel for Alex and his family. With this book there was too much going on and it felt rushed you didn't have a chance to reconnect or find out about things. In a way in the past books you became an extended part of the family this book he was jumping around too much. Also the ending was so anti-climatic. It wasn't a bad book it was just another book. I expected more.

I have to say that I liked the short chapters, the fast pace, the easy-reading quality, and the excitement. However, the trade-off for this is thin characters and the addition of scenes that are supposed to build up emotional interest that are treated so briefly they just seem silly. For example, a one page dinner with an old friend, a page-and-a-half sexual encounter with an old flame. Giving these scenes the same treatment as bullet-blazing action makes them seem a bit ridiculous. All in all it was okay.

I was a really big fan of the Alex Cross series, but somewhere around Roses are Red the quality started to drop. This book is all set up and no payoff, and the payoff isn't even good. The end comes out of nowhere with no explanation of how they got there and then it all wraps up in a nice bow.

I am through with Patterson after this drivel.

This book was a real dissapointment. It seemed like Dr. Cross forgot or did not use any of the skills he has been known for.

He drifts along like a leaf caught in the wind with little or no direction. The other characters also lack any interest. The plot is weak and you are left to wonder how chance is the only way the "bad guys" get caught. I would skip this one. I think Dr Cross would also.

Tony Martino

River Pines California

Having been disappointed by several of the Pattersons with another authors name atttached, I thought wow he really wrote this one! But I was so disappointed the story was boring the writing way to spare. Even for a trash reader this was awful. I think soon we will find that Patterson is really dead, cause I doubt he wrote this one. His books used to be so rich and suspenseful now they are just boring. This will be my last Patterson, and if you read his kid's book you would join me in the feeling that he is just not writing anymore, he has people doing it for him. He is just a brand name and it has lost its luster.

I look forward to my "junk food reading" and sat down to read this one with excitement. It was a quick read, but the plot was boring and the ending unsatisfying. I hope the next Alex Cross story is a little more thrilling.

If it wasn't for the fact that I listened to the audio book version during my daily commute to work, I probably would have abandoned this book halfway through.

The end is confusing, and I'm left wanting more, not in a good way.

I have read several other in the Alex Cross series. This book

was disappointing. The dumest part was the where the "wolf"

warns of a terrotist attack on New York. Later he has his henchmen attach plastic elplosives to an unguarded bridge. It

was hard to believe. The rest of the story was difficult to follow and I found myself speed reading just to finsih it. I cannot understand how this was a bestseller its so bad.

I have read all of J Patterson's books and really love his writing style. However, London Bridges is a bit of a disappointment. It appears that the novel was rushed out. The last few chapters should have had a lot more detail and story but it looks like JP wanted to end it at a specific number of pages.

James Patterson fails his faithful readers with his latest Alex Cross novel. The story seemed contrived and unbelievable, almost like a report of activities. The dialog was trite and didn't draw you into the story. I kept wondering if Mr. Patterson actually wrote the book and I certainly feel cheated that I paid good money for a new book. Like Patricia Cornwell before him, I guess I'll no longer automaically buy his new books.

I as everyone i love James Patterson for his ability to make you become a part of the story. To have a feel for each character you actually hate the killer and you feel for Alex and his family. With this book there was too much going on and it felt rushed you didn't have a chance to reconnect or find out about things. In a way in the past books you became an extended part of the family this book he was jumping around too much. Also the ending was so anti-climatic. It wasn't a bad book it was just another book. I expected more.

I have to say that I liked the short chapters, the fast pace, the easy-reading quality, and the excitement. However, the trade-off for this is thin characters and the addition of scenes that are supposed to build up emotional interest that are treated so briefly they just seem silly. For example, a one page dinner with an old friend, a page-and-a-half sexual encounter with an old flame. Giving these scenes the same treatment as bullet-blazing action makes them seem a bit ridiculous. All in all it was okay.

I was a really big fan of the Alex Cross series, but somewhere around Roses are Red the quality started to drop. This book is all set up and no payoff, and the payoff isn't even good. The end comes out of nowhere with no explanation of how they got there and then it all wraps up in a nice bow.

I am through with Patterson after this drivel.

This book was a real dissapointment. It seemed like Dr. Cross forgot or did not use any of the skills he has been known for.

He drifts along like a leaf caught in the wind with little or no direction. The other characters also lack any interest. The plot is weak and you are left to wonder how chance is the only way the "bad guys" get caught. I would skip this one. I think Dr Cross would also.

Tony Martino

River Pines California

I only gave 1 star, because that was the lowest available. I forced my way through this book, because I was incredulous that it was published. This is a prime example of an author, who takes a great character and destroys him. I loved the early Alex Cross books, but they have progressively deteriorated, culminating in the horrid London Bridges. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME. There are many other good books out there.

I was eagerly anticipating this book because of the way the book before this one ended, Big Bad Wolf. This one had me a little worried that Patterson would kill off Cross and I won't say if he did or not but it certainly keeps you at the edge of your seat wondering if this is the end for Cross. Two doubly bad psycho's in one book both gunning for Cross who team up to get him is one heck of a ride in this book.

I cannot believe I see London Bridges all over bookstore stands. This book is the most ridiculous piece of crap I've ever read. The writing is terrible, the story completely ridicuolous. His writing is appealing to a crowd of old retired magnum P.I's. Don't read this book unless you have an unbelievable amount of free time and someone paid you to.

I love the Alex Cross novels and the pace of Patterson's books. I think it probably gets more difficult to write about the same character, especially for the tenth time, and make it work. I didn't think this was as bad as others say here. It's a good read.

Anthony Wilbon, Author of "The Enigma of Njama"

I was surprised and disappointed by this installment of the Alex Cross books. The story was confusing and poorly resolved. There was no depth to the characters and at the end of the book I was not personally invested in the story or the characters. Deaths, bad guys and good guys were incidental. The bad guy impersonators, meant to be red herrings were pointless and contrived. And at the end, I just didn't care.

This is only the third Patterson book I've read, but it is definitely the worst. Shallow, not very believable plot.

Leave this book on the shelf and pick up one by Nelson Demille, Michael Connelly, PT Deuterman, or Michael Crichton.

I have read all of the Alex Cross books, and have become a fan. This was by far a disappointment. It felt like Patterson wrote an outline and published it. There seemed to be a lot of holes in the storyline. The book seemed to be missing chapters. The ending....go back and finish your book Mr. Patterson - I think your fans deserved better than this. Not a strong effort by Mr. Patterson.

I love James Patterson. I love the Alex Cross series. I am not sure what happened here. Usually, when I am reading I can't put it down, that was not the case with this book. I felt as if it were all over the place. There was too much going on and too much international travel. I wonder if Patterson read this before he published it.

London Bridges is fast paced and will have thrill seekers of all levels, as well as varying adventure whims pumped up. Cliffhangers, shocks and twists throughout the book, will keep readers voraciously flipping the pages as the mystery begins! Highly recommended

Thank God I got this at a reduced price through the store! I was mad when I finished the book; lacked character depth and all in all was a waste of time. I only finished it because I kept expecting it had to get better. Totally disappointed. Don't waste your time, don't waste your money. If I could give it lower that one star, I would.

ALL of the "Alex Cross" books by James Patterson are exciting reads....I can never seem to put one of his books down! That is the only downfall to reading his books....you better have an entire day once you start one, because you will NOT be able to stop!

I never write reviews but I feel so strongly about how bad this book is that I had to write to warn people not to buy it!! It is the worst book I ever read - the ending is terrible, the plot never develops and I was actually mad that something like this was printed! Dont' buy it!!!

I finished the book and couldn't understand how the pieces fit together. So I re-read the book carefully to attempt to make some sense out of it. Guess what. The pieces don't add up. This is especially disappointing since the book is a page turner. The problem only comes when you've turned the last page and realize that you've been "had."

although it is always great to revisit alex cross and family this book leaves you feeling stale. usually you are so wrapped up in alex's life that you forget your own and you worry for them. this book although was good was not one of the better books. not as much intrigue and speed in this one.

I have to say that after having read numerous James Patterson novels, especially Alex Cross novels, I was extremely disappointed in this particular novel. It just dragged on and on, and the writing seemed to have been done by a novice. I hope James Patterson's artistic quality returns soon. Usually, I love his novels.

This is the first book of James Patterson that I read. It was a great book. The action is steady but not overdone. His style is similar to Alistair Maclean, whom I'm a great fan of. He is better than Maclean is character building and a bit more factual, or believable. I will definitely try his other books.

This book is a great one. It has a mix of emotion intensity and suspense. I must say it is one of the greatest books i have ever read. The wolf is the ultimate red mafyia boos out to desroy 4 major cities. How much better does it get? its a great book. I recieved it as a gift and started reading it then and there. It is a real page turner!!!!

I agree with the others, this book drags for much of the story and the ending feels like Patterson just got bored and wanted to end the book.

If you must read it, borrow it or get if from the library, it is not one you will want to keep or spend money on!

I was very disappointed in James Patterson on this occasion. I have read many of his books and by-in-large have enjoyed most of them. There was very little real intrigue here and the plot was very thin. The dialogue was boring.

While I have usually enjoyed the Alex Cross Series both in audio and print format I was unable to listen to this title in the audio format. For some reason I cannot fathom a decision was made to announce each chapter with extremely annoying sound effects. One wants the book to flow smoothly but this was a major distraction.

I was SHOCKED by how a seemingly good book became an obvious disappointment SO QUICKLY. Patterson should have left out some non-essential juicy middle chapters to enable him space to give the story a proper ending.

WHILE THIS WAS NOT MY FAVORITE ALEX CROSS NOVEL(ROSES ARE RED) THIS WAS VERY VERY GOOD. THE WOLF IS BACK WITH A TERRORIST TWIST.

DEFINATELY POST 9-11. I CONTINUE TO NEVER BE DISAPPOINTED BY JAMES PATTERSON. HE IS TRUELY AN AMAZINGING AUTHOR. SANTA KID IS ALSO WONDERFUL. A TRUELY MULTI-TALENTED AUTHOR. NOT THE SAME OL SAME OL FROM HIM.

THANKS AGAIN FOR A GREAT READ.

While I have usually enjoyed the Alex Cross Series both in audio and print format I was unable to listen to this title in the audio format. For some reason I cannot fathom a decision was made to announce each chapter with extremely annoying sound effects. One wants the book to flow smoothly but this was a major distraction.

I was SHOCKED by how a seemingly good book became an obvious disappointment SO QUICKLY. Patterson should have left out some non-essential juicy middle chapters to enable him space to give the story a proper ending.

WHILE THIS WAS NOT MY FAVORITE ALEX CROSS NOVEL(ROSES ARE RED) THIS WAS VERY VERY GOOD. THE WOLF IS BACK WITH A TERRORIST TWIST.

DEFINATELY POST 9-11. I CONTINUE TO NEVER BE DISAPPOINTED BY JAMES PATTERSON. HE IS TRUELY AN AMAZINGING AUTHOR. SANTA KID IS ALSO WONDERFUL. A TRUELY MULTI-TALENTED AUTHOR. NOT THE SAME OL SAME OL FROM HIM.

THANKS AGAIN FOR A GREAT READ.