Rating: 
Summary: Let down almost from the beginning
Review: This novel starts out promissing, but after the first killing we are introduced to the lead character, Inspector Lindsay Boxer. The initial momentum is never regained. Instead we follow Lindsay as she jumps to conclusions that any self respecting detective would call "possibilites" and not "definitives." We read how Lindsay is trying to figure out how the killer is discovering the vicitms--how does the killer know who's getting married. Never, as far as I recall, do we hear the possibility that the killer starts perhaps by reading an engagement announcement in the paper (not the eventual answer to how the victims are discovered, but wouldn't you think it might be possible answer to the question?). The club the women form to track down the killer is another disappointment. Lindsay unwittingly finds herself tied to run things by the women in the club before she can proceed to take action on case at times. All in all, it's a slow, predictable bore with a detective that does a poor job of an interigation. Her questions are phrased poorly and after almost every interview you're left wondering why she didn't pursue other topics you're thinking about, and would have asked the interviewee. I recommend you skip this one and try another one, or a different author.
Rating: 
Summary: Thrilling
Review: I found this book very groovy. Its nice to have a change of pace, a strong leading FEMALE character. The friendships between these ladies is warm and there input and perspectives, nice touch. The book is filled clues that made me want to go the back of the book ( I Didn't )What a great ending. I read it in one day, and couldn't wait to run out and buy 2nd Chance. James is such a GREAT writer, he may speed through at times but he keeps up the thrills.
Rating:
Summary: Sloppy Schlock
Review: I think Patterson must write these as fast as people can read them. And they do read fast -- short chapters, no big words, but plenty of editing problems and plot holes. The device of the main character having a dread disease doesn't work -- these sections of the book drag on and on and contribute nothing. Her endless whining was pathetic. By the end, I was rooting for the disease. There are numerous plot problems that should have been caught by the editor, if not Patterson himself. (He churns these out so fast I'm not sure he ever reviews them!) First, if someone dies and you find urine by the body, this is normal. Patterson makes a big deal about how the person must have been horribly scared. Anatomy 101 tells you that when you die, all muscles relax and the bladder empties. "What's the worst thing anyone has ever done?" is the killer's line. But this is silly, the murders aren't bad by serial killer standards at all. Though Patterson has to through in some disgusting touches of course. As others have mentioned, revolvers don't have safeties. Also, cops on a stakeout to protect X from Y don't usually drive *away* from X's house when Y is spotted nearby! The book cheats by unfairly lying to the reader in several places, yet the plot is still boring and predictable. Finally, the final "twist" is just ridiculous. The entire book makes no sense with this twist. Lastly, for the audiobook version: It's hard to listen to. The medical examiner has a near-racist parody of a thick black accent. The "hint of an Eastern European accent" of the doctor becomes a thick slur. I was glad when it was over. And it's really over for me -- no "2nd chances".
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: WOW! One of my favorite authors has done it again. 1st to Die was one an excellent book!! I couldn't put it down. It only took me three days to read this book, when it usually takes me two-three weeks to read a book. This book is real mystery and thriller. The plot thickens with each chapter.
Rating:
Summary: What's the worst thing anyone's ever done? Not read this.
Review: What's the worst thing anyone's ever done? Not read this book. This book is a break from the successful Alex Cross series but has a similar villain and plot to those ones. In this one a female detective is the lead character who together with a group of other smart women is determined to catch a serial killer. This killer is particularly evil as you get from the line "What's the worst thing anyone's ever done?" which the killer is set to accomplish. The book starts off with a newly wed couple murdered and is set mainly in San Francisco. If you're a fan of Alex Cross then you have to give this detective a go. You won't be able to put 1st to Die down.
Rating: 
Summary: 1st to say "huh"?
Review: I found "1st to die" very unconvincing -- a shoddy product from a really good writer. The murders are committed by a psychopath, but the murderer turns out to be a person who's stable on the outside. This is a cheat. A true psychopath cannot function in society, at least in the mainstream. Cannot. Cannot. You may as well have the murders committed by a space alien. It makes as much sense. Within the 'universe' an author creates, you must be consistent -- you cannot inject a new element or change the character's makeup to drive a plot. In a realistic mystery, things have to make sense and match real world facts. They do not in this book. And the final "plot twist" has a HUGE plot hole that made me say "huh?" at the end and made me toss the book into the corner. And by the way, revolvers do NOT have safeties! Jeez Louise, if you write about weapons, learn them first.
Rating: 
Summary: "1st to Die", a Typical Effort
Review: James Patterson's first edition to his newest series of murder mysteries, '1st to Die', is a practical and expected mass media bestseller. With a string of newlywed murders, his newest character Lindsay Boxer, takes on the task of finding the killer. Filled with twists and turns, '1st to Die' offers the reader an engaging, quick read, and possibly nothing more. As a first time reader of James Patterson's work, I found myself eager to read '1st to Die' as a class assignment. With his previous history of books turned movies, including 'Kiss the Girls' and 'Along Came a Spider', I was hoping for an extraordinary reading experience. What I received was nothing but ordinary. To some this might seem as a disappointment. However this ordinary murder mystery is still filled with a mix of excitement and page turning engagement. I found this one of the easiest reads for my Murder Mystery class. I believe one of the most interesting parts of the book is the nature of the murders. With a serial killer on the loose attacking newlyweds, it seems to stab right into the innocence of life. These murders strike a chord in the lives of most adults, taking something very personal and placing it into a disturbing, violent context. Despite the unique victims of Patterson's latest serial killer, the plot moved in a fast pace path, still incorporating twists to keep the reader's attention. If there was one section of the book that seemed to turn me off, it was the women's murder club. This section might define an underlying theme of '1st to Die' and relating books, but I found it to be a little unusual and to be direct, cheesy. This club was formed on very thin ties and seemed to come together in to quick a way. Patterson portrays the women who take part in this club, as women who all have specific jobs and connections that pertain to solving a murder. Miraculously these distinct women come together in a cheerful, spirited way. Sharing secrets, and laughter they always seem to agree. This scenario seems a little to unrealistic to me. This perfect relationship of the women's murder club might have been Patterson's downfall. Trying to create a world of harmonious women may have appeared as a good idea to attract women to the plot, but for this women it was an unrealistic turnoff. Overall, '1st to Die' was generic, a typical murder mystery with its ups and downs, twists and turns and page turning antics. With its broad and not so in depth characterization, it attracted many citizens to create its name as a best seller. Though possibly not the most realistic of stories, '1st to Die' provides a vacation from reality to the world of investigator, Lindsay Boxer.
Rating: 
Summary: Cheesy, yet interesting
Review: I have mixed feelings about James Patterson's "1st to Die". As a mystery the book was great because it had an interesting plot and it had many cliffhanger moments. The side plots, however, were less fulfilling and slightly cheesy. If there is one thing I hate while reading mysteries, it is when you can guess the ending. The ending of this book was far from obvious. The plot of this book has many turns and with each chapter I had a different idea as to who the killer was. There are so many characters in the book that are involved in the investigation that you are able to see many sides of the case. This makes the book more exciting and interesting. The character development in this book was less than great. Patterson DID develop the characters, but not in the way that I would have found ideal. My initial complaint is Lindsay Boxers sickness during the investigation. It was annoying to me when I was excited to hear more about the case, and suddenly Lindsay is in her doctors office crying about her blood condition, Negli's. I found the plot exciting enough without Lindsay being sick, it wasn't necessary to add more twists. Another side plot that bothered me was the romance between Lindsay and Chris. I, personally, didn't enjoy the incorporation of a romance while I was reading about murders. Also, the relationship was less than believable because they had just met. Also, it was portrayed in a corny way which made it that much worse. The Woman's Murder Club, which consisted of four woman involved in the case in different ways, was another part of the book that I had mixed feelings about. On a good note, it gave you many perspectives of the case. On the other hand, again, the club was not believable and slightly cheesy. The woman became best friends a little bit too fast, and without much in common. Patterson's attempts with the murder club and the romance were understandable because he obviously was trying to give the reader different perspectives. Overall, this book was satisfying and the ending is great. It is impossibly to figure it who the killer is, and when it is revealed everything comes together nicely.
Rating:
Summary: A good read, but nothing special
Review: James Patterson is a well known and liked author, and has been selling murder mystery novels successfully for many years. First to die, the first novel in his new series about the Women's Murder Club, was my first experience reading a Patterson novel. I have read many other famous murder mystery authors in the past few months in my Women's Studies class, including Patricia Cornwell and Robert Parker, and I found Patterson and his work to be nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary.
First to die tells of Lindsay Boxer, a San Francisco detective and her battle of a rare blood disease while at the same time trying to find a serial killer who murders newlyweds on their wedding night. Along the way in her investigation, Lindsay forms a bond with three other women, of varying ages and races, who together make up the Women's Murder Club. Boxer in the detective in the clan, along with Claire the medical examiner, the D.A. Jill, and the young, bright eyed reporter Cindy. The characters were not very well developed as individuals, with the exception of Lindsay, and the rest were present to simply help her out and put in her womanly advice every once and again.
The plot line was what I felt was the strongpoint of the novel. The vivid pictures Patterson portrays in his writing of the victims, as well as their murders, kept me interested as a reader and would kept me turning the pages. I wanted to keep reading to solve the mystery of the murder, and although the murderer reveals himself to the reader by the middle of the book, I wanted to keep reading to see if Boxer and the rest of her club would be able to piece the puzzle together. Although her disease and battle is discussed much in the novel, I did not feel for her as a reader, and never really saw Lindsay as believable or someone readers as a whole could identify with.
Patterson's writing of the female perspective is often times cliché and obviously male. If a woman had been the other I feel many aspects of Boxer and the other characters would have been more believable to the reader, and kept me more interested in the novel. I did find myself finishing the book in only two seating, and at no point did I have to force myself to continue reading. The characters as individuals did not keep my interest, and I found Patterson's weak point to be the female character portrayal. However, he knows what he is doing when it comes to writing about murders, how to keep the reader reading, and how to surprise the reader even when they think they have it solved. This murder mystery was not my favorite of those I have recently read, but it did keep my interest for the most part. I would recommend it as a book to keep you busy when you have nothing better to do, but do not expect to be riveted by an amazing piece of literature, because you will be sorely disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: keep the women's club alive
Review: what a surprise to find a nice grisly murder/serial killer being hunted by 4 women! with the introduction of this women's club - i think mr. patterson's got a hit here. i recommend this book!
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