Rating: Summary: Very Engrossing! Review: This is only the second book that I have read by James Patterson. It had me hooked from the beginning, though I must admit the murders were pretty gruesome. I could not put the book down. I followed the story of Lindsey Boxer and her three friends that form the Murder Club as they try to solve the Bride-Groom murders. This story will keep you on your toes and when you think the story has ended it hasn't! Patterson keeps you going until the bitter end. Great read!
Rating: Summary: A man in the mind of 4 women. Review: This book was wonderful. It's actually the firsrt JP book that i've read all the way through and I loved it! I had started to read Violets Are Blue until I found out that the Mastermind is revealed and there are many more Alex Cross books... Anyway, It's SO amazing to me that this man can put himself inside of a woman's mind and portray such nasty and depressing things and make you feel like you're stuck right in the middle of it with no way out. GO MR. PATTERSON!
Rating: Summary: Suspenseful Novella Review: 1st to Die is a very quick and suspenseful novel about a twisted murder plot. I enjoyed the book, because of the character developments of the 4-Girl's Murder Club and the artfully developed villains. As a reader, you will incorrectly believe that you have solved this mystery long before the ending of the book. Patterson does a brilliant job of twisting the plot to engage you to the very end.Even the title's significance is not revealed until the last chapter of the book. The Coup de Grace injects, yet another, diabolical scheme to deliver suspense to the last page. This JP novel receives a 4-star because of the rich-character developments and twisted plot. Moreover, I am still a little perturbed that Patterson starts a new chapter, and not necessarily a new thought, on average, every 3 ½ pages. So with blank-spacing issues, this 462 page novel reads more accurately as a 200 page novella. It is still worth a quick read ' just don't buy it.
Rating: Summary: FIRST OF MANY, I GUESS Review: This is the first JP novel, I have read in years, and I wasn't all that impressed. I will say I did like the story and it was well developed, but for some reason I find his material a little too lite for my liking. For some reason with JP I will read the book if compelled to read it from a friend, but I would never pick one up just to read it. However, this is no advertisment to say don't read it, I think all will like it. Please read it if you feel bored and want a quick interesting, twisted mystery. I know this is a conflicting review, but I try to be positive:-)
Rating: Summary: Uncharacteristically lame Patterson book Review: James Patterson is capable of much more than this book delivers. It definatly sounds like a Patterson novel, with the requesite style and character development. The mystery is good, as is most of the plot. However, the "women's murder club" idea sounds like a shameless plea to the Lifetime Network for a movie deal. I cringed with every page about Detective Boxer's personal problems and just about couldn't make it through the scenes about her murder club meetings. Skip this series and go read an Alex Cross Patterson novel instead.
Rating: Summary: 1st to die Review: I actually stumbled upon this series by accident. As an avid Patterson reader and Alex Cross fan, I had to seek out this book after seeing the hardcover for 2nd chance at my local book store. Although I am still a bit partial to the Cross series, the Women's Murder Club comes in at a close second. The club solves murders by stretching the rules at every plot turn. The club members are Lindsey Boxer (homicide inspector), Claire Washburn (medical examiner), Jill Bernhardt (Assistant DA), and Cindy Thomas (reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle). If you love Patterson the way I do, you won't be disappointed. Give 2nd chance a read as well!
Rating: Summary: Women's Murder Club Reigns Supreme Review: I loved James Patterson's new novel, 1st to Die. The Women's Murder Club solves murders outside traditional law enforcement chanels with both intelligence and intuitition. The author revels in the brilliance and strength of collaboration among women. If you like reading or listening to books with strong female characters, you are going to love getting to know San Francisco's Women's Murder Club. Linsey Boxer (homicide inspector), Claire Washburn (medical examiner), Jill Bernhardt (asst. district attorney), and Cindy Thomas (reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle) leave you cheering for savvy female crime solvers everywhere! I enjoyed this book so much, I dashed out out immediately and to get the sequel, "2nd Chance". The bad guys don't stand a chance when the Women's Murder Club convenes again. Both books receive two female thumbs up!
Rating: Summary: Big Disappointment Review: All I can say is wow. I read this book over the course of two days this summer, and I was more disappointed about it than any book I have read in a long time. Now, I normally really enjoy James Patterson. I've read quite a few of his novels, and usually enjoy them immensely. So when I started reading this book, I did not immediately put it down, as I would have if it were an author I was unfamiliar with. I kept reading, knowing that it would get better. Boy, was I wrong. This book reads like a first draft by a high school creative writing student who is taking the class simply because it is required to graduate. Yes, it is that bad. While there are a few good plot twists, and I like the general idea of the story, perhaps Mr. Patterson should have spent a little more time developing it. The characters are thin, the story is at best highly unbelievable in several aspects, and characters die that have no reason to. OK, fine, I can handle it when a few main characters die. I'm a huge fan of Stephen King, an author guaranteed not to let everyone out alive. But at some point you have to say to yourself, "ok, this is going a little too far." Even if you suspend reality enough to accept that parts of the plot could occur, you will probably want to throw the book across the room when you get to the last pages. I know I did. You're probably saying to yourself "it can't be all that bad, right?" Well, let me tell you exactly how disappointed I was: this is probably the last James Patterson novel I will ever read. Take my advice and go for a really good cop book like Plum Island or The Lion's Game by Nelson DeMille. I think you'll be glad you did.
Rating: Summary: First to Die Review: When I read the first chapter in First to Die, I was a little disgusted about why or even how someone could be that sick, to kill people they don't even know. People like that need mental help. I was in shock with the way that Phillip Campbell killed the first couple. This man was killing people for the simple pleasure of seeing the look on the victims face as their dying. He would get this warm tingling feeling inside as he was killing his victims. If the victim struggled any, the killing made it more enjoyable for him. The sad part of all this mess is that the victims, were newlyweds, they weren't even married for more than 2 days. I can imagine how their families felt, when they heard the news. This was a very good book; I liked how he kept you hanging on his every word, up until the very end. James Patterson is a very god author; I can't wait to read another one of his books.
Rating: Summary: 1st to Die: A book you make sure to read Review: I thought this book was very well written. It kept me in suspense and I never wanted to put it down. The plot was creative and just when I thought I had it figured out, he'd throw out a little twist that made me contradict my previous ideas. The ending was a complete surprise, which is always a plus in a great book. If you haven't read a James Patterson book before, 1st to Die is a great book to start out with because it'll leave you wanting more.
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