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Summary: Well I Never!!!
Review: I never thought I'd see the day when a James Patterson book, could put me to sleep. What a colassal bore!!! He sold out the Women's Murder Club and put in this dribble with Lindsay falling in love - what?? One of the girls is gone forever and I found myself saying "so what?" How promising he made them in the first 2 books. Mr. Patterson totally missed me with this one. That means that he will have to earn my trust again. The next book of his that comes out, I will pick it up from the library - not spend my hard earned on it. I'm pulling for the next book. He has so entertained me in the past.
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Summary: Please don't spoil it for others
Review: I normally love reading the reviews - it helps me decide on a book when I'm going back and forth on my decision to buy it. Although I already knew I wanted to buy 3rd Degree, I checked out the reviews. A few posts ago, someone completely gave away a MAJOR twist in the book. I shouldn't even say "gave away" because that might mean they hinted at it and I figured it out -and that would be alright. But no, they flat out said what happened in the end. I seriously couldn't believe it.Everyone is entitled to say what they want, but this section is called "Reviews" and not "The Ending of the Book". Please put "SPOILER" in your subject if you're going to insist on giving away the endings of books.
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Summary: 3rd Degree
Review: Very very good. A fast read. After Big Bad Wolf it was a breath of fresh air.
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Summary: Wait For The Paperback
Review: Being a huge fan of James Patterson, this was a disappointment. As one reviewer stated, what a lot of white pages. Next time I won't be wasting my money on a hardback.
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Summary: (4+) Action and Radical Politics for Patterson Fans
Review: 3RD DEGREE represents the epitome of the style that James Patterson (recently with Andrew Gross) has continued to refine into a very successful formula for creating bestselling novels - nonstop action; a relatively straightforward storyline with just enough complexity to keep his readers' interest; very short punchy chapters which make it very easy for the reader to get caught up in the action (in this case the 111 chapters average only 2 1/2 pages each); and finally in the case of his series (first the Alex Cross books, now the Women's Murder Club), characters with whom his readers become increasing familiar. Several of his recent books have also included an historical component which I have found intriguing. Of course, the setting of THE JESTER (review 3/15/03) in the time of The Crusades was a complete departure from his previous novels, but previously FOUR BLIND MICE (review 11/25/02) and now also 3RD DEGREE have storylines which involve the Vietnam War era in some way. SFPD Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer and her border collie Martha have just ended their morning jog at the Marina when an explosion rocks a town house across the street. Lindsay risks her life to rescue a young boy and three adult bodies are discovered when the rubble is searched. The investigating team believes that a bomb fashioned from high powered explosives triggered the blast, and the mystery deepens when there is no trace of an infant who lived there and a note is discovered claiming credit for the blast that is reminiscent of the radical rhetoric emanating from the Berkeley campus during the civil rights agitation and Vietnam War protests of the sixties. Very predictably for a James Patterson story, the violence escalates and additional murders occur. The vitriolic notes and emails received from the killers indicate that the agenda of the killers is political, with echoes of the recent anti-globalism protests that have turned vioent at meetings of the WTO and similar venues. Then, the stakes escalate when one of the four women members of the club is herself targeted by the killers. In addition to the political dimension of the story, there is a personal angle as well (as has gradually evolved in the Alex Cross series). Given the high profile of the case and the fact that it appears that the terrorists are targeting high level political functionaries, Joe Molinari, a high ranking member of the Department of Homeland Security arrives to coordinate the Feds' activities with the SFPD search for the killers . As Joe and Lindsay team up on the investigation, it appears increasingly likely that Joe may become an affiliate member of the Women's Murder Club or that he and Lindsay may team up in their own series. That is one of the reasons for my suspicions that there will be more terorist threats in future books. We are continually reminded that there are always additional soldiers willing to continue the battle, and the potential ambiguity created by the conclusion reminded me of the levels of deceit engineered by the criminal nicknamed the Mastermind who taunted Alex Cross for so long. Of course this book makes no pretense at being great literature, and since the reader is introduced to the perpetrators early in the book, the tension concerns only how much violence the terrorists will commit before they will be apprehended and how they will be identified and caught. Nevertheless, I got caught up in the story and finished it in an afternoon. I enjoyed it more than many of Patterson's books for three reasons. First, I actually found the plot enjoyable, maybe because I remember the violence during the sixties so vividly and this effectively built on events of that era. The juxtaposition of the claim that the perpetrators (sometimes misguided, often manipulated) of such violence were seeking "justice" and yet were willing to use tactics that were anything but just to achieve their goals was vividly illustrated in this book.. Second, it did not have the detailed descriptive passages of violence that often are an integral part of the author's books. ( I can understand terror, torture and mutilation without reading about the gruesome details.) Third, it actually raised some interesting issues in the context of the story, even if only superficially examining them. So, if you want a quick read that is quintessential Patterson, and can ignore the usual loose ends and lack of character development, you should enjoy this book. If you are looking for a quick read where the solution to the violence is incidental to the wonderful interaction among the characters, then pick up BAD BUSINESS ( review 3/17/04), the latest Spenser novel by Robert Parker, instead. And if you want a full length murder mystery with a complicated plot and wonderful character development, you should read THE LAST GOODBYE by Reed Arvin (review 2/17/04). Tucker Andersen
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Summary: I still like Alex Cross better!!
Review: Decent read but not as good as the Alex Cross series. I would still recommend it.
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Summary: Couldn't put the book down!
Review: I've read all of James Patterson's books.. and am amazed! I especially like reading the ones which are set in Washington, DC.. Looking forward to No. 4!
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Summary: High-Speed Patterson
Review: A must for Women's Murder Club fans, this fast, light read will still entertain others as well. This is not one of Patterson's best, but it is still an enjoyable way to kill a few hours. Speaking of killing, WMC fans will not be pleased about the pointless exit of one of the main characters, a fact that is not news to anyone who has seen ads for this book. It will be interesting to see what book 4 brings. Will the author just bump them off one at a time and end the series? I guess we will have to wait and see.
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Summary: 3rd Degree
Review: I've never seen so much white space in a book. Not much reading for your money.
Rating:
Summary: No mystery here
Review: I always look forward to James Patterson's books, but this one was not up to par. It lacked suspense and for me was very predictable. The women's murder club to me is a bit far-fetched.
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