Book Review of Along Came A Spider by James Patterson

Gary Soneji is a very popular teacher at a private school in the District of Columbia. His students are sons and daughters of politicians and other government employees. He believed his own intellect was far superior to his students. He could possibly outsmart them any time he wished. He was clever. He was sly and had a dangerous mind. He decides to kidnap one of his students. He knew he could get away with it.Maggie Rose was a pretty blond girl and the daughter of a famous actress. She trusted him and if he could hide her away, there might be a good ransom to be had. Maggie's best friend was the son of the Secretary of the Treasury. He knew he was smart enough to grab both of them right out from under the grasp of watchful secret service agents. Today, he wasn't greedy. He decided Maggie was enough to take for now but he was careful anyway.Her friend, Shrimpie Goldberg, he would have to keep an eye on. The kid was almost as smart as he was. Hard to imagine, he thought. Gary
could slip right by and skillfully whisk her away. She will come with him without question. He changed his mind and decided to grab them both. Why not, he reasoned. She will never suspect his motive and neither will Shrimpie. He easily gave the duo a ride home when no one was looking. No one would ever suspect him, he knew that.Even Alex Cross will have a hard time figuring out the crime and who is responsible. He is a highly educated detective with a degree in Psychology. Cross works in D.C. and knows his way around. He a powerful figure with the intellect to match and if he can't solve a crime, who can? When he is not doing detective work, he plays his piano to relax. He has a new girlfriend. Jezzie Flanagan works for the Secret Service in Washington. She will help him to hunt for the mystery culprit who kidnapped the actress's child and the son of the Treasury Secretary. Jessie is a fast driver and plays hard too. She is a challenge to Alex and he has rarely run into some
one as fascinating. Now, he has a diversion and she'll help him.Alex and Jezzie will have a hard time discovering Gary Soneji. He has kidnapped numerous children and he has killed a few of them. He likes Maggie but he is not in this to be nice. Shrimpie is extra special and just another task that will fatten the plot. Cross must out smart this seasoned psychopath in his own district and return the children safely to their parents.Soneji is thrilled that he has once again out foxed the authorities. The novel, Along Came a Spider, involves the kidnapping of highly prized specimens and he hasn't even started yet. This serial demon thinks he is at the top of his game. He is the type of crime person who will kill for thrill but sometimes with an economic plan in place. He is not sure if he even needs the money. If it doesn't materialize, he can easily dispose of his victims with no guilty concern whatsoever. He is heartless but puts on a good show when carrying out his caper.Gary
has killed some poor inner city kids and this make Alex really angry. He grew up in the ghetto himself and he made something of himself. These kids didn't have a chance. Gary also enjoys Lindbergh-inspired kidnappings. He would out do Bruno the baby killer. He was always thinking of how he could use his great imagination in administering the best crimes creatively. How superior he thought he was in making the ideal crime scenes and then he would never be detected.Calling himself the Son of Lindbergh, Soneji buries the children alive at a farmhouse.They were put in their own special caskets that he constructed from scratch. He then watches the coverage of the media parade of his perfect crime on a television there. He hears a FBI detective criticize him derogatively on the tube and decides to get even. He sneaks off and puts the poor guy out of his misery. He wanted respect and he would receive it.Cross and fellow partner John Sampson search Gary's apartment once they are on
to him. They find a note that says simply; I want to be somebody. Soneji later confesses that he had killed the FBI agent because he was offended by his comments. Shrimpie's body is discovered. His parents had earlier received a ransom call for ten million dollars.Soneji asks for Alex Cross to personally deliver the money to Disney World in Florida. At Disney, a man approached Cross and says he will bring them to a place where he has Maggie. Then the FBI surrounds the man, who wasn't the son of Lindbergh. This man says he will have the girl killed if they don't release him. He takes Alex and the ransom on an airplane and they arrive at an island. Then, the pilot flies away with the money and lands in So. Carolina.The plot takes several twist and turns. The pilot is soon murdered by two men who take the loot. Mike Devine and Charley Chakely now have the money. Alex's girlfriend had been the lover of this same man, Devine. She had actually masterminded the whole thing. Soneji
who had been incarcerated, now escapes from prison and goes to Washington. He tortures Devine, hoping to recover the stolen money. He got the money back but then he killed Devine.Cross takes his girlfriend on a vacation to the Caribbean Islands. He confronts her about what he suspects. Alex wanted to know why she betrayed him. She said that she originally was only interested in him to get information. She fell in love with him and his children. She and Devine had left Maggie with a family for two years and then got nervous after the Goldberg boy had accidentally died.Near the end of the book, Soneji is waiting for Alex Cross. He had attempted to kill Alex's grandmother and his two kids. He decides to settle with Cross instead. It was time to eliminate the detective who exposed him. Soneji is then shot by a detective and Jessie dies in prison and Chakely soon after.This novel provides plenty of action and suspense. It is a book you won't want to put down. It is the first in
a series of Alex Cross themed crime stoppers.

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