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''Alex Cross'' is a crime, mystery, and thriller novel series written by James Patterson. Focusing on protagonist Alex Cross as he fights off against threats to his family and Washington, D.C., Cross is a widowed father and detective; his wife died leaving him with his children, Damon and Janelle as well as his grandmother "Nana Mama". The series is narrated in first-person perspective by Alex Cross, yet unusually also narrates from the villains' point of view in third person. The series has been published in both the United States and UK, in paperback and hardcover editions. The books are currently being published by Little, Brown. The first book in the series, ''Along Came a Spider'', was released in 1993 to positive reviews, spawning a series of over twenty subsequent novels. The series has led to three films, ''Along Came a Spider'', ''Kiss the Girls'', and ''Alex Cross'' (a reboot) with a possible sequel, despite very negative reception. ==Plot overview== Alex Cross is a widower-detective-father who often fights against threatening villains—and criminals—who wish to kill Cross and others. It mainly focuses on Cross trying to solve the very difficult cases while attempting to mend his relationship with his family and solve the case. This occurs in many novels, for example in ''Merry Christmas, Alex Cross'', Cross misses out on Christmas Eve and Christmas itself to focus on finding and defeating a min-terrorist group. Through the course of books, he is constantly faced by Kyle Craig, the "Mastermind" who wants to kill Cross, later because of revenge for Alex putting him in prison. In most recent books, Cross sometimes works with—or against—the President/Secret Service in a few books such as ''Along Came a Spider'', ''Jack & Jill, I, Alex Cross'', and ''Kill Alex Cross''. In the first few novels, his motive for solving the crimes and cases is usually his deceased wife, Maria, eventually becoming more than that. Cross later reveals another reason for trying to solve the cases: so he can protect his family from danger. Cross currently lives on Fifth Street in Southeast Washington, D.C., along with grandmother, Nana Mama, children, Damon, Janelle and Alex Jr., and his current—and new—wife, Brianna Stone-Cross. When Alex was 9, his father died of alcoholism, a year after his mother died. He went to Washington, D.C., to live with his grandmother—Nana Mama. During his childhood, he met his later best friend John Sampson. He also later met his wife, Maria, in Washington, and married her. After giving birth to two children, a few months or years later, she is murdered. Alex later meets a woman named Christine, who becomes pregnant, giving birth to an additional third child for the Cross family—Alex Jr. She later leaves Alex Jr. with Alex dealing with traumatization over her kidnapping in ''Pop Goes the Weasel. Afterwards, she tried claiming custody over Alex Jr. "Ali" and succeeded. However, she later gave Ali back to Alex, who had joined the FBI at the time. His deadliest foes are Geoffrey Shafer, Gary Soneji, and Kyle Craig; all three have been killed through the course and events of the book series. In ''Cross'', Alex discovers who really killed his wife, and will do anything to take down her murderer. He learns he was chasing a false killer, and the real killer is Jimmy Hats, whom Sampson killed long ago. At the end of the novel, Alex comes to terms with Maria's death and moves on with his life. ''Double Cross'' sees Alex as he falls in love again—with detective Bree Stone; he must also assist her in the case of DCAK, a murderer, known as DC Audience Killer, as he retired from the FBI before the events of ''Cross''. In ''I, Alex Cross'', he decides to find and solve the murder case in which his deceased niece, Caroline Cross, was involved in due to her being a victim. He later learns who the murderer is—the president's husband—but the murderer is later killed by an agent from the Secret Service. Also in the book, Alex proposes to Bree and she accepts, becoming his fiancée. By ''Cross Fire'', Alex and Bree get married and face off once more against Kyle Craig, who dies at the end. With Kyle dead, Alex, Bree, and his family experience a sense of peace, something they haven't felt for a long time. In ''Kill Alex Cross'', after Nana Mama finds a girl trying to steal from their house, she and Bree agree to adopt the girl towards the end of the book; he also goes on the case to rescue the new president's children. In ''Merry Christmas, Alex Cross'', Alex risks everything to solve a case, stop possible murders, help a church, and must use every skill he knows of to help him solve the case and may not make it to Christmas dinner alive. Alex misses Christmas which upsets him and his wife, Bree. In ''Alex Cross, Run'' renowned plastic surgeon, Elijha Creem, is arrested and wants revenge on Alex. Alex eventually defeats Creem. However, another antagonist of the novel kills Ava. Alex, in retaliation, with Sampson and Bree find the killer and arrest him. At the end of the novel, several issues are left unresolved, such as Alex's lifetime problem: endangering his family's life as well as his own. He ponders whether he shall stay with the Metro Police. His therapist assures him he will eventually outgrow the issue, or solve it somehow. There is also some unresolved issues between Alex and Bree as well, but their love for each other continues to remain strong, helping them recover. ''Cross My Heart'' is the twenty-first novel in the series. For most of the novel, Alex is trying to solve a double killer case in which the murderers kill prostitutes. Soon Alex and Bree learn that there is only one murderer, who has multiple personalities and arrest him. Additionally, Bree is searching for Ava, when Alex realizes that she may have killed a girl, and faked her own death. Halfway through the novel, Damon is offered a ride home by a strange woman - throughout the novel it's revealed that the Cross family were being watched - the woman drugs Damon afterwards. Meanwhile her accomplice kidnaps the rest of the family including Bree, Ali, Nana Mama, and Alex's daughter. They alert Cross he can do nothing to try to save his family. Meanwhile Ava reappears along with Sampson, assuring him to continue life normally while they handle the kidnappings. The novel was released in November 2013.〔(【引用サイトリンク】)">url=http://www.amazon.com/Cross-My-Heart-Alex/dp/0316210919 )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cross-my-heart-james-patterson/1114308460?ean=9780316210911 )〕 A subsequent novel titled ''Hope to Die'' will be released November, 2014 and continue the events in ''Cross My Heart''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Alex Cross (novel series)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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