Jack and Jill (Alex Cross Book 3) by James Patterson

source: purchased
title: Jack & Jill (Alex Cross Book 3)
author: James Patterson(Twitter)
genre: crime thriller
published: 1996
pages: 470
first line: Sam Harrison swung his agile body out of the silver blue Ford Aerostar, which he had parked on Q Street in the Georgetown section of Washington.
rated: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

blurb:
Join Alex Cross in a heart-stopping thrill ride as he pieces together the clues of two gruesome murders. Will he find the killers in time?

In the middle of the night, a controversial U.S. senator is found murdered in bed in his Georgetown pied-a-terre. The police turn up only one clue: a mysterious rhyme signed “Jack and Jill” promising that this is just the beginning. Jack and Jill are out to get the rich and famous, and they will stop at nothing until their fiendish plan is carried out.

Meanwhile, Washington, D. C. homicide detective Alex Cross is called to a murder scene only blocks from his house, far from the corridors of power where he spends his days. The victim: a beautiful little girl, savagely beaten and deposited in front of the elementary school Cross’s son attends. No one in Washington is safe-not children, not politicians, not even the President of the United States. Only Alex Cross has the skills and the courage to crack the case, but will he discover the truth in time?

A relentless roller coaster of heart-pounding suspense and jolting plot twists, Jack and Jill proves that no one can write a more compelling thriller than James Patterson, the master of the nonstop nightmare.

my thoughts:
Alex Cross. Sigh. I got into this series last year while on vacation and I loved the first two books. Jack & Jill is the 3rd installment in the Alex Cross series which includes 26 books so far. 26! One thing I really enjoy about this series is that these early installments have a 1990’s vibe to them since that is when they are published. This 3rd book does fine as a stand alone read but I do recommend starting with book 1 at least to get more of a feel on Cross’s character and background.

In this installment there are a pair of serial killers on the loose in Washington D.C. who dub themselves Jack and Jill. They murder the well known and wealthy, mostly those involved with politics. These two leave behind notes with a nursery rhyme feel at each murder site. As per Patterson’s usual, there is a second killer on the loose. This one works alone and targets school children in Cross’s neighborhood. As Cross works the cases he in in a race against time because the body count is rising. He thinks the President and the First Lady may be victims of Jack and Jill very soon, because they were nicknamed Jack and Jill by the secret service. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. And Cross’s son goes to the school where the serial killer who targets kids has been choosing his victims. This second killer is hell bent on proving to Cross that he is better at what he does than Jack and Jill.

While overall this was a good read, I really wanted to enjoy this book a little more than I did. I don’t know what it was. Maybe just a little too much going on?

As per usual Cross has his eye on a special lady during the investigation. This time around it is Christine, his kid’s grade school principal. She is married though, so plot twist. I found the POV of Jack and Jill more interesting than anything else in the story-line. These two were obviously crazy but I was interested in finding out who they were and what their motive was. Cross’s partner Sampson is in the story as well and I like seeing these two work together.

“We were blood brothers.”
-p129, Jack and Jill by James Patterson

I enjoy Patterson’s diverse cast of characters as usual and his knack for thrilling writing. I also enjoy the 90’s setting in these earlier books in the series. At one point Christine is humming the Shoop Shoop song from Waiting to Exhale, then Cross walks away humming it, then it got stuck in my head too.

Even though this wasn’t my favorite installment, I would definitely continue with this series.

About the Author:
James Patterson has had more New York Times bestsellers than any other writer, ever, according to Guinness World Records. Since his first novel won the Edgar Award in 1977 James Patterson’s books have sold more than 375 million copies. He is the author of the Alex Cross novels, the most popular detective series of the past twenty-five years, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. He writes full-time and lives in Florida with his family.-quoted from Amazon.com

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I purchased my copy of Jack & Jill (Alex Cross Book 3) by  James Patterson.

Some of the links in the post are affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission. The  book picture in this post is my own and not to be removed.