2nd Chance (Women's Murder Club)
by James Patterson
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Book Summary Information
Author: James PattersonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-05-20
ISBN: 0446696633
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Book Reviews of 2nd Chance (Women's Murder Club)
Book Review: Another Chance---Verdict, pretty good
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the second book in the "Women's Murder Club" series, set in San Francisco, featuring police detective Lindsay Boxer, newspaper reporter Cindy Thomas, Assistant DA. Jill Bernhardt, and medical examiner Claire Washburn
THE SETUP
A series of murders of Blacks begins with the murder of a little girl who is the niece of a police officer, then the widow of a police officer, then a police officer, and finally the Chief of Police.
Before long Lindsay figures out who the main suspect is, where he is living, and even spot him, but she make no attempt to arrest him, because--get this---"they have no just cause"???? He's violated parole, any cop coulda picked him up, no excuse needed. Gimma a break. So, more people die.
The major sidestory is the return of Lindsay's long lost father.
PREDICTABILITY?
Yes, many elements are highly predictable, but only those Patterson wants to be predictable--he throws wrenches (twists) into several such threads. It is much better story telling technique to give the reader the illusion that he/she is smarter than the cops, smarter even than the narrator (i.e., the author), than to just pull rabbits out of the hat as needed.
FORMULISTIC?
Yeh, it is. Does anyone criticize "West Side Story" for following the same formula as "Romeo and Juliet?" Many popular authors writing in the same genre as Patterson would be wisely counseled to pay more attention to the tried-and-true formulas. The last novel I read had 6 or 7 seemingly independent storylines running simultaneously. I counted over 130 named characters in another novel I read recently. Within the past year, I've read two "mystery thrillers" by female authors which had no plot whatsoever. Yet, in another alleged "thriller" (also set in SF), virtually nothing happened for the first 800 pages. Far too many "mystery-thriller" authors just make it up as they go along, writing themselves into corners, and then resorting to deus ex machina to roughly cobble everything together in the end. Patterson's novels are at least readable, even if many are disappointments
SNIDE COMMENTS
Apparently no-one in San Francisco eats ordinary American food, even at home, not even cops, instead they dine only on Javanese, Patagonian, or Tuscan (et al ad nauseam) cuisine, and drink only wine from boutique vineyards no-one has ever heard of. But that's not just Patterson, it seems that every author who sets a novel in San Francisco swallows the insular (penninsular?) conceit that SF is the center of the gourmet universe. Worse, they compete in inflicting that tired cliche on us readers. The attitude may even have been only a little inflated 20 years ago. Presently, "fad of the day" is more common than "catch of the day" in upscale SF restaurants.
The sophisticated tastes (in all things: including foreign films, "high-brow" literature, the opera, exotic cuisine, rare wines, fashion, etc.) of the major characters, most of whom are supposed to be of relatively modest means, does not ring true. Those aspects of the characters feel contrived. It feels like Patterson is really just is bragging about how sophisticated he is.
I find it just a tad icky to be witness to a male author dropping the names of women's clothing designers and catalogs in every other paragraph--albeit not as icky as Deaver who is into women's shoes.
Patterson mentions the specific music playing in the background for every other scene. When overdone (as it is here) it has the tacky feel of name-dropping--although fans of those artists are undoubtably delighted.
CAVEATS
"2nd Chance" is actually rather sedately paced for a thriller, at least in the middle. I wouldn't call the novel a mystery--there is little mystery about who the perp is--until he is killed. There are several obvious implausibilities. The characterization and "team collaboration" (the whole gimmick to this series) is weak--the novel is pretty much all Lindsay.
EVALUATION
It won't inspire you, nor educate you; it won't expand your vocabulary or horizons, but it will entertain you, and that's enough. It's a few hours read, not a major commitment. Best of all, it satisfies. This is one of the better Patterson novels.
Summary of 2nd Chance (Women's Murder Club)
2nd Chance reconvenes the Women's Murder Club, four friends (a detective, a reporter, an assistant district attorney, and a medical examiner) who used their networking skills, feminine intuition, and professional wiles to solve a baffling series of murders in 1st to Die. This time, the murders of two African Americans, a little girl and an old woman, bear all the signs of a serial killer for Lindsay Boxer, newly promoted to lieutenant of San Francisco's homicide squad. But there's an odd detail she finds even more disturbing: both victims were related to city cops. A symbol glimpsed at both murder scenes leads to a racist hate group, but the taunting killer strikes again and again, leaving deliberate clues and eluding the police ever more cleverly. In the meantime, each of the women has a personal stake at risk--and the killer knows who they are.2nd Chance reconvenes the Women's Murder Club, four friends (a detective, a reporter, an assistant district attorney, and a medical examiner) who used their networking skills, feminine intuition, and professional wiles to solve a baffling series of murders in 1st to Die. This time, the murders of two African Americans, a little girl and an old woman, bear all the signs of a serial killer for Lindsay Boxer, newly promoted to lieutenant of San Francisco's homicide squad. But there's an odd detail she finds even more disturbing: both victims were related to city cops. A symbol glimpsed at both murder scenes leads to a racist hate group, but the taunting killer strikes again and again, leaving deliberate clues and eluding the police ever more cleverly. In the meantime, each of the women has a personal stake at risk--and the killer knows who they are.
2nd Chance speeds along at a Formula One pace through many tight curves, but unlike recent entries in the Alex Cross series, it doesn't sacrifice good characters to a twisted plot. Lindsay's the star, but there's a fine esprit de corps among the four women, who are even better developed here than in the first book. What makes them both convincing and interesting as a criminal-justice juggernaut is their willingness to stick their necks out, even if they suffer for it. If you haven't picked up a James Patterson novel in a while, this is a great time to start anew. --Barrie Trinkle
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