Alex Cross’s Trial

James Patterson and Richard DiLallo
Little, Brown and Company (2009)
ISBN 9780316070621 
Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (11/09)

 

The only part of this well-written book that I did not care for was the title and that is for two reasons.  One is that Alex Cross fans who pick this up based on the title will not be getting an Alex Cross thriller.  That being said, I also feel that the title does not do justice to the story.  Through this story, James Patterson and Richard DiLallo do an excellent job describing what a difficult era the country, particularly the South, was having with race relations. 

It’s 1906, Theodore Roosevelt is the President of the United States, and race relations in the South are tenser than ever.   Attorney Benjamin Corbett, an attorney from Washington D.C., is having a tough time in his practice because he’s seen as a bleeding heart liberal that represents colored people.  Even his wife is not happy with him because he is not making enough money taking on pro bono cases and is not home with the family enough.  Just as she is preparing to give him an ultimatum about his practice, President Roosevelt calls him to the White House to assist him with the escalating race problems in his home town in Eudora, Mississippi.  Ben knows that he needs to help and goes back to his hometown under the guise that he is interviewing potential federal judges.  Roosevelt gives him a name of one person who will be able to assist him in finding out the truth about the lynchings, Abraham Cross.  Abraham is Alex Cross’s great uncle. 

With Abraham’s assistance, Ben finds that what is happening in Eudora is far worse than he ever imagined.  By day, most (not all) of the town’s people appear to be gentile Southern folk, but by night cruel lynchings and murders take place as forms of entertainment.  When one group pushes things too far, the trial of the century takes place with Ben’s assistance.     

“Alex Cross’s Trial” by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo is very well written and reminds us of a time that we never want to return to. If you enjoy historical stories about our country, then this story is for you.

Make comment on weblog