With a decent foundation and narrative direction, the book keeps pace throughout and allows the reader to feel connected with all the action. In this installment, Sampson is carrying the weight of justice on his own and I feel we see how he develops. This book will grab you from the first chapters and take you on a Crack the Whip ride to the end, while you yell for more.

Random car bombings, shootings, and public attacks taking place across the country may actually be connected in a more deadly plot than previously imagined.

During the investigation, Cross is brutally attacked and ends up in the ICU, keeping him out of the game. This is a highly unusual Alex Cross book; makes me wonder if Alex Cross is on his way out and John Sampson is on his way in. I appreciated that Patterson made politics approachable to the average person, of course taking literary license with what would and would not be feasible.

The title of the book is a little misleading, it should say: A John Sampson with Alex Cross thriller. I can see a great deal of potential with this new spin to the series, involving John Sampson a great deal more.I am actually rather surprised that this type of plotting hasn’t been done previously… And it’s about time. In the previous Alex Cross novels, the story was told from Alex’s point-of-view and this one was told from John’s point-of-view, which kept the same rhythm and flow without disrupting the storytelling style.

There are reports of military attacks across the country and John Sampson needs to find the mastermind as well as save his friend before it's too late.This leaves John to figure out why these attacks are happening and what the connection is between the attacks. I knew from the 1st chapter that it was not James Patterson's writing and I should have stopped reading then, but foolishly continued.