Category: Women's Murder Club

3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, RATING, Read in 2019, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

Review: 15th Affair by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Tara

15th Affair
by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

15th Affair

 

Copyright: 2016

Pages: 351

Read: March 25 – 28, 2019

Rating: 3/5

Source: Purchased at Goodwill

 
Blurb: Lindsay Boxer has a beautiful baby daughter and a husband she loves unconditionally. Always focused on her career as a San Francisco police detective, she never wondered what domestic bliss might feel lie, but she’s never been happier. She can’t imagine that a brutal murder at a downtown luxury hotel and the disappearance of a gorgeous blonde woman from the scene would have anything to do with her own life and marriage – yet Lindsay can’t ignore disturbing clues that hit very close to home.

When an explosive tragedy plunges San Francisco into chaos, Lindsay is pressed to investigate a criminal plot that stretches around the globe, and she again finds herself following signs that lead to her own front door. Fighting powerful enemies trying to protect their operatives and conceal the truth at all costs, Lindsay turns to the Women’s Murder Club for help as she desperately searches for the elusive and deadly blonde … before she loses her husband for good.

Review: This is the 15th book in the Women’s Murder Club series. Overall I’ve enjoyed these books, so I was looking forward to jumping back in with Lindsay and her crew. To be completely honest, I picked this one up because I wanted a quick and easy read near the end of March that I could finish before the start of April. I can always count on Mr. Patterson for a fast-paced thriller that I can fly through.

This particular installment … I don’t know. Like, I enjoyed it, but I also really struggled with it. As a mother of two young children and a woman who works outside the house, I can’t imagine working the kind of hours that Lindsay does. And then she didn’t have Joe in this particular installment to help her out and a lot was falling on her next-door nanny. And I’m not entirely sure how I felt about the twist that happens between her and Joe. It definitely puts a big question mark onto her relationship with him and the book leaves a big hole in regards to that as well (darn cliffhangers!).

I think it all boils down to the fact that I really miss the earlier books in this series – when the Women’s Murder Club was an actual thing. With those ladies banding together and solving the cases. That just doesn’t happen anymore in these later books. And I get that characters (like people in real life) do grow and go different ways in life, but I also feel like this particular series was really founded on that and now that that particular part of the series is gone it’s leaving something missing.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, RATING, Read in 2018, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

Review: 14th Deadly Sin by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Tara

14th Deadly Sin
by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

14th Deadly Sin

Copyright: 2014

Pages: 304

Read: Dec. 29, 2017 – Jan. 2, 2018

Rating: 4/5

Source: Grandmother

 

 

Blurb: With a beautiful baby daughter and a devoted husband, Detective Lindsay Boxer can safely say that her life has never been better. In fact, things seem to be going well for all the members of the Women’s Murder Club (for a change). But a birthday celebration for medical examiner Claire Washburn gets cut short when Lindsay is called to a gruesome crime scene, where a woman has been murdered in broad daylight. Then video footage of another crime surfaces, so horrific that it shakes the city to its core. Wearing SFPD jackets, their faces obscured by masks, the cold-blooded criminals on tape could be anyone – and all of Lindsay’s coworkers are suspects. As pubic fear and anger grow, Lindsay and her friends must risk their lives in the name of justice – before it’s too late.

Review: This was my first finished book of 2018. It was a quick read that I took on my vacation and read mainly on the airplane rides (and during the 4 hour delay ::eyeroll::)

I can always rely on James Patterson for an enjoyable and easy read. This one was no exception. The two storylines were both fun to “work the case” with Lindsay and company. The character development was good – Joe is trying to figure out where he’s going next after losing his job, Yuki leaves the DA’s office and takes a new job, Cindy has written a book and is doing the publicity for that. I just love series books because you get to know all these great characters!

As usual, I would recommend starting this series from the beginning, but at the same time it would probably stand well on its own if need be. This one was just a good, easy read … definitely “brain candy” for me. And I look forward to the 15th in the series.

 

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, P, RATING, Read in 2013, READING CHALLENGES 2013, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

2013.45 REVIEW – 11th Hour by James Patterson

Tara

11th Hour
by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Copyright: 2012
Pages: 387
Rating: 34/5
Read: Oct. 23 – Oct. 27, 2013
Challenge: Off the Shelf Challenge; RIP VIII; 2013 Sequel Challenge
Yearly count: 45
Format: Print
Source: Personal Copy

11th HourBlurb:  Boxer is pregnant at last! But her work doesn’t slow for a second. When a millionaire is mercilessly gunned down, Lindsay discovers that the murder weapon is linked to the deaths of four of San Francisco’s most untouchable criminals. And it was taken from her own department’s evidence locker. Anyone could be the killer – even one of her closest friends. Lindsay is next called to the most bizarre crime scene she’s ever seen: two bodiless heads displayed in the garden of a world-famous actor. After another head is unearthed, Lindsay realizes that the ground could hide hundreds of victims. Then a reporter launches a series of vicious articles about the cases, and Lindsay’s personal life is laid bare. But this time she has no one to turn to – especially not Joe.

Review: James Patterson is my go-to author when it comes to trying to break out of a slump. I had picked up and put back down about 4 books prior to picking up this one. So it was a no-brainer for me to choose a Patterson book, I just had to decide which one (I have two other books of his). This one has been on my shelf for a while, so I chose it just because it was the Patterson book I have had the longest.

Overall, this is another good installment in the Women’s Murder Club series. I really enjoyed the dual story lines. They were both interesting cases which needed Lindsay’s undivided attention…. but she took on both cases at the same time. I did have a little issue with this in a way. As someone who has been through an easy pregnancy, I couldn’t help but shake my head at how Lindsay’s pregnancy is being portrayed. I was absolutely worn out, and there would have been no way I could have ever gone all day without eating … working 10-12 hours wasn’t going to happen either. So I was a little irritated as to how this was shown to the readers, it just wasn’t realistic at all and it irritated me at times.

However, I did like that the “Club” was back in action in this book. It was fun to see Claire, Lindsay, Cindy and Yuki trying to solve the case together again! It seems like this has been a missing piece in the last few installments of this series. And that really is a shame, because that’s what this series is all about! We as readers need those four characters working together to solve the case, it’s a great dynamic when they’re together!

I will say that while the killer really wasn’t a huge shocker, it was a little bit of a surprise to me. I had it narrowed down to three people and the actual killer was in that pool of three, but I hadn’t figured it out completely. That always makes for a fun read in my opinion.

Having looked back over my review of the previous book in this series, I had complained about the lack of editing for that book. I can say that this book did not have those issues, so I was glad to see that whatever the problem was regarding that was resolved for this book.

Overall, another good read. Mr. Patterson might not be the best author out there (he’s just prolific), but it’s always a fun and quick read that I enjoy. Even though this is the 11th book in the series, I wouldn’t say you would be missing anything terribly important if you picked this one up first.

Recommended.

4.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, RATING, Read in 2011, READING CHALLENGES 2011, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

2011.23 REVIEW – 10th Anniversary by James Patterson

Tara

10th Anniversary
by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Copyright: 2011
Pages: 395
Rating: 4.5/5
Read: May 13 – 15, 2011
Challenge:  TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 23
Format: Print

First Line: This was the day I was getting married.

Blurb: Detective Lindsay Boxer’s long-awaited wedding celebration becomes a distant memory when she is called to investigate a horrendous crime: a teenage girl is badly injured and left for dead, and her newborn baby is nowhere to be found. Lindsay discovers that not only is there no trace of the criminal – but the victim may be keeping secrets as well. At the same time, Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano is prosecuting the biggest case of her life – a woman who has been accused of murdering her husband in front of their two young children. Yuki’s career rests on a guilty verdict, so when Lindsay finds evidence that could save the defendant, she is forced to choose. Should she trust her best friend or follow her instinct? Lindsay’s every move is watched by her new boss, Lieutenant Jackson Brady, and when the pressure to find the baby begins interfering with her new marriage to Joe, she wonders if she’ll ever be able to start a family.

Review: This was a really good book. But my goodness, edit edit edit! There were grammatical errors in this book, which isn’t usually something I come across in a James Patterson book. I understand that these things happen, but if I can spot them it always makes me wonder if anyone even edits/reads these books anymore! Spell check doesn’t catch everything! Anyway, grammar issues aside, I felt like this was a good read. I enjoyed the two plot lines that were going on. I enjoyed more character development with Lindsay and Joe and Yuki’s new relationship as well as Cindy and Conklin’s relationship progression. It’s always like getting together with friends when I read this series. I really like this series, and although I prefer the Alex Cross series, this is another one of my favorite series that I would highly recommend.

5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

REVIEW: The 9th Judgment by James Patterson

Tara

The 9th Judgment
by James Patterson

Copyright: 2010
Pages: 355
Rating: 5/5
Read: May 20-22, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010;
Yearly Count: 25

First Line: Sarah Wells stood on the roof of the carport and snaked her gloved hand through the hole she’d cut in the glass.

A young mother and her baby are gunned down while leaving a shopping mall. There are no witnesses and all that is left for Detective Lindsay Boxer is a cryptic message written in lipstick. The same night a famous actor’s wife is brutally shot in her bedroom in what appears to be a burglary gone wrong. Lindsay has her work cut out for her in trying to piece together the pieces to all the puzzles. With women and children being murdered throughout the city and multiple burglaries occurring, Lindsay has her work cut out for her in order to solve both cases before it’s too late.

This is the ninth in the Women’s Murder Club series. Overall the book was good, but I really didn’t like how the book really revolved around Lindsay so much. I like the other characters in this book and there was just so little involvement with those supporting characters. The ending was interesting, it left a big question mark with me in terms of where the next book will take the WMC and it’s readers. In all honesty, I prefer the Alex Cross series to this one, but it’s still an interesting series.

AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2009, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

The 8th Confession by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Tara

The 8th Confession
by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 284
Rating: 5/5
Read: May 28-31, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009; Suspense/Thriller Challenge – Police Procedural Category
Yearly Count: 26

First Line: The old chrome-yellow school bus crawled south on Market Street at half past seven that May morning.

The seemingly perfect murder has been committed in San Francisco. Isa and Ethan Bailey, young millionaires in the prime of their life have been found dead in their beds. How or why they have died is a mystery. Not even Claire can explain to her friend Detective Lindsay Boxer what happened to the Baileys. And as other young wealthy and healthy millionaires are dying in the same manner, they realize that they have to figure out what is killing these people and who and quickly. But as Lindsay is working that case, her friend, reporter Cindy Thomas, is on her about a homeless man, Bagman Jesus, who has been found murdered, shot brutally on the streets. But the man is not as saintly as his street name indicates. As Cindy works that case on her own, sparks begin to fly between Cindy and Lindsay’s partner, Rich Conklin. But as Lindsay and Rich get closer to the truth in the millionaire deaths, one of them will have a scare.

Okay, so I stated in my last review of the 7th book in this series that I wasn’t impressed with 6 or 7 and that I would read 8 and that that might be it for me with this series. Well I just finished the 8th and I have to say …. I am back on the Women’s Murder Club bandwagon! I absolutely loved this book!! I thought that the writing was better, the plot line was much better, the characters developed a lot more and overall I was very pleased after reading this book. It definitely made me look forward to a ninth if there will be one (the inside of the cover states that this will be the only installment for this year – are they ending this series soon?). So I am happy to report that I enjoyed this book immensely and that I recommend everyone read it 🙂

AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2009, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

7th Heaven by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Tara

7th Heaven
by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Copyright: 2008
Pages: 353
Rating: 4/5
Read: May 12-19, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 23

First Line: Tiny lights winked on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window.

The Women’s Murder Club is back! In this seventh installment of the series, Detective Lindsay Boxer is running two cases. The first is the missing teenage son of California’s ex-governer. He’s been missing for quite some time, and when the first break happens, it’s devastating. But at the same time, Lindsay and her partner, Rich, are also investigating some fatal fires. The fires are destroying some of San Francisco’s most beautiful homes. But as Lindsay starts to really get into the investigation, one fire rages way too close to home.

I think I said this with the 6th book in this series – these books are getting so formulaic! I wasn’t going to read this one for a while, but the 8th in the series came up on my PBS wishlist and I accepted it and figured I would need to read this one first. I enjoyed it to a point, but I just keep wondering how far this series is really going to go. Personally, I’m not really seeing a whole lot of growth in the characters. Lindsay still hasn’t settled with Joe (although they have made big changes), Yuki and Cindy haven’t seemed to change at all, and all that’s happening with Claire is that she had a baby. There’s really no character development to me and that’s something that I really enjoy in a series. I’m going to read the 8th book since I already used a PBS credit for it and would like to get my credit back when I finish it, but if there’s a 9th I’m not sure I’ll be rushing to read it.

AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2009, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

The 6th Target by James Patterson

Tara

The 6th Target
by James Patterson

Copyright: 2007
Pages: 386
Rating: 4/5
Read: March 6-15, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 15

First Line: A killer in waiting, Fred Brinkley slumps in the blue-upholstered banquette on the top deck of the ferry.

A madman opens fire on a ferry as the boat is coming into the dock. Several people are dead, and one member of the Women’s Murder Club was injured. While Lindsay is hunting down the truth behind the ferry massacre, she is also having to deal with children of wealthy families being abducted. But the kidnappers are not contacting the families for ransom. Lindsay must deal with all of this and her personal life in order to figure everything out and bring peace back to San Francisco.

Now don’t get me wrong. I really enjoy a good James Patterson book. However, his books are quite formulaic after a while. If you want a quick and easy read – this is it. However, there’s no “meat” to his stories. When I first started reading the Women’s Murder Club books I couldn’t get through them fast enough, but for some reason I’m hitting a slump with them. I mean it took me a week to read this book, I can usually knock out a Patterson is 2 days tops. I might have to give them a break for a while before picking up another one.

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

The 5th Horseman by James Patterson

Tara
The 5th Horseman
by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Copyright: 2006
Pages: 428
Rating: 4/5
Read: July 27-28, 2008
Challenge: No challenge; personal read

First Line: Rain was drumming hard against the windows when the midnight-to-8:00 rounds began at San Francisco Municipal Hospital.

People are dying at Municipal Hospital in San Francisco. It’s a hospital, of course people will die there. But doctors are stumped as to why there are recovering patients that are dying. People that should not be dying are dying. Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer becomes convinced that someone at the hospital is playing God. But the hospital is pulling out all the stops in order to protect its reputation. It will wage a court battle with the family members of twenty deceased patients. All the while, Lindsay and the Women’s Murder Club are hunting down a merciless killer.

This one was okay. Definitely not the best in the series (that one still goes to the 3rd in my opinion) but I enjoyed it. As always, it was a quick and fun read with a lot of twists and turns along the way. And the ending was great!! I highly recommend this series to those who have not experienced it yet, I love it!!

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!!