"Four Blind Mice" by James Patterson (Thriller, spoilers)

This is another James Patterson thriller featuring detective Alex Cross.

Heh, I'm getting close to having read all of the Alex Cross books. There are thirteen of them so far published, with a fourteenth to come out some time next year. I've read ten of them now.

There are some things I noticed about this novel that are different, compared to the other Cross novels. It is typical for a Cross novel to be told from two points of view. Chapters told from the point of view of Cross are told in the first person. Other chapters are told in the third person, from the viewpoint of the villain.

In this novel, that is still the case, although there are some chapters told in the third person from John Sampson's point of view. Sampson is Cross's best friend, who he's known since they were both little kids.

Sampson asks for Cross's help in a case involving Ellis Cooper, who Sampson knew in the army. Cooper is a good friend of Sampson's, and is soon to be executed for a horrific triple murder he insists he didn't commit.

Cross and Sampson meet Cooper, and start looking into the case. They soon realize that there might be a lot more to the story than anyone's realized at first.

The trail leads them to clues, including a witness who saw three people outside the house where the murders took place, on the night of the killings.

Other clues they find come from a mysterious source, someone who goes by the name "Foot Soldier," and starts sending Cross mysterious e-mails dropping hints about possible leads.

Meanwhile, three men, all veterans of Vietnam, commit murders for fun and sport, and other times do it for big money. But there's one thing they don't know, and that's the identity of their employer. Whoever's paying them always works through intermediaries and remains anonymous.

The villains Patterson creates in this one are as nasty as any he's dreamed up. These people consider killing a kind of game, something that gives them excitement and an adrenaline rush. It's a real pleasure to them.

This novel has the typical marks of an Alex Cross novel - lots of action, plot twists, and no dull moments.

There were a few things I would have preferred Patterson handled differently. There were a few parts where Cross makes a lucky guess based on kind of vague information, and happens to get on the right track. I would have preferred more detail about clever police work being used to solve the problems.

On the positive side, though, there are some real surprises here. One scene early in the novel was a real shocker to me, and made me realize this book wouldn't follow the more predictable plot that I would have expected.

Obviously, I keep reading this Alex Cross novels, and I like them. Mainly because Patterson's writing style is so lucid, and exciting, they're very addictive. I'm sure I'll be reading more of his stuff. I need to read "Roses Are Red," then I'll have read all of the old ones, with just "Cross" and "Double Cross" yet to read, which came out within the past year. And the new novel won't be out until some time next year. I'll look forward to it.