Category: P

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2008, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

4th of July by James Patterson

Tara
4th of July
by James Patterson
Copyright: 2005
Pages: 416
Rating: 4/5
Read: April 7-9, 2008
Challenge: No challenge; personal read

First Line: It was just before 4:00am on a weekday.

Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer finds herself in the defendant’s seat after a short car chase which ends fatally. She retreats to her sister’s house for privacy before the trial is set to begin. There she is faced with a small town who is in the grips of a string of unsolved, grisly murders. Being the cop, she can’t leave things alone and gets involved. Not only is she facing financial ruin in San Francisco, but she is also facing a cold-blooded murderer who will stop at nothing to keep Lindsay from discovering the truth behind the murders.
Another good book in the Women’s Murder Club!! This one was not as good as the 3rd Degree, which is the best in the series so far. The middle of this book was a little slow, but the ending … Oh My Goodness! It was a total shocker! I couldn’t believe it, I had no idea who the killer actually was!! I highly recommend this series!!
4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2008, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

3rd Degree by James Patterson

Tara
3rd Degree
by James Patterson
Copyright: 2004
Pages: 339
Rating: 4/5
Read: April 6-7, 2008
Challenge: Suspense & Thriller Challenge – Terrorist thriller

First Line: It was a clear, calm, lazy April morning, the day the worst week of my life began.

In this third installment of the Women’s Murder Club, terrorists are at work on Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer’s streets. After more and more people are murdered for the “cause,” Lindsay calls a meeting with the girls. But the investigation will put one of the Women’s Club members in grave danger.
This book was amazing!! I really, really enjoyed it!! It’s almost heartbreaking in places. And the ending is truly shocking. I highly recommend this book. This series is great!! This book is definitely the best one in the series so far!!
5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2008

The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard

Tara
The Virgin of Small Plains
by Nancy Pickard
Copyright: 2006
Pages: 336
Rating: 5/5
Read: March 29-31, 2008
Challenge: Eponymous Challenge

First Line: Abby Reynolds braked her truck on the icy highway, startled by what she imagined she saw off to the side of the road.

For nearly twenty years, a rural Kansas town has tended to the grave of an unknown teenage girl who has become known as “The Virgin.” The discovery of her body changed the lives of teens Mitch Newquist, Abby Reynolds, and Rex Shellenberger. For Mitch, he inexplicably left town the day after she was found, leaving his girlfriend, Abby and best friend, Rex, behind without a reason. But nearly twenty years later, Mitch will return to the small town of Small Plains in order to finally put a name on the Virgin’s grave and in the process will change the entire town forever.
This book was awesome! There were so many twists and turns. And the ending was a complete shocker to me! I loved it!! Highly recommended!
4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2008, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

2nd Chance by James Patterson

Tara
2nd Chance
by James Patterson

Copyright: 2002
Pages: 400
Rating: 4/5
Read: March 21-22, 2008
Challenge: Numbers Challenge

First Line: Aaron Winslow would never forget the next few minutes.

The Women’s Murder Club returns in this second installment of the series! This time, they are up against a brilliant murderer who is seemingly killing people at random. But Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer is under the impression that the killings are somehow related and that there is a serial killer on the loose. But in order to convince her boss and co-workers, she has to enlist the help of her girls in the Club. And what they find out will rock the city to it’s core.

This was another great one from James Patterson! This one read so incredibly fast and was a great read!! I still do not know why I waited so long to start this series, but am definitely glad that I’m reading them now!!

Finishing this book also completes the Numbers Challenge. (My first finished challenge! Yay! – I’ll post a end-of-challenge round-up post shortly).

5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2008

The Pact by Jodi Picoult

Tara
The Pact
by Jodi Picoult

Copyright: 1998
Pages: 496
Rating: 5/5
Read: March 14-16, 2008
Challenge: No challenge; personal read

First Line: There was nothing left to say.

Chris Harte and Emily Gold have been joined at the hip since birth. They had no choice, with their mothers being best friends, they were always together. So it was no surprise to anyone when their friendship turned into a romantic relationship. However, when Emily is found dead in the arms of Chris, dead of a supposed suicide pact, no one can comprehend what could have happened. Emily’s death will rock their little town, change their parents’ life forever and possibly be the end of Chris’ life as he knows it.
This book was great! After hearing many great things about Jodi Picoult, this book was the only one that I could find available on paperbackswap.com and decided to give it a shot. I read it in three days and was absolutely entranced by it the entire time. The way that Picoult weaves her story is amazing. The characters came to life, I could feel the feelings that the characters were feeling. It was just a great book all around. Highly recommended.
5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2008, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

1st to Die by James Patterson

Tara
1st to Die
by James Patterson
Copyright: 2001
Pages: 462
Rating: 5/5
Read: March 2-4, 2008
Challenge: Celebrate the Author; Triple Eight – From my TBR Shelf & 1st in a Series; Numbers Challenge
First Line: It is an unusually warm night in July, but I’m shivering badly as I stand on the substantial gray stone terrace outside my apartment.
In the first installment of the Women’s Murder Club, Lindsay (homicide detective), Claire (medical examiner), Jill (assistant DA) and Cindy (crime reporter) form their club in the wake of a possible serial killer in San Francisco. Targeting couples on the night of their wedding, the bride and groom killer is rocking the city. With few clues at the crime scene, Lindsay decides to form the group in order to catch the killer before he takes the lives on anymore newlyweds.
I loved this book! I’m not sure why it sat on my shelf for so long before I ever picked it up, but I absolutely adored it!!! It was such a quick and enjoyable read. I even found myself crying a little at the end. Excellent book … I can’t wait to get to the second one!
1/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2008

The Night Class by Tom Piccirilli

Tara
The Night Class
by Tom Piccirilli

Copyright: 2002
Pages: 278
Rating: 1/5
Read: Jan. 9, 2008
Challenge: No challenge; personal read

First Line: Cal’s ethic’s class was enough to drive him to murder.

Caleb returns from winter break to find that a young woman was murdered in his dorm room. Not being able to get the answers he wants or needs, he sets out on his own to figure out what really happened. But in the process he will stumble upon things that will make him go mad.

I didn’t like this book at all. I didn’t understand what was going on half of the time. I still am not really sure what the ending was supposed to be. I was not at all impressed.