THE BIG BAD WOLF by JAMES PATTERSON

Because I kind of missed reading a Patterson, I clumsily rummaged through my brother’s pile of books and randomly picked a paperback from the Alex Cross series – The Big Bad Wolf. Having a brother who likes the same author has its upsides, yannow. So happy! J

So here goes the story…

A delicate case comes up while Alex Cross is still in the process of wrapping his head around the job endorsement he got working from the Washington D.C. Police Dept. to the FBI and a family issue regarding his beloved Little Alex. There have been a number of abductions. It is believed the people who disappeared are being sold in the market. A Russian mystery mobstar named Wolf is suspected to be behind all the madness. Apparently, the Wolf has no plans of negotiating and surrendering. Alex and the FBI have to get to him first before he can strike back.

I have always liked Alex Cross because he’s a cop with good character. He has been such an accomplished guy professionally, what with all the criminals and socio/psychopaths he has already put behind bars. I admire the fact that he really is good-natured personally but can also be sneakily genius and ruthless when the need arises. I think James Patterson has done a great job of establishing a strong and relatable personality for the Alex Cross character, hence the series’ success.

As with the plot, I think there was an air of predictability in it, though there were still lots of surprises, one great reveal after another. There were parts where I could just tell it wasn’t what the FBI had been looking for yet. I couldn’t really pinpoint but that was just how I felt about it. I still liked it anyway.

The Big Bad Wolf showed the intricacies every Patterson book has. As a crime mystery case, it was able to play well with its cards. It used every possible hole and means to make the plot more complex than it already was, and that’s kinda cool. J

I especially liked the climax. The chapters close to the end when they got Pasha Sorokin in their hands was where the excitement got really pumped up. Wooooooo! It was when I just had to keep on turning the pages. The Wolf was too sneaky! Haha!

If anything, I wish the novel further discussed Alex’s personal issues. The thing about who gets Little Alex’s custody was brought up, so I think it should’ve been given enough attention in the book. The few chapters were not enough. I felt like it was just talked about in passing.

Bad news: the Wolf hasn’t been captured yet, and I still don’t have the next book, London Bridges. Not cool! Can’t contain being left hanging in the end. Haha!

Overall, I believe he still sealed this book with the classic Patterson signature. Surely, you can never go wrong with James Patterson. J

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