Author:James Patterson,Ako Mitchell
Brought to you by Penguin.
The legendary thriller that launched the Alex Cross phenomenon
Adapted into a major Hollywood movie starring Morgan Freeman
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Two children have been kidnapped from an elite private school in Washington DC, and Detective Alex Cross is charged with finding them.
The kidnapper's identity is quickly determined as one of the children's teachers. But capturing him is the true challenge.
As Cross gets pulled deeper into the strange world of the kidnapper, it becomes clear he is far more dangerous than anyone could have anticipated.
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'No one gets this big without amazing natural storytelling talent - which is what Jim has, in spades. The Alex Cross series proves it.'LEE CHILD
'Alex Cross is a legend'HARLAN COBEN
'I wrote, "Along Came a Spider is the best thriller I've come across in many a year. It deserves to be this season's no. 1 bestseller and should instantly make James Patterson a household name." A household name, indeed.' NELSON DEMILLE
'Brilliantly terrifying! So exciting that I had to stay up all night to finish it! Packed with white-knuckle twists.' DAILY MAIL
'An incredibly suspenseful read with a one-of-a-kind villain who is as terrifying as he is intriguing.' CLIVE CUSSLER
'Terror and suspense that grab the reader and won't let go. Just try running away from this one.' ED MCBAIN
© James Patterson 2017 (P) Penguin Audio 2018
Brilliantly terrifying! So exciting that I had to stay up all night to finish it! Packed with white-knuckle twists.
—— DAILY MAILAn incredibly suspenseful read with a one-of-a-kind villain who is as terrifying as he is intriguing. One of the best thrillers of the year.
—— CLIVE CUSSLER, bestselling author of the Dirk Pitt AdventuresI wrote, "Along Came a Spider is the best thriller I've come across in many a year. It deserves to be this season's no. 1 bestseller and should instantly make James Patterson a household name." A household name, indeed.
—— NELSON DEMILLETerror and suspense that grab the reader and won't let go. Just try running away from this one.
—— ED MCBAIN, bestselling author of the 87th Precinct series[Alex Cross] has become one of the greatest fictional detectives of all time, a character for the ages.
—— DOUGLAS PRESTON and LINCOLN CHILDBehind all the noise and the numbers, we shouldn't forget that no one gets this big without amazing natural storytelling talent - which is what Jim has, in spades. The Alex Cross series proves it.
—— LEE CHILD, international bestselling author of the Jack Reacher seriesAlex Cross is a legend.
—— HARLAN COBENIt's no mystery why James Patterson is the world's most popular thriller writer: his uncanny skill in creating living, breathing characters we truly feel for and seamless, lightning-fast plots. I do this for a living, and he still manages to keep me guessing from the first to last page ... Simply put: Nobody does it better.
—— JEFFERY DEAVEREvery once in a while a writer comes along and fundamentally changes the way people read. He or she is so bright, so innovative, so industrious that what they envision and create becomes the measure by which all others are judged. In 1993 one such writer - James Patterson - began to do just that ... James Patterson is the gold standard by which all others are judged.
—— STEVE BERRY, bestselling author of the Colton Malone seriesPatterson boils a scene down to the single, telling detail, the element that defines a character or moves a plot along. It's what fires off the movie projector in the reader's mind.
—— MICHAEL CONNELLYJames Patterson is The Boss. End of.
—— IAN RANKIN, bestselling author of the Inspector Rebus seriesPatterson knows where our deepest fears are buried... there's no stopping his imagination.
—— NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEWPatterson is in a class by himself.
—— VANITY FAIREngaging and utterly thrilling. The breath-taking finale is the most exciting and terrifying thing I have read in a very long time
—— Elizabeth Haynes, bestselling author of , Into the Darkest CornerYou'll be hooked!
—— FabulousIf you love thrillers Jack Grimwood is the name you need to remember...
—— Viv Groskop , BBC Radio 2, Sara Cox ShowMesmerising, surefooted, vividly realised . . . something special in the arena of international thrillers
—— Financial TimesA compulsive and supremely intelligent thriller from a master stylist
—— Michael Marshall , author of The Straw MenEven better than Child 44 . . . A blizzard of exciting set pieces, superbly realized
—— Daily TelegraphGrimwood is a damned fine writer
—— IndependentThe writing is elegant, the dialogue razor sharp, the characters drawn economically but effectively, and the action is unrelenting
—— SciFi NowOsborne’s continuation of Raymond Chandler feels like the real thing
—— i[Only to Sleep] is compelling and Osborne often captures Marlowe’s voice
—— Paul Connolly , MetroOsborne gets Chandler and his version of the enduring detective, Philip Marlowe, is the best I've read... This mystery is well plotted and plays out with a twist to satisfy the readers who figure things out for themselves but still like to be surprised… if Osborne were to write another Marlowe thriller… I will be there to read it
—— NudgeBreathtaking. Read it in two sittings. Yet another instant Ragnar Jonasson classic
—— Thomas Enger, bestselling author of the Henning Juul seriesThe Darkness is a bullet train of a novel, at once blazingly contemporary and Agatha-Christie old-fashioned. With prose as pure and crisp as Reykjavik snowcrust, Ragnar Jónasson navigates the treacherous narrative with a veteran's hand. I reached the end with adrenalized anticipation, the final twist hitting me in the face. I dare you not to be shocked.
—— Gregg HurwitzThe Darkness is Ragnar Jonasson at the top of his game - deft plotting, a great central character and a story as chilling as the Icelandic winter. I couldn't put it down
—— William Ryan, author of The Holy ThiefIt had an intense, visceral sense of place and the connection between the emotional lives of the character and the landscape was evoked beautifully
—— Helen Callaghan, bestselling author of Dear AmyIt will get your pulse racing, and keep you hooked to the last page
—— Simon Kernick of The Bone Field seriesMagnificently dark and twisted and that ending - blimey!
—— C. J. Tudor, bestselling author of The Chalk ManPraise for Ragnar Jónasson
—— -Jónasson is an automatic must-read for me . . . possibly the best Scandi writer working today
—— Lee ChildAs chilling as the nip in the Icelandic air
—— Choice MagazineSuperb. . . chilling . . . This is the first volume in Jonasson's Hidden Iceland trilogy, which tells Hulda's story in reverse chronological order and establishes her as one of the great tragic heroines of contemporary detective fiction
—— Sunday Times Crime Book of the MonthExpertly plotted, with an ending that's a true shocker, The Darkness is the first book in a trilogy featuring this engaging investigator, which is good news
—— The GuardianMagnificently dark and twisted! That ending - blimey!
—— C. J. Tudor, bestselling author of The Chalk ManA sympathetic yet entirely unsentimental portrait of a flawed but decent detective seeking justice for a murdered Russian asylum seeker
—— Sunday Times Crime ClubIt will get your pulse racing and keep you hooked to the last page
Crime fiction has never seen a character quite like Hulda Hermannsdóittir; nor a series launch so entirely willing to take risks and obliterate long-standing tropes . . . There is no doubt that The Darkness will rank as one of the most popular and powerful reading experiences of the year.
—— BOLO Books ReviewThe Darkness is a bullet train of a novel, at once blazingly contemporary and Agatha-Christie old-fashioned. With prose as pure and crisp as Reykjavik snowcrust, Ragnar Jónasson navigates the treacherous narrative with a veteran's hand. I reached the end with adrenalized anticipation, the final twist hitting me in the face. I dare you not to be shocked
—— Gregg Hurwitz , Sunday Times bestselling author of Orphan XThe Darkness is Ragnar Jónasson at the top of his game - deft plotting, a great central character and a story as chilling as the Icelandic winter. I couldn't put it down
—— William Ryan , author of The Holy ThiefAnother masterpiece from the King of Icelandic Noir
—— Thomas Enger , bestselling author of the Henning Juul seriesUnbearably sinister
—— Helen Callaghan, bestselling author of Dear AmyThe Darkness is a true masterpiece of a crime novel, introducing an original protagonist, a plot full of twists and turns and an ending that leaves you gasping for air
—— Yrsa Sigurðardóttir , author of the bestselling Thora Gudmundsdottir crime seriesPraise for Ragnar Jónasson
—— -No country associated with the label Nordic noir is as bleak, cold, snowy and empty as Iceland. And no crime writer portrays those elements as evocatively and scarily as Ragnar Jonasson
—— The TimesA classic crime story seen through a uniquely Icelandic lens... first rate and highly recommended
—— Lee Child, on , SnowblindA modern take on Agatha Christie--style mystery, as twisty as any slalom . . .
—— Ian Rankin, on , SnowblindRagnar Jónasson writes with a chilling, poetic beauty - a must-read addition to the growing canon of Iceland Noir
—— Peter JamesDistinctive blend of Nordic noir and golden age detective fiction...atmospheric...economical and evocative prose
—— The Guardian on NightblindSeductive ... an old-fashioned murder mystery with a strong central character and the fascinating background of a small Icelandic town cut off by snow. Ragnar does claustrophobia beautifully
—— Ann CleevesThe ending hits the reader like a kick in the stomach
—— FRÉTTATIMINN ****Jonasson's books have breathed new life into Nordic noir ...all the skilful plotting of an old-fashioned whodunit although it feels bitingly contemporary in setting and tone
—— Sunday ExpressHulda Hermannsdottir is a welcome addition to the selection of Icelandic crime fiction protagonists . . . It is almost impossible to put the book down until the last word has been read
—— Fréttablaðið ****Out of all of Ragnar's books, this is the one I like the most . . . The book of his which reminds me most of Agatha Christie
—— Kiljan, on The IslandThe threads lie in various places, the plot is well woven and the pieces in the puzzle come together well in the end. The structure is good, the main characters are believable, the story flows well, everyone is a suspect á la Agatha Christie and the solution unveils the mystery and leads the readers to the truth. But not all the truth, as some things are better left hidden
—— Morgunbladid (Icelandic newspaper)A very good book, gripping and interesting, with all the threads carefully managed. Hopefully the author will publish as many books as possible with lead character Hulda
—— Vikan Magazine, on The Island