Along Came a Spider by James Patterson / Buy on Amazon US / Buy on Amazon UK

About Along Came a Spider

Author: James Patterson
Publication Date: 1993
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pages: 435 paperback

Summary

Alex Cross is a homicide detective with a PhD in psychology. When some deranged killer begins murdering and mutilating victims in the projects, Alex Cross and his partner are keen to find the killers. But when a couple of high-profile students are kidnapped from a school, Alex and his partner, Sampson, are taken off the project murders and put on the kidnapping case. Initially, Cross is unhappy about this, because no one ever cares about victims in the projects. But Cross soon learns that there is a close link between these two cases.

While investigating the kidnappings, Cross finds himself at the heart of the situation. And a romantic interest proves to be more interesting than Cross could ever imagine.

My Thoughts

Detective series’ often have a cheat code. That’s because these types of novels don’t necessarily need a detective that’s an interesting character. Often, it’s the mystery they’re trying to solve that’s the heart of each book. But in Along Came a Spider, James Patterson actually made me care about the life of Alex Cross.

Cross lives a humble life as a homicide detective. He lives with his children, and his grandmother, which he calls Nana Mama because she played the role of both his mother and grandmother in his life. Alex Cross also likes to unwind by playing Jazz songs on his piano, on his porch where everyone can hear him.

At the start of the book, we’re quickly told that Alex Cross is a widow. His wife was murdered, and we don’t receive too many details about this. We’re given enough about the murder to leave us anticipating a full revelation about this in a future book.

But what makes Cross a likable character is his balance of character. He’s your typical detective that’s able to shoot-the-shit with his colleagues, and to a degree, he’s loyal to the force. But he cares enough about his cases to seek out proper justice, even if it’s at the detriment of those on his side of the law. We also get to see Cross use his experience as a psychologist many times throughout the book. And in these scenes, we get to see his humility.

Another reason Cross is so likable is because of the situations he’s forced to overcome in the story. Alex Cross is taken off of a project murder case and forced to investigate a case involving two kidnapped children, who happen to be the children of government officials. Initially, Cross is pissed that so little concern is shown for the people who are made victims in the projects. But despite his distaste, he still shows concern for the lives of the kidnapped children.

As the reader, we get a look at the perspective of the kidnapper, who goes by two identities. Gary Murphy and Gary Soneji. Seeing the culprit’s side of the crime intensifies the suspense we feel as Alex Cross comes closer to the truth. He soon learns that there is a connection between the project murders and the kidnapping case.

Because the case involves such high-profile victims, there are secret service agents involved in the investigation also, and Alex Cross happens to get romantically involved with one of these agents. Her name is Jezzie Flannigan.

Because the book takes place over the course of two years, it can seem like this relationship escalates quickly. That is until we’re reminded of the passage of time that has passed. Cross and Flannigan seemingly fall head-over-heels for one another. And because Cross is black and Jezzie Flannigan is a blonde white woman, we’re reminded a number of times of the racial implications of their relationship. For a book written in the early 90s, these moments feel plausible. But one of these moments is sure to raise some eyebrows.

Because James Patterson is a white male author, it raises some questions about how authentic his depiction of a black detective could possibly be. But if I’m honest, Patterson did a better job than expected. Alex Cross comes across as a regular person and not a caricature. My only gripe is that when Patterson writes characters from the projects, the use of ebonics he portrays is laughable. Ebonics tweaks and adds flavor to the English language, but Patterson has one character from the projects sounding like a foreigner who can barely speak English. Because Alex Cross himself speaks normally, this issue can be overlooked. The character in question only appears a couple of times.

A signature of James Patterson’s books is the short chapters, quick pacing, and deep suspense. Along Came a Spider is Patterson at his best. The story will draw you in quickly and hold your attention the whole way through. Patterson does a phenomenal job of building up tension, and because of how short the chapters are, I always feel like I have time for one more. With every breakthrough Alex Cross makes in his investigations, you always get the feeling that there is something deeper at play.

No moment in the story goes to waste. There are times in this book where it feels like two stories are unrelated, but then they all end up tieing together. There is a major twist later in the book that you may see coming if you’re paying close enough attention. It’s one of those twists that allow the reader to catch on by weighing up all of the facts, but it could also go completely over your head and shock you.

Verdict

I went into this book not knowing what to expect. I’d heard that this was a long-running series by James Patterson and that there are multiple movies based on the detective Alex Cross, but I didn’t think I would enjoy the book as much as I did. And now I have set myself the goal of reading all 30 books in the series. I also thought that the book may feel dated, being that it was written almost 30 years ago. Thankfully, the book holds up well.

If you want to lose yourself in a tense crime thriller, then I highly recommend Along Came a Spider.

Check out my review for book #2 Kiss the Girls right here!

Due to some legal complications with his significant other after his passing, she was unable to continue the series for Larsson, despite her knowing everything there was to know about his plans for Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist. After Larsson’s untimely death, the rights stayed with the publisher and they decided appoint a new author to Stieg Larsson’s hit series.

When I learned of this, I planned to not continue the series—at least not for a very long time—as I feared it wouldn’t be the same. But then I began to miss the characters. There were distinct characteristics that I enjoyed reading about when it came to Lisbeth and Mikael. So, I decided it was time to see what The Girl in the Spider’s Web was all about.

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This addition to the series is authored by Swedish journalist, David Lagercrantz. His impressive credentials make him a worthy successor to this series and I feel he did a good job. Although, at times it seems like David plays it real safe with these characters as not to ruffle feathers of fans. I don’t mind this approach too much because if there was a radical shift in the characterization of Lisbeth or Mikael, readers would have been furious. The Girl in the Spider’s Web feels very much toned down compared to the previous book in this series, but I feel this direction was necessary to gain the trust of loyal readers such as myself.

By the end of the book, I ended up admiring Lagercrantz’s efforts, given the pressure he must have been under to live up to such a legacy that was left behind by Larsson.

The story in this book is pretty simple, so I will summarise it without giving away too much that will ruin the outcome. The crux of the story is that a genius programmer by the name of Frans Balder hires Lisbeth Salander (code name: Wasp) to recover a dangerous program that he developed for the N.S.A, capable of accessing the world’s nuclear codes. Balder believes it’s too dangerous in the N.S.A’s hands because he has knowledge that they’ve been infiltrated by criminals.

Frans Balder also has a son named August who is autistic. August cannot speak but he can write out advance mathematical equations, and he can illustrate scenes from his memory vividly.

A mercenary is hired to murder Frans Balder and steal his computer. But while doing so, the killer realizes that August is with his father. This is the point when the story really kicks off, and as you can imagine, it weaves both Lisbeth and Mikael into the heart of the events.

There are many side plots surrounding the main one, including the new ownership of Millennium magazine and August’s abusive step-father. And I must admit that all of the segments that deviate from the main plot threads feel relevant. This is a positive considering that The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest seemed to go too far with the irrelevant side plots; even though I still greatly enjoyed that book.

Longtime fans of the series will be happy to know that there is a huge payoff in The Girl in the Spider’s Web for those familiar with the lore. An important figure from Salander’s past is revealed and it leaves many possibilities open for the books that come next.

The Millennium book series is perhaps the biggest literary offering coming from Sweden. This book is translated by George Goulding who did an amazing job. The text is clear and easy to consume, even if lacking in artistic prose here and there.

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Verdict

After being worried that I would hate this book, David Lagercrantz has shown that he is considerate towards the work Larsson left behind. He has advanced this gripping universe of espionage and conspiracy in a responsible way that leaves me wanting more. With The Girl in the Spider’s Web, Langercrantz did exactly what he needed to do and now I’m keen to see how he progresses these lingering plot threads from here.

As with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, everything wraps up nicely at the end of this book, to the point you could end the series here if you wanted to. But there’s one elephant in the room left standing that will leave you aching for the next book, which is The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye.

If you’ve put off reading this book for similar reasons to my own, I urge you to give it a chance. It’s not Larsson work, but it’s something worthy of continuing his legacy.

Whichever type of mystery tickles your fancy; we believe this list to be full of mysteries that should be read to get a good understanding of the genre. This list is a mix of classics and new age mystery stories. If you have any mystery book suggestions of your own then be sure to leave them in the comments.

Land of Shadows by Rachel Howzell Hall (2014)

Endorsed by Lee Child, Land of Shadows follows the activities of homicide detective Elouise Lou Norton. A seventeen-year-old girl is found hanged at a construction site and Elouise’s new partner assumes it’s a teenage suicide. As Elouise investigates the death further she uncovers undeniable links between two cases. This book is still pretty modern, but it’s an exciting read from a fantastic new author.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (1939)

This is Agatha Christie’s world-famous mystery thriller. The premise of the story is ten strangers, with little in common, are lured to an island mansion off the coast of Devon by the mysterious U.N. Owen. Then the voice of an unseen host accuses each person of hiding a guilty secret. That evening, former reckless driver Tony Marston is found murdered by a deadly dose of cyanide. The group then discovers that the killer is among them, and ready to strike again at any moment. If you have an appreciation for classics, then this is a must read.

My Sister’s Grave by Robert Dugoni (2014)

After Tracy Crosswhite’s sister disappeared and became the subject of a murder trial, Tracy begins to question the result of the case. She doesn’t believe the man condemned is truly the guilty party, but she has no way to prove it. Motivated by the opportunity for real justice, Tracy becomes a homicide detective with the Seattle PD. When her sister’s remains are finally discovered near their hometown and new evidence comes into play, Tracy is determined to finally get to the bottom of the murder. Tracy unearths dark, long-kept secrets that will forever change her.

My Sister’s Grave is currently one of the top mystery books out there, and it often tops the Amazon charts for the Mystery category.

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1902)

As a huge fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories, I had to drop in the most highly regarded novel of the Sherlock Holmes stories. When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead on the wild Devon moorland with the footprints of a giant hound nearby, the blame is placed on a family curse. Sherlock must go at odds with a beastly dog to uncover the truths behind the death. The Hound of the Baskervilles gripped readers when it was first serialised and has continued to hold its place in the popular imagination.

The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr (1935)

The Hollow Man is one of the highest ranked locked-room mysteries. For those unfamiliar with locked-room mysteries, they usually centre on a crime which is committed under circumstances which it was seemingly impossible for the perpetrator to commit the crime and/or evade detection in the course of getting in and out of the crime scene.

In The Hollow Man, the murderer of Dr Grimauld walked through a locked door, shot his victim and vanished. He killed his second victim in the middle of an empty street, with watchers at each end without being seen, but left no footprints in the snow. And so it is up to the irrepressible, larger-than-life Dr Gideon Fell to solve the mystery.

Don’t forget to drop in your suggestions for must read mystery books below!