Rating: 
Summary: Is this a novel or an outline?
Review: This is the first Patterson book I've read, and my impression of him hasn't changed. His plots are predictable (a judgment made after seeing Kiss The Girls and Along Came A Spider films) and lacks suspense. The way the story is written is like a proposal, there's not much detail and the way he portrays African Americans is very stereotypical, right down the food they eat. Although he has a noble attempt to deviate from the who is the killer plotline (we know who did the murders in the 2nd chapter), you'll know it's something they did in the past and someone is trying to erase it plotline. After reading Nelson Demille and other authors that dabbled in military conspiracies, I've made a conclusion that Patterson should not have strayed into this genre.
Rating: 
Summary: How does Alex Cross get all his time off from Washington ?
Review: This novel was an improvement over the last couple Alex Cross novels. One question that keeps nagging at me while reading these books is: How does Alex get all of his time off to solve all these mysteries which take place outside of Washington Metro. I feel that Patterson should have made the transition to FBI much more quickly. Patterson uses a common story line in all of these novels. 1. The Cross family is threatened.
2. Former villians show up again.
3. Alex falls for another cop.
4. Alex gets beaten up. All four subplots show up again in this novel. This book was fast moving and kept me interested.
Rating: 
Summary: Too Pat
Review: Patterson has written another Cross story that is entertaining
enough to keep most readers interested, and it moves along o.k.,
but it's just too pat to really be engaging. There just isn't
the supsense to make us stay with the book and disregard other
interests. This seems like the kind of book that can be put
down at anytime, and taken up later, with the feeling that we
haven't missed out on anything.
The story is another that involves past guilt from the Vietnam
War, and terrible things that happened there, and this author
tries to raise some excitement along the lines of that old
guilt coming home to roost, and doing so with the murders of
innocent people here, with resultant convictions of Vietnam
vets. Which vets are innocent of any crime here, but who are
ostensibly being punished for past sins during that war.
It's an old concept, and this author doesn't add anything new
to it.
The story moves along to a predictable end, and none of the
characters, good or bad, seem to grab us with either their
personalities or past histories.
This is something to read when nothing good can be found.
Rating:
Summary: Pathetic Tripe - or am I too Kind?
Review: Patterson used to be a writer of compelling thrillers but this is so lazily written that I must supsect he has discovered a long hidden stash of Roer 714's. These Cross stories have degenerated to the point where I wish I could enter the story and dispose of the insuufrable Nana Mama, all the children andd every love interest Patterson crowbars into the novel. That would at least leave me with only 50% of the book to be derisive of.
Rating: 
Summary: huh
Review: Hey Joy Marie who the hell his Alex Delaware? I the mane is Alex Cross.
Rating:
Summary: Imagine sitting in a prison cell, knowing that you could ...
Review: very soon be put to death and you are not guilty of any crime, let alone mass murder! Alex Delaware's friend John Sampson comes to him to ask for help as the man in prison is one of Sampson's buddies who served with him in Vietnam. Nobody's talking but there is a lot of cover-up on the part of the military. And we find, as we follow these two close-knit friends in their quest for the answer to this puzzle, that there are three vicious killers who have framed Ellis Cooper. Frighteningly realistic and tauntingly elusive, this novel is one of the Delaware series best yet. Sure, some critics will say that because it is Delaware, it is old hat. Not so! We know Alex Delaware now; his home life, his loves and his losses and his achievements and it is like walking hand and hand with a friend and trying to keep up with his analytical mind. Intrigue..how devious those who have something to hide can be. But Alex has to see beyond that and find the truth. Oh, the title is FOUR Blind Mice, isn't it? And just who is the mastermind behind the three? Who is the one who put the wheels in motion? Who is the evil conspirator who has placed Ellis within inches of the gas chamber? As you read this thriller, written in Patterson's short chapter format; you too will want only to find the controller and remove him from society or better still, from this world. Patterson is Patterson, and although the prose is not Michener, the story and style bring us a wonderful read. And the interspersing of his private life makes him human, one of us, and and allows us to breathe for just a few minutes and get our bearings. You will enjoy this novel if you are in any way a Patterson/Delaware fan.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and Thrilling
Review: I truly am amazed that people are so hard on a writer when they venture in a diffrent direction. WHO wants to read the same old character the same scenario blah blah blah. James Paterson can go to different measures and still hold your attention. I found this book frightening and as the plot thickened and the sadness of all the surrounding repercussions, was just another part of his extremely talented mind. Great Book, Great Read, I have recommended it to many a friend and all in my book club! Great Book James.
Rating:
Summary: Can someone show me were the bestsellers are?
Review: This guy is only a bestseller because of his name. The thing I hate about his books are he gives you this large storyline ,but no good ending. I'm sorry ,but if I pay almost thirty dollars for a Hardcover I want good endings. I have a question. Can someone show me were the bestsellers are?
Rating:
Summary: just don't do it
Review: If this load of tripe can get published than anyone can! I found the character's and the story line to be unbelievable. What planet do these people live on? A true disappointment.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent but still not Dazzling...3 and one-half stars
Review: I am a definite fan of the Alex Cross series and have been a Patterson fan for some time. I read THE JESTER and FOUR BLIND MICE over the same weekend and hands down, THE JESTER is the better storyline (actually, JESTER was a wonderful read). Perhaps the creative juices for the Cross novels has waned after so many but regardless, something is just not clicking like it used to. "ROSES" and "VIOLETS" were marginal books while 1ST TO DIE and 2ND TO DIE were just a notch above. It is my hope that Patterson will find the juices again...and soon. FOUR BLIND MICE opens with Cross' long-time partner and friend, John Sampson, requesting Alex's help to investigate the murder conviction of one of Sampson's Army buddies. Ellis Cooper, Sampson's buddy, has been accused, tried and convicted of the murder of three women along with the bizarre arrangement and paintng of the bodies. Cooper has been sentenced to die by lethal injection; the execution is set to be administered in three short weeks and Sampson believes only his friend and supersleuth Cross can unravel the injustice befalling Cooper. As Cross begins his investigation, he runs into one stone wall after another but hasn't quite determined if those are Army walls (i.e. "we take care of our own") or something quite different. Although doggedly determined, Alex cannot crack the case and Ellis Cooper is executed. The one and only piece of evidence Cross has is the eyewitness account of a teenage boy who indicated he saw three men outside the home of the murder victims that night. However, Alex was never able to corroborate this statement. As the story continues, Patterson introduces the reader to three very skillful and very sick assassins. Even before Cooper's execution, the reader knows these "THREE BLIND MICE" are responsible for the triple homicide. As time passes, the Mice continue their spree but it is definitely not for kicks. It appears there is a puppetmaster; one who has given the Mice their marching orders albeit mercenary orders at that. This portion of the story winds throughout the book until the end where it fizzles without much surprise or intrigue. The climax is satisfying but certainly not surprising. Two very poignant subplots revolve around the love lives of Cross and Sampson, nothing really new for Alex but quite unconventional for Sampson. True to VIOLETS, Jamilla Hughes returns as Alex's love interest. And, as always and timeless, Alex still has Nana Mama to care for his three children including his infant son, Alex. All-in-all, a decent book but I find myself waiting for the next great Cross book. Something in the spirit of KISS THE GIRLS. I haven't given up on Patterson and I certainly will continue to check out his newer "off-Cross" books. As I mentioned, I found the JESTER to be a fabulous read, a storyline and subject matter totally different to Patterson's norm. It's proof that Patterson has the skill yet it seems he has turned his efforts more into a Stephen King-like machine, pumping out one book after another. While this satisfies the volume requirement for fans, it is obvious that quality has taken a fairly staunch hit. Worth the read but not his best.
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