That monstrous villain Gary Soneji is back in Cat & Mouse, the fourth book in James Patterson's series about Alex Cross, a police forensic psychologist, but he's not alone. In seeming support of the premise that you can never have too much of a bad thing, Patterson has thrown a second serial killer into the mix: Mr. Smith, a mysterious killer terrorizing Europe while Soneji practices his own brand of evil along the Eastern Seaboard. With two killers to track, Cross has his hands full--and Patterson has another hit.

That monstrous villain Gary Soneji is back in Cat & Mouse, the fourthbook in James Patterson's series about Alex Cross, a police forensic psychologist, buthe's not alone. In seeming support of the premise that you can never have too much of abad thing, Patterson has thrown a second serial killer into the mix: Mr. Smith, amysterious killer terrorizing Europe while Soneji practices his own brand of evil alongthe Eastern Seaboard. With two killers to track, Cross has his hands full--andPatterson has another hit.

Alex Cross is back-and so is a raging and suicidal Gary Soneji. Out of prison and dying from the AIDS virus he contracted there, he will get revenge on Cross before he dies. In addition, we are introduced to a new pair of rivals whose paths cross that of Alex and Soneji. Thomas Augustine Pierce has been chasing his demon, Mr. Smith, since the savage murder of his fiancee. Mr. Smith is a unique monster, with actions toward his victims so insane-so unimaginable-that he is thought of as "not of the earth." Pierce, known in the business as St. Augustine because of his track record for catching killers and his invaluable status to the FBI and Interpol, may even be better than Cross.When things heat up and Alex is in a near-death coma following an attack in his own home, Pierce goes to Washington to help with the investigation. But just as he begins to piece together the mystery of how Gary Soneji could have mortally wounded Cross after he was believed to be dead, he is summoned to Paris with a postcard from Mr. Smith inviting him to a very special killing.The body count is high, the tension the highest, and the two killers on the loose are watching every move their pursuers make. Who is the cat, and who is the mouse? What and where is the final trap? And who survives?

I buy and read Patterson sight unseen. Cat and Mouse was disappointing. Irritably inconsistent and predictable. I hope Mr Patterson hasn't lost it.

I think Cat & Mouse is my favorite Cross series book so far. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that the evolution of one of the villains didn't make sense. I don't want to give the storyline away, but if you've read the book, you probably know what I mean.

I'm a little behind in the Patterson books, but I'm feverishly trying to catch up!

[...] Seriously this was the 4th book in this Alex Cross series, it may not have been all that bad if you knew the back stories/characters. OK, coming off my soap box now.

So the basic story line, Soneji is back and he is a twisted SOB... he wants to take out as many people as possible as well as Cross. He has a plan and the plan unfolds quickly and pretty darn exciting. However through the first half of the book you start to read about this other psycho "Mr. Smith" who is one his own murder spree... the twist in plot hits! And you wont be able to stop reading!

I think this may have been one of my favorite Patterson books to date. I love the twist in plot mid way through, it really made it difficult to put it down at that point. If you are a fan of twists in the plot that you didn't see coming then this book is for you. Great Summer time read!

BTW Here is a link to the order of the Cross Series:

http://www.amazon.com/Alex-Cross-Series-In-Order-James-Patterson/lm/RPDN9G1NBTS3Q/ref=cm_rna_own_lm

I really loved this book. Not only did it have the return of the series' best psycho (so far), but it also featured another memorable psycho, Mr. Smith. The ending is so twisted and unbelievable. I loved every minute of it and couldn't get enough of it. S.L. Chessor author of My Tongue Fell Out & Poodlums Boogeymen and Booglers.Poodlums, Boogeymen and Booglers: A Poetry CollectionMy Tongue Fell Out

ive read 2 books now of pattersons and both left me feeling like ive wasted my time and money. his characters are one dimensional. cross for example is as vanilla as they come....boooooring. the only thing that saved this book from a 1 star was a scene involving a dog house. one scene out of the whole book. every chapter involving cross fawning over his love interest ( his childrens principal) was laughably bad and merits skipping. the way patterson chose to create his villain was unoriginal. if youre looking for bathroom reading material and not a serious read this might be for you. otherwise save your money.