Victoria Trumbull - Cynthia Riggs

Cynthia Riggs

Cynthia Riggs has been a geologist, operator of the Chesapeake Bay Ferry, and a rigger on Martha's Vinyard.

This series is based on Martha's Vinyard, and stars the nonagenarian, Victoria Trumbull. The atmosphere and characters of the New England setting are wonderfully done. If you have any experience with people from and life in this area you'll have plenty to chuckle at. I love the details of the island setting and the unusual place names. This is regional fiction at its best.

Victoria is always 92, and the books can be read in any order. However, Jack in the Pulpit sets the stage for events mentioned in the other books.

One small warning- language is not toned down.

Recurring Characters:
Victoria Trumbell, age 92
Elizabeth, her adult granddaughter
Hope, her adult great-grand niece
Howland Atherton

#1- Deadly Nightshade (2001)
Victoria is waiting on the dock for Elizabeth to finish her shift as assistant Harbormaster. It is dusk. Victoria hears a blood-curdling scream cove across the water. Elizabeth returns, but she has not heard it. The Harbormaster, Domingo, believes Victoria and the go out in a small boat to track down the noise. They find a discmboweled body, and it is a local man.

Domingo is a retired cop who has been hired from out of town for the summer. A great many local authorities are not happy about that because he knows for certain that there is a lot of skimming being done due to the lax menthod of collecting and recording harbor fees. Domingo brings in someone to set up a computer program to track the money and makes quite a few enemies.

Many of the summer hires are local highschoolers, mostly children or grandchildren of the people who think they can do anything they want. Coupled with having no work ethic, they are making Domingo and Elizabeth's jobs miserable.

#2- The Cranefly Orchid Murders (2002)
This is one of my personal favorites of the series.

An elderly lady is still living in her family home on a large area of land known as Sachem's Rock. She is estranged from her family and refuses to leave it to any children or grandchildren. The Conservationists want the property. A developer wants the property. The tribe wants it to build a casino, a commune wants to take control, and the town of West Tisbury wants to turn it into a campground and park.

The developer talks the woman into selling to him, to everyone's dismay. Victoria is recruited by the conservationists to try to find some endangered plants on the property so they can have development stopped. Victoria teams up with Robin, an eleven-year-old nerdy boy, to hunt for plants by following the "ancient ways," pathways through the property that are supposed to remain public rights-of-way.

Victoria and Robin do find Cranefly Orchids. They also find fences and a man living underground. Then the orchids disappear and different ones are planted in their place.

What is going on?

#3- The Cemetery Yew (2003)
The town receives a request to disinter a casket from a ten-year-old suicide. It will be picked up by hearse because the body is going to be transferred to Milwaukee for reburial in a family plot. However, the grave is empty. The curmudgeonly cemetery supervisor blames the backhoe operator, and the blame goes round and round.

Howland Atherton's cousin Dahlia is retiring from the Foreign Service and shows up, claiming she owns half his house. She is in poor health, taking cancer treatments. She also comes with a raucous toucan that drives everyone nuts. When she and Howland can't get along, Victoria takes in Dahlia and the bird, but Elizabeth can't stand them.

Meanwhile, when the hearse arrives on the ferry, the driver has disappeared and the vehicle is locked. Then several other off-islanders appear and are somewhat quickly killed! They all seem to have ties to Dahlia, and someone is also trying to kill her.

#4- Jack in the Pulpit (2004)
Given some of the events, this book seems to be first in the series although it was not written first.

This is a book with complex layers. The previous pastor of Tisbury Church was named Jack. The new pastor is also named Jack and there is some conflict between them. Meanwhile, four people die in one month, but not of apparently related causes.

Elizabeth has divorced her husband, Lockwood, and is living with Victoria. In a rare case of poor analysis of another person, Victoria gives him the benefit of the doubt, but he's pretty much a psychopath who comes to the island to stalk Elizabeth.

It begins to look like the four deaths in one month are pretty unusual, and Victoria traces them to recipes made with deadly wild Amanita mushrooms. But who is trying to kill whom?

There is a classic who-dun-it denoument when Victoria reveals all at a meeting of the Kippers Women's Club where she was scheduled to speak on the history of police work in West Tisbury..

#5- The Paperwhite Narcissus (2005)
The publisher of the local paper, Colly Jameson, is receiving threatening letters, and all of them seem to be in response to unexplained accidents or deaths in the area. The truth is that nobody likes Colly anyway. He's a narcissistic bully with 4 ex-wives and one unhappy current wife. He is firing staff members, claiming he doesn't need them in the summer when the truth is that he just wasn't to use college-age interns for free.

However, an attempted murder, a successful murder, and an unexplained death all seem linked to Colly.

When he fires Victoria Trumbull, she goes to work for Tom Botts who is printing a weekly, one-page, alternative news sheet. She also gets Colly to pay her to find out who is sending the threatening letters.

#6- Indian Pipes (2006)
The local Native American sovereign nation is negotiating to build a casino on the island. However, there is a lot of disagreement as to the form it should take. A local contractor, Jubal Burkhart, who has to sign off on various permits is taking bribes from the factions.

Meanwhile, a motorcycle rally comes to the island. The noisy grouup is not popular with a number of the locals.

Hiram Pennybacker, an older man who doesn't know when to stop talking seems rather harmless, but he disappears. When Jubal's house burns to the ground, a body is found inside among the stacks of hoarded papers and magazines. Jubal's property turns out to be worth $18 million, but who inherits.

#7- Shooting Star (2007)
Victoria has written a new screenplay of Dracula that she hopes will be taken quite seriously by those who choose to attend the local theater production.

Instead the youngest actor goes missing, and others are being injured or killed. Substitutions in the cast result in the play becoming a hit farce, much to Victoria's dismay.

There is so much animosity between cast members and the director it's easy to draw certain conclsions about the deaths. Meanwhile, where is Teddy, the young cast member?

#8- Death and Honesty (2009)
The town assessors are jacking up tax bills and skimming the extra off the top. But someone is trying to horn in on their operation.

Meanwhile, a rather trashy and naive woman who moved to the Island and bought an old historic home had that house torn down, and she built a modern mansion. She is married to a TV evangelist. Despite her flaws, Victoria likes Delilah. Delilah is not naive enough to stand for the outrageous tax bill she receives, and she stirs up a hornet's nest.

Meanwhile, what is the good reverend up to?

#9- Touch-Me-Not (2010)

#10 The Bee Balm Murders (2011)
Orion Nanopoulos arrives on the island for an extended stay to lay fiber optic cable. He rents a room at Victoria's house. Not long after they start digging to lay the cable, a man is found dead in the trench. An all-night rain has washed away any clues as to how he got there.

It turns out that the dead man has connections to the mob, but meanwhile there is a lot of local hanky-panky going on with the contracts for the fiber optic cable.

#11 Poison Ivy (2014)

#12 Bloodroot (2016)
An older woman, Mrs. Wilmington, who raised her for grandchildren dies unexpectedly in the dentist's chair. She was not liked by anyone, including her grandchildren. When an autopsy shows she died of arsenic poisoning, there are too many suspects.

On the same day that Mrs. Wilmington dies, the dental receptionist accidentally drowns on her way home from the office.

The grandchildren are all adults now, and they all have motives to get rid of grandma, chief among them is to get her money. But a tangled web of relationships relating to the staff of the dental clinic also emerges. Maybe the receptionist's death was not an accident.

Elizabeth's psychopathic ex-husband is stalking her again.

#13 Trumpet of Death (2017)

#14 Widow's Wreath (2018)
Penny, a young cousin of Victoria's has requested that her wedding reception be held on Victoria's property on the Island. Victoria agrees, but she soon loarns that the whole affair is huge and much more complex than she would like to host.

When a body is found hanging in Victoria's seldom-visited cellar, everything is postponed. In fact, we soon learn that Penny was marrying Rocco for his money, and he was marrying her for her money. But when they each learn that neither one has money, the wedding is called off.

Rocco's family has serious ties to the mob, and several of his relatives are on the island for the wedding.

Navajo Tribal Police - Tony and Anne Hillerman

Tony Hillerman (fair use)

Tony Hillerman, May 27, 1925 – October 26, 2008, was the author of a series of mysteries featuring Navajo tribal police. The first three books feature Joe Leaphorn. The next three feature Jim Chee. After that, both men are included in the books. The crimes are always more mysterious due to the lack of understanding between Navajo, Hopi and white people's ways of thinking. They are set in the American Southwest.

Recurring Characters of note:
Joe Leaphorn, Navajo Tribal Police
Jim Chee, Navajo Tribal Police
Bernadette Manuelito, eventual wife of Jim Chee

#1 The Blessing Way (1970)

#2 Dance Hall of the Dead (1973)

#3 Listening Woman (1978)

#4 People of Darkness (1980)

#5 The Dark Wind (1982)
The book opens with three Hopi men walking back from collecting spruce branches for a sacred ceremony. The find the body of a man, but since he is Navajo, and they do not want to disrupt their own ceremony, they do not report it. The palms of the hands and the soles of the feet have been cut off the dead man. By the time the body is found it is badly decomposed.

A small plane with pilot and passenger is night flying in to an arroyo bringing a cargo of cocaine. The experienced pilot crashes. When the plane is found, both men are dead, a third man has a bullet in his back, and the drugs are missing.

This incident occurs on land that has recently been transferred to the Hopi tribe by the government. It used to be Navajo. A well was dug for the Hopi, but the windmill has been severely vandalized three times.

How are these incidents related? Jim Chee is new to this jurisdiction, and he is sent to look into only the windmill damage. But he can't help but find evidence relating to the other issues.

#6 The Ghostway (1984)

#7 Skinwalkers (1986)

#8 A Thief of Time (1988)

#9 Talking God (1989)

#10 Coyote Waits (1990)

#11 Sacred Clowns (1993)

#12 The Fallen Man (1996)

#13 The First Eagle (1998)

#14 Hunting Badger (1999)

#15 The Wailing Wind (2002)
Young and new, Officer Bernadette Manuelito finds a dead man in a pickup truck in one of the many dry arroyos of the area. Seeing no wounds, she assumes he drank himself to death like so many others have done. Her hobby is botany, and while waiting for other authorities to arrive, she collects some seeds for certain Navajo ceremonies and carries them in a cast-off tobacco tin she finds.

But the tin has ties not only to the dead man, but to an old murder, and a long lost gold mine. Chee and Leaphorn manage to get the tobacco tin re-placed at the site without getting Bernadette in trouble.

Denton Wiley had confessed to the old murder, served his time, and is still hunting for his wife who disappeared at about the same time. He engages Joe Leaphorn to try to find her. How are all these events related?

#16 The Sinister Pig (2003)

#17 Skeleton Man (2004)

#18 The Shape Shifter (2006)

After Tony's death, Anne Hillerman wrote the following books:

#19 2013 Spider Woman's Daughter (2103)

#20 2015 Rock With Wings (2015)

#21 2017 Song of the Lion (2017)

#22 2018 Cave of Bones (2018)

#23 2019 The Tale Teller (2019)

#24 2021 Stargazer (2021)

#25 2022 The Sacred Bridge (2022)

#26 2023 The Way of the Bear (2023)

#27 2024 Lost Birds (2024)

Mystery/Thriller Series - Ali Reynolds

J.A. Jance (Creative Commons)

Judith Ann Jance, born 1944, is an author of three different mystery series, all written under her own name. Alison Reynolds is the protagonist in this series. She begins the series as a news reporter for a TV station in the Los Angeles area.

Recurring characters of note:
Alison Reynolds, Ali
Edie, her mother
Bob, her father- her parents run a restaurant in Sedona
Christopher, her adult son.

#1 Edge of Evil (2006)

#2 Web of Evil (2007)
A man is left on railroad tracks in the trunk of a car where he is subsequently killed by the train. Ali passes the emergency vehicles in the middle of the night, having no idea what the commotion is. She is on her way to a meeting of all parties to finalize her divorce proceedings from Paul Grayson. Paul needs the divorce to go through because he's scheduled to marry the next Mrs. Grayson the very next day. That woman, April, is 8 1/2 months pregnant with Paul's child. But Paul does not show up for the meeting.

#3 Hand of Evil (2007)

#4 Cruel Intent (2008)

#5 Trial By Fire (2009)

#6 Fatal Error (2011)

#7 Left for Dead (2012)

#8 Deadly Stakes (2013)

#9 Moving Target (2014)

#10 A Last Goodbye (novella) (2014)

#11 Cold Betrayal (2015)

#12 No Honor Among Thieves (novella) (2015)

#13 Clawback (2016)

#14 Random Acts (novella) (2016)

#15 Man Overboard (2017)

#16 Duel to the Death (2018)

#17 The A List (2019)

#18 Credible Threat (2020)

#19 Unfinished Business (2021)

#20 Collateral Damage (2023)

Mystery Series - Fethering (Carole Seddon)

Simon Brett (photo by Nigel Cull)

Simon Brett is a British writer with five series to his credit. The Fethering series is set in the fictional town of Fethering in the south of Sussex, England. They are written in the style of the "Golden Age" mysteries. Anyone who enjoys classic Brit mysteries will enjoy this series. Brett has a strong grasp of the convoluted emotions of his characters. The primary sleuth in this series is Carole Seddon, a somewhat insecure middle-aged woman who is very good at seeing the weaknesses in others, but not so much in herself.

Recurring Characters
Carole Seddon, a middle-aged retired public servant
Jude (presumably Judith), her friend and fellow sleuth, a "healer."

#1 The Body on the Beach (2000)
#1 Death on the Downs (2001)
#3 The Torso in the Town (2002)
#4 Murder in the Museum (2003)
#5 The Hanging in the Hotel (2004)

#6 The Witness at the Wedding (2005)
Carole Seddon's son Stephen is getting married. His fiance is a young woman called Gaby, although her given name is Pascale. Carole immediately likes Gaby, but the girl's family is something else again.

The mother is practically unable to cope with life and faints at anything stressful. Her father is much older, a giant of a man, and deaf besides. Adding extra strain to the usual meetings and planning associated with weddings, Stephen wants to include his father David. Carole is not interested in resuming any sort of relationship with her ex-husband, but she is too formal to admit it.

Adding to this difficult situation is the hint of a thirty-year old murder. Then the current murders begin.

#7 The Stabbing in the Stables (2006)
#8 Death Under the Dryer (2007)
#9 Blood at the Bookies (2008)
#10 The Poisoning at the Pub (2009)
#10 The Shooting in the Shop (2010)
#12 Bones Under the Beach Hut (2011)
#13 Guns in the Gallery (2011)
#14 Corpse on the Court (2012)
#15 The Strangling on the Stage (2013)
#16 The Tomb in Turkey (2014)
#17 The Killing in the Cafe (2015)
#18 The Liar in the Library (2017)
#19 The Killer in the Choir (2019)
#20 Guilt at the Garage (2020)
#21 Death and the Decorator (2022)

Mystery Series - J.P. Beaumont

J.A. Jance (Creative Commons)

Judith Ann Jance, born 1944, is an author of three different mystery series, all written under her own name. The Beaumont series features Jonas Piedmont Beaumont, a police detective from Seattle.

The Beaumont and Joanna Brady series converge in Partner in Crime, Fire and Ice, and briefly in Proof of Life.

Recurring Characters of Note:
Jason Pierpont Beaumont, variously a policman, retiree, and private eye
Mel Soames, his third wife
#1 Until Proven Guilty (1985)
#2 Injustice for All (1986)
#3 Trial by Fury (1986)
#4 Taking the Fifth (1987)
#5 Improbable Cause (1987)
#6 A More Perfect Union (1988)
#7 Dismissed with Prejudice (1989)
#8 Minor in Possession (1990)
#9 Payment in Kind (1991)
#10 Without Due Process (1993)
#11 Failure to Appear (1994)

#12 Lying in Wait (1995)

J.P.'s grandfather, from whom he gets the Pierpont name, has recently died. He is attempting to pay more attention to his grandmother.

A horrific death in a fishing boat fire turns out to be a torture murder, and the widow is a woman J.P. attended school with. Else was a cheerleader when he was a basketball player. Also living at the fishing marina is a man named Alan Torvaldsen, who was also a classmate. The dead man is Guntar Gebhardt, whose father was an S.S. officer in World War II. Guntar quietly honored his father's memory with a secret collection of toy German soldiers.

But when a woman on a nearby island dies in a similar manner, all previous conclusions seem to be wrong.

This is a fast-paced book with twists and turns at ever juncture.

#13 Name Withheld (1997)
#14 Breach of Duty (1999)
#15 Birds of Prey (2002)
#16 Partner in Crime (2003)
#17 Long Time Gone (2005)
#18 Justice Denied (2007)
#29 Fire and Ice (2009)
#20 Betrayal of Trust (2011)
#21 Ring in the Dead (novella, 2013)
#22 Second Watch (2013)
#23 Stand Down (novella, 2015)
#24 Dance of the Bones (2015) (Brandon Walker crossover)

#25 Proof of Life (2017)
Beau has retired, had knee replacement surgery, and is living happily with his third wife, Mel Soames. She is Chief of Police in Bellingham, WA. While they are having dinner out, an acquaintance of theirs, Max, a journalist stops by the table and makes several cryptic statements. Since he and Beau were never on good terms, Beau doesn't pay much attention.

However, just hours later, Max is dead. A young woman, not a blood relative of Max's, but nevertheless one of his only friends and his heir asks Beau to look into the death. She suspects it is not an accident.

If you are a dog lover, this is a great book. Beau and Mel end up "temporarily" babysitting a black Irish Wolfhound. Not only is Lucy Rambo a loveable addition to the story, she plays a large role in the denouement.

#26 Still Dead (novella, 2017)

#27 Sins Of The Fathers (2019)
#28 Nothing to Lose (2022)
#29 Den of Iniquity (2024)

Mystery Series - Anna Pigeon

Nevada Barr (Creative Commons license)

Nevada Barr, born 1952, is best known for her Nevada Barr series of mysteries set in various US National Parks and Historic Sites. The book series grew out of personal knowledge, as Barr worked as a ranger early in her life. With a background in theater, she pulled together the critical elements to write a best-selling series.

Anna Pigeon's character evolves throughout the series, but is always involved in rough-and-tumble, serious situations. The settings make the series. These are definitely not cozies, and in fact, beginning with Burn they really morph into thrillers.

#1 Track of the Cat (1993) set in Guadalupe Mountains National Park
#2 A Superior Death (1994) set in Isle Royale National Park

#3 Ill Wind (1995) set in Mesa Verde National Park
Anna is assigned to law enforcement in the area of the Anasazi Cliff Dwellers' caves. It's a busy tourist season, and due to a housing shortage, she is sharing dorm space with some of the youngest of the staff. Between beer parties and the annoyance of southern belle Jennifer who seems so unfit to be a ranger, and Jamie the interpreter who insists she is Native, but Anna suspects otherwise, Anna is having a difficult summer. There have been an unusual number of medical emergancies, attributed to the high altitude. After one young girl dies from a severe asthma attack, Anna decides to check current records with previous years to compare the frequecy of medical evacuations.

Not only does she confirm a much higher rate in the current season, but she discovers a pattern to the emergencies. Jamie attributes it to the displeased spirits of the Anasazi who have been appearing during the nights.

Then one of Anna's favorite rangers goes missing.

#4 Firestorm (1996) set in Lassen Volcanic National Park
#5 Endangered Species (1997) set in Cumberland Island National Seashore
#6 Blind Descent (1998) set in Carlsbad Caverns National Park
#7 Liberty Falling (1999) set in Statue of Liberty National Monument
#8 Deep South (2000) set in Natchez Trace Parkway
#9 Blood Lure (2001) set in Glacier National Park
#10 Hunting Season (2002) set in Natchez Trace Parkway
#11 Flashback (2003) set in Dry Tortugas National Park
#12 High Country (2004) set in Yosemite National Park
#13 Hard Truth (2005) set in Rocky Mountain National Park
#14 Winter Study (2008) set in Isle Royale National Park
#15 Borderline (2009) set in Big Bend National Park

#16 Burn (2010) set in New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
A house fire is watched by a young mother, and she believes her two daughters have died in the blaze. Then she learns that they are not dead, but she is under suspicion for setting the fire. She goes on a mission to find the girls while remaining on the run.

Anna is on leave after the traumatic events of Borderline which was supposed to be a respite in itself. She's in New Orleans and living in the cottage of a friend. A young punk named Jordan turns out to be one of her neighbors. The boy seems to be involved in voodoo and other strange practices.

#17 The Rope (2012) set in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
#18 Destroyer Angel (2014) set in Superior National Forest
#19 Boar Island (2016) set in Acadia National Park

Mystery Series - Alex Cross

James Patterson

James Patterson, born 1947, is one of the most prolific and richest authors of all time. He has written or co-authored well over 100 books. There are currently 32 books in the Alex Cross series.

Alex Cross is a psychologist and police detective, an FBI agent, and one of the most popular fictional black heroes. He's a large man with plenty of brains to go with his imposing presence. His family is highly important to him. Since his first wife was killed, he is continually searching for another woman.

These are police and/or psychological thrillers with plenty of gory and disturbing details.

Recurring characters of note
Maria- Cross' first wife, the mother of Damon and Jannie
Nana Mama- Cross' grandmother who has always been in charge
Damon- his oldest child
Jannie (Janelle)- his daughter
Ali (Alex Junior)- son by his second wife
John Sampson- Cross' partner, they've been friends since childhood, a 6'9" giant
Kyle Craig- an enigma who fills several roles throughout the series
Adele Finaly- Alex's own therapist
Gary Soneji- a recurring nemesis

#1 Along Came a Spider (1993)
#2 Kiss the Girls (1995)

#3 Jack & Jill (1996)
The book begins with an immediate introduction into two high-profile cases. There are a man and woman who are killing people in Washington, DC, apparently chosen at random as part of a bizarre game. Also, someone is murdering small children who attend the same school as Cross' son.

There is more than one twist to the plot before the cases are resolved.

The spectre of Gary Soneji is never far from Alex's mind.

We learn how Alex's parents died and why Nana Mama raised him since he was nine years old. It is mentioned how Alex's first wife died, but this contradicts the details given in Cross. He meets Christine.

#4 Cat and Mouse (1997)
There are two intertwined plots in this book. Alex's nemesis Gary Soneji is still around and intent on mass murders with more apparent abandon then previously. Cross figures out why the man has changed and tries to get ahead of his thinking. Another murderer, dubbed Mr. Smith, has been methodically killing and dismembering one person at a time across the globe. Thomas Pierce is brought in by the FBI, as his amateur study of the killer is most thorough.

Soneji meets his own supposed death, but vows to reach out and kill Cross from beyond the grave. The very next day, the detective is brutally attacked.

Cross is healing from the death of his first wife, the mother of his children. He begins to fall in love with the prinicpal of his children's school, Christine.

#5 Pop Goes the Weasel (1999)
#6 Roses are Red (2000)

#7 Violets Are Blue (2001)
In a series this long by a good writer, you can expect to find a lot of interesting sub-genres. The theme of this book is vampires. It builds on the premise that there is a large cult of people who actually believe they are vampires.

It's no secret from the beginning that two attractive young brothers see themselves as vampires. They were raised lawlessly, by hippies, and believe none of the rules of society apply to them. They don't even really think there are rules.

But how does the story play out as Cross chases down "vampire murders" over the course of more than a decade of cases.

#8 Four Blind Mice (2002)
This book has only one story, and the reader is told right up front what is going on. An Army officer is found guilty of murdering three women. He swears he is innocent, and he is a friend of John Sampson. So Cross, who is trying to resign from being a detective, agrees to look into it. We immediately learn that the murders were done by a group of three other ex-military men, code name Three Blind Mice.

How are they finally brought to justice, why did it all happen, and who is the Fourth Mouse?

We learn about John Sampson's childhood. Nana Mama is 82 and may finally be showing her age. Alex's current flame is a Detective from SanFrancisco named Jamilla.

#9 The Big Bad Wolf (2003)
#10 London Bridges (2004)
#11 Mary, Mary (2005)

#12 Cross (2006)
This book begins with a flashback to when and how his first wife Maria died, killed by a hit man's bullet.

Then it jumps ahead to 2005 when Alex sees a hit man take a bow before he disappears. The hit man turns out the be "The Butcher," who works for the mob, freelances, and is a serial rapist for kicks. He leaves no one alive who threatens him. Is there a connection to Maria's death? Cross and Sanders embark on a long quest to hunt down "The Butcher."

#13 Double Cross (2007)
Bizarre murders begin happening that appear to be staged, literally, as in the murderer is committing them as if he is an actor on a large stage. There seems to be some clue left by the killer at each one, but Cross is having a hard time figuring out what it means.

Also, Alex is in jeopardy from Kyle Craig, despite the man being in prison.

His current girlfriend is named Bree, who is also a Detective.

#14 Cross Country (2008)
This is one of the more horrific and brutal books in the series. Alex investigates two incidents in Washington, DC, where the entire family was killed. He knows one of the victims. His search for justice takes him to Africa where he witnesses the insanity and injustice of anarchy in Siera Leone, Niger, and the Sudan. In fact, he becomes the victim of a fair amount of brutality himself.

He finally returns home, beaten both literally and in his quest for justice. There, he learns that his family has disappeared and he is kidnapped yet again.

Warning- this is a seriously violent story.

#15 Alex Cross's Trial (2009)

#16 I, Alex Cross (2009)
Alex's neice, whom he has not seen for quite a few years is murdered, and her body is disposed of in a most brutal manner. Cross gets involved in trying to solve this crime which leads him to an exclusive sex club. It involves all the alphabet soup agencies, and even the White House.

Meanwhile, Nana Mama, who is in her 90s although she won't admit to an exact age, has a heart attack.

#17 Cross Fire (2010)

#18 Kill Alex Cross (2011)
The children of the US President manage to evade their Secret Servce protectors and while out of their sight, Ethan and Zoe are kidnapped. A van is seen speeding from the school, a chase and crash ensue, but when the van is cut open, the children are not there.

Meanwhile, terrorism on US soil rachets up a notch with a potential attack on the water supply.

Alex is still with Bree.

#19 Merry Christmas, Alex Cross (2012)
#20 Alex Cross, Run (2013)
#21 Cross My Heart (2013)
#22 Hope to Die (2014)
#23 Cross Justice (2015)
#24 Cross the Line (2016)
#25 The People vs. Alex Cross (2017)
#26 Target: Alex Cross (2018)

#27 Criss Cross (2019)
Following the execution of a serial killer, Alex and John Sampson return to D.C. only to find that a copycat killer is toying with them. Or did they work to convict and execute an innocent man? This new murder and many subsequent crimes are tagged with a note from "M." Is this their old nemesis the "Mastermind?"

"M" seems to know way too much about everything, and Alex even begins to question whether someone he saw did is actually dead.

Ali, Alex's son (now 10 years old), becomes interested in mountain biking and strikes up a friendship with an Army Captain. With so many threats to his own life and his family, does Cross dare trust this near stranger to be friends with his son?

#28 Deadly Cross (2020)
#29 Fear No Evil (2021)
#30 Triple Cross (2022)
#31 Cross Down (2023) (co-written with Brenden DuBois; also a John Sampson solo book)[2]
#32 Alex Cross Must Die (2023)