The Big Bad Wolf: Summary and book reviews of The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson, plus links to an excerpt from The Big Bad Wolf and a biography of James Patterson.

WHO'S AFRAID? Alex Cross battles the most ruthless and powerful killer he has ever encountered--a predator known only as the Wolf. Alex Cross's first case since joining the FBI has his new colleagues stymied. Across the country, men and women are being kidnapped in broad daylight and then disappearing completely. These people are not being taken for ransom, Alex realizes. They are being bought and sold. And it looks like a shadowy figure known as the Wolf--a master criminal who has brought a new reign of terror to organized crime--is behind this business in which ordinary men and women are sold as slaves. YOU'RE AFRAID. Even as he admires the FBI's vast resources, Alex grows impatient with the Bureau's clumsiness and caution when it is time to move. A lone wolf himself, he has to go out on his own in order to track the Wolf and try to rescue some of the victims while they are still alive. As the case boils over, Alex is in hot water at home too. His ex-fiancée, Christine Johnson, comes back into his life--and not for the reasons Alex might have hoped.

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The plot is a little too heavy on torture, rape and murder in general for some tastes, but one can't help liking Alex Cross, despite the fact that there is this ridiculous ongoing dichotomy between Patterson's depiction of Cross as the ultimate family man and the fact that book after book he puts his family in mortal danger.  

Media Reviews

New York Times Full of the unexpected twists and heartrending surprises that James Patterson delivers better than any suspense writer alive, The Big Bad Wolf is an unforgettable thriller from one of America's most influential authors.   Kirkus Reviews ... it's business as usual in this laughably rough-hewn fairy tale of modern-day white slavery... As in summer movies, a triple dose of violence conceals the absence of real menace when neither victims nor avengers stir the slightest sympathy.   Publishers Weekly Full of plot surprises and featuring a balanced mix of intrigue, hard action and angst, the novel, on which Patterson notably does not share cover credit, grips from start to finish.   Booklist - Kristine Huntley Cross' first major case with the FBI will have readers on the edge of their seats, swiftly turning the pages to the exciting showdown.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Sarah
Good stuff!
I've read quite a few Alex Cross novels and I would have to say that this is one of my favorites!! Sex, scandals, detective work, and Russian mobsters what more could you ask for in a book??? Seriously?? haha!

Rated of 5 by MarkH
Best Alex Cross book to date, James Patterson is definitely the master of detective novels

Rated of 5 by Li
Poor poor story by the standards of James Patterson... simply poor twists and many grey areas leaving his twists unbelievable and lacking in details...

Rated of 5 by sara
This book had my attention the whole time reading it. I read this book in 2 days and it usually takes me longer to read books. It was so interesting that I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next.

Rated of 5 by Lauren8651
This book disgusted me because of its inability to captivate my attention. I would not recommend this book because of its unrealistic storyline and its unsatisfactory ending.

Rated of 5 by Joe
I thought the book drew me in to the life of the supercriminal only known as the wolf. I am waiting to see how Alex ends up crackin the mystery of who the wolf is in future novels.

...4 More Reader Reviews

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