A Book A Week

The Alex Cross series has been a mainstay on my reading list ever since I first picked up Mary, Mary as a high school student. For the better part of two decades, I’ve faithfully read each new installment—through the highs and the more questionable lows (I’m looking at you, BookShots). Beyond Patterson’s signature pacing and plot-burning style, I’ve always gravitated toward the Cross books because they were one of the few series he wrote without a co-author.

That all changed with 2023’s Cross Down, the first entry to bring in a collaborator and to shift some of the focus away from Alex himself to include the perspective of his longtime partner, John Sampson. I went in worried the quality might dip. Instead, it felt like a breath of fresh air, broadening the scope of the story in a way that was surprisingly welcome. So when Patterson’s publisher offered me a copy of the latest installment, Cross & Sampson, I jumped at the chance to dive back in.

Alex Cross and John Sampson have always worked best as a team. Best friends since childhood, they’ve built their careers on an unshakable trust, a bond that’s made them one of the most effective duos in the Washington, D.C., Police Department. But this time, circumstances pull them in different directions. Sampson remains in D.C., investigating what appears to be a terrorist attack after a bomb detonates on a crowded street with no group stepping forward to claim responsibility. Meanwhile, Alex and his wife Bree head to Chapel Hill for a case that hits far closer to home: Alex’s eldest son, Damon, has vanished. He’s stopped going to class, stopped answering calls, and even his girlfriend hasn’t heard from him in days. Wherever Damon is, Alex is determined to find him. For once, the two partners will have to rely on their instincts separately, working on independent angles in the hope that each can bring his case to a hard-won resolution.

Cross & Sampson sees James Patterson and Brian Sitts continue to expand the world of the Alex Cross series in a way that feels both true to the foundation Patterson has built over the better part of three decades while still pushing the characters into exciting new territory. All the hallmarks of the series are here. The pacing is as quick as ever, the mysteries hook you from the start, and the action is grounded by character moments that raise the emotional stakes.

Thirty-five books in, these characters feel like old friends, and part of the joy is watching their lives evolve alongside the investigations. Writing chapters from John Sampson’s perspective gives us the chance to connect with him more deeply. We see his relationship with his daughter, the strain after a proposal gone wrong, and his fierce loyalty to the Cross family. Patterson and Sitts balance this personal growth with sharp plotting, using shifting perspectives and short, cliffhanger chapters to keep the suspense high and the pages turning. The result is another strong, fast-paced entry in a long-running series that still knows how to entertain. It leaves me more than happy to keep following Cross and Sampson wherever the next case takes them.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2026, 11)

There’s nothing a mother won’t do to protect her child. For single mom Jenna, that means traveling from London to the remote shores of Athelsea in search of her teenage daughter, Chloe. Jenna knows Chloe was struggling after the divorce. If she’s honest, her daughter had been struggling long before that, but the changes of the past few weeks felt different. Chloe seemed withdrawn, almost haunted. When Jenna discovers a ferry ticket to Athelsea, it’s the only lead she has, and she clings to it.

The village itself offers little comfort. As Jenna searches for answers, she’s met with lingering stares and hushed conversations that abruptly stop when she draws near. Everyone seems to know something, but no one is willing to say it outright. Her desperation finally yields a name whispered with unease: the Bone Queen. At first, Jenna dismisses it as nothing more than a local legend, a story meant to frighten outsiders and children alike.

But the fear etched into the villagers’ faces tells a different story. As Jenna learns about the deaths and disappearances that have plagued Athelsea for decades, her certainty begins to erode. The line between folklore and reality grows thinner, paranoia creeping in where logic once held firm. And as her grip on reality starts to slip, Jenna realizes there’s no line she won’t cross to protect her daughter, especially if the Bone Queen is real.

Will Shindler makes his horror debut with a terrifying missing-person story that immediately got under my skin. He blends the procedural pull of an investigation with folkloric legend and richly drawn characters, creating a page-turner that feels grounded even as the uncanny begins to seep in. The Bone Queen is unsettling precisely because it dares readers to question what, if anything, can truly be believed. That lingering sense of possibility worms its way into your thoughts, forcing you to confront horrors that may or may not be real.

Yes, there’s plenty of overt creepiness on the page, but the novel’s real power lies in how quietly it gets under your skin, how your own imagination begins to do some of the work for it. I was glued to every page, unable to stop reading even as the sense of dread steadily intensified. It all builds to an ending that feels satisfying yet unsettling—one that leaves you wondering whether the story is truly over, or if something far more sinister still lies in waiting just out of sight.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.

(2026, 10)