Criss Cross by James Patterson

Review
Cross is there to watch someone he put on death row die - a gruesome serial killer, but isn't there always someone who believes in the innocence of even the cruelest of killers. His family is convinced he is the victim of mistaken identity, someone has gone to a lot of trouble to frame him. Someone like Cross.

Cross is used to the doubt and stands by the evidence, but is thrown for a loop when he is called to the scene of a murder. A murder that has the calling card of the alleged killer he just watched being executed. Then a few more occur - each with the MO of a killer he has stopped.

I admit I followed the red herring for a while, despite the fact it seemed far too obvious. I thought Cross was a little too trusting when it came to his kid, especially considering the cases he has dealt with in the past. Surely your natural instinct would be to distrust everyone? Your day job is full of serial killers and psychopaths, and you just let your kid make friends with a random stranger? Err nope.

It's a psychological thriller with an action thriller vibe. It's hard to believe that this is the 27th book in the Cross series. This one hasn't quite got the same finesse as some of the earlier ones and seemed a little rushed.

The Alex Cross series brings a lot of nostalgia with it - hopefully Patterson can breathe some of the old suspense into this series in future.

Buy Criss Cross at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Cornerstone, pub date 14 Nov. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

Follow @JP_Books on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit jamespatterson.com

Now You See Her by Heidi Perks

The only thing worse than losing someone else's child is losing your own child.

You already have the burden of responsibility of your own child, but having the extra pressure of keeping someone else's child safe is a whole different level of responsibility.

Charlotte is Harriet's only friend, she is isolated and reclusive. She has also never left her daughter Alice alone with anyone before, which makes it even more tragic when Alice vanishes into thin air at a school fete.

Charlotte is faced with the negative opinions of her circle of friends and strangers. She was distracted, she wasn't paying attention and Alice did disappear on her watch. So the blame is being placed firmly on her shoulders. Now her so-called friends don't want to entrust their children to her care in case something happens, again.

Perks takes an awful scenario and turns it into something more insidious. Can one justify doing the worst possible thing to try and protect a loved one? All whilst dragging someone else under the mud and watching them suffocate, as you try and achieve your own goal.

Now You See Her might make you question your sympathy for the main characters, which is the essence of this premise. Perks asks her readers to think about crossing lines and being ruthless. When is it too much and when is an attempt to save your child unforgivable? You might be surprised by this premise and the conclusion you come to. Personally I'm not sure I would have been so forgiving.

Buy/Preorder Now You See Her at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Pub Date 18th July 2018 Kindle
Pub Date 26 July 2018 Hardcover
Publisher Random House Uk, Cornerstone
Follow @HeidiPerksBooks @arrowpublishing @PenguinRHUK

If I Die Before I Wake by Emily Koch

What's interesting about the way the author has planned the story out is the way the intent is within reach, however it doesn't become really clear until closer to the end.

Alex likes the thrill of climbing and is perhaps guilty of becoming complacent with his safety, which is probably how he ends up in a coma after a serious fall. His head injury leaves him in a terrifying situation. Alex can hear and feel everything around him, but is unable to respond to anyone or anything. A nightmare scenario.

The medical condition is based on a pseudocoma also known as Locked-in syndrome, minus the blinking and vertical eye movements, although Alex is often able to see through the slits of his slightly opened eyes. Koch has clearly done a lot of research on the subject, which is reflected in the story.

The story is narrated by Alex himself via his inner dialogue and thought processes, and the one-sided conversations he has with his family, friends and the medical staff.

He has no memory of how he fell, and as the story progresses questions arise about the details of the accident. Was it more than just a careless incident? Did someone help Alex fall, and why?

The perspective of the possible victim is what gives this story a high level of suspense. The reader knows that Alex can't help himself in any way, regardless of what he remembers or discovers about his accident.

Kudos to Koch for the ending, and for not feeling the need to bow down to the candy floss brigade of happy endings. It's poetic injustice in a screwed up fictional kind of way.

Buy If I Die Before I Wake at Amazon UK or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Follow @EmilyKoch @vintagebooks @harvillsecker

Visit emilykoch.co.uk