Four Blind Mice by James Patterson

        When you first look at this title, you may be thinking, "There's only three blind mice, not four." But this is not a story about mice lacking eyesight, in actuality, this is a novel that encompasses action, suspense, love and an unpredictable plot. Despite the insultingly simple vocabulary, the book does an excellent job of capturing an audience's attention. No one really wants to read a boring book, no offense Fareed Zakaria (take into consideration I am a high school student). The first thing I noticed was how well each character's persona was developed. Each person had at least one or two distinct traits that one could easily pick out of a crowd. Alex Cross, the main character, seems to be struggling with many issues in the book. These include, his super-attractive love interest, Jamilla; three obscene killers that he can't seem to get any information on; his grandmother's health (she's one of those "super-grandmas"); and his plans following the end of this case, his "last" case. This fine work of literature holds a storyline based on a Washington D.C. detective on the verge of retirement who decides to help his best friend take on a case involving a military man with a clean record being framed for murder. All across the country Vietnam veterans were being sentenced to death for murders they all claim they did not commit. No real correlation could be found other than they were all part of an operation in the An Lao Valley. There were only three men that hadn't had any incidents: Thomas Starkey, Brownley Harris, and Warren Griffin; the Three Blind Mice. With the help of a mystery e-mailer, Foot Solider, and an imprisoned Vietnamese gang member, Tran Van Luu. Alex Cross and John Sampson are able to hunt down the killers and bring them to justice, each maintaining a love interest on the side.
        Throughout the whole book, each short chapter encompasses a certain event that not only is important to the plot, but keeps the reader involved and thinking. There are multiple twists and turns with a surprise ending that one would never expect. Four Blind Mice is a perfect book for someone looking for an easy read, but an intense one. I highly recommend.

TM