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Along Came A Spider Mass Market Paperback – December 1, 1993

by James Patterson (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 21,698 ratings
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Discover the classic thriller that launched the #1 detective series of the past twenty-five years, now one of PBS's "100 Great American Reads"

Alex Cross is a homicide detective with a Ph.D. in psychology. He works and lives in the ghettos of D. C. and looks like Muhammad Ali in his prime. He's a tough guy from a tough part of town who wears Harris Tweed jackets and likes to relax by banging out Gershwin tunes on his baby grand piano. But he also has two adorable kids of his own, and they are his own special vulnerabilities.

Jezzie Flanagan is the first woman ever to hold the highly sensitive job as supervisor of the Secret Service in Washington. Blond, mysterious, seductive, she's got an outer shell that's as tough as it is beautiful. She rides her black BMW motorcycle at speeds of no less than 100 mph. What is she running from? What is her secret?

Alex Cross and Jezzie Flanagan are about to have a forbidden love affair-at the worst possible time for both of them. Because Gary Soneji, who wants to commit the "crime of the century," is playing at the top of his game. Soneji has outsmarted the FBI, the Secret Service, and the police. Who will be his next victim?

Gary Soneji is every parent's worst nightmare. He has become Alex Cross's nightmare. And now, reader, he's about to become yours.
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Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 33
    Alex Cross
  2. Print length
    528 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Grand Central Publishing
  5. Publication date
    December 1, 1993
  6. Dimensions
    4.25 x 1.25 x 6.88 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0446364193
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0446364195
  9. Lexile measure
    600L
  10. See all details
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  1. She made a homicide detective, with a doctorate in psychology, who works and lives in the ghettos of Washington, D.C.
    Highlighted by 503 Kindle readers
  2. “I have striven not to laugh at human actions, not to weep at them, nor to hate them, but to understand them.”
    Highlighted by 478 Kindle readers
  3. Three years before, my wife had been murdered in a drive-by shooting. That murder, like the majority of murders in Southeast, had never been solved.
    Highlighted by 467 Kindle readers
  4. It’s all right to put the weight of the world on your shoulders sometimes, if you know how to take it off.
    Highlighted by 464 Kindle readers
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From the brand

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  2. Eruption
    Hard to Kill: A Jane Smith Thriller
    The 24th Hour: Is This The End? (A Women's Murder Club Thriller, 24)
    The House of Cross: Meet the hero of the new Prime series Cross―the greatest detective of all tim...

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  3. The #1 Lawyer: Move over Grisham, Patterson’s Greatest Legal Thriller Ever
    Crosshairs
    Holmes, Marple & Poe: The Greatest Crime-Solving Team of the Twenty-First Century
    The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: Their stories are better than the bestsellers

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From the Publisher

Alex Cross Must Die
Alex Cross Must Die
Alex Cross Must Die
Alex Cross Must Die
alex cross must die Alex Cross Must Die alex cross must die
Kindle Hardcover Audio
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Customer Reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
14,046
4.5 out of 5 stars
14,046
4.5 out of 5 stars
14,046
Price $14.99 $15.86 $0.00

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James Patterson has had more New York Times bestsellers than any other writer, ever, according to Guinness World Records. Since his first novel won the Edgar Award in 1977 James Patterson's books have sold more than 300 million copies. He is the author of the Alex Cross novels, the most popular detective series of the past twenty-five years, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. He writes full-time and lives in Florida with his family.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing (December 1, 1993)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 528 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0446364193
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0446364195
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 600L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.25 x 1.25 x 6.88 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 21,698 ratings

About the author

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James Patterson

James Patterson

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James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Tiger Woods, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. Patterson has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, and collaborated most recently with Michael Crichton on the blockbuster “Eruption.” He has told the story of his own life in “James Patterson by James Patterson” and received an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
21,698 global ratings
Missing pages!
1 Star
Missing pages!
I started reading this book this week and when I got to page 56 I discovered pages 57 thru 88 were missing...simply not there! The book went straight from page 56 to 89. Unfortunately I received the book on February 10th so my opportunity to return it expired on March 10th...no recourse!
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Top reviews from the United States

Richard 3856129
5.0 out of 5 stars The book that started it all.
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2024
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The initial book, to the best of my knowledge of James Patterson's Alex Cross novels.
I had picked up a later published book in this series at my public library and absolutely devoured the novel. It whet my appetite for more of James Patterson's work.
There is no better place to start than at the beginning, or at least that is what many readers seem to believe. I believe movies are fun but books allow a deeper appreciation for the finely developed characters that James Patterson has crafted, as well as the smaller details often trimmed out of motion picture adaptations of books in the interest of running time and pacing. James Patterson is a master storyteller, in the same level as Alistair MacLean, or Lee Child.
One person found this helpful
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John C. Bucy
4.0 out of 5 stars interesting
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2024
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I am lousy at writing reviews, but found the premise to be very well written. I will read more. Thanks
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Heather
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved This Book!
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2024
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I have recently tried getting into reading. I have never been a huge fan of reading in the past. This was the perfect book for me to start with. I couldn't put it down! I read the whole book within a week. Keeps you interested in what is going to happen next. Definitely recommend.
2 people found this helpful
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Gena O.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book that's a definite page turner
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2022
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Overall, this was one of the better books I've read recently. I've read several Grisham books over the past year and decided to begin reading Patterson's Alex Cross series The majority have said start from the beginning because Along Came a Spider is one of the best, if not the best in the series. My goal is to read most of them by the end of the year, so at this point I have nothing to compare to, but will soon begin the second in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it in less than a week, which is good for me. I've spent the past weekend reading the last half of the book. Two reasons why is because I wanted to finish it over the long four day weekend, plus every time I tried to put it down after a chapter there was a tease that led me to read the next chapter. All of that being said, the book is not perfect and there are some pros and cons for me.

Pros

1. Very suspenseful and detailed. I thought the primary characters in the book were very good overall. Alex Cross is a great character that seems calm, cool, and collected, but also has a bit of resentment from his younger days.
2. The plot was very good... kidnapping in DC, political figure and movie star kids are kidnapped.
3. The theme was intense and kept me reading chapter after chapter until the early morning hours.

Cons
1. The book was too long and there was some "fluff" in there that could be taken out. Some parts of the trial that was told was boring and could have easily been left out.
2. Some parts of the story didn't seem to really fit. Cross was on the case, then off the case, then on the case again, then off the case.
3. I don't want to give away too much from the book, but there were some parts of the story that seemed a little far fetched. In particular, with about a 75-100 pages left there is a dramatic twist that seems as though where I thought "They let their guard down that much???" (Those that have read the book will hopefully know what I'm referring to.)
4. About half way through the book, I figured out at least one of the people involved with the kidnapping/ransom.

While there are cons, the pros and the overall story makes up for it in my opinion. There were also a few editing mistakes that I caught, but again they were minor. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to reading Book #2 in the series.
16 people found this helpful
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Raewyn
5.0 out of 5 stars Happy with what i got
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2024
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HAPPY AS WITH IT
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ashley
4.0 out of 5 stars Loved it - Cannot wait to read whole series
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2022
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I listened to this book while I did housework and while driving my car

I love this authors books and have never been able to read his series books because I've never found the 1st in the series in my local library or in the stores.

I loved the thriller, mystery, and the twists/turns of this book. There where moments I had to back track and re-listen to, to stop my jaw dropping at different parts. He also does the romance side well but not enough detail for my personal liking on that part. He hides character deviousness carefully and well thought out to keep the reader guessing and engaged.

My only downfall for this book, the chapters for whose point of view we are in. The only one you know for certainty is when it's the main character Alex. Everyone else I had to strain listening to tell me whose mind we were inside of. However when you find out who you are listening to, you then need to remember the last chapter from their side or the details that had previously been given. It's hard to annotate while listening but I bet if I got my physical copy of this book and did my annotations I would be able to understand this quite a bit more.

Otherwise I really enjoyed listening to this. I hope to be able to read the next book of this series soon!
4 people found this helpful
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Bridget Ratliff
5.0 out of 5 stars So good!
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2024
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So, I'm late to the party on the Alex Cross series, but woe! This book was so good. There were so many twists and turns. It was hard to put down when I had to! I'm hooked.
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Top reviews from other countries

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John Noble
5.0 out of 5 stars "Hard to Stop Reading"
Reviewed in Canada on March 11, 2024
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Great Story, good luck on figuring out. A must read.
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Jackeline
5.0 out of 5 stars Along Came a Spider
Reviewed in Brazil on July 5, 2021
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Ótimo livro. A entrega foi um pouco demorada, mas chegou direitinho.
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Wendy
5.0 out of 5 stars Very addictive
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2024
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Love this author was so engrossed in the story line and the characters . can't wait to read the next one.
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Tintje
5.0 out of 5 stars Toujours bien
Reviewed in Belgium on November 4, 2023
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Pratique avec des chapitres courts. L'action est toujours bien écrit. Recommande
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Ana Sampaio
5.0 out of 5 stars Good series start
Reviewed in Spain on January 15, 2021
Verified Purchase
This book is a great start to the series. Not only do we have mystery, but also the background for the main character, Alex Cross. It's an easy read and highly entertaining if you enjoy this genre.
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