| Detective Alex Cross, homicide investigator, forensic psychologist, family man, piano-player, etc., returns to face his most deadly challenge so far in Patterson's fourth Cross novel.
Gary Soneji, the genius psychopath obsessed with becoming the world's most famous criminal, returns with a vengeance, cutting down eight people with a sniper-rifle in Union Station and leaving Cross's own blood on the murder weapon. Moving on to New York, Soneji continues his rampage, slaughtering cops and civilians with equal abandon. Cross knows that there is something off about Soneji's behavior, the killings are coming faster and in greater numbers than ever before, and the madman seems to no longer care if he lives or dies. Meanwhile, a brutal pattern-killer known only as Mr. Smith, who picks his victims apparently at random and vivisects them while they are still conscious, is cutting a bloody swath from Massachusetts to London, and his path is about to intersect with Cross's in the most bizarre manner imaginable... | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) Time/era of story: Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book The crook is.... - stalking/killing innocents descript. of violence and chases - 40 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 % Crime Thriller Yes Is MAIN CHARACTER an EVIL criminal? Yes General Crime (including known murderer) Yes Who's the criminal enemy here? - finding a known killer If story PRIMARILY about main chr. being hunted... - hunted by killer/stalker Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 40's-50's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Eccentric: Yes Motive of antagonist - revenge How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Genius Setting United States Yes The US: - Northeast City? Yes City: - New York - Washington D.C. - Boston Misc setting - sewers/subways Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - very gorey references to deaths/dead bodies and torture Explicit sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - vague references - descript of kissing Unusual forms of death - diced - perforation--bullets - perforation--swords/knives - exploded into bits Unusual form of death? Yes Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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