Rating: 
Summary: Fast-paced, entertaining addition to Patterson's work
Review: You can count on being entertained by James Patterson's Detective Alex Cross series. The characters are familiar and well-drawn and the plots are challenging and provide page-turning entertainment.In this installment, the first after the "Mastermind" killer was jailed in Violets are Blue, puts Alex's partner Sampson in the forefront as he suspects that an Army friend has been framed for murders he did not commit in Fort Bragg. So starts what appears to be a pattern of cases where Army soldiers are framed in a convincing way in a pattern of ritualistic and gruesome murders. As the plot continues we find a connection with a series of murders that took place in Vietnam in 1969. But who is ordering the murders and why--this is the element that holds your interest until a very satisfying ending.
Also of interest in this book are love interests for Cross and Sampson and a health threat for Nana Mamma who is the heart and glue of the Cross household. Some reviews call Patterson's work predictable. The only predictable element I find is that I am fairly sure that when I pick up a Patterson novel I will be happily entertained and challenged with plot twists. This was a very enjoyable and quick read--I finished it in one 24 hour period.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring/Predictable/Yawn
Review: Did anyone even EDIT this book? Superficial, loose ends/"clues" that were never tied up/explained, improbable timeline... all in all, a VERY messy and unsatisfying read. The formula is failing or the author just doesn't care - churn it out, make some bucks. Disappointing. Not worth the time or $.
Rating: 
Summary: Detective Alex Cross does not disappoint
Review: This is a perfect James Patterson murder mystery book with my favorite Detective Alex Cross. It's a quick, easy read, with lots of action. The murders are more brutal than some of Patterson's books. At least they catch the bad guys at the end so the conclustion was more satisfying than some of Patterson's latest books which continue. The background was set in the Vietnam war and the military setting. Cross sets out to save a man on death row accused of murders. There are some repeat characters so I would not recommend starting with this book if you are not familiar with the Cross series. If you love the Alex Cross series, Four Blind Mice will not disappoint you - there are several unpredictable twists!
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing story
Review: Alex Cross has been asked to help his partner John Sampson find the truth behind the murders of three officers' wives on an army base. His best friend, Ellis Cooper, has been arrested for the murders and all of the evidence points to his guilt. Cooper swears that he didn't do it, and his friend, Sampson, believes him. As Alex delves into his investigation, he begins to see a pattern where people are being framed for murders they didn't commit. He tracks down three men who served together in Viet Nam and are implicated in the murders. The big question is who is behind these hired assassins and what is the motive for the murders and the frame-ups? Alex is totally caught up in what he insists will be his last murder case, as his grandmother faces some health problems and reminds her grandson that his first loyalty ought to be towards his children. This book has an interesting plot and keeps the reader guessing until the very end.
Rating:
Summary: Not up to par with his other books
Review: For those who have been reading the Alex Cross series, this book is going to be a let down. Although it's still well written and moves very quickly, it just seems taht Patterson didnt' put as much effort into the book as he did with the others. I found myself going "Is this the same Alex Cross that was in Along Came a Spider?" If this is your first James Patterson book and you aren't happy with it, I recommend going back into the early Alex Cross books and reading those.
Rating:
Summary: Expected More
Review: A big fan of Patterson's, I was a bit disappointed. Found this book to be a bit boring and predictable. Though it was nice to see the "human" aspect of both detectives, this story was not as intense and breathe taking as the past books. I was certainly NOT at the eadge of my seat as I read.
Rating:
Summary: Have you ever been to North Carolina, James?
Review: I enjoy James Patterson's books but I am annoyed by the factual errors I have found. This is the second book that I have read by Patterson set in North Carolina and he has made errors in each one. In this book, he mentioned that Charlotte Hornets basketball players and race car drivers hang out in a bar in Rocky Mount, NC. I laughed right out loud! Rocky Mount is in the eastern part of the state and Charlotte, where the Hornets used to be located and near where the NASCAR race tracks are, is to the west over 200 miles away. Quite a way to go to find a bar! In Kiss the Girls, Patterson wrote about the law school at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. However, NCSU does not have a law school. I realize that these books are fiction but if you are going to set the action in a real place, you should be somewhat familiar with that location.
Rating:
Summary: Status Quo
Review: Patterson has surpassed the apex of his career. This novel is very easy to read, but lacks some character developments. 4 Blind Mice is rudimentary and clearly indicates that JP is writing books just for the money. His books are truncated in depth and length and he isn't fooling anyone with all the white space and 2-page chapters. Step-up, Patterson is give us a good rope! Still a very quick read.
Rating:
Summary: I'll give it one for ...
Review: ... interesting subject material, a plot that could have gone somewhere and well, out of nostalgia. As interesting as the character of Alex Cross is, I don't need to be inside his head for every...little...nonsensical...thought "But who was he? And how would I find him?" kind of thing. THe following things made reading this novel like wrestling in sour fudge:
___POSSIBLE SPOILERS___ 1) It started out with a really good "ticking clock." There was a time limit and Cross had to find out things fast, but, uh oh, the clocked stopped one-quarter of the way through the book. Um, now where's the suspense, the rush, the, well, tick, tick, tick. The deadline was gone and so was the character's momentum.
2) As mentioned before, Alex Cross, though a character portrayed as brilliant and complicated, felt mundane. It pained me to be inside his head, wading through the monotony of this thought and that thought, the kind of little flashes or questions that we all have, who? what? when? how? etc. But do I have to be subjected to all of them? GET ON WITH THE STORY!
3) Don't give me an interesting bunch of villians, then take them away in a throw away climax and give me - "oh, you see this guy, the one I mentioned for a few seconds fifty pages ago, and this guy, who I barely even noted was there, they're the real bad guys." Pathetic. If you've worked hard to make me feel for characters (good or bad) make them the central part of the story, not some background croney whose name I can't even remember...
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing...to say the least
Review: I couldn't believe Patterson had sunk so low...but I guess he has. I've been following the books for awhile, avidly buying each as it comes out, but I just don't think I can stand to read them anymore. It started with the Women's Murder Club and has only gotten worse. The story was predictable, something I never expected of Patterson and the 'love interests' and Nana stuff is just horrible filler that is so uncharacteristic of what I've come to expect from Patterson that I almost couldn't finish it. What, did he write it in like a week? I still love Kiss the Girls and his earlier work but I can't put myself through another one of these. Save yourself the money.
| 
