Ali Cross: Like Father, Like Son

Audio specific - brilliant narration and easy to follow.

This is the second in the series, but I didn't realise that until the previous "case" was mentioned over 10% into the book. This didn't distract from my enjoyment, but may have increased the limited connection towards side characters.

I was quite engrossed for the entire book and cared about the books, and the topics covered. I think this would be a great book for 9-12 year olds - I know I would have loved it around that age. I think it also handles the topics of homelessness, police brutality (especially against black Americans), and the anti-police sentiment and failure of the police service in a very manageable and understandable way, especially for non-black children (or just white - I'm not American and I'm white so I'm very much on the outside). While it is not 'own voices', I think it's important for white authors - especially white authors who write crime books from police POV - to write about the police in non favourable ways.

really liked the story of this one, I liked it almost as much as the first one. Ali always tries to help but other always gets in over his head, he is a good kid though. Liked how Nana had quiet a role in this one. Of course his dad is always there and was doling out punishment for Ali since he doesn’t listen . Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! (I would have liked it more if were an actual book instead of audio-still trying to make myself listen to books)

I used to love reading James Patterson’s Alex Cross series and when I saw there was a book with his son Ali as the main character, I was interested immediately.

Ali is at a festival in a park in DC when his friend Zoe is shot and taken to hospital. Ali and his friends decide to start their own investigation into what happened as they have the feeling Zoe is not telling them and the police the truth.

As Ali is trying to find out what actually happened, he also deals with a crush and a tough social science project.

This was my first audiobook EVER but definitely not my last. I liked listening to it a lot. I sped through the book and I thought it was wonderful to read about Ali when I remember reading about him being born.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for this ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Listened to Ali Cross: Like Fatger, Like Son by James Patterson with my 9 and 11 year olds. They were incredibly engrossed- it’s a good listen, and would be great on a family car trip. At first my 11 year old said she would rather read the book but once she got into it, she loved it. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen- hours of enjoyment!

Synopsis-
Alex Cross's son Ali is an accomplished mystery-solver and #1 bestseller. A crime at a concert near his school sparks his newest investigation, and it gets dangerous fast. Sometimes it's good to have a father in the detective business.

ALEX CROSS is a genius detective. ALI CROSS is following in his father's footsteps. When Ali sees a friend get hurt, he's the best person to find out who did it. Even if he's only a kid. After all, he's Alex Cross's son. Solving crimes runs in the family.

#alicrosslikefatherlikeson #netgalley #amreading #audiobooks #childrensbooks #bookstagram

The story opens with Ali and his friends, Gabe, Sedgwick, Ruby, Matteo, and Zoey sneaking off to attend a music festival at a Washington DC park. Ali is strictly forbidden to go to this area alone, but, like many teens, he is pushing his restrictions to get his parents to look at him as older. Besides, he is crushing on Zoey, and does not want to appear wimpy in front of his friends.

After the group hit the food booths, Zoey runs off to get the venue passes from her mother, one of the singers. Within minutes, the kids hear a gunshot. They run to check on Zoey who is hurt. Ali believes he sees the shooter running away, but Zoey insists there wasn’t anyone near her. The police are called, Zoey is taken to the hospital, the kids get in trouble, Nana mama and Alex Cross ground Ali for life, (not really but he gets a long punishment without technology). Ali and friends are determined to find out what happened and why Zoey is so nervous.

This is a good little mystery. While written for middle schoolers I enjoyed the story and audio too. My 9th grade granddaughter listened with me and loved it. She could relate to the kids anxious for more privileges while their parents are reluctant to recognize they are growing up. Ali encounters the D.C. homeless community, which set off a long discussion between my granddaughter and me.

The story is reminiscent of the Nancy Drew / Hardy Boys mysteries that I loved. Ali is the primary investigator with his friends helping him investigate. Alex Cross makes an appearance too. This isn’t his case, but he does use his police connections to get and give information. There are good father-son moments and a little tension among Ali, his parents, friends, and police. It is entertaining.

The narrators, Zeno Robinson and Wayne Carr do an excellent job bringing the characters to life. According to my granddaughter, she loved this so much, she will listen to more audio books in the future. The performances made the story and the characters real. There is action, mystery, tension, and various family issues that move the story at a fast pace. The characters are relatable, and fun to read. We couldn’t stop listening. A great story. We both recommend this book (audio or print) to Alex Cross fans and their children. It is great read for summer assignments.

Regardless of age if you are a fan of Alex Cross you will love these Ali Cross stories. As many of you will know Ali is Alex Cross's middle school aged son. Ali has the mystery solving bug just like his dad. In this case he is trying to help out a friend that might not be so happy to have his help. Along the way he gets on the bad side of Nanna Momma which is not a good place to be. Ali learns a lot about people's perception of the police and homelessness along the way to helping his friend. We might see another police officer in the Cross family in the future.
I hope we see more stories from Ali. They are well written and fast paced for middle school children to enjoy.