Alex Cross (novel series) explained

Alex Cross series
Author:James Patterson
Books:Along Came a Spider
Kiss the Girls
Jack & Jill
Cat and Mouse
Pop Goes the Weasel
Roses Are Red
Violets Are Blue
Four Blind Mice
The Big Bad Wolf
London Bridges
Mary, Mary
Cross
Double Cross
Cross Country
Alex Cross's Trial
I, Alex Cross
Cross Fire
Kill Alex Cross
Merry Christmas, Alex Cross
Alex Cross, Run
Cross My Heart
Hope to Die
Cross Justice
Cross the line
Cross Kill
Detective Cross
The People vs. Alex Cross

Criss Cross
Deadly Cross
Fear No Evil
Triple Cross
Cross Down
Cross Out
Country:United States
Language:English
Genre:Mystery, Crime
Thriller
Publisher:Little, Brown
Media Type:Hardcover
Paperback
audio book

Alex Cross is a crime, mystery, and thriller novel series written by James Patterson. The protagonist of the series is Alex Cross, an African-American Metropolitan Police Department detective and father who counters threats to his family and to the city of Washington, D.C. Supporting characters include two of Cross's children, Damon, and Janelle, as well as his grandmother Nana Mama. The series is usually narrated in first-person perspective by Alex Cross, and occasionally from the villains' point of view in third-person.

The series began in 1993 and is ongoing. Nearly all the stories have made bestsellers lists and garnered favorable reviews, especially Double Cross; Cross Fire; I, Alex Cross; and Alex Cross, Run.

The series is published worldwide, with Little, Brown currently holding publication rights in the United States, in paperback, hardcover, and audiobook editions. The first book in the series, Along Came a Spider, was released in 1993 to positive reviews, spawning a series of over twenty subsequent novels. The series has resulted in three movies, Kiss the Girls (1997), Along Came a Spider (2001), and Alex Cross (2012).

Plot overview

Alex Cross is a widower, detective, and father who fights against criminals who wish to kill Cross and others. It mainly emphasizes Cross trying to solve difficult cases while attempting to maintain a relationship with his family. One of the antagonists in the earlier books is Gary Soneji, who wants to kill Cross for putting him in prison. Cross sometimes works with (or against) the President and Secret Service in a few books such as Along Came a Spider, Jack & Jill, I, Alex Cross, and Kill Alex Cross. An ongoing theme in the earlier novels is the unsolved murder of his first wife, Maria.

Characters

Notable antagonists

Book list

The earlier novels were initially named after children's rhymes, but from 2006 the lead character's name started appearing in the titles.[1]

  1. Along Came a Spider (1993, title from line in "Little Miss Muffet"): In the first novel of the series, Gary Soneji poses as a math teacher and kidnaps Maggie Rose Dunne, daughter of famed actress Katherine Dunne, and her best friend.

In 2001, the novel was adapted into a film starring Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross, Monica Potter as Jezzie Flannigan, and Michael Wincott as Soneji.

  1. Kiss the Girls (1995, title taken from line in "Georgie Porgie")

In 1997, the novel was adapted into a film starring Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross and Ashley Judd as Kate McTiernan.

  1. Jack & Jill (1996, title taken from "Jack and Jill" nursery rhyme)
  2. Cat and Mouse (1997)
  3. Pop Goes the Weasel (1999, title taken from "Pop Goes the Weasel" nursery rhyme)
  4. Roses are Red (2000, title taken from "Roses Are Red" poem)
  5. Violets Are Blue (2001, title taken from "Roses Are Red" poem)
  6. Four Blind Mice (2002, title derived from "Three Blind Mice" nursery rhyme)
  7. The Big Bad Wolf (2003, title taken from Big Bad Wolf archetype)
  8. London Bridges (2004, title derived from first line of "London Bridge Is Falling Down" nursery rhyme)
  9. Mary, Mary (2005, title from "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary" nursery rhyme)
  10. Cross (2006)

In 2012, the novel was adapted into a film, titled Alex Cross, starring Tyler Perry as Alex Cross and Matthew Fox as The Butcher (renamed Picasso in the film).

  1. Double Cross (2007)
  2. Cross Country (2008)
  3. Alex Cross's Trial (2009): In this story within a story concept, Alex writes about one of his ancestors, Abraham Cross.
  4. I, Alex Cross (2009)
  5. Cross Fire (2010)
  6. Kill Alex Cross (2011)
  7. Merry Christmas, Alex Cross (2012)
  8. Alex Cross, Run (2013)
  9. Cross My Heart (2013)
  10. Hope to Die (2014)
  11. Cross Justice (2015)
  12. Cross the Line (2016)
  13. The People vs. Alex Cross (2017)
  14. (2018)
  15. Criss Cross (2019)
  16. Deadly Cross (2020)
  17. Fear No Evil (2021)
  18. Triple Cross (2022)
  19. Cross Down (2023) (co-written with Brenden DuBois; also a John Sampson solo book)[2]
  20. Alex Cross Must Die (2023)

Novellas

  1. Cross Kill (2016)
  2. Detective Cross (2017)

Ali Cross Series

  1. Ali Cross (2019)
  2. Ali Cross: Like Father, Like Son (2021)
  3. Ali Cross: The Secret Detective (2022)

Film adaptations

See main article: Alex Cross (film series). Overall there have been three theatrical films of the Alex Cross series - Kiss the Girls, Along Came a Spider, and Alex Cross. All met with negative reviews and poor box-office results.

Films

Two films, based on the first Cross novels, have been made starring Morgan Freeman (Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider), both released to negative reaction. Both of them are very loose adaptations of the books, with Along Came a Spider changing many of the plot's elements, while Kiss the Girls changes nearly the entire story's plot, except for the fact that Alex's niece is kidnapped and its primary antagonist is Casanova. A significant, and well-noted, change upon the books in the movies is that John Sampson is not white but African-American, like Alex himself. Kyle Craig is briefly seen in Kiss the Girls. Along Came a Spiders adaptation was also changed with the film taking out major plot elements or changing them. For instance, Jezzie Flannagan and Alex Cross are dating in the book, but are described as only friends in the film. Also, the most important changed elements is Gary Soneji dies, which would therefore erase him from any future adaptation of Cat and Mouse, nor does Soneji escape from prison, nor is the trial in court seen or mentioned in the film. A third film was proposed. Pop Goes the Weasel was considered, and a script based on Roses are Red was written, but after Along Came a Spider was panned at the box office, the plans were canceled.

Many years after Along Came a Spiders release, a reboot was revealed to be in the works, set for a 2011 release date. Idris Elba was attached to the film as the role of Alex Cross. It was rumored to be based on I, Alex Cross, but director Rob Cohen denied this, revealing he only titled the film like such so as to tell fans: "their hero was back"; to avoid confusion the film's name was changed to Alex Cross with Tyler Perry replacing Elba. Edward Burns and Matthew Fox were later confirmed to star as Cross's partner, Tommy Kane, and the main antagonist, Picasso.[3] The film was later confirmed to be based on the 12th book in the series, Cross. The film was released on October 19, 2012, to mixed to negative reviews. The film was a minor box office bomb, grossing $34 million against its $35 million budget. Matthew Fox and Tyler Perry were praised for their roles in the film.[4] [5]

A sequel based on Double Cross was in discussion in 2012.[6] [7] [8] Perry was confirmed to reprise his role.[9] However, the film was cancelled after Alex Cross did not perform well at the box office.

Television series

See main article: Cross (American TV series). Amazon Studios ordered a television series adaptation titled Cross; Aldis Hodge will star and Ben Watkins will serve as showrunner from Paramount Television Studios and Skydance Television.[10] [11] It is set to be released on November 14, 2024.[12]

Release

The book series have been released in paperback and hardcover, while it can be listened to on audio book or excerpts from the series can be read online at the official JamesPatterson.com website[13] or others.

Critical reception

The series has been given mixed to positive reviews, with the exception of the 18th book Kill Alex Cross, which has been given mixed to negative reviews, and Cross Country, which received mixed reviews. Many have criticized Kill Alex Cross while few have given it positive reviews. So far, the most positively-received book is either Double Cross or I, Alex Cross. The series has at numerous times been on the New York Times Bestseller list for several weeks. Double Cross was on the New York Times Bestseller list (at number 1) for numerous weeks before being eventually surpassed.

The film series, however, did not fare well, with all three films garnering a negative reception. The most recent film, Alex Cross, received poor reviews and had an underwhelming performance at the box office. Kiss the Girls was the best-received film in the series.

Notes and References

  1. https://mysterysequels.com/james-patterson-alex-cross-books-in-order James Patterson Alex Cross Books In Order
  2. Web site: Cross Down: An Alex Cross and John Sampson Thriller | Bookreporter.com. www.bookreporter.com.
  3. Web site: Frappier. Rob. Matthew Fox and Ed Burns Join 'I, Alex Cross'. Screenrant. 18 March 2011 .
  4. Web site: Hammond . Pete . Alex Cross . https://archive.today/20130118104405/http://www.boxoffice.com/reviews/2012-10-alex-cross?q=Alex+Cross . dead . January 18, 2013 . October 18, 2012 . December 17, 2012 . But this is Perry's show all the way and he proves that as a hired actor he can still deliver something audiences aren't expecting from Hollywood's most prolific multi-hyphenate. .
  5. Web site: O'Connor . Clint . 'Alex Cross': Tyler Perry becomes James Patterson's detective in new thriller: Review . The Plain Dealer . 18 October 2012 . December 17, 2012 . powerful screen presence.
  6. Web site: Fox. Jesse. An Alex Cross Sequel Is Already in the Works. Vulture. 18 October 2012 . October 18, 2012.
  7. Web site: Alex Cross Sequel Double Cross Planned . Retrieved November 11, 2019
  8. Web site: Trumbore. Dave. Tyler Perry and James Patterson Finalize Deal for ALEX CROSS Sequel, DOUBLE CROSS. Collider. October 17, 2012.
  9. Web site: Joseph. Matt. Tyler Perry To Play Alex Cross Again In Double Cross. We Got This Covered.com. October 18, 2012.
  10. Web site: Alex Cross TV Series in the Works at Amazon (EXCLUSIVE) . 22 January 2020 .
  11. Web site: Porter . Rick . Alex Cross Series at Go at Amazon With Aldis Hodge Starring . . October 27, 2022.
  12. News: Rice . Nicholas . James Patterson's Cross Series Sets a Premiere Date . 11 August 2024 . People . 6 July 2024.
  13. Web site: Patterson. James. Books.