disapppointing and long on the cd reading. Tale too preposterous but then I am new to mysteries. Smith/Pierce murders and almost autopsies of the bodies. Alex Cross and family are targets but somehow live. Went on too long. ( )

Cat and Mouse is my first foray into the world of Alex Cross, a world written by James Patterson. While much better than the Iris Johansen novel I delved into last year, slightly above average is the best I can call this work. If this is an example of his style, I find myself wondering what all the fuss is about over Patterson’s writing.

Let’s go with the good stuff first. While Alex Cross is an ongoing character, and I understand this book comes in late in the series, I had no trouble getting into the feel of the character. Good character development in a short time is not too common. Cross had my empathy after only a short time into the story. Cross has not one but two world-class bad guys to contend with and they were not operating as a team. A very nice plot device and it was used effectively. There is gore, this is a murder mystery after all, but no more than is needed to make the point. Good restraint on the author’s part.

With an opening like this, why did it end up being just over middle of the road? Because the big plot twist was not too much of a surprise after all. While not exactly spelled out, it became obvious too quickly. One of the killers appeared to be killing people randomly while the police and the FBI frantically tried to find the pattern. It was there if you read carefully long before it was revealed by Cross. That is not giving the plot away. Cross is the hero, that’s what he’s supposed to do: solve the pattern.

Ironically, what elevated this story from sub-mediocrity was the romantic subplot. I’m not into romance novels, but a well-done truly romantic interlude is difficult to find. One that is not over the top in detail is even more rare. Patterson does not write the erotic scenes Murakami has shown in some of his works, but for a potboiler author, Patterson is very refreshing.

All told, Cat and Mouse made an interesting diversion during my daily commute. Good travel reading and suggested for best-seller / murder mystery lovers. If you prefer more thought in your reading, this book may leave something to be desired. ( )

More "unspeakable acts" performed by unstoppable evil serial killers. Fortunately Alex Cross is on the case. Decent page turner, but nothing outstanding. ( )

This book was entertaining but as far as Patterson books go I wasn't super impressed. It is almost like reading two different short novels in one; like he ran out of things to say for the first plot line and began a whole different one half way through. I enjoyed reading the second half more than the first though. In the end I give this 2.5 stars out of 5. ( )

A bit improved from Jack and Jill, but a long way to go still. ( )