A story about events long ago that cannot be forgotten and lessons unlearned.
| Author: | James Patterson (& Richard Dialallo) |
| Publisher: | Arrow Books, United Kingdom. 2010 |
| ISBN: | 9780099543039 |
| Characteristics: | 512 pages, Paperback ; 110 x 178 x 32mm. |
| Source: | |
| Date Read: | 12-Jan-2026. |
Alex Cross’s Trial was a quick, engaging read, I got through it in just over a week, reading it on the train for about an hour a day.
Ben Corbett is sent by President Roosevelt to investigate the treatment of black Americans. It gets pretty bad for him, even being betrayed by his best friend, who leads him to a lynching site to give him a near fatal experience.
There is plenty of action and graphic descriptions of lynchings of the black people of Eurdora, Mississippi; and some white folks get strung up too for siding with the blacks. Clearly, such atrocious behaviour is not good for anyone or society.
Ben becomes estranged from his wife and daughters and there are some beautiful letters included; and happily the end turns out well.
The court case at the towards the end is a good read, but the result is sort of disappointing, but it turns out Roosevelt is happy with the outcome and the boost for his black vote. Ben was in an extra difficult environment with his bigoted father acting as judge.
Being based on a true historic era, I was hoping there were more links to history, but searching for “Eudora lynchings” comes up with nothing.
Mc Comb Ice Plant
Apart from Eudora, there was only one other real place referred to, which was the McComb Ice Plant in McComb, Mississippi. It was a historic facility that became the largest railroad-icing complex in the world in 1926. It was strategically located along the Illinois Central Railroad line to ice refrigerated boxcars (reefers) transporting perishable goods. I found this interesting as I have seen such an ice plant modelled at a model train show.
Conclusion
Alex Cross’s Trial was an engaging read, but I got the impression it was written to sell books, rather than educate. It kind of whets the appetite to learn more but having been cheated somewhat it’s hard to have long term sympathy. Unusually, the book includes a few pages of the next novel as a sample at the end. The author has marketing sorted!
Book Summary
From Microsoft Copilot 365.
Alex Cross’s Trial takes a sharp turn away from the usual detective‑thriller format of the Alex Cross series. Instead of following Alex himself, the novel presents a historical manuscript written by his ancestor, Abraham Cross, and framed as a story Alex is researching.
Core Premise
Set in the early 1900s in Eudora, Mississippi, the novel follows Ben Corbett, a Washington, D.C. lawyer sent by President Theodore Roosevelt to investigate rising racial violence in the South. Ben returns to his hometown, where he reconnects with Abraham Cross and his courageous family. Together, they uncover the brutal truth about a local white supremacist group responsible for lynchings and terror.
Key Themes
- Racial injustice and terror in the Jim Crow South
- Moral courage in the face of overwhelming danger
- The cost of truth‑telling
- Family legacy, tying the Cross lineage to a long history of resistance
Plot Highlights
- Ben’s investigation quickly makes him a target in a town determined to hide its crimes.
- Abraham Cross and his granddaughter, Moody, risk their lives to help him document the violence.
- The trio gathers evidence of lynchings and confronts a community willing to kill to maintain its power.
- The story builds toward a harrowing courtroom showdown—“the trial”—that exposes the town’s brutality but also reveals how deeply racism is embedded in its institutions.
Tone and Impact
The book blends historical fiction with thriller pacing. It’s darker and more emotionally charged than most Alex Cross novels, offering a stark look at America’s racial past while expanding the Cross family mythology.
Featured image: Evelyn Chong
