1st to Die (Women's Murder Club)
by James Patterson
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Book Reviews of 1st to Die (Women's Murder Club)
Book Review: It doesn't get much worse.
Summary: 1 Stars
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. The subplot involving the lead character's illness was beyond belief the first time the subject came up. No GP would diagnose such a rare blood disorder without confirmation from a hematologist, and no GP who thought his patient was so seriously ill would wait for said patient to make her own appointment with a specialist. And it's dozens of these small inaccuracies / inconsistencies that make this book so impossible to believe.
Fourth to die: My patience. Read this sentence straight out of chapter 108 (and those faux cliff-hanger chapter endings are extremely irritating); I've removed the name used to prevent spoilers for anyone who may still want to read this book: "Against all logic, I was growing surer and surer that X might not be the killer."
That may be the worst sentence I've ever read. It should be entered in the annual Bulwer-Lytton contest.
'First To Die' is the first James Patterson book I've ever read. I'm not tempted, I'm not even sure I could be persuaded, to ever read a second.
Book Review: Ugh
Summary: 1 Stars
I've been having trouble concentrating enough to read anything involving thought and effort so mindless mysteries/thrillers are just what the doctor ordered. This one, though? No thanks.
By page 45 I decided I hated James Patterson writing women. The head of the homicide division and the chief medical examiner of San Francisco are disgusted, sickened, and "have to turn away" from a body. What atrocity can these two strong, experienced, professional women not handle? A body with a single stab wound. What?! Oh, but the male detective? He's just fine! He even steps in to offer our lead homicide investigator an arm to lean on! Seriously? You've got to be kidding me.
I found the interactions between the female friends not realistic in the slightest. I actually snorted with laughter a few times at how ridiculous and cliché they were.
Overall I found the writing to be stilted and not especially engaging. I can't say I enjoyed it much at all. And I don't normally notice these things but the man used the word, "chilling" so many times that, not only did I notice, but was really annoyed by it. Good writers don't need to tell their readers how to react to their writing. I should find your descriptions "chilling" without being told to over and over and over again.
And my most petty complaint: The Women's Murder Club. Four intelligent, urbane professionals and that's the name of their group? Couldn't he have come up with a name that wasn't so hackneyed and immature? It might as well be The Four Females Who Find Killers Club or The Four Awesome Chicks Hunting Bad Guys Club. Would a homicide investigator, coroner, prosecutor, and reporter who were male have to create a "club" and name it something so hokey? Again, I think it goes back to Patterson's inability to write women with any realism or truth. And his desire to create a series and characters that could easily be marketed and turned into a movie and/or TV show.
I enjoy gruesome, bloody thrillers but really doubt I can bring myself to skim through the rest of these books based solely on how poorly written I find the characters.
ETA: I just found out that James Patterson earned $50 million from June 2007 to June 2008. No, that's not a typo. I'm equal parts horrified and inspired to write something that my biggest fans will excitedly describe as a "quick and easy read."
Book Review: "1st to Die"
Summary: 3 Stars
Some of you may be familiar with James Patterson's Alex Cross series; there is currently a film-adaptation of one of Patterson's novels, Along Came a Spider starring Morgan Freeman. 1st to Die is Patterson's latest achievement and it marks the first installment of a series he will develop further in the future.
The setting: there is a killer going round the Bay Area, taking the lives of newly-weds on the night of their honeymoon or the day of their wedding. The SFPD is pretty much stumped, slowly piecing the evidence together, but not actually getting very far - leads leading to cul-de-sacs.
The characters: four woman who unite, all from different walks of life, to solve the case and catch the serial killer. The main character, Lindsay Boxer, is an investigator for the homicide division for the homicide division for the SFPD; she wants most to succeed, but she is concurrently battling a devastating illness that saps more of her energy each day she sets about solving this bloody investigation. Claire Washburn is a medical examiner, friend to Lindsay, she provides important details that help the case. Jill Bernardt is the Assistant D.A. who wants to catch just this person just as much as the others, hoping to try him and put him away fro a long time. Cindy Thomas is a small-time reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, but she has been recently promoted to the crime desk at the newspaper: her research provides valuable evidence for the case, while she keeps the country up-to-date on the circumstances of the case, that is when Lindsay agrees to the press release. Together they are the Women's Murder Club.
The novel: Patterson has managed to create a whole new world in the familiar territory of the Bay Area. He dives beneath the ordinary, everyday façade of San Francisco and reveals an invisible underlining that is witnessed by few. The reader is taken on a joyride of shocking and exciting proportions, as the quartet meet and bring the clues together, steadily catching up to the killer, until the climactic finish, with Patterson's inevitable twists surprising the reader in a tour-de-force conclusion.
Originally published on May 14th 2001 İAlex C. Telander.
Originally published in the Long Beach Union.
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Book Review: Start of new women-led murder series
Summary: 4 Stars
This review is of the Audiobook version.
The first story in this series is '1st To Die' which introduces Lindsay Boxer and the Women's Murder Club. Lindsay is a San Francisco homicide Inspector and she has been put on a case where a married couple were killed on the evening of their wedding. Lindsay is partnered with a man from the mayor's office, Chris Raleigh, and on the same day discovers she has an unusual blood disorder which is potentially fatal. Lindsay's energy is directed toward the investigation as well as her health and as she investigates the first murder and another two 'bride and groom' killings she finds herself drawn into a group of other women for support - Cindy Thomas, a reporter; Claire Washburn, a medical examiner; and Jill Bernhardt, an assistant DA.
The book seemed to draw to a conclusion fairly early but then there were several twists which made the story move in new directions. The interactions between Lindsay and Chris Raleigh were well written, as were Lindsay's moments of emotion as she battles her disease and tries to get to the bottom of the murders. However there were some rather cringe-worthy moments when the girls seemed to have to say "I love you" to each other, as well as having to be vastly successful and feisty as well as in touch with their femininity. Those who like to read more about the murder scenes might find this story a disappointment as it seems to be more about Lindsay and her feelings than detective work. I also felt that the 'baddie' seemed rather comic-book bad and his behaviour at the very end of the story was rather implausible. Still I enjoyed the story and this new series of characters.
The narrator of this story did a good job but sometimes her voice became so quiet that it was difficult to hear over road noise when driving and listening, which is probably how many people will hear this story. In order to hear the quiet sections the volume had to be raised rather more than I would like for the louder sections. However this was an excellent audiobook and whiled away a long journey very effectively!
Book Review: Introducing the Ladies
Summary: 3 Stars
The day started out bad enough. SFPD homicide cop Lindsay Boxer has been given the news that she has a serious and rare health condition that might be life threatening. But that's nothing compared to what comes next.
Even for a seasoned cop the crime scene was grisly. David and Melanie Brandt were killed on their wedding night. And the crimes were bloody and brutal. Yet there is very little left behind in the ways of clues for Lindsay to follow.
When things heat up with a second killing a week later, Lindsay begins to think outside the box. She pulls together best friend medical examiner Claire Washburn and new friends Cindy Thomas, a reporter just starting on the crime desk, and Jill Bernhardt, assistant D.A. Can these four women catch the killer?
I'll admit I watched the TV show version of these characters last year. I was curious about the books, so when a friend offered them to me, I jumped at the chance. As I expected, they were much more graphic then I am used to. But that wasn't my main problem with the story.
Lindsay is a strong character, but I don't feel like we got to know anyone else that well. The sub-plot about Lindsay's health distracted from an already engaging plot and just slowed things down. And the discussions about the character's sex lives were pointless.
But the biggest flaw was the climax. It was way too hasty and really felt tacked on.
Not to say the book was all bad. The story moved forward quickly and included several nice twists.
As of now, I am planning to continue on with the series. But I will be hoping that James Patterson really improves his storytelling in future installments.