Rating: 
Summary: IRRITATING - BORROW, DON'T BUY THIS ONE.
Review: This is the third book in the Alex Cross series that I've read, and each one took me longer to finish than the previous one.The basic faults of this book are: (please don't continue if you don't want some outcomes revealed!!) 1) I'm tired of hearing how beautiful and impossibly bright Alex's kids are. Shouldn't we like the protagonist's kids? These two will just get on your nerves. 2) Nana Mama could be a great character, but she's become an Aunt-Jemima charicature, spouting banal platitudes left and right. I guess this means she has "soul". 3) Why in the world was Gary Soneji released? Sorry, this just wasn't the slightest bit believeable. Maybe recycling an old character saves the author the work of creating a new one. 4) It was WAAYYY too easy to figure out Mr. Smith's identity... 5) Alex is supposed to be a "hot body", but all he ever does is eat Nana Mama's cooking, brood about his cases, volunteer in hospitals and soup kitchens, and admire his kids. A little realism would be nice - the guy must be out of shape and overweight! 6) The spelling clue (murder victims' names) was a joke. What was the point? Couldn't we figure it out without this?.... I read this book while in the gym, doing the stationary bike. I never once picked it up at home, which tells a lot about a book that's supposed to be a thriller. Some suggestions: 1) If you like realistic main characters in your mysteries/thrillers, try the Mark Beamon series by Kyle Mills. Yes, Mills got a break from the Tom Clancy endorsement, but he can still write a great story! 2) If you like great dialog and fast-paced adventure in your mysteries, there's none better than Janet Evanovich's series about Stephanie Plum. Yes, the plots are a bit lightweight, but
her writing style is laugh-out-loud funny and you can't help but like her characters. 3) Her name escapes me at the minute, but also try the "Cold Shoulder", and "Cold Blood" series by Linda L---. These are gritty, realistic mysteries based on a real LA female detective. 4) For unexpected twists and turns, the master has to be Jeffery Deaver and his novels featuring Lincoln Rhyme. 5) Finally, another great author is Don Winslow. His two books are "The Death and Life of Bobby Z", and "California Fire and Life". These are not a series, but had me spending way more time reading them, and far fewer time doing things I should have been doing (mowing the lawn, paying bills, etc.) - but that's the sign of a great book!
Rating: 
Summary: Good God! What have you done James?
Review: Along Came a Spider was brilliant. Kiss the Girls was good. Jack and Jill was okay. Notice the pattern. Cat and Mouse follows the tend and ends up being a terrible novel and hence explains the poor rating this reviewer gave (1 measly star). Cat and Mouse follows the adventures of Alex Cross, the black detective/psychologist, who has a knack for bringing down incredibly stupid serial killers and go about their disturbing fetishes with the most absurd of motives. Below I will list some of the mistakes with this novel:
- The character of 'Mr Smith' is totally unbeilable, and his motives are never fully explained
- When the Cross family is brutally attacked, why didn't Soneji's pal just kill them all I can go on forever, but I just don't have the time. Two mistakes should be sufficient. Anyway, I sure hope Patterson writes better novels because I seriously can't be bothered writing more reviews.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good -- A Must for Fans of the Alex Cross series!
Review: This Alex Cross novel features the return of the evil Gary Soneji (from the first Alex Cross book in the series, "Along Came A Spider"). This is not simply a rehash of Along Came a Spider. It has many twists and turns and some new characters. In this instance, the sequel is as good as the original. Also, this is the novel in which Alex Cross gets a love interest, giving an added dimension to this fourth book in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best in the series, but still a page turner....
Review: Cat & Mouse marks the fourth installment of James Patterson's Alex Cross series. Like the previous novels in the Cross saga, our hero tracks down a serial killer using his skills as a psychologist with the Washington Police Department. This time, Cross is lured into a game of "Cat & Mouse" with his old nemesis Gary Soneji from the first novel in the series. Soneji has finally decided to take his revenge on Cross for foiling his plans to committ the ultimate crime years ago. Soneji gets Cross's attention with a string of violent murders. In addition, we follow Thomas Pierce, an investigator with the FBI, as he tracks down another serial killer described as "The Alien" and "Mr. Smith". This killer has earned his nickname based on the sheer inhumanity with which he kills his victims. Circumstances cause Cross and Pierce's paths to "cross" and they end up working on each other's cases, for reasons other than what you might expect. "Cat & Mouse" addresses a minor failure of the previous novels. At times in "Jack and Jill", Cross didn't actually do much to unravel the mystery of the killer. In "Cat & Mouse", he actually puts his skills to use in tracking down Mr. Smith. However, while chasing Soneji, we are just presented with evidence from previous novels, and not much new that required Cross to actually investigate. Many readers are turned off by Patterson's switching point of view in this series. Most chapters involving Cross are told from first person perspective, and those that involve the killer or others are usually in third person. I personally like this, because I think Patterson gives Cross some great lines that are revealed in Cross's internal dialogue. In "Cat & Mouse" we actually get a section in which Pierce's chapters are told from first person. This is a nice twist, and a bit of a red herring for those trying to figure out what is going on. My only other complaint is that I felt Soneji wasn't dealt with as well as he could have been. The conclusion to his involvement in the novel was kind of a let down after the build up it received in the previous two novels. Overall, this isn't the best novel in the series, although Cross becomes a little less indestructible, and a little more human than in the previous novels. The outcome is not as difficult to figure out as well. I actually figured this one relatively early, despite the red herrings and twists Patterson threw in. However, Patterson's style really keeps you turning the pages. Its a quick read and a lot of fun.
Rating:
Summary: Hoping for something deeper
Review: I liked Cat and Mouse, but I kept hoping for something more, more depth of character I guess. As another rater wrote, these characters are too good to be true and much too perfect to be real. On the good side I liked the twists and turns of the story and I was kept guessing about who Mr. Smith was right up to the point where I found out who it actually was. I also liked the relationship that was starting to build between Cross and Christine. I'm old softy and I love when the main character seeks and finds true love. I also liked the banter between Cross and John Sampson. All in all I thought it was a good read, though not the best.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely my Favorite Author
Review: This was the second time that I read Cat & Mouse. It was just as enjoyable as the first time. It was an exceptional suspense novel and a definite page turner. I have yet as to find a James Patterson novel that I have not thouroughly enjoyed. Looking forward to reading Cat & Mouse a third time.
Rating:
Summary: Patterson puts Cross into action AGAIN..
Review: In this suspense filled plot, Alex Cross goes after Soneji and Mr. Smith. The pages are once again filled with alot of action, some places did capture me and I couldnt put it down until that chase or fight or some other plot was over.
I couldnt help but notice though, that the way Patterson was developing his characters sounded more like a movie script than a book at times.
But still it's James Patterson, it's Alex Cross and it's definitely worth the read!
Rating:
Summary: No redeeming qualities
Review: This is the worst book I have read in some time. The writing is pedestrian, the characters are shallow and the the plot is ridiculous. Otherwise it was worth what I paid. ( I found it)
Rating:
Summary: Good but not the best
Review: I this is the 4th of the Alex Cross series and I must say it was just a step below the previous 3. I think James Patterson is an amazing author and I can't see how he keeps coming up with these crazy stories ~ but he does! It has a few twists and turns as you read along but not as many as the previous books. This is the 3rd alex cross novel in a row with a cop turning bad and I felt that that was a little repetitive, but all in all a great book. If you haven't already, read the previous books in the Alex Cross series... IMHO, Kiss the Girls is the very very best
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad...an average Patterson's thriller...
Review: it's a book for late lazy sunday afternoon when there is no football on t.v.
| 
