Four Blind Mice

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Summary: As fast as a speeding bullet !!
Review: Alex Cross has decided to retire from the police force after this last case.Life is looking good for Alex and also for his friend John Sampson, both of whom have met new, lovely ladies. A number of military personnel and their wives gave been found brutally murdered and left with coloured paint smeared across their genitalia. Cross determines to solve this case before moving on to the next phase of his career. This story moves with the speed of a bullet and never lets up for an instant. Great,pacy writing in Patterson's trademark style, left this reader almost breathless in his wake.

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Summary: Vintage Patterson
Review: I went through this in a day!! Partly because it is not complicated reading, but mostly because it is a total pageturner! Patterson when he is best!

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Summary: My Excellent Review
Review: This book was excellent! It kept my attention and interest throughout the whole story. Four Blind Mice is around 400 pages and I only read it in 2 days! I especially like murder mysteries so every time the main character Alex Cross got a lead in his case, I was at the edge of my seat trying to put the puzzle together along with him. There was also a little love story within the main story that I really liked. It was between Alex and another detective who lived across the country in California. I rememeber one time when they got together in Washington D.C. and rented a hotel room. As you read you can tell how much in love they were and how they tried to spend as much time together as possible. The shootings, threats, riddles, and questions without answers throughout this novel makes it the best book I have read in a while. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes exciting and mysterious stories whether its for a report or just for fun.

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Summary: Fast paced, like always
Review: Read it in two nights. Probably only book I read faster these last months was Matteson's "Slide". Can't wait for the next one to come out!

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Summary: The Special Services
Review: FOUR BLIND MICE by James Patterson

Not as good as Mr. Patterson's previous books. His subject was good but his writing was not up to his past efforts. It was stiff in places and his characters were not three dimension. They were in some cases like cutouts of his past characters and not such good shadows. Even his writing about his children and Grandmother Nana did not have his normal dimension. The book was forced. Well I said bad things about the book. I like Mr. Patterson and he has give me some very good books over the years so I will say a couple of good things, first, his dark characters in the military stood out because they seemed feasible and almost believable.

Second, James Patterson wrote a story about the military and their people. He wrote a very good story about the military taking care of their problems and not wanting anyone else to know any thing about military human problems. In fact, you will always hear, "we don't have problems here," or, "he is one of ours, we will take care of that." He got that part right.

In a way I understand this. The military professional's lifestyle and attitude are so different from a normal civilian's that normal rules don't always apply. In Mr. Patterson book they didn't apply either. I will give him three stars for the effort.

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Summary: See how it runs...
Review: Four Blind Mice is a skilfully crafted thriller, as well put together as a good watch. It runs a little fast on occasion, as there's almost no hint of time seeming to pass between the murders, and only slows down for the glimpses into Cross's personal life. Because of the helter-skelter action, the build-up to an explosive series of climaxes, Patterson's terse writing style, and all the two-page chapters, it's easy not to notice that it's a rather short novel.

Four Blind Mice is intriguing, exciting, and as frightening as the news.

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Summary: What a Ride...Patterson is Back on His Game
Review: I read this book in four hours! I just could not put it down. What a story!! For a while, the Alex Cross series has been somewhat lackluster, but this was different. Keeping up with the trail of horror created by the Four Blind Mice was like running a marathon... on your hands.

I did not like how Patterson brushed past the fact that Cooper had done something horrible in Vietnam. I think this part could have been better developed. Perhaps some skeletons could have appeared throughout the book.

I especially liked that how Patterson finally gave Sampson some dimension. It is nice to see that he has a life...

It is so sad to see Nana Mama getting on in years. I know I will shed a tear if and when Patterson writes her out. She provides the calm and wisdom that compliments Alex's chaotic life.

Jamilla is great for Alex. They compliment each other well. Wouldn't be something if Alex marries her only for Christine to come back... (Note to James Patterson...if you are reading this, I want 10 %!)

Alex joining the FBI opens the door for new and interesting adventures. I can't wait to see what's next.

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Summary: Patterson and Cross back at it
Review: Once again Patterson has written a book that keeps you at the edge of your seat until you finish it!! You just can't put it down. A must read for his fans and anyone who wants to experience a good read

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Summary: Cross sets a Mouse Trap
Review: Detective Cross seems to have a problem: his great ability to track down serial killers has made him famous to psychotics throughtout the world. As a result, sooner or later, the major serial killers that inhabit the world of James Patterson's Alex Cross novels end up on Cross's doorstep. Either they actively seek him out, such as the Mastermind in 'Roses are Red' and Gary Soneji from earlier novels.

In the most recent Cross novel, 'Four Blind Mice,' there really isn't a criminal mastermind or psychotic at work. This is a bit of a refreshing change. However, trouble still ends up Cross's doorstep. Literally.

It all starts when John Sampson, Cross's partner for years, arrives on his porch and pleads for his assistance. One of Sampson's old army buddies is scheduled to be executed for the murders of three women--murders he professes not to have committed. Sampson believes him to the very soul of his being, and recruits Cross to help.

The problem for Cross is that he is on the verge of resigning from the Washington D.C. police department. Years of chasing psychos have finally started to take their toll no Cross. He gets dragged away from his family regularly, he does not agree with his superiors, a former love interest was kidnapped for nearly a year, and the psychos keep coming after him. Cross contemplates a life of practicing psychology or going to work for the FBI (which, I admit I could not understand after the previous complaints).

Nana Mama, Cross's grandmother, raised Cross, and to a large extent, Sampson as well. She encourages Cross to make this his final case, and upon that encouragement, Cross takes the job. Before long, Cross and Sampson find themselves investigating a world in where several officers in the armed forces have been executed for crimes they may very well be innocent of.

Some of the pluses of this novel are that we actually see Cross do some detective work. His bedroom becomes his headquarters as he posts bulletins and photos all over the walls. He spends days going through files to find patterns that fit with the profile he is creating. On the flip side, Cross never left the police department during the course of novel--yet, his superiors never ask where he is or what he is doing. In addition, the FBI seems so desperate for his help that they give him whatever he wants, virtually no questions asked.

Another strength of the novel is that Sampson gets fleshed out more than ever before. Several of the prior Cross novels simply made Sampson an afterthought; a character that Patterson seeemed to be saving and couldn't bring himself to kill just yet.

Patterson continues to use two, three, and four page chapters that make for quick reading. It is very easy to get caught up in the "one more chapter before I put the book down" syndrome. However, many of these chapters were unnecessary, that is unless Patterson actually uses the story contained therein to further future novels. Some of these subplots include a growing relationship with Jamilla Hughes, a San Francisco police officer, the beginning detioration of Nana Mama's health, and a possible love triangle for Cross involving Hughes and a local doctor.

Overall, I think 'Four Blind Mice' is best viewed as a bridge novel between Cross's life as a D.C investigator to an FBI agent. Hopefully, Patterson will build on these new elements and put the extra effort into the next Cross novel that made 'Along Came a Spider' and 'Kiss the Girls' such a success. I recommend 'Four Blind Mice' to all Patterson fans, and as a easy introduction to new fans of the Cross series.

Rating:
Summary: Sloppy Writing - Great Disappointment
Review: I'm glad I got this at the library and didn't pay even a discounted price at a bookstore. Patterson's work has been headed downhill for some time, and this work is no exception. Poor character development, an unrealistic plot and shoddy, superficial research mark this effort. Dr. Delaware seemingly operates as a force unto himself, answerable to no one and able to command resources that would not be available to even the most able local detective. He and his partner Sampson zip around the country from murder to murder, insinuating themselves into numerous investigations without having to worry about departmental budgets, overtime approval or any of the other impediments that mortal investigators encounter. Better still, when there's a break in the blood-letting, they each have a love interest. "Hey honey, can you meet me in Phoenix, so the author can use this hot-tub scene, he's been saving?" The FBI wants him to come to work for them so badly that they apparently are willing to give him just about anything he needs (or the author needs to eliminate having to write imaginatively). In a single sentence, ("provided to me by the FBI") he orders up reports or a piece of snazzy equipment. Difficult situations are resolved by the sudden reference to a friend in one agency or another who cuts through red tape to get our hero exactly what he needs overnight. What a bunch of baloney. In the closing chapter, for example, the real mastermind is confronted with evidence that was ostensibly orginally captured by the North Vietnamese, then apparently stolen by the CIA, and finally given to Delaware. Insider references abound, using acronyms and initials without further explanation, and in several cases, inappropriately. The villains are overdrawn; simultaneously painted on the one hand as clever, well-trained killers, who apparently leave no physical evidence, and on the other as erratic, opportunistic thrill seekers. With each fresh kill, the reader can expect them to repair to the nearest restaurant to celebrate with the "thickest" or "biggest" steaks, "slathered" with something or other. All that's missing is growling and bone-gnawing.
After a really entertaining book or two, this author seems to be suffering burn-out or cash-registeritis.