Alex Cross’s Trial by James Patterson and Richard Dilallo

A fan of James Patterson and his Alex Cross series I was delighted to hear I won this book and couldn’t wait to read it. Knowing it would be different than his usual series as he had assistance writing it I wasn’t sure what to expect but still expected something entirely different than what I read.

Where’s Alex Cross

On the back cover:

“From his grandmother, Alex Cross has heard the story of his great uncle Abraham and his struggles for survival in the era of the Ku Klux Klan. Now, Alex passes the family tale along to his own children in a novel he’s written–a novel called Trial.”

I waited the entire novel to hear from Alex, to understand how this was written in his voice but instead heard from Ben Corbett and his ordeal meeting Abraham Cross, Alex’s great uncle.

Realizing that not many nephews have the ability to meet and know their great uncle I was perplexed as to how this could be Alex Cross’s Trial or written in his voice.

I’d Love to Hear More of Ben Corbett

Beyond being confused about the way Alex Cross fit into this, I enjoyed the story. Admittedly it was slow going in the beginning and I put it down after the first couple of chapters to read another book but I went back to it (I did win it!) and read it through.

Ben’s relationship with Abraham as well as with Theodore Roosevelt is intriguing and revealing. I felt terrible for Ben; doing what was right only to discover he may not be doing them for the right reasons. I’m sure we’ve all been there – doing a favour for a dear friend for all the right reasons only to find out the end result is not why we were doing it.

Ben Corbett left his family behind, his career and his life to meet Abraham Cross and his past. Brought back to where he lived as a child, Ben barely recognized, if he did, the community as it stood for his return. I’ll always wonder why sweet Elizabeth did what she did and so I beg James Patterson and Richard Dilallo to continue the life of Ben Corbett and tell us all he has to offer.

Eudora, Mississipi

A town like any other with law biding citizens and hidden agenda’s. A town Ben Corbett grew up in, saw his mother die and his father hold court in then left behind only to return under pretenses he never thought possible.

With the Ku Klux Klan being banned from any activity in this town it seems hangings are happening much too often to be anyone but the KKK.

You can always go home to the place you grew up but you can never actually return to what you thought it was as a child. Ben Corbett, Abraham Cross and Theodore Roosevelt are three characters who discover what it means to shed light on a dark matter.

A recommended read with the understanding that it’s not a typical Alex Cross/ James Patterson novel.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland