Rating: 
Summary: Another waste of good paper by the master huckster
Review: I can overlook Patterson's full-color photo inside backcover and self-wrote byline "America's #1 Thriller Writer" in the paper back (after all he used to write ad copy for breakfast cereal) but I can't abide the ego behind this poor excuse for a thriller. Patterson seems to have no respect for even the average reader and his pandering to what he hopes is a new audience with his version of a Sue Grafton novel is unfortunate.
Rating: 
Summary: The Four Musketeers
Review: Sometime ago novelists found that a tough, wily, female heroine sold books. Now James Patterson has decided that more is better. In 1st To Die we have a feminine foursome that tackles crime. This sounds interesting, but in actuality we have one heroine with three other gals pretty much relegated to secondary characters. These three also suffer from a lack of character development. Ken Follett's women in the recent book Jackdaws, on the other hand, benefit greatly from more extensive development of their personalities. Yet the book is quite entertaining, and leads us down a literary road of sharp turns. Essentially we are trying to find a killer who has discovered a new angle in the serial killer profession which is offing newlyweds.. Lindsay Boxer, San Francisco detective, (no relation to Barbara) forms a women's murder club to help her solve the crime. The first strain on our credulity comes when we view the membership list of this club. Would a detective, prosecutor, and medical examiner really welcome a newspaper reporter to their small clique? I have my doubts. Then there are Mr. Patterson's mental lapses. Suppose you are a typical serial killer who has rented a limousine to be used as a setting for your next job. You take your chosen twosome out to a lonely area, stop the car, and then turn around and shoot them while they are blissfully trying to make children in the back seat. Finally you wash out the car, and return it to the rental agency, pleased that no one will guess what you used the limo for. Well if I worked at the agency I would be a bit puzzled at the bullet holes in the back seat, and the exterior of the car where the missiles probably exited. Then there's the Medical Examiner who feels surprised that a groom wet his pants at his execution. After dealing with dead bodies for years she evidently doesn't realize that when a person dies those two little lower body sphincters relax. This would be trivial carping if weren't that this bodily fluid plays a role in the story. There's more, but what the heck. As I said above it's an entertaining book with the added feature of extremely short chapters. If you don't like to put a book down until you reach the end of a chapter, you will find that that opportunity comes up every three minutes. Wary of reading long, 500 page books? Not to worry. There is so much blank space in this novel that you will finish it in record time.
Rating: 
Summary: A very,very wonderful book
Review: I love this new series, from Patterson. The story was gripping, I read this book in 2 days and could not put it down. This book was so good that I went out a bought 2nd chance and can't wait for the next book.
This is book is a wonderful roller coaster ride, with twist and turns in every chapter!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Debut of the Women's Murder Club
Review: Someone is killing newlywed couples and Inspector Lindsay Boxer is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Teamed with a new partner, Chris Raleigh, who seems to bring out ambivalent feelings in her, Lindsay pursues the case with passion and expertise, despite some serious warnings about a health problem from her doctor. She decides that different perspectives are needed on this difficult case, so one by one she invites women with different kinds of expertise to join her in the investigation. Clues begin to fall into place until the killer is revealed to the women. This is an interesting book with enough intrigue to keep the reader guessing, and reading. My only objections are that so many things in the plot seem contrived and Patterson uses a few too many twists to keep things believable. Nevertheless, it's a good read.
Rating:
Summary: THE WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB GOES INTO ACTION!
Review: On page six/chapter two/paragraph one of 1ST TO DIE you'll discover the name of the serial killer in this rapid-fire page turning thriller. Then all you have to do for the next 465 pages is figure out who he is and why he's killing newlyweds in San Francisco and other selected locations across the country. Along the way you'll be introduced to Lindsay Boxer-lead inspector of SFPD homicide squad, Cindy Thomas - local interest reporter for the Chronicle trying to make the front page, Claire Washburn - SF chief medical examiner, and Jill Bernhardt - SF assistant district attorney. Setting out to catch a vicious killer they become what they jokingly refer to as THE WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB. One word of warning, don't start reading this book unless you plan on spending the rest of the day, or in my case night, rapidly turning the pages. And let me tell you that I was actually able to figure out who the killer really was! Several times as a matter of fact - correctly, incorrectly, correctly, incorrectly, correctly all the way to the final page. Trust me Patterson provides more than enough twists, turns, and subplots to keep you turning those pages. He has also provided a well-rounded, intelligent cast of lead characters who deal with all the personal ups, downs, joys and tragedies of life in addition to stopping the killer. I believed in them and I'm sure most readers will. This book gets my five stars. Now I'm ready to start the sequel!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: You can't put this one down from the end of the first chapter! This book is a great read. The characters tie in very well with eachother. Though some of them are not very strongly developed. The ending is a little sad, I warn you, but it is more realistic than a they-save-the-world-and-live-happily-every-after theme. James Patterson is definitely a very creative and valuable writer of our days and definitely one of my favorite!
Rating: 
Summary: Not 1st Rate
Review: Definitely not one of Patterson's best and not a good way to start off a new series. I agree with many others that the characters are not well developed. Also Patterson continues as he does with Alex; "angsting" the life of his main protagonist in this case, Lindsay Boxer. I guess he just doesn't want his main characters to enjoy any personal happiness. Interesting. Also pretty unbelievable that someone that ill could work the hours that Boxer does. Aside from that, I felt the story was weak and I agree with another reviewer that the ending left you wondering who was the character in Chapter 17. So many chapters, maybe this one was suppose to be edited out and it wasn't. Makes no sense. I think Mr. Patterson needs to slow down and return to his original crafy, page turning ways and not become a novel mill.
Rating:
Summary: captivating
Review: it's been a long time since i sat and read a book in one day. this book kept my attention from start to finish. He developed alex cross in a feminine couterpart and did it believably.
Rating:
Summary: 2nd Best Thriller of the Year
Review: Five stars, an outstanding read. Great suspense, the kind that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Only betterred by MURDER DOESN'T FIGURE by Fred Yorg.
Rating:
Summary: Enormously disappointing
Review: I expected this book to be a suspenseful, entertaining read. I also expected, given Mr. Patterson's reputation, that it would be a well-plotted and well-written book. I was enormously disappointed. At the very least, when I finish a suspense book, I expect to know exactly who the killer is and why the killer did it. Mr. Patterson gives a confused and thoroughly unbelievable conclusion to an unconvincing story. The plot holes are troublesome, too. (Example: who IS the character in Chapter 17?) I don't like the presentation of many of the women in this book, and I find them implausible, too. I was looking forward to this series. Given the weakness of this first entry, however, from its gimmicky open to its confusing close, it's the last in the series for me.
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