Series Sunday: Return of the Spider

(Alex Cross #34) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is Return of the Spider, the 34th book in the Alex Cross series by James Patterson.

What a treat to take Alex Cross back to the original days of him catching a spider. In this 34th installment of the Detective Alex Cross series, we are taken back in time. Cross was a rookie. Sampson was learning the job. And the infamous Gary Soneji entered the scene. Return of the Spider is the companion to Along Came the Spider, the debut novel that introduced our beloved Detective Cross.

"What was the psychology behind that?" ~ pg. 279

Eighteen years later, police discover that Gary Soneji kept a murder book, detailing his evil transformation from substitute teacher to serial killer. Included are clues that imply missteps Cross may have taken in his earlier rookie days of a homicide detective. The story moves to eighteen years ago, with Soneji live and in the flesh committing murders while Sampson and Cross are trying to solve the murders as they hurriedly come in.

The real treat are the alternating chapters featuring Alex's first wife, Maria, and their early home life. Reading about her secret spaghetti sauce, her pregnant with an active baby sure to be an athlete and their young love. I always wanted to read more about Maria and Patterson delivers it here! What a great addition to the series filled with suspense, mystery, action and heartfelt scenes. And the ending is like the series has just begun...

Happy Early Pub Day, James Patterson! Return of the Spider will be available tomorrow, November 17.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Return of the Spider
Author: James Patterson
Published: November 2025
Pages: 329
Edition: Galley
Genre: Mystery

Challenge: Keeping Up with Patterson
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Series Sunday: Nash Falls

(Walter Nash #1) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is Nash Falls, the first book in the new Walter Nash series by David Baldacci. Walter Nash is an intelligent businessman with a model family. He has a wife, daughter and high-level position at Sybaritic Investments. He lives a normal routine life until it's turned upside down after his estranged father's funeral. 

Nash is unexpectedly approached by the FBI to be an inside man. They want to bring down a criminal enterprise that is laundering large sums of money through his employer, Sybaritic. Nash has no choice but to cooperate, becoming the exact opposite of who he's always been. A man not even he recognizes in the mirror.

"In life everything is subject to change, sir, is it not?" ~ 7%

I am used to Baldacci hooking me from the first couple chapters. He creates main characters that are uniquely different, full of inner conflict and slowly developed. So I expected the slow burn in Nash Falls. I wanted to take my time getting to know Walter Nash but soon realized I didn't care about him or the secondary characters like his cheating wife, big Black godfather figure and scamming entitled boss. I found myself rolling my eyes way too many times. 

I know Baldacci writes better than this. I know he is capable of developing a brand new series that is hard to put down. I know he doesn't usually stereotype characters or drone on and on with mundane details that have no bearing on the mystery or character development. I know he usually doesn't write something so ridiculously unbelievable that it's hard not to laugh out loud while reading. And when I wasn't rolling my eyes or laughing, I was dozing from the super slow pace.

"She fell asleep before her head hit the pillow." ~ 12%

So what did I just read?! Because Nash Falls is not the norm. What a disappointing first book of a new series! I will not be continuing the Walter Nash series but keeping an eye out for other standalone Baldacci books while catching up on his Amos Decker series instead. However, for those still interested, the second book is due in April 2026 so you have time to read Nash Falls and judge for yourself before Hope Rises releases.

Happy Early Pub Day, David Baldacci! Nash Falls will be available Tuesday, November 11.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Nash Falls
Author: David Baldacci
Published: November 2025
Pages: 416
Edition: Galley
Genre: Crime Thriller
Rating: 🖤 🖤