Cat & Mouse (Alex Cross, #4)

Title: Cat & Mouse (Alex Cross, #4)

Author: James Patterson

Published in: 1997

Date read: 1st September 2004

Score: 4/5

Genre: Crime, Detective, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Cat & Mouse" by James Patterson is the fourth novel in the Alex Cross series, intensifying the detective's long-standing rivalry with two of his most formidable and terrifying adversaries.

The story opens with the re-emergence of Gary Soneji, the brilliant and psychopathic serial killer from "Along Came a Spider." Soneji escapes from prison, leaving a trail of bodies and immediately begins a new reign of terror. His escape and subsequent murders are a direct taunt to Alex Cross, and Soneji is obsessed with continuing their deadly game.

However, a new and even more terrifying killer enters the scene: a meticulous, intelligent European assassin known only as "Mr. Smith" or "The Mastermind." This killer specialises in brutally murdering entire families, leaving no survivors, across various locations in Europe and, eventually, the United States. His motives are initially unclear, but his methods are chillingly efficient and utterly ruthless.

Alex Cross finds himself caught between these two monstrous criminals. While Soneji's attacks are personal and designed to torment Cross, Mr. Smith's killings are broader in scope and equally disturbing. As the body count rises for both killers, Alex realises that he must pursue both simultaneously, a task that stretches his investigative skills and psychological endurance to their limits.

The novel is a complex cat-and-mouse game, with Alex struggling to get inside the minds of these two distinct psychopaths. He races against time, traveling between Washington D.C., Florida, and other locations, trying to predict their next moves and protect potential victims. The pressure on Cross is immense, compounded by the personal danger he and his family face from Soneji's continued obsession.

As the narrative progresses, it becomes clear that there might be a subtle, horrifying connection between the two killers, or perhaps an unexpected link that binds their separate rampages. Cross must use all his deductive reasoning and psychological insight to unravel the complex web of crimes and ultimately confront both the deeply personal threat of Soneji and the more expansive, cold-blooded evil of Mr. Smith, leading to a climactic and dangerous confrontation.

Comments:
Seamlessly follows on, I am so glad that these were all available when I started reading them and that I didn't have to wait for them to be written!

Books that we've read by James Patterson (32):
Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross, #1) (1993), Kiss the Girls (Alex Cross, #2) (1995), Jack & Jill (Alex Cross, #3) (1996), Cat & Mouse (Alex Cross, #4) (1997), Pop Goes the Weasel (Alex Cross, #5) (1999), Roses Are Red (Alex Cross, #6) (2000), 1st to Die (Women's Murder Club, #1) (2001), Violets Are Blue (Alex Cross, #7) (2001), 2nd Chance (Women's Murder Club, #2) (2002), Four Blind Mice (Alex Cross, #8) (2002), The Big Bad Wolf (Alex Cross, #9) (2003), The Jester (2003), 3rd Degree (Women's Murder Club, #3) (2004), London Bridges (Alex Cross, #10) (2004), 4th of July (Women's Murder Club, #4) (2005), Mary, Mary (Alex Cross, #11) (2005), 5th Horseman (Women's Murder Club, #5) (2006), Cross (Alex Cross, #12) (2006), The 6th Target (Women's Murder Club, #6) (2007), Double Cross (Alex Cross, #13) (2007), 7th Heaven (Women's Murder Club, #7) (2008), Cross Country (Alex Cross, #14) (2008), 8th Confession (Women's Murder Club, #8) (2009), Alex Cross's Trial (Alex Cross, #15) (2009), I, Alex Cross (Alex Cross, #16) (2009), The 9th Judgment (Women's Murder Club, #9) (2010), Cross Fire (Alex Cross, #17) (2010), 10th Anniversary (Women's Murder Club, #10) (2011), Kill Alex Cross (Alex Cross, #18) (2011), 11th Hour (Women's Murder Club, #11) (2012), Merry Christmas, Alex Cross (Alex Cross, #19) (2012), Alex Cross, Run (Alex Cross, #20) (2013)