Pop Goes the Weasel by James Patterson

 

Before I actually delve into James Patterson’s fifth novel in Alex Cross series, let me tell you about one of the finest characters in fiction, Detective Alex Cross. A former psychologist running a private practice, Cross is now a police detective in Washington, D.C. He lives with his grandmother (whom he calls Nana) and his two children-Damon and Janelle. His wife was killed in shoot out accident and although Patterson pairs him with other ladies regularly(Jezzie Flanigan in Along Came a Spider, Christine Johnson in Pop Goes the Weasel, Kate McTiernan in Kiss The Girls) he's mostly a loner. What makes his character so endearing is his charisma, his affection towards his family, especially his two children. He is tough and strong-willed when need be and affectionate and sentimental too. As a detective he usually partners with John Sampson with whom he is best friends since the age of 9. For the full biography on Alex Cross read this page.

Pop Goes the Weasel is my third Alex Cross book(I'm already onto the next book-Cat and Mouse). The book begins by introducing the main antagonist- Geoffrey Shafer who works at the British Embassy in Washington and has diplomatic immunity. Shafer is suicidal often taking chances with his life. He hates his family and loves to play a game called 'The Four Horsemen".There are four players in this role playing game-Conqueror, War, Famine and Death. Shafer himself plays the role of Death. He kills prostitutes without leaving any id on the body. So Cross names these murders as Jane Doe murders. The other 3 players of "Four Horsemen" were all members of M16, a US military organization and its later revealed that all the members of the game are murderers playing out their fantasies in real world. This is a typical Patterson book , keeps you at the edge of the seat till you complete it. I fell in love with Alex Cross's character and I will definitely try to complete all books in his series.