Four Blind Mice

By: James Patterson

Narrated by: Peter J. Fernandez, Michael Emerson

Detective Alex Cross is on his way to resign from the Washington, DC 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 him to the gas chamber.

Sampson is certain his friend has been framed, and Alex's investigation turns up evidence overlooked - or concealed - by the military authorities. Drawing on their years of street training and an almost telepathic mutual trust, Cross and Sampson go deep behind military lines to confront the most ruthless - and deadliest - killers they have ever encountered. Behind these three highly skilled killing machines there appears to be an even more threatening controller. Discovering the identity of this lethal genius will prove to be Cross' most terrifying challenge ever.

On his visits home, Alex must confront another, more disturbing mystery: what's the matter with Nana Mama? As he explores the possibility of a relationship with a woman who offers him new hope, Alex must also face the fact that his beloved grandmother is only human.

©2002 James Patterson, All Rights Reserved (P)2002 Time Warner AudioBooks, a Division of the AOL Time Warner Book Group

Critic reviews

"Everything clicks in this novel, from Patterson's patented short chapters to the whiplash plotting." (Publishers Weekly)
"Patterson delivers another exciting thriller, with some intriguing new developments for [Alex] Cross." (Booklist)

Next time I'm going with abridged version

Enjoyed most of this one...but the extended "love scenes" and some of the storyline would have been much more enjoyable - without.

Next Patterson novel with be abridged for me.

Love this book

I thought I had read all of the Alex Cross series but guess I skipped this one. They never disappoint.

Infinitely better than recent Alex Cross stories

I like Alex Cross. I loved the earlier stories, but after Roses are Red, I swore I would never, ever read another James Patterson book. It's an addiction. I read Violets are Blue, a slight redemption, but I was still borderline. Beach House was adequate, and the new series, 1st to Die and 2nd Chance were an interesting change. Four Blind Mice is a good book, ill-timed storyline, but such is life. I find myself looking forward to some more enjoyable quick reads/listens from Patterson (what is it, every six months?)....

Music ruined it

The music during some of the scenes completely ruined it. It was too loud and very distracting. We don't need a sexy saxophone playing during love scenes to get the picture, or creepy midnight crickets and woodland noise to know we're in the woods.

Great for Flying

I listened to the book over a period of a couple of weeks while flying between BWI and Florida. First time in my life that I was fervently hoping for a delay to the flight so that I could listen some more. The suspense is outstanding. The love scenes are OK, but about as good as Tom Clancy (if you know what I mean).

The plot develops nicely and has quite a few twists and turns. I could not predict what the ending would be, although I was teased by the foreshadowing.

Disturbing yet captivating

I couldn't stop listening and even when I thought I knew what would come next, I was surprised yet again!

Four Blind Mice

A little gruesome but I really liked it! I don’t know how and where James Patterson gets his ideas for his books but wow! Keep them coming!!

Four Blind Stars

James Patterson's Detective Cross series is one of my personal favorites. This outing in particular was well paced, Patterson's style lends itself well to audiobooks. The dialouge is well delivered by the narrators and contains only a minimal amount of sound effects. The military aspect of the novel was well written and believable (I come from a military background and I take, almost personal, offense when a writer gets it wrong). I would have given it five stars, but I reserve that for unique novels. Four Blind Mice is crime fiction formula at its best. A worthwhile listen.

Will he stay or go?

Alex Cross no longer a cop? The answer surprised me. Throw in a series of mysterious murders. Well, you got the idea ;-)

The music is ridiculous.

The story line continues to be as immersive as we all know Patterson's Alex Cross books can be. It's the performance that drove me insane on this one. The music is completely unnecessary for the reading of this book. The suspense is already built by Patterson, so why would we need a hokey score to go with it? Switching between the readers, Fernandez and Emerson, was a nice touch. However, I think the audio would have had a nicer ebb and flow with a single reader.

And seriously... no more music.