Product Description

Along Came a Spider begins with the double kidnapping of the daughter of a famous Hollywood actress and the young son of the secretary of the Treasury. And that's only the beginning! Gary Soneji is a murderous serial kidnapper who wants to commit the crime of the century. Alex Cross is the brilliant homicide detective pitted against him. Jezzie Flanagan is the female supervisor of the Secret Service who completes one of the most unusual suspense triangles in any thriller you have ever read.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14189 in Books
• Published on: 1993-12-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 528 pages

From Publishers Weekly
This second big winter thriller by a writer named Patterson (see Fiction Forecasts, Oct. 19) features a villain (a multiple-personality serial killer/kidnapper) whom the publisher hopes will remind readers of Thomas Harris's Hannibal Lecter, and a hero who is compared to those of Jonathan Kellerman. Unfortunately, the novel has few merits of its own to set against those authors' works. Hero Alex Cross is in fact a black senior detective in Washington, D.C., who is also a psychiatrist and has a facile but not entirely convincing line of sentimental-cynical patter. The villain is Gary Soneji/Murphy (read Hyde/Jekyll), who kills for recognition, and finally kidnaps the kids of prominent parents. Alex is soon on the case, more enraged by Gary's killing of poor ghetto blacks than by the Lindbergh-inspired kidnapping, and becomes involved with a gorgeous, motorcycle-riding Secret Service supervisor who is not what she seems. Soneji/Murphy is eventually captured--but can the bad part of him be proven guilty? There is even a hint at the end that he may survive for a sequel, though the reader has virtually forgotten him by then. Spider reads fluently enough, but its action and characters seem to have come out of some movie-inspired never-never land. If a contemporary would-be nail-biter is to thrill as it should, it urgently needs stronger connections to reality than this book has. Come back, Thomas Harris! 150,000 first printing; Literary Guild main selection.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Alex Cross, a black Washington, D.C., police detective with a Ph.D. in psychology, and Jezzie Flanagan, a white motorcycling Secret Service agent, become lovers as they work together to apprehend a chilling psychopath who has kidnapped two children from a posh private school. The psychotic villain, who aspires to become more notorious than Lindbergh baby kidnapper Bruno Hauptmann, is effectively nightmarish. Atypical characters, sex, sometimes shocking violence, and several surprising plot twists are all attention-grabbing, while short chapters with a shifting viewpoint add brisk pacing and genuine suspense. Patterson's storytelling talent is in top form in this grisly escapist yarn. Highly recommended for public libraries. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 11/1/92.
- Will Hepfer, SUNY at Buffalo Libs.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
A murderous serial kidnapper kidnaps the daughter of a Hollywood star and the son of the Secretary of the Treasury. His goal: to commit the crime of the century. In this novel, James Patterson introduces his star character, detective psychiatrist Alex Cross. Charles Turner's narration provides a depth that places the characters right alongside the listener. He superbly differentiates the cast while at the same time creating empathy for their situations. Both plot and atmosphere will keep you from putting this book down. S.B.P. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

Along came this great book
It appears that a Gary Soneji, a teacher at the school who was so well liked he was named Mr. Chips, kidnapped the children out of the blue. As the plot thickens, leads seem to connect to the ghetto killings, one of the children turns up dead, a ransom is paid and lost and the kidnapper proves elusive. book is engrossing, thrilling, and the emotions are portrayed so true to life. True, this book has flaws. What did you expect? It's the first Alex Cross book. The first always has some flaws, then it gets better as the series continues. What, with so many great books on the market, I MUST recommend the hilarious and riveting KATZENJAMMER by one Jackson McCrae. It's a modern-day Faust tale with tie-ins to famous movies. On the edge and Jaw-dropping stuff here, folks! But first, you must read ALONG CAME A SPIDER!!!!

Suspense, drama, danger -- all wrapped in a good story.
Another great book by James Patterson. The story and characters were complex and the situation plausible.

How well do we know the people in our lives -- particularly the ones who are involved with our children is the crux of the story, and that is thought provoking -- as it should be.

Highly recommended. 5 stars.

Alex Cross won't be forgotten
I read this book a few years back, and recently saw the movie. I'm such a fan of Patterson's, I wanted to include my review.

In the first of the Alex Cross series, this story is a race against time to find a kidnapped girl of a famous actress. Cross is called in to help, and in only the way he can, he finds his way to the end of this suspenseful ride. Not only will you enjoy the writing which propells the suspense and mystery, but you'll also enjoy the character development. It leaves you wanting more of Alex Cross, one of my most favorite detectives of all time!

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading thrillers. I'll warn you though, like me, after you read this book, you'll be off to the store or library to pick up many more books by James Patterson.