Book Review – Fear No Evil by James Patterson – Great Read!
Table of Contents
My Rating – 4 out of 5
Plot Summary (Storyline) – Fear No Evil
Come the end of the year, come Alex Cross, the much-loved protagonist created by James Patterson and the only series he still writes solo. Throughout the rest of the year, James Patterson‘s releases are all about collaborations, where the co-writers touch or style contributes to the eventual outcome. Similarly, this series is completely James Patterson and the series reflects that as well. Alex Cross and his lovable family comprising of Nana Mama (Alex’s 90-year-old grandmother and the matriarch of the family), his wife Bree, sons Damon and Ali, and daughter Jannie. Each with their colorful shares in the progress of the series.
Fear No Evil starts with a CIA agent first tortured and then murdered by an assassin with an agenda. The agent, Catherine Hingham, is corrupt and under duress confesses her role in widespread corruption and names a few more people who are also on the take. The written confession with all details of the financial transactions is taped to her body and left in a public place for the police to find. Alex and his childhood buddy, John Sampson, another Washington Metro Cop, are scheduled to leave for the wildernesses of Montana for a gadget-free holiday when they are called in to investigate.
In another subplot, Alex’s wife Bree Stone, who’s left Metro Police as the Chief of Detectives and is now into private security, leaves for Paris for an investigation. Philippe Abelmar, a billionaire businessman, is also a sexual predator. He preys on the young interns joining his firm, and those that make a sound are quickly settled with large monetary payouts. Even those cases which reach the courts are brushed under the carpet by judges who are in Abelmar’s pockets. Bree has been roped in to find the truth as there are charges of funds embezzlement also, and she doubts that embezzlement is the main reason the company has woken up and not for the harassment!
A long-time nemesis of Alex, M or Mastermind, as they like to call him also makes his appearance here, as he taunts and teases Alex and John and seems to be watching them and their families. The vigilantes killing government agents are focussed on a Mexican cartel and now they also start hitting back, often far more brutally than the group of vigilantes. And as Alex and John catch a break in their packed schedule and go for their long-pending and much-awaited holiday, two groups of murderers – one from the Mexican cartel and another from M’s hired assassins, track them into the wilderness and lie in wait to kill them. Who’ll be the first?
Conclusion – Book Review of Fear No Evil
Engrossing as always, this also manages to bind two separate stories nicely together and the breathtaking climax well justifies the long wait for the new Alex Cross. The chemistry and camaraderie between Alex and John, that between Alex and Bree, and in fact, between all members of the extended Alex Cross family is nuanced and warm. it makes you want to be a part of such a family. Nana Mama is the smart twenty-first century grandmother, much like Seamus from the Michael Bennett series. Ali is also becoming quite a detective, on his own time and has a small little subplot of his own here.
Read it, people, this is a thoroughly well-written thriller with its usual share of twists and turns, and we, as readers, cheer for the protagonists. As far as I am concerned, this and the latest Jack Reacher are a large part of the reason that I look forward to the end of the year! ‘Happy Reading and Advance Greetings of the Season.’
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