I've been a huge fan of this author's Alex Cross series and when he started the Women's Murder Club series featuring females in the role of Police officer, lawyer, journalist, and medical examiner, I was hooked. I don't read his novels every time he churns one out but I do keep my eyes open for these 2 series. I've read all the Alex Cross books to date and now I'm all caught up with the Murder Club series. They're light, fast and easy. (light meaning not too awfully heavy with the crime/gore/death).
STORY SUMMARY
Lindsay Boxer who is now a sergeant with the San Francisco Police Department, and her friends Claire Washburn (medical examiner), Yuki Castellano (District Attorney), and Cindy Thomas (journalist and true crime author) have joined together at one of the city's finest and most expensive restaurants to celebrate the exciting news that Cindy is finally getting married! She is marrying Richie Conklin, Lindsay's work colleague.
Just before they raise their glasses in a toast, they hear a woman's scream. There's been a disturbance on the 2nd level of the restaurant and a woman has been assaulted!
Claire examines the victim. Lindsay makes an arrest and Yuki takes on the case. Cindy is covering it with her journalism skills.
But...as Yuki leads the prosecution, Lindsay is trying to chase down a "high society" killer who has targeted a high profile and very wealthy and famous former soccer star named Jamie (and who currently owns a very famous soccer team) and his wife, Holly, a former Olympic gymnast.
Meanwhile, Lindsay's husband Joe Molinaro is chasing down a cyberattack ring targeting local hospitals/patient records.
And of course, Yuki is prosecuting the perp in the restaurant assault case.
Meanwhile, Cindy is reporting on the case and trying to plan her wedding.
Will this long awaited wedding ever take place or will one of her bridesmaids be gunned down while trying to solve these various cases?
MY THOUGHTS
I have enjoyed how Patterson has developed each woman in this series and their families, friendships with one another, and their careers. My two favorites are Lindsay and Claire. I've been reading these now for many years and I always enjoy them.
The cases in this latest book are interesting. I've never thought before about people with Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder) being assaulted and the nuances of their different personalities coming to light in a trial. People with DID have experienced (usually) very severe childhood trauma and to have a character with this mental illness and then be a victim in another traumatic event is sobering. It made me realize that we really don't know from looking at a person what exactly they are dealing with in their souls/minds.
What annoyed me though were the three plots involved in this book. It just seemed to be too much but in true Patterson fashion, the chapters are short, the book is fast-paced and you can read it in a couple of days because it is definitely a page turner.
I correctly guessed the killer in the Holly and Jaime case and I enjoyed how the author executed that plot.
The plot with the cyberattacks was, at times, a bit bogged down for me....a lot of computer hacking talk but again, as is the author's fantastic skill, he summed it all up nicely and it was quick to get through and I loved that once again, Joe faced a decision he must make with Lindsay.
Yuki's case moved quickly as well and the outcome was what I was hoping for. Of course, at times it seemed a bit unrealistic but I loved how the author wrapped the case up and the only disappointment was not knowing what was going to happen with the victim now that she had gone to court and had to relive so many traumatic happenings as well as how her alter personalities were exposed. One thing I did appreciate was that the author included a character who was in expert in DID and that yes, it really is a psychiatric disorder. I love that he explained exactly how a person acquires this.
If you like fast-paced mysteries with good clean storylines, you will enjoy this book.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 9.
2 comments:
Sounds interesting. Can they be stand alones or do you have to start at the beginning of the series?
Hey Susanne: you can read them as stand alones....but I started at beginning when it first came out because the characters develop over time. However, the author is great at giving you a very quick summary of the characters or their spouses/children/careers in each book. There were a couple that were just "eh" and one was just weird and of course i can't remember the titles but it always involves the number in order. thus this book is his 24th one in the series. I find that clever. Most of them are easy, fast and good.
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