Originally seen on my book blog!Alex Cross’s (and mine) worst nightmare is back. Gary Soneji is back with a vengeance and will stop at nothing to get back at Alex Cross for “ruining his life.” Can he be stopped this time? While Alex is trying to stop Gary a second time, there is another killer on the loose, Mr. Smith.I lied about Soneji being my worst nightmare. Mr. Smith is my worst nightmare. And it’s not particularly close.I could talk for hours about how much I like Alex Cross. He’s has been one of my favourite characters since I started this series in January. In every book it seems that I find a new thing that I like about him. This book is his humour. I don’t think I realized it before, but he’s funny. And not just in a way where I am cracking up and tears are streaming down my face, but in a way where I’m rolling my eyes and thinking “seriously? A dad joke?” or “you’re such a dweeb, Alex” “Can I see [Rosie, the cat]?”“Sure can. She’s been asking for you all morning. I don’t know why, but she seems to like you.”“She knows I’m a cool cat, too.”Seriously, that’s the best dad joke I’ve heard all month.Not only is he funny, but he’s a great dad, partner, friend, and basically every relationship he has. Patterson makes Alex’s relationships with his kids so healthy and refreshing. I can tell that Alex loves his kids more than anything and I can tell that they love him. Jannie and Damon are so smart and I love parts of the book that they are in because their dialogue with Alex is witty and fun. Every book I feel like I’m getting closer to Alex’s family because Patterson portrays them so well.I loved this book because it was fast paced. When I say fast-paced, I mean that I literally could not put this book down because I needed to know what was happening. One thing that was big in this book was the “cat and mouse” effect (now the title makes sense). During the book, Alex is trying to find Soneji and at times he’s not sure if he’s the cat or if he’s the mouse. I think at times he was the cat and at times he was the mouse. It seemed that Soneji knew exactly what Alex was going to do, making Alex the mouse but at times Alex was sure he had a line on Soneji making Alex the cat.There was another aspect of this book that was… creepy and scary. Mr. Smith was the scariest killer anyone had ever seen. He’s been over America and into Europe and they don’t know how to stop him. Alex, Sampson, and Thomas Pierce were trying to catch him and were definitely the Mouse. They had no idea what Mr. Smith’s next move was going to be until it was too late. They were always the mouse until they simply weren’t and then it was just the fact of finding him which was no easy task. Mr. Smith will probably be showing up in my nightmares during the next few weeks.Thomas Pierce is an FBI agent who has a special tie with Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith killed Pierce’s girlfriend. He took the case personally and wanted nothing more than to find her killer. I don’t know how I felt about Pierce but that’s because I’m so used to everyone else that I felt weird about a new character. Patterson made him likable and unlikable at different times, and I still haven’t decided how I feel about him.I do know that I hated Mr. Smith. When I found out who he was, I was shocked. I wasn’t expecting it at all. Maybe my detective skills are not up to par, but I couldn’t believe it. I never would have thought that the killer was who it was and I think Patterson made it known perfectly. There was no better way to do it and I think that’s why it was so shocking.This book has more romance than the others and surprisingly I liked that portion. Him and Christine are finally going on a date! I love them together and I haven’t quite put my finger on why. Patterson writes them in a way where you just fall in love with them as a couple and want them to run off and get married (or maybe that’s just me?) I can’t wait to see how their relationship grows in the next few books.If there was one thing that I didn’t think about this book was that it changed POV halfway through. All the other books are through Alex Cross’s eyes, but for some of the book, Thomas Pierce was the eyes and ears of the book and it was a strange transition. It was weird hearing “Alex Cross said” instead of “I said” but after a while, I got more used to it and saw why it was important in the book.Easily a 5 star rating and I won’t be surprised if it’s at the top of my monthly favourite list for April. I would recommend this to everyone that read the first three books of the series. This is not a series to read out of order and this book will only makes sense (at times) if the first three were read. It also gives away other aspects of the previous books, so it’s very important to read the first three before diving into this one.
Call me crazy but this is my favorite Alex Cross book thus far. This is the fourth in the series. I've already read the first three (all of which I enjoyed) but there was something about this one that just grabbed me right from the beginning.I just love how Patterson weaves a tale. And, as much as I joke with my friends about his short chapters, I find them refreshing after some of the heavier things I've read this past summer. No more saying to myself, "I'll read one more chapter before I go to bed." With a Patterson book, you can safely say, "I'll read twenty more chapters" before putting the book down.And, I can't help but smile every time Patterson mentions other authors' books. He does it on numerous occasions in Cat and Mouse and I always find myself checking out the books he's mentioned.This installment finds Alex Cross, once again, coming face to face with ... Gary Soneji. Those of you who have already read the first book in this series, Along Came A Spider, will recognize Soneji as the teacher turned kidnapper who wanted to commit the "crime of the century." Now he has escaped from prison and has come back to seek revenge on the man who put him there....Alex Cross.Across the ocean on the continent of Europe, another madman is killing people by performing autopsies on them while they're still alive. The FBI is all over this killer, dubbed "Mr. Smith", and has assigned their young, crack shot, pony-tailed agent, Thomas Pierce, to head up this investigation. Circumstances will bring him back to the U.S. to help with the Soneji investigation.Of course, it will be up to our hero, Alex Cross, to save the day. Since he's not only a homicide detective, but one with a Ph.D. in psychology, he's very adept at getting into someone's mind. This is the best part of this series -- watching how Alex figures out what the murderer's next step will be.For Alex Cross fans, one of the highlights of this book will be the love match between him and Christine, the principal of Damon and Jannie's (Alex' kids) school. Readers of this series will remember Christine as a character in Jack and Jill (the third book in this series). Sadly, her husband was murdered in that one. Could the timing be right for these two characters? One can only hope. I'm sure I'll find out when I read the next book in this series
What do You think about Cat And Mouse (2007)?
GAG!! Maybe 2.25 stars. I'm usually a huge Alex Cross fan, the first two books - shit scary. Number 3... meh. But this one?? Seriously?!It basically read like two books - the first half with Soneji was a flop, I didn't find that necessary, yes it was creepy but pretty disappointing. And (ok, maybe I'm a bitch) but not one member of Alex Cross' family died?? Not even the Grandma?? Come On!!!The romance between Cross and Christine?? Gag, seriously, gag. Please don't ever write any sex scenes again. Never. Again. Please. If I wanted to read a romance novel I would have picked one from a romance author. Second half of the book was good. At 75% we went left field which was surprising but not necessarily bad (or good mind you).My problem with reviewing this is that I am a James Patterson fan usually but this book... really, really disappointing. Think I'm turned off Alex Cross for while. Sorry =S
—Nathalie
Alex Cross is back in a novel with a cast of characters more sinister and deadlier than ever. Gary Soneji, a dying prison escapee, is looking for revenge on Cross, while another insane killer is pursued by Thomas Augustine Pierce--a brilliant and relentless detective who may even be better than Cross. As the bodies pile up, and Cross is nearly murdered in his own home, the game of cat and mouse leads to one final trap, and it's anyone's guess who will survive. It was Patterson style, which I love, and the only complaint I have is the chapters were so darn short
—Renee
Another good installment of the Alex Cross series - I really like these; they have held up well despite being nearly 20 years old. This one brings back an old nemesis - Gary Soneji - and introduces a new one - Mr Smith. And Mr Smith definitely has creepy sewn up. He has spread his particular brand of evil over not just the US, but also Europe as well. Alex is drawn into cases involving both of these killers and it's full of twists and turns. I did have a bit of whiplash with all the changes of POV - this story switches several times and it seems a little hard to follow for me. Otherwise, it is well written and suspenseful. I'll be looking for book #5 soon.
—Cindy
