Cross Down

In what ways is Cross Down a cautionary tale, given the themes in the novel related to political extremes, military interventions, and private sector contractors in military affairs?

Discuss the subtexts in casting this novel’s antagonists as former US government soldiers, police, agents, and employees.

Explain how Sampson’s understanding of the bombing of Mir Kas relates to how the military views its treatment of foreign civilians.

Patterson jumps between perspectives throughout the novel. Why might he have chosen to transition to temporary characters who would soon die on the page in the terror attacks? What effect does this narrative technique achieve?

Compare and contrast John Sampson as a character with the image of the American Cowboy in literature and film. What cowboy characteristics does Sampson display? How does his character deviate from the cowboy trope?

At the heart of the Grissom-Landsdale argument is the Hamilton-Mason debate of 1887, pitting federalists against anti-federalists. Since America’s inception, this debate has continued in one form or another. Why is this debate so central to the plot of this contemporary novel?

General Grissom quotes the famous revenge novel The Count of Monte Cristo as he approaches the White House. In what way is Cross Down an extended revenge plot?

What effect does the portrayal of the antagonist, General Grissom as an honorable man who has earned the respect of his men as well as a hardened killer, unapologetic about his use of terror to achieve his aims achieve?