Third in the Alex Cross thriller series and revolving around Dr./Deputy Chief Alex Cross.My TakeYeah, Jack & Jill is one of the few stories I did not finish. I like his characters — that Alex is an intriguing man, and I adore his kids and Nana Mama. Sampson sounds pretty good too, hubba hubba.BUT Patterson is mostly tell with a great storyline and part of me would like to finish Jack & Jill, BUT Patterson is too repetitive. I GET it. I g-e-t it. Blacks are always at the lowest rung of any official concern. Rich, white people will always have priority. While I appreciated the sketch about Sojourner Truth's life, and agree with Nana Mama, that ramming-it-home habit of Patterson's simply made me roll my eyes.In the past, I have enjoyed "hearing" the inner thoughts of the characters, but again, Patterson is repeating and repeating and repeating and rep— You get the idea. It's annoying. I do have to give Patterson credit for being consistent. And that was only partly tongue-in-cheek!"No, no. I was attracted by your vast, bloated belly, your alcoholic breath."I sympathize with Jack & Jill's anger, but they lost me with Jack's attitude toward Natalie Sheehan. Nothing came out that evening that made me believe in the game's goal.What is with Sampson? He keeps telling Perez he's going to shoot and he N-E-V-E-R does! Arghh. Then Alex follows up with, yep, the repetitive thought that Perez has done this escape routine before. I GET it.Jeez, that Chop-It-Off-Chucky is so disgusting. The thoughts Patterson writes are enough to make me want to get out a gun and go huntin'. I know the world is supposed to have a balance of good and evil, but why can't the "evil" go hunting other evil? More of my right wing side comes out with Alex's reaction to discovering he and Sampson had "run down the wrong child molester". Excuse me? He's a child molester, and it was wrong to chase after him? If he wasn't guilty of something, why did he run? It was his choice to leap from building to building.I loved it! I LOVED it when Alex slammed Pittman! He so deserved it!!I don't know if Patterson is simply trying to up his page numbers, or if he think his reading audience is that stupid. All I know is that I can't take it anymore.Well, that's it. I only got up to Chapter 27, page 122, before I gave up.The StoryAlex Cross tries to put the pieces together, the killer — or killers — strike again. And again. First a controversial U.S. senator, then a a beautiful little girl, savagely beaten — and deposited in front of the elementary school Cross's son, Damon, attends.No one in Washington is safe — not children, not politicians, not even the president of the United States.The CharactersThese are the characters who appeared up to chapter 27.Dr. Alex Cross, a.k.a., Sugar, is a detective and deputy chief in the Homicide division. Jannie and Damon are Alex's kids. Jannie goes to school at Union Street while Damon attends Sojourner Truth. Rosie is Jannie's cat. Nana Mama is Alex's grandmother, the kids' great-grandmother. Detective John Sampson, a.k.a., Man Mountain and Two-John, is his partner.Washington D.C. PDDetective Rakeem Powell is with Homicide. And one of Alex's "troublemakers" along with Detectives Jerome Thurman and Shawn Moore. Police Commissioner Clouser is insisting that Alex drop Shanelle's murder investigation to solve Fitzpatrick's while Chief Pittman, a bully and a racist, does everything he can to thwart Alex. Pittman is an idiot, and another reason I would have continued with the Alex Cross series, if only so I could see him get his. Janine Prestergard is the medical examiner.FBISpecial Agent Kyle Craig wants Alex on the case; he's also a friend of his.Sojourner Truth school is……where Damon goes to school. Mrs. Johnson is the new principal."Jack" is a code word for President Thomas Byrnes, a womanizer. "Jill" is his wife. "Crown" is the White House. "Jackal" is any would-be assassin.The mediaInez Gomez is with El Diario; Fern Galperin is with CNN.Senator Daniel Fitzpatrick is the first execution. A bad senator, a snake. Shanelle Green is a sweetheart of a six-year-old who goes to Sojourner Truth. Natalie Sheehan is a TV newswoman. Vernon Wheatley is another young student at Sojourner Truth.Sam Harrison, a.k.a., "Jack", the Soldier, and Scott Cookson (a lawyer), came up with the game. "Jill" is a Washington careerist named Sara Rosen, and she's in love with Sam.Chop-It-Off-Chucky, a child molester, was thought to be an urban myth. His father had been a cop. Emmanuel Perez, a porter at Famous Pizza, is thought to be Chucky.Uncle Jimmie owns several neighborhood businesses and is a friend of Alex and John's. Roadrunner Alvin Jackson is a snitch as well as a small-time dealer. Kate McTiernan is a complicated friendship for Alex left over from Kiss the Girls, 2. Princess Di makes an appearance.The Cover and TitleThe cover is a mostly gradated deep blue sky with the title in a muted embossed gold. The bottom quarter is where all the action is with the author's name and a broad expanse of green lawn behind it. The White House is back and center, framed by a crowded forest of trees and menacing twin flames streaming from the roof.The title is a game, the Jack & Jill who went up the Hill to right some wrongs. Can't blame 'em a'tall, a'tall.
There are two parallel crime sprees in this 3rd book of the Alex Cross series. I liked it least of the three so far. What I did like was the character development of Alex Cross and his family, especially his grandmother Nana. The focus on his ability to use his family to ground himself from the horrors he experiences, his friends (especially Sampson), his piano playing to soothe his soul, and ability to see into the mind of the killers are examples. Through unfortunate circumstances, there is the possibility of a future love interest for Alex. The two parallel crime stories in the Washington, D.C. area are:1) Two children who attend the Sojourner Truth School are brutally murdered. The school is near where Alex and his family live and where his son Damon goes to school. Patterson does a good job of taking us into the helter-skelter mind of his out-of-control raging psychotic killer. These killings quickly take a backseat to the higher-profile killing on the Hill. Nobody cares about little black children in the poorer section of the city it seems... The behavior of the child-murderer escalates as he goes unnoticed by the media and public because of the Jack and Jill cases.2) A couple of cold-blooded and methodical killers named Jack and Jill (aka Sam and Sara or aka ? and ?) are murdering well-known prominent people - a U.S. senator, a television newswoman, an executive of a large corporation, a not-so-well known mistress of the President and ultimately the President himself. There doesn't seem to be any connection between each of the murders. It's interesting to note that the Secret Service uses the code names Jack and Jill for the President and First Lady. Each time the killers leave a rhymed note behind beginning "Jack and Jill came to the Hill..." Nobody around the President can be trusted because it's obvious that Jack and Jill are getting inside information from someone - is it Jill? Alex would like to work on the Truth School cases, but is forced to help out in the high-profile cases. He secretly enlists his friends and partner, Sampson, to work the lesser case; and he works with them in his off-hours. The questions left unanswered for me are: "What was Jack and Jill's motive in the long run?" What was the board game they played to select their next victim? What was the connection between the murders? and "What in his background set off the child killer?" There are almost too many red herrings to wade through, but the ending was a surprise. The last chapter gives us an inkling that Gary Soneji, Alex's nemesis, will return soon. Alex is being watched. The action is fast-paced and the plot scary. Just an OK read.
What do You think about Jack & Jill (2003)?
Jack & Jill gives a creepy insight into the inter-workings of our government. Although, it is a fiction novel, Im sure the plans that took place in this novel have been attempted before. Jack & Jill are two high profile killers in Washington D.C. They kill people that are held high in the public eye and are working their way towards their ultimate goal -- Killing the real Jack & Jill -- Mr. and Mrs. President of the United States. Can Alex Cross catch them before it is too late?At the same time, there are mysterious children murders happening in Cross's neighborhood. With his heart in trying to solve the case, he gets pulled off and put on the Jack and Jill case.He goes undercover with his partner Sampson and a few guys from their department to try to solve the cases themselves. The cases aren't getting much attention because of the high profile murders. This novel is fast paced and keeps you guessing until Patterson is ready to reveal the whole story to you. The Jack and Jill killings were intimate but lacking emotions. The child murders left me quite sad and cringing. Patterson nails another great book. 4/5 stars. There were a few boring parts, but over all exciting!
—Courtney
BIG SPOILER ALERT!!!I'm going into some details of the plot, so be aware!I'm still undecided if this book should get 2 or 3 stars. It was a nice page turner, and I enjoyed reading about the plot to kill a certain number of American personalities, culminating with the planned murder of the US President. As if this case wasn't enough, Detective Alex Cross has to try to solve as well the murder of two children living in the suburbs of Washington. As I said, the plot was well written and nice to rea
—Martina
Jack & Jill (Alex Cross #3)There isn't much I can say about the book or the author. I love the Alex Cross series. I was hooked with "A Long Came a Spider," and "Kiss the Girls."Jack and Jill is a fast pace, riveting, suspense/thriller. This is a novel I would love to watch on the big screen!James Patterson is an Master at character development, which is such an essential element in the craft of writing. Plot development received excellent support from its chapter development and suspenseful sub-plotting. Jack and Jill is an assassination team that terrorize the DC area, and puts Capital Hill on high alert. they are highly skilled, highly effective, and Alex is placed right in the middle of their carnage and rampage to execute the President of the United States.So go find your favorite chair, a pot of coffee, or coco, and whatever else you need to be comfortable, while James takes you on this emotional roller-coaster with Alex Cross to uncover the reason why these ghost has come out to kill in this 5 star read.~LW~
—Lord'Williams Lord'Williams
