Title:	Cross the Line
	Author:	James Patterson
	Published:	November 21, 2016, Little, Brown and Company
	No. of Pages:	359
	Cover Price:	$9.99 Paperback, Kindle $9.99

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James Patterson has written (or maybe not, since it is rumored that he doesn’t even write his own books anymore) another bestseller in Cross The Line. Just because it is a bestseller, however, doesn’t mean it’s good writing. Patterson’s appeal is mostly to those with IQ’s in the 70s and to those who actually enjoy the shoddy writing of tabloids. This is most likely the impetus that has made it possible for him to sell more books than any author in modern history. There are those of us who do love his iconic character, Alex Cross, who seems like a real person and whose family is beloved. Alex Cross is the reason many who generally choose well-written books, choose James Patterson – just because they have a need to know what is happening to Cross and his family.

Cross the Line begins where the chief of Detectives, Tom McGrath, and his girlfriend, are gunned down in a drive-by shooting at the grocery store. Then, a vigilante on a motorcycle shoots lawbreaking drivers dead and causes their cars to crash. At the same time there are the murders of dozens in drug factories and human trafficking trucks. Cross and his partner, John Sampson, are trying to get to the bottom of these senseless murders. The book is difficult to get into, because it seems the scenarios are disjointed and appear to be just a laundry list of new crimes for Cross to investigate. Brie, his wife, is named the new Chief of Detectives after McGrath’s murder and is under fire for not solving the crimes fast enough.

One thing that Patterson doesn’t have a problem with is vicious and violent murders – it seems that when he can’t think of a new scenario, he just has several new people murdered. Cross the Line is so poorly written, in fact, that readers may think he ought to hang it up, and that it’s time for him to enjoy the millions he has earned writing substandard books. This novel does have a good ending, but the pain in trying to get through to the end is probably not worth it to those who want a good book. Beloved character, Nana Mama, is always trying new mouthwatering recipes to feed the Cross brood, and it would improve the books if Patterson included the recipes – sort of a culinary suspense genre that would add a positive aspect to this otherwise poor novel.