Plot Summary
A mystery man shoots down American Airlines flight 839 at Reagan Airport. Alex Cross & his associate John Sampson – who are working on another case of Dead Hour Killings – are summoned to investigate the shooting. There are other parallel stories where Cross’s wife Bree is working on the mysterious disappearance of her boss’s friend and business woman Leigh Anne Asher.

Pluses
* Interesting initial premise of a passenger jet being brought down
* Ali. The star of the book! The little detective who actually helps crack the Dead Hour Killings

Minuses
* Too many simultaneous cases (I counted them to be 5) – makes it a hotch-potch book with too many stories stuffed in
* Suspense in all these sub plots is hardly interesting. Quite predictive and banal at best
* Characters (all except Ali) have been dealt with on a very superficial level with no depth or emotional connect. They just seem to be there, doing their bit. Just a name.

Verdict
I haven’t read other Alex Cross books, so cannot compare this to the past versions. Maybe it is good for Cross loyalists, but otherwise is just another thriller & yet another soon to be a televised series which seem to follow a tried & tested success formula. In short, nothing new!