A child killer is stalking the inner city of Washington, D.C., his latest victim Shanelle Green, an adorable first grader from Sojourner Truth School. This killing is especially unsettling to Detective Alex Cross. Sojourner Truth is the school his son Damon attends, just four blocks from his home.

While the death of an inner-city black child doesn't garner much media attention, another murder is making big headlines. The same day that Shanelle was beaten to death, Senator Daniel Fitzpatrick was found handcuffed to a bed and shot execution style. The only clue the police have to go on is a bizarre rhyme, signed "Jack and Jill," promising more high-profile executions, ultimately targeting the president of the United States. When Cross is called in to help protect the president, he begins to suspect that the two cases are somehow related. As he races to put all the pieces together, the killers continue their bloody rampage, paralyzing the city.

Like Along Came a Spider and Cat & Mouse, Jack & Jill is a rapid-fire thriller from start to finish, with enough plot twists to satisfy even the most jaded mystery fan.

Someone has killed one of the most powerful men in the U.S. Senate - and the whole world is watching. Someone has murdered a small black girl on the mean streets of Washington - and no one seems to care. But only D.C. homicide cop Alex Cross suspects that the evil striking down both the high and the lowly wears the same shocking face. From James Patterson, the sensational author of the bestsellers Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider, comes Jack & Jill, the #1 thriller that breaks all the rules - and shatters every nerve.

In the middle of the night, a controversial U.S. senator is found murdered in bed in his Georgetown pied-a-terre. The police turn up only one clue: a mysterious rhyme signed "Jack and Jill" promising that this is just the beginning. Jack and Jill are out to get the rich and famous, and they will stop at nothing until their fiendish plan is carried out. Meanwhile, Washington, D. C., homicide detective Alex Cross is called to a murder scene only blocks from his house, far from the corridors of power where he spends his days. The victim: a beautiful little girl, savagely beaten--and desposited in front of the elementary school Cross's son, Damon, attends. Could there be a connection between the two murders? As Cross tries to put the pieces together, the killer- or killers - strike again. And again. No one in Washington is safe - not children, not politicians, not even the President of the United States. Only Alex Cross has the skills and the courage to crack the case-but will he discover the truth in time?

This was a phenominal read and very fast paced. First let me preface this review by saying that i do believe that its important to read the Alex Cross books in order. Many of the "bad" reviews came from reviewers who have not read the books in the proper order. OK, coming off my soap box now.

Alex Cross is on the hunt again. High Profile murders are being committed in the Heart of DC to some pretty important people. Alex is pulled off of a more personal case in order to work on this high profile one. But fear not the caped crusader will not be denied his target. The intesity of this book is great and i found it very difficult to put the book down. I thoroughly enjoy Patterson's writing style. He makes his stories easy to read and thrilling on top of that.

If you are looking for some exciting reads this summer i encourage you to read the Alex Cross series. You wont be disappointed...

[...]

My headline says it all, I have equally loved every single James Patterson book I have read, I am his #1 fan and this book...just like all his others, didn't disappoint me in the least! S.L. Chessor author of My Tongue Fell Out & Poodlums Boogeymen and Booglers.Poodlums, Boogeymen and Booglers: A Poetry CollectionMy Tongue Fell Out

This is one of my favorites of James Patterson. I have always had difficulty putting down one of his books. There are two murder cases. One is Jack and Jill murders and the other is the murders of black children. These were two different cases, but why would Alex Cross think the murderers are one and the same? Read and find out, you will enjoy it. By Ruth Thompson author of "The Bluegrass Dream" and "Natchez Above The River"

Writing as a Small BusinessQualifying Laps: A Brewster County NovelSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelTravelersThe Bluegrass Dream: A Wilderness Adventure of Early SettlersNatchez Above The River: A Family's Survival In The Civil War

"Jack and Jill" was good, but it took a while for me to get into it. It seemed to stagnate in the middle, then finally did start moving again. But, let me add that when it did start moving again, it was great!

A set of assassins nicknamed Jack and Jill are loose on the streets of Washington, D.C. The pair are killing famous and influential people, such as movie stars, newscasters, and lawyers. At each crime scene, the duo leave a few lines of rhymed poetry detailing what they have done. And during the course of each murder, the Secret Service get a call as to where to look for the body.

In D.C.'s poor Southeast area, young schoolchildren are being murdered in broad daylight. The killer is an amateur, but few people are willing to volunteer details on what they have seen happen.

Detective Alex Cross is assigned to work both cases. The first is frightening because Jack and Jill are the Secret Service code names for the president and his wife; those protecting the Chief are worried about an assassination attempt. The second is terrifying because it is happening a few blocks from Alex's house. But when the powers that be decide that solving one set of killings is more important than the other, problems begin to arise.

Like the other novels in James Patterson's Alex Cross series (this being the third book), "Jack and Jill" revolves around a fast-paced plot, a set of murders that mirror the racial tensions in the United States, and more twists and turns than a maze. And, like his other novels, you won't be able to put it down.