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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Believe the Book Jacket Hyperbole but a Good Read, November 25, 2002
This is a more than adequate prototypical James Patterson assembly line thriller involving another case for fans of DC Detective Alex Cross. The dialog is simple, the action is fast, the murders are brutal, there is a mastermind to catch, and the chapters are shorter than ever (less than four pages on average). However, I found this book much more enjoyable than the last few Cross books. First, we don't get so many mindnumbing gruesome details about the murders. Second, John Sampson's character gets fleshed out and he has a more instrumental role in the story. Third, it was much more a straighforward police procedural and detective story despite a few stupid and unrealistic actions by Cross (including breaking and entering at the home of one of the suspects). Last, I personally was glad that a bestselling author like Patterson addressed the continuing effect of the Vietnam War on many veterans and the ethical dilemmas which they faced, even if this is a very superficial treatment. As usual, Patterson hooks you through immediate action and the fact you're several chapters in the book almost before you have begun, since it's always easy to read another three or four pages. This is no literary masterpiece and there are no long descriptive sections, just the necessary facts to advance the plot intermixed with more than usual degree of involvement in the personal lives of Cross (and his new girlfriend Jamilla), Sampson, and Nana, Cross' grandmother. Sampson's Vietnam buddy, Ellis Cooper, is convicted of a brutal triple murder based on compelling physical evidence. He contacts Sampson from Death Row and he and Cross become convinced that he was framed. As they investigate, they uncover several previous murders where Vietnam vets were apparently similarly framed and executed. We are then introduced to the three killers, a professional hit squad that was a covert assasination team in Vietnam. (Thus, in this book the suspense is more about how Cross and Sampson will trap the killers and why the murders have been committed than by whom or how.) Further murders occur and Cross and Sampson confront the killers but run into hostility from the miltary as they attempt to build their case. The action soon moves to the campus of West Point and direct involvement of the Army, and it becomes clear that there is someone directing events behind the scenes. Kyle Craig (known to previous Cross readers as the murderous FBI agent now in a maximum security federal penitentiary) appears briefly as a confidante of Tran Van Luu, also a prisoner, former Army agent in Vietnam, and leader of the NY Vietnamese gang, the Ghost Shadows. I found the conclusion more satisfying than recent Alex Cross books, and the explanation for the killings and the revenge exacted for long hidden events a sort of rough justice for all involved. Of course, as usual in Patterson novels a lot of questions concerning the details are left unanswered. For just a few examples, we don't know how all the evidence was fabricated, why the innocent victims were chosen, or how Kyle and Tran operated from supposedly solitary confinement. This book is recommended for both Alex Cross devotees and new James Patterson readers who want a quick easy read with a plot with a few intriguing twists.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Patterson Returns with one of the better Alex Cross Novels, November 18, 2002
Every time James Patterson releases a book, readers use this space to complain about his latest work. People who have never read Patterson should understand something: He does not write with the forensic detail of a Ridley Pearson, or develop a plot like Jeffery Deaver, nor does he have the hard-boiled edge of a Michael Connelly. James Patterson attempts to do one thing and one thing only - entertain his readers - and he does it very well. Four Blind Mice is the eighth installment in the Alex Cross series of books. While this one is not quite on par with Kiss the Girls or Along Came a Spider, it is certainly better than any of the more recent Cross novels, especially Violets Are Blue. There were several positive aspects to this novel. The first and most noticeable is that Patterson brings John Sampson in for his most fully developed role yet. Sampson is a very likeable character and plays well with Cross. In fact, the Sampson character highlights the better parts of Cross more than any other. The second plus to this book was that the plot is better than it has been in the previous two Cross novels. Although most of Patterson's plots are unrealistic, and this one is no exception, this one seems more grounded in plausibility than Violets Are Blue, for example. The killers, whom we know are a group of former army rangers less than 10 pages into the book, are much better as villians than Vampires. This only ads to the story. The final thing frequent readers of Patterson's novels will notice is that the Cross character is fleshed out more fully and from different angles. We get to see Cross the detective, Cross the buddy,Cross the Dad, Cross and Jamilla, and Cross and Nana-Mama. This really helped to give the character a three-dimensional feel. All in all, this book is worth the purchase, especially for a Patterson fan. It is easily read in one sitting and is a highly entertaining read. If you're new to Patterson, it certainly helps to read the Cross books in order, starting with Along Came a Spider. Also Recommended - The Lou Boldt Series by Ridley Pearson, The Lucas Davenport Series by John Sandford, any Jeffery Deaver Book, as well as anything by Greg Iles. For light reading akin to James Patterson, Stuart Woods does the trick.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Death Row Killers, December 8, 2002
After reading 'Violets are Blue', I felt that James Patterson had become locked into a pattern in his suspense stories. At one end of the story is Alex Cross, psychologist turned homicide detective and at the other is one or another variation of the psychotic mastermind. Because this is such a generic formula, one can get a lot of mileage out of it before it becomes noticeably repetitious. However, 'Violets are Blue' was not all that well written, and I found myself predicting too much of the book's events. 'Four Blind Mice' is a much better vehicle, although the basic pattern is still present. This time Alex's partner and friend, John Sampson drags Alex into a case that starts out ugly and then gets very frightening. Sgt. Ellis Cooper, a man Sampson admires greatly, is sitting on death row awaiting execution for crimes that he apparently did not commit. The two detectives pour a tremendous amount of energy into finding the truth, but they can only find shadows and whispers of a pattern of murder and accusation that has led a series of Viet Nam veterans to their deaths. Again Patterson exposes the killers almost immediately, and leaves the reader waiting impatiently for Cross and Sampson to catch up, while we get to spend time inside the heads of the killers. Even when it is clear that the executions are really assassinations, it is difficult to uncover the underlying motivation. Cross finds himself receiving anonymous messages from someone named 'Foot Soldier', who is apparently the mind behind much that is going on. But nothing comes clear easily. Alex has a lot going on in his life to distract him. He is falling in love with Jamilla Hughes, a detective on the other side of the continent, he is considering leaving his job, and something is not quite right with Nana Mama, who has been most of the stability in Alex's life. Much to worry about and not many easy answers. Despite the improvement in narrative, I still find books that immediately reveal the killers less satisfying than those that keep more secrets. Patterson simply does not leave much for the reader to guess, turning this from a mystery story to a pure suspense tale. Whether you will like this or not is largely a matter of your preferences as a reader. I can tell you that the writing is good, the characters are interesting, the puzzle is intricate, and the suspense really is there.
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