1st to Die Audio CD – Abridged, Audiobook Author: Visit Amazon's James Patterson Page | Language: English | ISBN:
1594830916 | Format: EPUB
1st to Die Audio CD – Abridged, Audiobook Description
Amazon.com Review
The Women's Murder Club pits four San Francisco women professionals against a serial killer who's stalking and murdering newlyweds in bestselling author James Patterson's newest thriller. Lindsay Boxer is a homicide inspector who's just gotten some very bad news. She deals with it by immersing herself in her newest case and soliciting the personal as well as professional support of her closest friend, who happens to be the city's medical examiner. The two women, along with an ambitious and sympathetic reporter and an assistant DA, form an unlikely alliance, pooling their information and bypassing the chain of command in an engaging, suspenseful story whose gruesome setup is vintage Patterson.
"What is the worst thing anyone has ever done?" the killer muses to himself early in the narrative. "Am I capable of doing it? Do I have what it takes?" Answering his own question, he embarks on a murderous spree that takes him from the bridal suite in a Nob Hill hotel to a honeymoon destination in the Napa Valley and thence to a wedding reception at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. Dispatching his victims on the happiest day of their lives, he purposefully leaves enough clues for his distaff trackers to discover his identity and put him behind bars. But just when the women think they've got the case all wrapped up, the killer turns the tables on them in a bloody denouement that even the most discerning reader won't see coming. Patterson, author of the popular Alex Cross mysteries, promises future adventures for the Women's Murder Club, which may give him an opportunity to develop his heroines' characters more completely and win new fans among those who prefer their detectives in high heels and lipstick. --Jane Adams --This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Library Journal
Fans of Patterson (Along Came a Spider) will not be disappointed with his latest effort. A killer is murdering recently married couples, and police detective Lindsay is stumped. Off duty, she forms a murder club comprising three of her friends: an assistant district attorney, a newspaper reporter, and a coroner. The four women use everything at their disposal to figure out who the killer is before he can strike again. Their lead suspect is a world-famous writer whose plots resemble the murders. Deploying Patterson's usual short chapters, the book is exciting to the last page. One hopes that it is the first installment in what deserves to be a new series; Patterson should give Alex Cross a rest and concentrate on these four women instead. 1st to Die will air as a miniseries on NBC in May, so expect demand. For all public libraries.
- Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
See all Editorial Reviews
- Series: The Women's Murder Club
- Audio CD
- Publisher: Little, Brown & Company (February 1, 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1594830916
- ISBN-13: 978-1594830914
- Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
- Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
The killer wonders "What is the worst thing anyone has ever done?", as he sets out to do worse.
San Francisco homicide investigator, Lindsay Boxer, is called to the most disturbing crime scene, a young couple has been murdered on their wedding night, the bride still in her wedding gown. This horrifying scene lays heavy in Lindsay's mind.
As the investigation begins, another murder is committed, again another young couple on their wedding night. Lindsay knows she is up against a sick serial killer preying on newlyweds.
As the official investigation is leading nowhere, Lindsay teams up with the medical examiner on the case, who also happens to be her friend, to begin their own investigation of these murders. The two women enlist the help of an investigative reporter, and the assistant D.A. to form the women's murder club. The women will meet and discuss how they are going to stop this killer, using the information obtained through the official investigation.
The search brings the women to their first, and only suspect...a bestselling author whose first un-published novel depicts each of the murders in detail.
With no concrete evidence to pin the murders on the author, the women will be lead on a wild chase to find the killer.
Twist and turns keep things spinning out of control, until the final shocking realization of who the killer is!
"1st To Die" is the first novel in a brand new series, and what a great novel it is. The plot races along, combining the murders, devistating health issues for Lindsay, and some romance, twisting and turning all the way to the shocking the conclusion.
James Patterson uses all the key elements used in his Alex Cross series, so fans of that series will not be disappointed with this new book.
First to die: The stereotypes of professional women and how they relate to each other. The only woman in this book who was not badly written was a corpse. No character in this book had depth greater than the paper thereof. And how obnoxious it becomes when the detective comes to her conclusions from hunches and omens. "I was sure I had missed something." Why? What would lead her to feel that way? Those "dark ghosts" of the victims were just leading her on or what? "Tell me, Melanie, I am here for you." What? WHAT? Is she a detective or is she Shirley MacLaine? And then she acts like a profiler. And all of this is delivered in lackadaisical prose that makes me want to scream for my money back. As if all of this isn't enough, for some reason Patterson decided his leading lady must have a preference for a man with soft hands. Eww.
Second to die: The setting. I've never been to San Francisco and nothing in this book makes me think the place would be interesting, although I've heard from friends that SF is one great place to visit. The author rattles off place names, but that's not the same as really creating a feel for the city by the bay. There are no sounds, no smells, nothing of the city's character, good or bad, is ever revealed. He's reduced SF to a stage flat. For clues on how to connect the reader to the place, read Crais's Elvis Cole books, or Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series; James Lee Burke could teach a master class on creating atmosphere; and even the young Michael Koryta creates a Cleveland far more compelling than Patterson's cardboard San Francisco.
Third to die: Plot and subplot. The first, in this age of serial killer thrillers, is neither original nor gripping.
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