When last we saw Alex Cross he was vowing to leave his job as a cop, and it left me wondering what direction these books would take from here on out. I should have known it’s never that cut and dried in a Cross book; the character is far too wimpy and wishy washy to stick to a decision. So, here we are with Four Blind Mice, where Alex agrees to take on one last case, at the request of best bud John Sampson whose old army buddy has been convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Unfortunately for our hero, although he manages to stop the bad guys in the end, he doesn’t do it in time to save Sampson’s friend. Cue the violins. Just one more death on Cross’ conscience.
Here’s the premise:
Three army Rangers are on a killing spree in the U.S. and framing a number of active and retired army personnel. Soldiers who’ve fought for the freedoms the USA stands for. It’s timely reading, considering I’m writing this review on Remembrance Day. As Cross digs into the murders and tracks down the killers, he connects them back to An Lao Valley in Vietnam, where killers and those they’re framing for murder not only fought together but committed some pretty nasty war crimes too. Hence the modern day killing spree – just one big cover up. Here, though, is where I disconnect from the story. Vietnam? Really? Four Blind Mice was published in 2002, thirty-plus years after ‘Nam. So much has gone on, military-wise since, that Patterson has his pick of wars to write about. I mean, there was the Gulf War in the ‘90s, the current Afghanistan/Iraq clusterfuck, the terrorist attacks on US soil (which he does give a nod too – Alex Cross looks up at a jet flying overhead and wonders if he’ll ever feel easy again seeing those planes flying by). Instead, Patterson chooses to write about men who fought in ‘Nam, describing them like they’re in their thirties or forties, when really, they’d be quite a bit older than that by now. It just doesn’t jive for me.
I remember reading a ton of Harlequins back in the ‘80s when the wounded ‘Nam veteran was a hugely popular hero. I guess I’m a little surprised to find ‘Nam playing out so prevalently in a 21st Century novel; it seriously dates Patterson as an author in my opinion.
Anyway, I’ll quit gripping now and just say this wasn’t the best Alex Cross book I’ve read. But hope springs eternal, so maybe the ninth book is the charm.
Till next time, happy reading!
L J
| TBR = 25 | WPL = 30 |
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