London Bridges

Written by James Patterson

Narrated by Peter Jay Fernandez and Denis O'Hare

Cross. Now streaming on Prime Video. 

In broad desert daylight, a mysterious platoon of soldiers evacuates the entire population of Sunrise Valley, Nevada. Minutes later, a huge bomb detonates a hundred feet above the ground and lays waste to homes, cars, and playgrounds: a town annihilated in an instant.Alex Cross is on vacation in San Francisco with his girlfriend, Jamilla Hughes, when he gets the call. The Russian supercriminal known as the Wolf claims responsibility for the blast.

Major cities around the globe are threatened with total destruction. The Wolf has proven he can do it; the only question is, can anyone stop him in time? Surveillance film of the blast reveals the presence of another of Alex Cross' most dangerous enemies, the ruthless assassin known as the Weasel.

World leaders have just four days to prevent an unimaginable cataclysm. Joining forces with Scotland Yard and Interpol, Alex fights his way through a torrent of false leads, impersonators, and foreign agents before he gets close to the heart of the crimes. Racing down the hairpin turns of the Riviera in the most unforgettable finale James Patterson has ever written, Alex Cross confronts the truth of the Wolf's identity, a revelation that even Cross himself may be unable to survive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio
• Release date: Apr 1, 2005
• ISBN: 9781594831379

Reviews for London Bridges

[threadnsong · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

And now it all makes sense. I started this book out of order in the series and was wondering why all the characters and action seemed dis-jointed. So after reading "Big Bad Wolf" I went back to this volume, skimmed the portion I had read to catch myself back up on the action, and continued merrily on my way. So to speak.

Still a police drama with Alex Cross struggling to adapt to the changes in his life, especially with little Alex across the country, while simultaneously keeping his promises to his family to be there more often. This time, though, the world is turned upside down with new designs by The Big Bad Wolf, a former KGB agent brought to the US at the end of the 1990's who exploits his new country.

Four major cities are in the Wolf's sights and he is holding them hostage until his financial demands are met. His seriousness starts with a small Nevada town, evacuated of people, bombed from the sky in a unique fashion. Some days later, a small northern English town is destroyed in the same way, and Cross and his colleagues at the FBI are beside themselves trying to figure out the whys and hows. The timeframe is a matter of days before the Wolf will blow up the major cities.

We are brought into the darkness that is the mind of the Wolf, and he has allied himself with the Weasel from previous Alex Cross novels. They are in dark, dark places, and it takes all of Alex Cross's psychological background to figure out the motive that the Wolf has for targeting the cities he has (London, Paris, New York, and Washington, DC). And the kicker for all of this? No one from these cities can know that a bomb may go off at any moment, so there can be no evacuations. And when a bomb does go off, the devastation is tragic for the country and demoralizing for law enforcement.

I was captivated to the very end, especially when Alex began to recognize some of his allies and motivations for the Wolf and the Weasel.

[atticusfinch1048 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

London Bridges is the tenth book in the Alex Cross series by James Patterson and is yet another brilliant book in the series. In this episode of the Cross story, Patterson brings him face to face with two evil villains that we have already met both of whom have managed to escape justice so far.

When a US army soldier appears in ‘Azure View’ in Sunrise Valley, Nevada begins a chase to find the Weasel. ‘Azure View’ has been evacuated except for one person who has been shot. There happens to be someone filming everything that is taking place. The events are being live streamed to Florida. Cross is sent as part of the FBI team where he interviews a photographer who has been in the mountains at the time. He had taken pictures of the person who had filmed the video, and it turns out that it is Cross’ nemesis the Weasel.

Cross at the time did not realise that the Weasel was now working with the Wolf and the FBI had only just found out that it was the Wolf who had sent them messages. It was he who had set bombs off in both England and Germany to grab people’s attention. The Wolf was in complete control of everything he was doing. He sent a ‘ransom’ demand and a warning that London, Paris, Washington DC and New York were targets. He also warned that it was best not to investigate where he was as he would not only know but there would be consequences.

This meant that Cross would spend most of his time away from Washington. Every tie Cross was able to find a new clue the Wolf seemed to be even further away. Cross is aware that he will have to deal with both the Weasel and the Wolf. All this is happening as it seems his family is falling to pieces, and it seems like he is at a crossroads in his life. But Cross has to continue to crash around the USA and Europe trying to find the truth and where the Wolf is.

Truly a brilliant thriller that keeps you hooked from the beginning to the end. Whether Cross comes face to face with the Wolf and the Weasel, well you will have to read for yourself.

[sjh4255 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A decent read about Alex Cross as he travels the world looking for the Wolf.. some excitement especially in the beginning, but nothing over the top for the rest of the book.. part of a series, so without reading the previous books, feel like you are missing something..

[ggannell_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The finish of this book is very poor

[henrimoreaux · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well that escalated quickly; last book the Wolf was kidnapping women and selling them to perverts, this book he's holding America, France, England & Israel to ransom for 4 billion dollars with nuclear weapons. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something about the plot that seems a little out of proportion to the former book.

That aside, the story whilst clearly absurd, was actually quite entertaining and structured in a manner that did have you guessing at what was going on and who was a good guy versus bad guy. The custody sub plot with Christine still lingers advancing slowly, Alex's love life continues in its car crash like manner with him seeming to flirt with purpose with his nan's doctor whilst still seeing Jam, but making no moves to reconcile the long distance relationship into something workable.

It's decent, more so than the last one and does tie up the Weasel & Wolf storylines, I also note Patterson can't work out how to describe Alex's porsche, in the earlier books when it was 8-14 years old it was described as his 'old black porsche' last book when it was presumably 15 years old it became his 'ancient porsche' now it's back to just being an old porsche. Maybe he washed it?

[lara335 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The world is threatened, and Alex Cross races from New York, London, Monaco in pursuit of the villain. ‘The Wolf’ is a James Bond type villain, having decoys everywhere & always one step ahead. Nothing is known of this Russian defector save that he squeezes a ball (?) & something bad happened to him in Paris. So why isn’t Cross questioning the people who came up with this info and effected the defection? And, no, I don’t believe diplomats arrange this without seeing a face.

So, a silly plot, but fast-paced, and I am a fan of Patterson’s page-long chapters. You think you’ve done reading, see the next chapter is only a few paragraphs away, so find yourself reading just a little bit more...

[Tirso (Sweet) · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It gives a certain continuity to the previous one, _The Wolf of Siberia_, and has, as always happens with the author, moments of a frenetic pace. The flaw of some best-selling type novels is wanting to present the danger or the villain as the most dangerous possible, and for that reason, situations of almost disproportionate magnitude are posed. For me, the real terror lies in those criminals who comply by flying under the radar and are truly the most difficult to discover. The work is ideal as a summer vacation read for the week. (Translated from Spanish)

[bingereader87 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was the tenth in the Alex Cross series and it followed Alex Cross as he works to take down a man known as The Wolf, who has teamed up with a killer from a previous case, The Weasel. Together they take the US hostage as they threaten to destroy 4 cities if they aren't given 4 billion dollars. Every move The Wolf makes is calculated and planned meticulously. He is a master manipulator and madman.

This was a book filled with action and suspense and I recommend it.

[nataliec7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm so pleased to be back with the Alex Cross series. I read the first 9 in quick succession and then couldn't find this book anywhere and had a bit of a Patterson break. The joy I felt when I found this one was great.
Cross is back, this time and hes chasing the 'Wolf' again, a character from a previous book. This runs the usual Cross way. He's called off vacation again when a town is completely annihilated an all of the residents disappear. The 'Wolf' claims responsilbility and make threats to destroy other major cities and demands a huge ransom. He's in control most of the way and Cross flies across the different countries trying to put an end to the threat and catch the wolf.
A thrilling Cross story, as usual, fast paced and exciting. I'm ready to start the next book Mary, Mary.

[jpsnow · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

You can tell this was written in the aftermath of 9/11. Alex Cross combats former foes and foils their plot to ransom major cities. The villain's network of aliases and doubles adds for effective plot twists. It made for a suspenseful beach read but didn't leaving me thirsting for the next in the series.

[jguidry-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I normally really enjoy the Alex Cross books. This one was okay, but it seemed to drag on too long for my taste. There was a lot of suspense as to who the Wolf was, but the suspense would have benefited from much editing. I did enjoy the resolution. It was unexpected, in my opinion, but still made sense to me. I still love Alex Cross and will continue with the series, but I will take a break before I move on to the next.

[bearlyr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love the Alex Cross series, so was favorably predisposed to this story! Two protagonists the Wolf and the Weasel, who bring intrigue and danger to the tale. It takes everything Agent Cross can bring to solve this case. As is true with all James Patterson books the action never stops and the story is always fast paced. This is an excellent read!

[whybehave2002 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What can I say? It's James Patterson...just not quite as edgy as usual. I'll still read every one of his books I can get my hands on. :)

[br14brgu · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

London Bridges was a very good book and I enjoyed reading it a lot. What I really enjoyed the most about this book is all of the action and mystery inside of the book. London Bridges is the ninth book in the Alex Cross series written by James Patterson. There was never any boring moments in the book it was always full of action but not too much action of course. Basically what this book is about is The Wolf and Geoffrey Schaffer team up to destroy cities throughout the world and will only stop if they receive a large amount of money but everything is not what it seems.I would not recommend reading this book if you haven't read the previous books in the series because it wouldn't make as much sense as it would if you read them all. Overall I really enjoyed this book as well as James Pattersons many other masterpieces of books. I would recommend this book and series for anyone who enjoys James Patterson's books as well as action and/or mystery genres of books.

[blush48 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A mysterious terrorist known only as The Wolf blows up a small western town - just to show the Government that he has this ability. The Wolf then threatens to blow up multiple worldwide cities unless a ransom of a couple billion is paid. Alex Cross is part of the team trying to track down and stop The Wolf.

Side note: reading about The Wolf reminded me of the movie "Usual Suspects" with it's character Keyser Soze - - is he tall, short, old, young, male or female????

[jbemrose_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Alex is once again after a russian supercriminal called the wolf and an assassin known as weasel. They joined forces to terror threats to the world leaders. Alex Joines forces with scotland yard and Interpol to hunt them down. This is one wild rided and full of suspence.

[gopfolk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is my first James Patterson book and I have to say the Alex Cross novel was pretty darn good. The story had a way to keep you interested with all the twist and turns. I will look forward to reading my next Patterson book.

[jeffsdfw_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Same story, same plot, same Alex Cross book. Glad I read these books in order. The first Cross books were great. Then I started to notice I was reading the same book over and over and over and over......

[hmskip · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

One hundred twenty something chapters of fast-paced, but uninteresting mayhem. If you just like the evil villain rocks the world genre, you may love it. For me, though, the one catastrophe after another plot got old in a hurry.

[delphimo_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Even with all the violence and killing, I enjoy reading a Patterson novel. I am amazed at the wickedness of the villains. In this novel, two mean men: the Weasel and the Wolf, have teamed together in a run to control the world. Wolf is the mastermind and no one knows his true identity. Wolf asks for billions of dollars and release of certain political prisoners in return for not destroying four major world cities. Alex Cross is now working with the FBI and he travels the world in an attempt to stop these vile men. The action is fast paced, a characteristic of Patterson's novels. I have decided that I do not like the first person narrative of Alex Cross. I do not want to know all his personal thoughts and feelings.

[tinydancer11_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As terrifying and real as the plot was, I was still dissatisfied with both this and the last Alex Cross books...

[sonicquack · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

London Bridges sees the return of a previous nemesis, The Weasel, whilst continuing to hunt The Wolf from the previous Alex Cross novel. Cross is drawn in to a cat and mouse chase as the Wolf holds the world to ransom, causing havoc in the biggest cities with destruction and mayhem. It's a bold shift from the localised plots that Patterson usually offers. In fact, if the narrative style wasn't so readily identifiable then one could place the plot at the hands of a different author, one more aligned with global terror then the standard psychopath hunting genre. London Bridges is wildly brave and the pace ensures the brain is never really engaged, although Patterson still develops the personal affairs of the protagonist. Unfortunately the final confrontation is abysmally weak and disappointing which is unusual for this series. That aside, London Bridges delivers typical Alex Cross entertainment.

[scoutlee_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Having read all of the Alex Cross novels, I was excited to read London Bridges. When The Big Bad Wolf ended, I knew Mr. Patterson's next book had to pick up where this one ended. I immediately expected the next book to be his best one yet... it seemed that it had to be. For a year I waited for London Bridges and went out to buy it the first day it came out. Now after just finishing it, I truly have to say it wasn't his best. The ending was more like "that's it??? After all that, this is how it ends?" And I'm still not sure of the identity of the man Alex and Ned were chasing on the rooftop. Towards the end, I just got confused. However, I will say that I won't stop reading Mr. Patterson's books. He still remains one of my favorite authors. I'm waiting for his next women detectives novel to be published.

[brandie_14 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I haven't read many Patterson books, but this one sucked me and I couldn't put it down.

It was really unrealistic in my opinion, and so unlikely. And if that ever did happen, I hope our FBI/CIA/etc would do more than what it seemed like here - but seriously, this book hit the spot for me.

Cross is dealing with not one, but two of his nemisises. I haven't read books with either of them before so I wasn't clear on the whole history but the book did a pretty good job of filling all of us in. (However, I did wonder had I read them all, would it start to feel redundant at some point? Not sure).

Anyway, I really enjoy ed it. Like I said, it hit just the spot and was the perfect read for me when I picked it up!

[miyurose_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ah, the era when Patterson wrote all of his own books. This book is *so* many steps above the dreck he publishes now, yet still not the greatest. I think my problem with lies in the complexity of the evil plot. I didn’t really buy it in this context, perhaps because the book takes itself seriously. You could have this type of plot in an Ian Fleming or Clive Cussler novel, because it is delivered with a wink and a nod. Here, it’s meant as a 'this could really happen' scenario. There’s just too many pieces and plots for everything to be controlled by one man (or woman). That being said, I was still entertained, and it was nice to visit with Alex Cross again. I may avoid most of Patterson’s newer books, but I expect I won’t be able to avoid finishing this series.

[debavp · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As I stated with the previous book, whenever Patterson introduces a new protagonist for Cross you don't learn the true identity until 2 or more books later and now Patterson's added a previous villian to the mix in this latest Cross book.

This undermines all credibility of Cross' character. Of course this is fiction, but no one has that many evil maniacs getting away with murder and mayhem and then joining up together as a team to continue going after you with a vengeance. The first time, maybe, but again and again? No way.

I think it's very unfortunate as Cross is a great character otherwise and if more time were given to more realistic cases for him to solve it would make for much better read.

[skinglist · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Journal entry 2 by SKingList from New York, New York USA on Monday, August 08, 2005

To be honest I was somewhat disappointed by this. I think Patterson tried to touch on too many issues in this one rather than address any one in depth. Left me wanting to know more and the end was very confusing. Oh well, still glad I read it.

[deweys_7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The plot was a little far fetched, but it held your interest and the pacing was good. There was some nice twists along the way.

[lolitabonita_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was kind of disapointed with this novel, especially since I'd read several of Patterson's newer books and had been impressed. However, I felt that the writing was a little bit simplistic and I didn't like the overuse of exclamation points. To me, any exclamation point that isn't in a quotation is excessive, though. I also thought the ending was little rushed, but had an overall good, satisfying ending. Not a bad quickie novel. I especially enjoyed the afterword in my paperback edition that had a small biography on Alex Cross and a synopsis of his previous novels and adventures.

[djupstrom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A book that has bombs, sex, a wolf, and a weasel!! What's not to love!!