Cross Down

January 1, 2023

With Robert B. Parker's Bad Influence, the Edgar and Shamus Award-winning Gaylin becomes the first female author to enter the legendary Parker's universe, with Parker's only female series protagonist, PI Sunny Randall, acting as bodyguard to an Instagram influencer. In Johansen's The Survivor, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan and archaeologist Riley Smith trek through the jungles of Laos, intent on finding (and saving) a rare animal threatened with extinction (100,000-copy first printing). Passing through Kentucky in Offutt's Code of the Hills, Mick Hardin has every intention of heading on to France but instead gets caught up in helping sheriff sister Linda investigate the murder of a popular mechanic at the local racetrack. Jack Morgan of the investigation agency Private is standing in the New York Stock Exchange with a former U.S. Marine buddy when his buddy is shot to death, leaving Jack to follow clues to Russia; Patterson and Hamdy's Private Moscow is the first "Private" thriller since 2018. With Alex Cross Down owing to serious injury, John Sampson is left alone to deal with a series of ferocious, seemingly unrelated military-style attacks; Patterson and DuBois reunite. In Petrie's The Heavy Lift, veteran Peter Ash is helping loyal friend Lewis get beyond the criminal life by tracking down an associate, but all they find is a burnt-down cabin--with notebooks that could incriminate Lewis now unaccounted for. In Rollins's Tides of Fire, a military submarine's disappearance off Australia's coast leads to warfare in a dead sea recently found to be rich with bioluminescent coral, and the subsequent geological disaster destabilizes an entire region (250,000-copy first printing). From the late Woods, Near Miss is another--and maybe final?--Stone Barrington title.

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Listeners will be captivated by this gripping thriller featuring Alex Cross's lifelong friend and crime-solving partner John Sampson, masterfully performed by William Stephens. The plot involves a series of seemingly unconnected domestic terrorist attacks that threaten to destabilize the U.S. government. To identify who is behind them, with the clock ticking, Sampson partners with FBI Agent Ned Delaney, notably performed by Peter Giles, who also voices Secretary of Defense General Wayne Grissom. The dynamic female characters, good and evil, young and old, are convincingly voiced by Inger Tudor and Mela Lee. Kiff VandenHeuvel strongly conveys Sampson's relentless nemesis. Wayne Carr, who voices Alex Cross, and Zeno Robinson, who portrays Alex's son, Ali Cross, round out the talented cast. Overall, an engrossing listening experience. E.Q. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine