Rating: Summary: Alex Cross has met his match! Review: Alex Cross, James Patterson's returning character, is truly one today's greatest, most well developed 'hero' found in print! In Cat and Mouse, Cross's fourth book, the reader is sent on a roller coaster ride of plot twists all written in an almost groundbreaking 'change of perspective' style. Live the unfolding mystery through Alex Cross's eyes and others around him as they interact with one another in an attempt to stop the returning villian from Patterson's previous book Along Came a Spider-Gary Soneji. Or is it someone else? In this book Patterson has topped himself once again concerning the 'fleshing out' of his star Alex Cross. The interaction between the detective and those around him such as his children, mother and love interest creates a spellbinding atmosphere that is rarely achieved in today's 'suspense' books. But therein is only one of the author's strengths, the storyline is presented in a unique and captivating way, with a seemingly unbelievable twist occurring halfway through instead of at the end. Lastly, don't be misled by my harping on the merits of this book's character interaction. Its greatest asset is the mystery villian, and Alex Cross's attempts at identifying him/her. *Previous book alert* I suggest you read the first three Alex Cross books in this order:Along Came a Spider,Kiss the Girls, and Jack and Jill. (at the very least Along..) before reading Cat and Mouse.
Rating: Summary: Watch Mouse Run. Watch Cat Chase. Watch Book Close. Review: ...I was really looking forward to 'Cat and Mouse' and enjoyed about the first several chapters, as Patterson sets up killer Gary Soneji and his thinking processes. Then the reader is introduced to Alex Cross, the detective who put Soneji away years ago. Soneji is looking for revenge, while another killer called Mr. Smith is on the loose in Europe. What's the connection to Cross? Sounds interesting, I thought.'Cat and Mouse' soon turns into a very predictable thriller with two-dimensional characters and ridiculous action scenes. Sure, I know this is fiction and a thriller at that, but the action scenes have to contain some believability and logic, and for me they didn't. These characters have absolutely no style, no color, and no surprises whatsoever. Cross is the stereotypical widower, ready to take a chance again with the principal of the school his kids attend. Soneji is the killer who is taking it out on the world because of his abuse as a child. I don't know about you, but when I read a thriller, I want to be challenged (at least somewhat) and I want to read about interesting characters who are not stereotypes. A big disappointment.
Rating: Summary: Good but not his best Review: I am reading all the Alex Cross books in order. This was not my favorite so far. Even for not a very good Cross book it is still better then some books I have read. I only gave it three stars compared to other books that Patterson has written. It is still well worth the time to pick it up and dig in.
Rating: Summary: THE BEST ALEX CROSS NOVEL IN THE SERIES. Review: When i sat down to read this novel i was suffering from Patterson jet lag, i had just read six of his books in about a months time, and i was missing my usual taste of Anne Rice novels somewhat. By the time i had finished the book though i was so very glad i'd started it. Gary Soneji, Alex Cross' nemesis, filled with hate and anger at Cross for capturing him some five years previous, has escaped from the mad house, and he thinks it is now time to make the aquaintance of an old friend. From then on its pure and utter mayhem the whole way true. The pages go by with swift and welcoming ease and the story gets more interesting as each chapter closes. Not only is there one devilish fiend in this epic detective thriller, there are two, and it is hard to say which one is the more evil. Cross is truly in grave danger as he starts out on what is going to be his most intense and action filled adventure yet. Buckle your seatbelt, the ride starts here. Once again Patterson has got the whole crime scene/detective aspect of the novel spot on, and the psychological element to cross' character (he is a psychologist as well as a detective) was a joy for me as i am a psychology student. Buy the book. Trust me. Wave goodbye, Mr Smith has left..... for now.
Rating: Summary: Patterson Turns up the Heat Review: Everytime I pick up a James Patterson book I also start wondering if this will be a good as the last. "Cat & Mouse" does not disappoint. The story is written in short quick chapters and flows in and out of the multiple storylines with ease.This novel starts out as the sequel to "Along Came a Spider" with killer Gary Soneji out of prison and on another killing rampage. Alex Cross must once again out smart Soneji. However there is another killer on the loose. The uncatachable Mr. Smith, whose murder spree has spread to Europe. A new FBI agent,named Pierce is in pursuit of this bad guy and Cross and Pierce end up working on each other cases, with a few terrifing surprises along the way. Patterson has done another great job with his usual cast of characters, and now he has Cross falling in love with Christine the schoolteacher from "Jack and Jill". This storyline is a nice change that breaks up the intense action. The love story however does not take up most of the book, unlike what my fellow Aussie reviewer below states. The entire book is well balanced.
Rating: Summary: Evil has a name... Review: Again, another novel by James Patterson in the Alex Cross series that will get your attention- and not let go! This is one of my favorites of Patterson's, having read it a few years ago it still sticks out in my mind as a fast-paced thriller. And the more I read of Alex Cross, the more I like him. With two mad-men out to get Cross, you can't guess what will happen in this book! Never a dull moment. If you're looking for a new author to try in the crime thriller genre, you should definitely add Patterson to your "to-read" list!
Rating: Summary: Very disappointing Review: Cat and Mouse went awry and James Patterson didn't have the time or desire to go back and fix it before the publication date. First, I'm not a fan of the Gary Soneji character who Patterson dotes on in all his novels. I liked having the threat of Soneji in Jack and Jill, but as a main character, he becomes a tedious, repetitious attempt for Alex Cross to create a psychological profile. It is plain annoying. Then Mr. Smith felt like a scrap of writing that Patterson had lying around that he wanted to use somewhere. The second, first person narrator through the mid section of the book was an obvious and unsatisfying attempt to attach it. Bad! What's good? I love the primary characters. Alex, Nana, Jannie, Damon, Christine Johnson are excellent. The relationships are outstanding. John Sampson is also a very cool character and was severely underused in this story. Tom Pierce got too much focus and Sampson was forgotten. James Patterson falls way short in this one.
Rating: Summary: Okay for a quick read, but not exceptional Review: This was the first Patterson novel I've read, and I'm not sure if I'll read another one or not. First, I thought the murders committed in the book were overly-violent. If that's not something that bothers you, you may like this novel better than I did. The other thing that bothered me was that I found some of the plot twists a little beyond belief. I like plot twists that are cleverly constructed so I find myself thinking "yeah, why didn't I catch on to that?" not "where did that come from?". Maybe I missed something when I was reading the book, but I just found some of it too far-fetched for me. I did find myself wanting to keep reading, though, so it wasn't bad. I guess I just prefer other authors better than this one.
Rating: Summary: Decent, but not one of the best Cross novels. Review: I pretty much enjoyed this addition to the Alex Cross series, but didn't think it was up to par with the preceding novels. The Mr. Smith plotline seemed tacked-on and not interwoven with the Soneji plotline as smoothly as it could have been. It felt as if the Soneji plotline alone was not long enough for a novel, so another villain had to be thrown in, and I thought Mr. Smith was dealt with in a somewhat rushed manner. I was also somewhat frustrated with the super-short "chapters", which is a new phenomenon for the Cross books. It seemed unnecessary and somewhat disruptive--often, three or four chapters would describe a single unfolding scene that didn't need to be broken up into little pieces. Perhaps it was an attempt to increase suspense, but I found it a little irritating to be continually interrupted for no real reason. All in all, there were some interesting ideas in this book, and it did have moments of genuine suspense, but I would recommend other Cross novels before this one, such as Kiss the Girls or Jack & Jill. However, I am still a fan of the Cross series and will continue to read what Patterson puts out.
Rating: Summary: Overhyped Review: I will KISS (Keep It Short and Simple): (spoiler warning) Soneji and Mr. Smith seems indistructable villians, but their endings are rather dissapoiting. Soneji was killed in the middle of the book and wowed to kill Alex Cross from his grave, the threat was real, but the execution is rather weak (Soneji's friend did the dirty work, yeah right...). As for Mr. Smith, the way he left the "clues" are rather laughable. Dissapointed to see him resolve to killing himself -- which he failed -- he was shot by Sampson instead. But I must say the interactions of Alex Cross and his family/lover/friends/colleagues are pretty nice. Unfortunately this is a Detective novel, not suppose to be a love story... :( Should have been better.
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