Four Blind Mice

Four Blind Mice (Alex Cross #8)

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3.92 of 5 stars 3.92  ·  rating details  ·  20,453 ratings  ·  386 reviews
Detective Alex Cross is on his way to resign from the Washington, D.C., Police Force when his partner shows up at his door with a case he can't refuse. One of John Sampson's oldest friends, from their days together in Vietnam, has been arrested for murder. Worse yet, he is subject to the iron hand of the United States Army. The evidence against him is strong enough to send...more
ebook, 383 pages
Published October 1st 2003 by Vision (first published 2002)
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Gavin
Reading a James Patterson novel is akin to eating soggy cereal -- eatable but not necessarily the first choice for breakfast. With that being said, I gave this one four stars. Call me a hypocrite, if you like. But the rating is not so much on Patterson's skills as a writer (which he has few, in my opinion); rather the rating deals with his skills as a storyteller (which he excels at).

FOUR BLIND MICE stars Alex Cross, a homicide detective with too much education. (Morgan Freeman played the chara...more
Julia
This is the 8th book with Alex Cross, but the first I read involving that character. Will have to read the others.
Alex and his good friend John Sampson look into the murder conviction of a man John served with in Vietnam. While looking into the case they find discrepancies and cover-ups in the military records.
Other similar cases are found as they seek the truth behind several military personnel, with previously clean records, being convicted of heinous crimes and sentenced to the death penalty...more
Catten
This is Patterson's eighth Alex Cross novel, and I have to admit, I've been a lot more impressed. The guy is prolific and popular, and his other books have been pretty good.

My biggest complaint is that around page 300, I discovered that Cross, the main character, is African American, not white like I'd assumed. And it was a fair assumption: Patterson is on the back cover of the book, and he sure looks like a white guy to me. My problem isn't with the character's race, it's with having to readjus...more
Megan Sides
Very good I think the description was good too but the unrelated more mature stuff might need to be toned down a bit. I loved how the point of view in the story changed from person to person, and when they meet up it is a war game.I like how john comes up with the...... well you might have to find out. The family buisness might be a little much but nana gives good advice but the things that dont relate with the main story could be toned down abit.

BUT I CAN TELL YOU ONE THING DON'T TRUST ANYBODY...more
Gette
After putting his latest nemesis in prison, Alex Cross is ready to resign from the Washington Police Force and perhaps, at long last, pursue a possible love interest. [return][return]Before that could happen, John Sampson turns up at the house with a plea for help. His friend and mentor, Sergeant Ellis Cooper from the army base camp, is standing trial for the savage murder of three young military wives.[return][return]Everyone who knew Cooper couldn� t believe it, but the evidence is stacked fir...more
Shaun
Forced to give this book two stars rather than the average three because Goodreads system states that two is 'it was ok' and three is 'liked it', unfortunately I didn't really like this book. I liken James Patterson novels to fast food, at the time it seems like such a great idea, when eating the fast food it still feels like a good idea, but when surrounded by the empty wrappers you wonder why you bothered. And I always feel like this after (most) Patterson novels, apart from one or two. Much l...more
Nicole Green
There is one major rule when it comes to writing, always start with a conflict. Patterson is the master of starting a book with the conflict and keeping the action going. I was born an army brat and have always enjoyed a good army movie or book. This one was no different, it was obvious that Patterson had done his research when it came to the Vietnam War, army protocol, and period weaponry. I also got the feeling that Patterson knew what it was like over in Vietnam during the war, the goings on...more
Dale
Good but not great

Published by Hatchette Audio in 2002.
Read by Peter J. Fernandez and Michael Emerson.
Duration: 8 hours and 7 minutes.


I am glad to get back to the world of Alex Cross. I have read or heard 3 other Patterson books this year and have been sorely disappointed with two. I only liked one ( Jester ) and I was looking forward to getting back to comfortable ground with Alex Cross.


After reading a few reviews, it sounds like the audio version actually helps Four Blind Mice a bit. The two na...more
Jerry
Good Patterson / Cross - lots of murders drive frantic plot!

Just when we feared homicide detective Alex Cross was losing his touch, he himself fretting about the job and the anxieties attendant to it (in the prior story "Violets Are Blue"), along comes "Mice", supposedly his last job on his last day of duty with the DC cops. His best friend and long-time colleague, John Sampson, begs him to help clear an old army friend who seems unjustly convicted (via overwhelming evidence) of a gruesome trip...more
Jim
I've been working my way through the Alex Cross series by James Patterson and was finding them repetitive, so I took some time off after Violets Are Blue. In fact, I wasn't sure I'd return, but I find my interest renewed after reading Four Blind Mice. Obviously, the entire series is detective Cross solving nasty murders, but this one differed because it evolved from events (aka atrocities) committed during the Viet Nam war whose repercussions began decades later. Multiple military men are execut...more
Tony
James Patterson- Four Blind Mice (Warner Books 2003) 3.25 Stars

Alex Cross has decided to leave the police force, but he is presented with one last case that he simply can’t resist. When John Sampson, his partner, finds out that a good friend of his has been framed for murder and is now on death row, he pulls Alex Cross in to save his friend. The United States Army wants the case to be done and over with, but Cross and Sampson don’t intend to let it drop. Three killers will stop at nothing to suc...more
Mattelyn Pressly
Many people have never experienced what Alex Cross has, or came close to it. When Alex decides to retire from being a homocide detective, but an interference with a childhood friend of his, John Sampson, comes along with a case Cross knows he can not refuse. Cross agrees to take the case. This will be his last case. He doesn't realize how dangerous and complicated the case turns out to be until he has dug himself in so deep that there is no turning back for him or Sampson.

Sampson explains to A...more
Liz
Feb 15, 2011 Liz rated it 2 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: james patterson
Recommended to Liz by: self
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Leslie
As usual, listened to a Patterson murder mystery when driving to Virginia in the middle of the night. I need something that will keep me awake (although I'm glad this one didn't have gunshot sound effects, as that sent my dog into a tizzy last time) but that I don't need to pay close attention to. I mean, no matter what, Alex Cross is going to swear this is his last case (it won't be), he is going to fall madly in love with someone, he is going to wax poetic about how much he loves his children...more
Kathy
"Washington cop Alex Cross gets involved in his partner's effort to save the life of an old Army buddy who's facing execution for a horrendous and inexplicable murder spree in North Carolina. The Army's evidence against Sergeant Ellis Cooper, a decorated Vietnam vet, is overwhelming, which isn't surprising since it's all been planted by a quartet of killers whose reason for framing the erstwhile hero isn't revealed until long after they are. The big secret is who set the murderers loose, and in...more
Gareth Otton
This book felt a little bit like a filler book after reading Violets are Blue. The previous few Alex Cross novels have all been leading up towards an ending... getting the Mastermind... and I expected this novel to be the start of something new.

Instead it was a stand alone investigation that wasn't going to lead to anything bigger. On it's own that is fine but being as this novel is part of an ongoing series I was looking forward to the next big thing to sink my teeth into.

One thing I did like...more
Barbra
The next in the Alex Cross series. Fast read and the book goes at a breakneck speed.

Back Cover Blurb:
Alex Cross is preparing to resign from the Washington Police Force. He's enjoying the feeling; not least because the Mastermind is now in prison. Also, Alex has met a woman, Jamilla Hughes, and he is talking about the future.
Then John Sampson shows up at the house, desperate for Alex's help. Three young military wives have been savagely killed during a 'girls' night out' and Sampson's friend, a m...more
Melissa
There were a few things about this book that just struck me as odd and made it hard for me to really like it, not all of these were about the story as about how the book was put together.

This book had the shortest chapters I have ever seen in a book, about the time you were starting to get into the flow of the story he ends the chapter sometimes before it should have been ended. Left you kinda hanging out there expecting more. Also, all these people are supposed to be police officers but they al...more
Chris Miller
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Dick Edwards
I more or less agree with Stephen King: “…a dopey thriller.” But it was also a fun read. At the end, I felt like I had not improved myself by reading it. I don’t know how much Patterson actually knows about the Viet Nam war. I would like to believe that the “if it moves, it’s VC” philosophy didn’t exist, but what do I know, it probably did. I found the total approach to life and the war somewhat cynical. I found the interludes (concerning his grandmother and new girlfriend) not too compelling. O...more
Lois Clark-Johnston
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Molly
Um, this book was lame. Let the record state that I only read it because a library patron recommended it and I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. Lame, unless you like stock characters and hastily wrapped up endings.
Rona Simmons
Given James Patterson reputation, I decided I had to read at least one of his novels. I found this book at a book sale so decided to give it a go. With 100 plus two page chapters, it is a quick read, one chapter over so quickly it tempts you to just read one more. Further the voice and action shifts from the narrator (the serial lead), to another (the buddy detective), to the bad guy with every few chapters as well.
Unfortunately I found the story implausible (maybe they’re supposed to be) with t...more
Jeanette
Who's framing former military men for murders they didn't commit? When Alex Cross is asked by his friend John Sampson to help him investigate why Sampson's good friend is on death row for a crime he swears he didn't commit, Alex can't refuse. It's supposed to be his last case before he leaves the Washington, D.C. police department. When the body count grows, and more men are falsely accused, Alex becomes obsessed with a case that has more tentacles than an octopus. Alex's investigation takes him...more
Dave
I really enjoyed this book. Detective Cross got into quite a mess trying to solve the case of the "Three Bind Mice" only to discover where was a fourth. While tracking down the killers that set-up his friend, Sergeant Ellis Cooper is now being sentenced for execution for the murders of three women. With not much time, Cross must find the killers before Sergeant Cooper is put to death by lethal-injection. The story unfolds with a plot that takes both Cross and his partner, Sampson, to numerous lo...more
Villager
I'm late to the Alex Cross party. I'm just now reading these novels by James Patterson about the African American homicide detective from Washington DC. In this story, Alex agrees to help out his best friend in proving the innocence of a death-row inmate who is scheduled to die in less than a month. The inmate is a career military officer. The case involves a 3-person military hit squad that has been operational since the Vietnam War era.

It appears that this is the last case that Alex Cross wil...more
Kathleen Marasco
I enjoyed this one again, finally! I read the book in one evening. Right up there with his best, and I really liked the focus on Sampson! It moved as fast as Roses are Red, which I also really enjoyed, and loved the inter-relationship with Kyle again.

Good stuff! I didn't want it to end, but alas, 'twas not to be. Keep it up, James, and we'll be waiting outside the doors of the various Barnes and Nobles, the first morning , bright and early , when your next Alex Cross novel is due out, to once a...more
Wendy
Good story in the Alex Cross series. Not sure if it's "movie worthy", but a good thriller.

Alex Cross's partner has asked for help with an old Army buddy, a Sergeant, a decorated Vietnam vet, facing execution for a spree of horrible murders. He may or may not be innocent. Can Cross solve the cases in time?

Alex Cross books are really good when listening to the Audio version. There's usually 2 different readers: one for Alex Cross and the good guys, another for the bad guys. This one was particular...more
Amy
James Patterson's Alex Cross series is Great! This is Alex's last case for the DC Police Department. And it sure keeps him thinking.
Alex is investigating an ex-military officer who has been found guilty of a murder he didn't commit. Things seem so clear cut, until Alex finds out other officers have beenfound guilty in the very same way. Now Alex has to find out who are setting up these men to die for crimes they didn't commit, and who wants them dead.
Fast paced and keeps ya thinking. I really e...more
JC
Could be my favorite Alex Cross novel yet. The book moved along at a good place and was very complicated in terms of the actual murders and who was behind them. Cross is ready to retire, but Sampson recruits him to check out a murder in which his friend, Sergeant Ellis Cooper is accused. The murders are quite brutal and there's a patter going on, but the army appears to be covering something up. Things also start to heat up with Cross and Jamilla Hughes as well.

I definitely thought the book was...more
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Four Blind Mice (Alex Cross, #8)
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The subject of a Time magazine feature called, "The Man Who Can't Miss," James Patterson is the bestselling author of the past year, bar none, with more than 16 million books sold in North America alone. In 2007, one of every fifteen hardcover fiction books sold was a Patterson title. In the past three years, James has sold more books than any other author (according...more
More about James Patterson...
Kiss the Girls (Alex Cross, #2) Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross, #1) 1st to Die (Women's Murder Club, #1) The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride, #1) Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas

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