After disobeying his dad by attending a music festival, Ali ends up entangled in another mystery when his friend and potential crush, Zoe, ends up shot. Ali can't help wondering why Zoe appears to know the identity of her shooter but refuses to tell it. This time, Alex Cross, the famous detective of Patterson's adult series, is determined to keep Ali out of the spotlight but fails miserably as Ali enlists the help of friends to investigate all the people in Zoe's life--including her slightly famous music-star mother--to see who may have benefited from Zoe being hurt. Patterson does a good job of writing a fast-paced mystery readers can gobble up in one sitting. Unfortunately, the second installment suffers from the same weakness as the first: awkward chapters told from Alex's points of view, the sole purpose of which seems to be to provide information that no middle-grade detective could ever discover on their own. However, like all Patterson books, this one will fly off the shelves.

Ali Cross sets out to solve another case that hits close to home. Ali, son of Washington, D.C., detective Alex Cross, returns in a sequel to his 2019 outing that finds him in the thick of things when his crush, Zoe Knight, gets shot in a park. Middle schooler Ali is the closest thing there is to an eyewitness, though he didn't even see the shooter's face. Zoe knows who did it but strangely is keeping quiet. Still, Ali's knack for investigation and his connection to Zoe propel him to pursue the case with the help of friends. Themes of activism, gun violence, and police bias are explored, with various complex sides to the issues being shared by different characters. Ali's schoolmates become frustrated with the impact of gun violence on Black people and start demanding more accountability from the authorities. Meanwhile, Ali, the son of a homicide detective, finds himself in the middle of arguments about these topics while at times feeling his opinions are dismissed due to his father's profession. Overall, this is a solid follow-up that shows Ali developing as a sleuth even as he's a young boy trying to make sense of his world. Important messages regarding social justice are imparted, although the pacing sometimes feels rushed, taking away from the gravitas of certain moments. Overall, however, readers who enjoy stories of young detectives will be pleased. Ali and Zoe are Black. A fitting, socially conscious sequel. (Mystery. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.