This time it was John Sampson’s turn, and in my opinion, he delivered an entertaining edge-of-your-seat thriller that kept my interest. James Patterson is back with his cornerstone series, bringing Brendan DuBois along for the collaborative ride. Sampson will have to work solo for a time, at least until he can find a partner of his own to help diffuse all that is going on. There may be a clue to discover the plot to unleash a nuclear blast within the United States, devastating the country as a whole.

In the previous Alex Cross novels, the story was told from Alex’s point-of-view and this one was told from John’s point-of-view, which kept the same rhythm and flow without disrupting the storytelling style.

Alex ends up in ICU and fighting for his life, John does what Alex normally would have done and heads to save the day and find out what is happening. Random car bombings, shootings, and public attacks taking place across the country may actually be connected in a more deadly plot than previously imagined.

The good news is that Sampson has a strong network of resources, including FBI Supervising special agent, Ned Mahoney, and Bree Stone, Alex’s wife and her employer, the Bluestone Group, an international security firm. Over three decades and 31 books, the character of Alex Cross has hunted many serial killers and other villains and bad guys. And now a cross book strictly focused on insurrections and takeovers of the White House by conservative patriots. While Cross fights for his life, Sampson must move forward without his partner’s great intelligence for profiling and hunting down serial killers.Patterson has long held onto this series as his own, working to prove to be that he still has what it takes to pen his own thrillers. This leaves John to figure out why these attacks are happening and what the connection is between the attacks. The story focuses largely on John Sampson this time (with the regulars of the series appearing here and there).