Ali Cross: 1

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Unlike the two previous books in this series, there's no central mystery here. The title refers to Ali sneaking out to various crime scenes. Kudos, Mr. Patterson, for another great piece in the Cross series. This one has remained solid and I do wish you would focus on those pieces that are stellar, rather than mass producing every idea brought to your feet, for money and acclaim. I know this is usually a prayer for kids everywhere, but if it’s okay, I’d like to pray for just one kid tonight,” I said. “A lot of you know Gabriel Qualls. He’s in my grade at Washington Latin. He doesn’t really come to church, but the point is, he’s been missing for three days.”

Ali Cross: The Secret Detective by James Patterson | Goodreads Ali Cross: The Secret Detective by James Patterson | Goodreads

What I really enjoyed about this novel was that it was a very believable and plausible mystery in which the adult (Alex Cross) also gets a POV and is involved in solving the mystery of Ali's missing friend and the string of break-and-enters in their neighbourhood (because if I'm being honest, most middle-grade mysteries are pretty far-fetched). When Ali sees a friend get hurt, he's the best person to find out who did it. Even if he's only a kid. Perhaps he is polyamorous. Maybe the question should be if he has any boyfriends, girlfriends, wives, and/or husbands? I haven't read it all, so I'm not sure what other kinds of ideas and agendas have been slipped in the text.No. 3 in this series, this episode explores the very real tension between police and the communities they serve. Many police officers misuse their authority and also judge-before-they-know, resulting in shootings of people, often those who are innocent of any crime. I loved most of this but there were some real holes in the story. Ali, son of Alex Cross, is going to appeal to MG readers and perhaps provide some crossover to other mystery/thriller writers. His caring about his missing friend and determination to find him is appealing, but there's where the holes are: surely the police would have been a little more involved? Either a missing person's report was filed by the parents or it wasn't. If it was, wouldn't they have interviewed Ali? and if not, wouldn't they have said something to him about the parents claiming he's ok? so confusing. This book differs from the previous two books and the title seems misleading. Ali isn’t actually solving any crimes as he’s caught up in tensions between the police and the public. The story itself is thought-provoking but it’s not what readers might expect when they start the book.

Ali Cross Series - James Patterson Book List Ali Cross Series - James Patterson Book List

Ali Cross is something of an Alex Cross book for kids. Ali is Alex Cross's youngest child. He's a whip smart and precocious middle schooler. When Ali's friend Gabe goes missing, Ali decides to conduct his own investigation into his disappearance. Meanwhile, Alex is on desk duty while awaiting trial for an accident that happened to a civilian while on the job. Gabe said, "I'm glad you didn't give up on me." I was standing there looking at Gabe grateful he was fine. This was a good mystery and with Big Alex and Little Ali and the other family members it made for quite a delightful story. Recommend. I shouldn’t have said that last part about doing good. Dad’s always reminding me, we have freedom of speech here, and freedom of the press, too. Just because a few reporters don’t know how to be professional, it doesn’t mean they’re all bad. They’re mostly good at their jobs. Just like cops.James Patterson has a new treat for his young adult (read: teen) fans with this long-awaited debut featuring Ali Cross. Many longtime Patterson fans will know of Alex Cross and his youngest—yet also precocious—son, Ali, who sees things outside of the box. While the entire Cross clan is gathered for Christmas, Ali has other things on his mind. His friend, Gabe, is missing and no one seems to be doing much about it. Ali wants nothing more than to help find his close friend, but the case seems to be gathering little but a peppering of snow over the holiday season. If that were not enough, his father, Dr. Alex Cross, is facing assault charges for a recent arrest that left a suspect in a coma after a fall. While the Cross family remains strong, Ali cannot help but wonder if he needs to do more to help the situation. He enlists the help of his father, as well as his step-mother, Bree Stone, to get some answers and to help fill in some of the blanks around Gabe’s location. Then, it’s time to enter the world of the tween, where social media and gaming takes over, allowing Ali to discover some new and disturbing clues that could help him with his search. As Alex is distracted with his own worries, young Ali takes a gamble or two to save his friend. Problem is, like his father, Ali sometimes forgets to put his safety first, which could have dire consequences. When Ali is able to reach Gabe through a video game they enjoy, this only leads to more complications and places both boys in a heap of trouble. A stellar piece by Patterson that will surely loop in a new generation of Cross fans, with a story that is equally appealing to those who have long enjoyed anything with CROSS in the title. Recommended for young and not so youthful readers looking for a great mystery, as well as Alex Cross fans who want a dose of something a little less intense.

Ali Cross (Ali Cross, book 1) by James Patterson Ali Cross (Ali Cross, book 1) by James Patterson

When Ali's best friend Gabe is reported missing, Ali is desperate to find him. At the same time, a string of burglaries targets his neighborhood -- and even his own house. With his father on trial for a crime he didn't commit, it's up to Ali to search for clues and find his friend. But being a kid sleuth isn't easy -- especially when your father warns you not to get involved! -- and Ali soon learns that clues aren't always what they seem. Will his detective work lead to a break in Gabe's case or cause even more trouble for the Cross family? If you have read the other two books in this series, this book is a disappointment. There really wasn't a mystery to solve and it felt very rushed. Ali, written by James Patterson as Alex Cross's youngest son, knows Gabe Quails better than anyone. So when his friend goes missing Ali jumps right into action. Being Alex Cross's son has taught him the skills he needs to solve the mystery. Intelligence, persistence, and logic. One rhing he didn't inherit? Patience. Because he knows that with every passing day, Gabe gone, the less likely it is he'll ever be found. AND...being Alex Cross's son, he refuses to accept those odd. This is a very good read. I like his touch of Ali. I remember a former book in which he finds out the problem with the numbers in the margins. Brilliant..... I didn’t know if this was going to help, but I figured it couldn’t hurt. How often do you get the chance to send four hundred prayers someone’s way, all at once? My voice was kind of shaky, but I just kept talking.Language not really appropriate for children which is pretty funny since he starts out saying his friend and he used another word for “junk” in the beginning and then it just dissolves into the actual bad language and curse words. When he finally gets to have his say, he knows this is his chance to try and heal at least a tiny bit of the hurt in his neighbourhood. Anyhow, Ali Cross, which I'm guessing is the first installment in a brand-new series, doesn't waste a moment of time setting up the disappearance plot. Now if you have read any of the Alex Cross novels, then you would have already met Ali, who has made appearances in those novels. In this mystery, the character takes center stage, kinda like a modern day Hardy Boys story. When I looked at the words on that paper, it was like they didn’t mean much. Not compared to being alone out there on the street, or kidnapped, or whatever else Gabe might have been going through.