Patterson's Alex Cross novels have, for a fair period of time, gained a deserved reputation for being some of the best crime thrillers available.
This is a decent book by itself, but as others have alluded to, it is not on a par with many of the earlier Cross efforts - a problem that has been beginning to crop up recently.
It's well-paced, with some gruesome killings and an interesting villain, but you do get the strong sense of having read it all before. Familiarity is nice, but after a while it begins to become a little stale. In fairness to Patterson, it is still well written and it is hard to argue against him squeezing every bit of mileage he can out of his successful creation.
One of the other issues with the book, in my opinion, is it appeared to be as much of a vehicle to set up the next plot, where Cross will obviously encounter his arch nemesis Kyle Craig, as it was about the actual story itself.
There is nothing essentially wrong with that, but perhaps the time has come to wind Cross down a little and focus elsewhere, until something truly fresh for this undoubtedly excellent character comes along. Although another book with Craig as the villain in chief may prove to breathe a bit of life back in to the series.
In short, it's well written and you won't be disappointed or frustrated, but maybe just a little unsatisfied at the end. Although, for first time readers of a Cross novel, it would certainly be enjoyable.