Alex Cross's Trial (Alex Cross, #15)

Title: Alex Cross's Trial (Alex Cross, #15)

Author: James Patterson

Published in: 2009

Date read: 9th October 2013

Score: 4/5

Genre: Crime, Historical fiction, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Alex Cross's Trial" by James Patterson (with Richard DiLallo) is a departure from the typical Alex Cross detective thrillers. Instead, it is presented as a novel written by Alex Cross himself, recounting a pivotal story from his family's past.

The story is set in 1906, in a segregated America riddled with racial hatred and discrimination. The protagonist is Ben Corbett, a courageous and principled lawyer in Washington D.C. Ben is known for taking on difficult cases and defending those who are marginalized due to the colour of their skin.

When President Theodore Roosevelt, under whom Ben previously served in the Spanish-American War, asks him to investigate rumours of the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in Ben's hometown of Eudora, Mississippi, Ben feels compelled to accept.

Upon his return to the seemingly idyllic Southern town, Ben quickly uncovers a horrific reality. Lynchings have become commonplace, and the town's Black community lives in constant fear under a brutal reign of terror. Ben meets Abraham Cross (Alex Cross's great-uncle) and his granddaughter, Moody, who help him navigate the treacherous landscape and reveal the hidden horrors of Eudora.

As Ben delves deeper, he confronts entrenched prejudice, threats to his own life, and the disturbing truth about who is truly behind the violence. The novel explores themes of justice, sacrifice, and the enduring fight against oppression, as Ben, with the help of Abraham and Moody, attempts to break the cycle of violence and bring those responsible to justice. The "trial" in the title refers not only to courtroom battles but also to the trials and tribulations faced by those fighting for equality in a deeply divided society.

Comments:
I was worried about this book as it strayed from the amazing formula of the stories so far but I should not have. Great story, brilliantly written and it introduced me to so much that I didn't know about such a dark time in human history.

Books that we've read by James Patterson (32):
Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross, #1) (1993), Kiss the Girls (Alex Cross, #2) (1995), Jack & Jill (Alex Cross, #3) (1996), Cat & Mouse (Alex Cross, #4) (1997), Pop Goes the Weasel (Alex Cross, #5) (1999), Roses Are Red (Alex Cross, #6) (2000), 1st to Die (Women's Murder Club, #1) (2001), Violets Are Blue (Alex Cross, #7) (2001), 2nd Chance (Women's Murder Club, #2) (2002), Four Blind Mice (Alex Cross, #8) (2002), The Big Bad Wolf (Alex Cross, #9) (2003), The Jester (2003), 3rd Degree (Women's Murder Club, #3) (2004), London Bridges (Alex Cross, #10) (2004), 4th of July (Women's Murder Club, #4) (2005), Mary, Mary (Alex Cross, #11) (2005), 5th Horseman (Women's Murder Club, #5) (2006), Cross (Alex Cross, #12) (2006), The 6th Target (Women's Murder Club, #6) (2007), Double Cross (Alex Cross, #13) (2007), 7th Heaven (Women's Murder Club, #7) (2008), Cross Country (Alex Cross, #14) (2008), 8th Confession (Women's Murder Club, #8) (2009), Alex Cross's Trial (Alex Cross, #15) (2009), I, Alex Cross (Alex Cross, #16) (2009), The 9th Judgment (Women's Murder Club, #9) (2010), Cross Fire (Alex Cross, #17) (2010), 10th Anniversary (Women's Murder Club, #10) (2011), Kill Alex Cross (Alex Cross, #18) (2011), 11th Hour (Women's Murder Club, #11) (2012), Merry Christmas, Alex Cross (Alex Cross, #19) (2012), Alex Cross, Run (Alex Cross, #20) (2013)