Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: If You Like Alex Cross, You May Also Like...

Serial murder; bank robbery; kidnapping -- all of these crimes and more are investigated by Washington, D.C. police detective/psychologist Alex Cross in James Patterson's Alex Cross Mysteries. Told from the points of view of both Cross and the killer, these roller-coaster cases have plenty of twists and grisly details. No wonder this series of 21 books (and counting) make the bestseller lists time after time.

If you enjoyed reading the Alex Cross Mysteries, you may also like these series (according to NoveList):

The Lincoln Rhyme Mysteries by Jeffery Deaver

Reason: The Alex Cross Mysteries and the Lincoln Rhyme Mysteries are fast-paced, hard-edged suspense stories in which a mystery is being solved. Both series also provide details about crime solving and criminal psychology. (NoveList)

Start with The Bone Collector.

When the Bough Breaks by Jonathan Kellerman

Alex Delaware novels by Jonathan Kellerman

Reason: The protagonists of the Alex Cross Mysteries and the Alex Delaware Novels share more than merely a first name; they are both criminal psychologists. These intelligent protagonists solve gritty and disturbing crimes committed by psychopathic criminals. (NoveList)

Start with When the Bough Breaks

The Prey Series by John Sandford

Reason: These hard-edged, action-packed mystery suspense stories combine police work, psychological insight, and criminal elements. Both series feature coarse language and graphic violence, and a bleak atmosphere is pervasive. (NoveList)

Start with Rules of Prey

Alan Gregory novels by Stephen White

Reason: These fast-paced, intricately plotted, and suspenseful mystery series both feature detectives trained in clinical psychology who encounter a wide range of disturbed criminals and unbalanced patients. (NoveList)

Start with Privileged Information

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

Genre: Adult Non-Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5

"Being Mortal is about the limitations of what modern medicine can provide for people as their lives draw to a close. Gawande argues that the objective of medicine should not merely be treatment and survival; medical care should also ensure dignity in death and having control over one's final moments. He argues that instead of aggressively fighting the inescapable realities of aging, we should ask the hard questions of ourselves and our loved ones -- What makes life worth living? When should we try to extend our lives, and when should we choose a better quality of our remaining days over extending their quantity?

This book is difficult to read. Not because of the way Gawande writes -- his style is highly engaging, and he never lapses into excessively scientific jargon or overly simplistic explanations -- but because of the tough subject matter. Gawande draws on his own experiences as a doctor and peppers his book with honest and humane stories of his patients, friends, and family; the stories he tells make the book more accessible, and also more heartbreaking. (And that's not a bad thing.)

No one likes to think about their loved ones', or their own, impending mortality. But it's important to have these hard conversations, because as Gawande says, "endings matter." - Amanda

If You Like Alex Cross, You May Also Like...

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