London Bridges

A Nevada town is vaporized by a bomb within minutes of its evacuation, and the Wolf — Alex Cross's most dangerous nemesis — announces he will destroy Paris, London, and New York unless his impossible demands are met. Simultaneously, evidence surfaces suggesting the Weasel, another legendary criminal, is involved. Patterson's tenth Alex Cross novel throws everything at the formula simultaneously: the conspiracy is global, the personal stakes are maximum, and the resolution hangs on Cross reaching the truth before the clock stops.

Peter Jay Fernandez and Denis O'Hare share the narration of an exceptionally fast-moving thriller — the book was designed for velocity, and both narrators match it. Fernandez's Cross carries the weight of someone who has faced too much for too long; O'Hare handles the villain perspectives with the required menace. At just over eight hours, London Bridges delivers the Alex Cross experience at its most maximalist.