Sunday, June 13, 2010

The 9th Judgment - James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

DETECTIVE LINDSAY BOXER CHASES A JEWEL THIEF, A MURDEROUS MOVIE STAR, AND A KILLER WITH A VENDETTA AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

THE MOST PERSONAL
A young mother and her infant child are ruthlessly gunned down while returning to their car in the garage of a shopping mall. There are no witnesses, and Detective Lindsay Boxer is left with only one shred of evidence: a cryptic message scrawled across the windshield in bloodred lipstick.

THE MOST DANGEROUS
The same night, the wife of A-list actor Marcus Dowling is woken by a cat burglar who is about to steal millions of dollars' worth of precious jewels. In just seconds there is a nearly empty safe, a lifeless body, and another mystery that throws San Francisco into hysteria.

THE MOST EXCITING WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB NOVEL EVER
Lindsay spends every waking hour working with her partner, Rich--and her desire for him threatens to tear apart both her engagement and the Women's Murder Club. Before Lindsay and her friends can piece together either case, one of the killers forces Lindsay to put her own life on the line--but is it enough to save the city? With unparalleled danger and explosive action, The 9th Judgment is James Patterson at his compelling, unstoppable best!

Title: The 9th Judgment (Women's Murder Club)
Author: James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
Genre: Adult Fiction, Thriller, Suspense
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: April 2010
My Rating: 4/5

The book starts out with three seemingly unrelated crimes. We get to see Detective Lindsay Boxer, as well as the rest of the Women's Murder Club, interact and help solve these crimes. This book really goes to show you how small the world really is. All of the key players are present and accounted for; however I found that this installment seemed to be lacking in the "Women's Murder Club" details, and seemed to focus more on following Lindsay around as she tries to solve these crimes with her partner, Rich Conklin.
The plot was fast paced and engaging. The chapters were short and to the point. They jumped from one case to the next and back again rapidly, however you are kept up to speed and can follow along easily. I enjoyed the scenes where we saw more interaction between the 4 women.
I am finding that I enjoy the Women's Murder Club series more so than the others that Patterson has written. I really like the personalities of the 4 women, and think they all play off of one another quite well. However, courtesy of the TV show, the only thing that I am having an issue with now is picturing Lindsay with blonde hair.
All in all, this is definitely one of the better books in the series, and it is well worth the read. The only disclaimer I'll mention is some might find the murders particularly gruesome as they are aimed at, as the tagline says, "women and children first".

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