2008 Book 36: The Big Bad Wolf

Book #:	36
Book Title:	The Big Bad Wolf
Author:	James Patterson
Publisher:	Little Brown and Company
Pub. Date:	2003
Pages:	390
Started:	April 29, 2008
Finished:	May 1, 2008
Time to Read:	3 Days
Back Cover / Inside Flap:	"Who's Afraid? Alex Cross battles the most ruthless and powerful killer he has ever encountered - a predator known only as the Wolf. Alex Cross's first case since joining the FBI has his new colleagues stymied. Across the country, men and women are being kidnapped in broad daylight and then disappearing completely. These people are not being taken for ransom, Alex realizes. They are being bought and sold. And it looks as if a shadowy figure called the Wolf - a master criminal who has brought a new reign of terror to organized crime - is behind this business in which ordinary men and women are sold as slaves. You're afraid. Even as he admires the FBI's vast resources, Alex grows impatient with the Bureau's clumsiness and caution when it is time to move. A lone wolf himself, he has to go out on his own in order to track the Wolf and try to rescue some of the victims while they are still alive. As the case boils over, Alex is in hot water at home too. His ex-fiancee, Christine Johnson, comes back into his life - and not for the reasons Alex might have hoped. Full of unexpected twists and heartrending surprisings that James Patterson delivers better than any other suspense writer alive, The Big Bad Wolf is an unforgettable thriller from 'one of America's most influential authors' (New York Times)."
Stars:	**
Review:	I've already shared my thoughts about James Patterson with you in my last review, so we won't dwell on that. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but as a suspense author, he doesn't exactly leave my knickers in a knot. On to this book in particular...I'm fascinated by the story-line. The news covers tales, from time to time, of various minority groups in America being funneled through an underground sex-slave trade. But it's always minorities and always women. This book delves into a world where demographics cease to exist - it's not any one grouping, it's everyone. And guys aren't safe from it either. The psychology of this story line is what kept me moving through the book itself. Cross annoys me as usual. He always thinks he can work outside of the bounds of anyone else in his position, be it DC Metro police officer or FBI Agent, and the fact that Patterson always paints his efforts with success would seemingly give credence to him being above the law. As a former student of the law and the wife of a police officer, this doesn't sit well with me. And reintroducing Christine Johnson? Beyond weak. It's meant to be heartwrenching, but instead it's annoying. Patterson fans will eat this one up...as for me, I'd advise you to pass.

If you have read or are planning to read this book, please make sure to stop back by and leave me a comment to let me know your own thoughts!

From my library to yours,

Tiffany