“Ali Cross, where are you???”

From James Patterson’s Ali Cross: Like Father, Like Son.

When young Ali Cross secretly went to a music festival with his friends Gabe, Cedric, Ruby, Mateo, and Zoe, he never imagined that he’d get caught. While Ali is excited to meet Zoe’s musician mom backstage, he is most excited to spend time with his Zoe because he has a crush on her. However, when Zoe slips backstage to find her mom moments before a gunshot scatters all the crew and attendees, Ali and his friends run to find Zoe in the mass of confusion. When they finally find Zoe, Ali is horrified to catch a glimpse of someone walking away from an injured Zoe; Ali jumps in to provide first aid care to Zoe’s gunshot wound, but he is confused when she insists that she was alone when he arrived. While Ali’s homicide detective father, Alex Cross, tries to keep tabs on Zoe’s investigation as much as he can, he is unable to get much information from the detective assigned to the case. Unwilling to abandon Zoe’s case and knowing that he’ll need some help with his investigation, Ali begins investigating with Gabe, Cedric, Ruby, and Mateo to search for the truth that is threatening to destroy their friend.

The second book in this mystery series is fast-paced and captivating in Patterson’s traditional style.  While the majority of the story is told from the young detective’s point-of-view, a portion is told from Alex Cross’ perspective, bringing a deeper layer to the book.  Like Father, Like Son is a fun thrilling mystery that will be interesting for Patterson fans of all ages.