Reviewer: T. Edmund Jenkin…
As it is however, K.A.C. is really only half a novel. Despite a rather extreme plotline of the president’s children going missing, and a potential plot that may rival 9/11, Patterson doesn’t bother to put in the authorly effort required to pull this melodrama off.
Even with the nation-shaking events mentioned above, there is very little sense that the Washington Alex lives in is in the midst of crisis. We do hear Cross talking about all the acronyms (FBI, CIA, NSA etc) but aside from fairly run of the mill jurisdiction tussles the story just feels like another weekly murder mystery.
Plot aside, the prose of K.A.C. isn’t quite as agonising as Cross!! Country!!!, however trademark exclamation points do make a few too many appearances, especially in the beginning chapters. Point of View leapfrogs around like an electrocuted toad and the humour of this book is hit-and-miss at best.
I’m trying desperately to avoid a spoiler here, but I have to say that rather than tying together several different strands of plot, Patterson mangles together two concepts, both too big for their boots, and leaves a feeling of ‘how many fan-fiction short stories did I just read?’
Let me be clear – I’m extra ranty because this was almost a good book. There is some killer action, and some tense moments. For die-hard fans this is a must read. For people with more than half a brain: not so sure this one is worth it.
I have been a constant reader of every Alex Cross book since the beginning and am a major fan.
They are usually exciting and great entertainment for a few hours. I really look forward to them.
But then comes this stinker.
The plot seems like cheap cardboard. I was one step ahead of every twist and I’m usually far from that good.
The character development was nil.
The home backstory that I always enjoy was reduced to tossing in a random girl, a hardly filled out charter school and leaving it at that.
Alex, who is brilliant, bumbled his way through the book and the villain, who doesn’t hold a candle to Kyle Craig or even Gary Seneji, is reputed to be really smart and Alex can’t get a take on him. I didn’t buy it for a minute.
The terrorist villains were even more cardboard.
It seemed to me that this was the sort of outline that Patterson would give to one of his factory workers to turn it into something palatable. The major plot points were there, but the color was sorely missing.
Maybe Patterson is trying out a new marketing strategy of a series of “write your own Alex Cross book” since that what this one seemed to me. It was nothing more than notes for a potentially good book.
Alex seemed weak and nasty.
Nana seemed even too strident for her usual over-the-top portrayal.
The kids got short shrift.
Sampson was there for as place holder.
We deserve better.
Lots better.
The Book is Available Here: Amazon
