Review: London Bridges

Alex Cross is back again, but this time, he is facing two major enemies at once. The Wolf, the main character from The Big Bad Wolf is back, and so is the Weasel, from Pop Goes The Weasel. The Wolf begins by blowing a city in Nevada off the map and soon threatens major cities such as London and Paris. His demands are huge and a massive taskforce is put on the case, with Alex Cross one of the key members. Will he finally be able to bring down the Wolf and snare the Weasel? London Bridges had a lot of potential, but Patterson seemed to eschew character development in the name of increasingly unlikely plot twists. There seemed to be a twist at every opportunity, but very little was explained. It would have been useful to know who various characters really were and what their motivations were for acting in such a way. Furthermore, at times, we were deliberately misled by the author, making the book even more confusing. When Jeffery Deaver throws in a twist, it is usually a twist that makes sense and allows us to look at the case from a different angle. Patterson seemed to be doing it just to drag the story out even more.

There is enough action here to make a great movie, but the book was simply not believable. The earlier Alex Cross books were more detailed and interesting. Now, Cross seems to be becoming a two- dimensional character, with his family popping up for token appearances once in a while. Patterson keeps teasing us with the state of Nana Mamas health, yet nothing actually happens to her. Surely that would be a more exciting twist?

Whilst this may sound as though I did not like London Bridges, this is not the case at all. However, Patterson has fallen into a sharp decline of late and the only reason for this can be his immensely heavy schedule. Looking at his list of publications for 2005, there are various titles on the horizon, with various co- writers. Even assuming that the co-writers do more work than Patterson himself, he is still scheduled for enormous output, more than most other thriller writers of the moment. If he were to reduce his heavy schedule and concentrate on putting more meat on the bones of his books, it would be better. When the books first appeared on the shelves, the fast pace, short chapters and breathless excitement were a winning combination, but it now feels somewhat tired. Patterson needs to revitalize Alex Cross, and although putting him in the FBI was a start, sending him on jaunts round Europe is not going to do it.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.

Book Review: London Bridges

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.