The 5th Horseman (Women's Murder Club)
by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro
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Book Summary Information
Author: James Patterson, Maxine PaetroEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-02-13
ISBN: 0316159778
Number of pages: 410
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Book Reviews of The 5th Horseman (Women's Murder Club)
Book Review: (3 ½) Starring Lindsay Boxer
Summary: 4 Stars
Just as in 4TH OF JULY, the previous installment in The Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson and also coauthored by Maxine Paetro, SFPD Lt. Lindsay Boxer is the central character in this story. Yuki Castellano, the newest club member whose excellent work as Lindsay's defense attorney figured prominently in that previous episode also indirectly plays a crucial role in this story as will be detailed later in this review. The other members of the Club, Medical Examiner Claire Washburn and SF Chronicle reporter Cindy Thomas also appear in supporting roles, as do the other previously recurring characters in the series including Lindsay's boyfriend Joe, her Border Collie and running companion Martha, and police department associates Warren Jacobi and Charlie Clapper.
The defining elements will also be familiar to the legion of Patterson fans - non-stop action, brutal crimes, enough plot misdirection to keep the criminal's identity in doubt, and some degree of personal involvement of (or danger to) the main protagonist herself (or himself). This story will undoubtedly appeal to the readers who made all of the first four entries in the series best sellers. In addition, the fact that it is unsurprisingly comprised of almost exclusively two to four page chapters and printed in relatively large type mean that this book is a very quick read, ideal for a short trip or rainy weekend.
In the brief prologue, the death of a hospital patient is apparently aided by a shadowy staffer known to the reader only as The Night Walker, who watches the "beautiful" sight of the patient "crossing over" and then places two caduceus embossed brass coins on the patient's eyes. The story then switches to Lindsay Boxer, whose first person narration alternates with the third party descriptive narration of the author for the remainder of the book. Lindsay agrees to meet Yuki for lunch so that Yuki can introduce Lindsay to her mom Keiko. During a brief but delightful conversation, Yuki's mom collapses and Lindsay summons an EMT unit and accompanies the frantic Yuki to the hospital to provide support while Yuki awaits news regarding her mom's condition. When Yuki's mom appears out of danger, Lindsay returns to her office the next morning and soon is involved with Warren Jacobi in a homicide case involving a very attractive young blonde woman found dead inside a Cadillac in a downtown parking garage.
Next, Lindsay learns from her friend Cindy that a high profile trial is about to begin involving several mysterious deaths under suspicious circumstances at SF Municipal Hospital; she becomes increasingly concerned for Yuki's mom Keiko, whose hospitalization at SF Municipal foreshadows that she will in some way undoubtedly play a crucial role before the story is complete. More deaths occur at the hospital, and Lindsay is increasingly frustrated by the hospital administration's continued denial of the fact that these deaths may be related both to shield its reputation and in an attempt to win the upcoming court case. However, despite her knowledge of and suspicions regarding some of the cases, her inquiries are hampered by the lack of any official police involvement with regard to any of the deaths. Meanwhile, the appearance of the dead bodies of additional young women whose deaths occur in a carefully staged manner similar to that of Caddy Girl suggest that Jacobi and Boxer may be dealing with a serial killer whose acts have the potential to cause a major political headache for the SFPD if the case is not quickly solved.
Finally, in addition to these two investigations both involving serial killers, a major element of the plot involves the liability trial of SF Municipal Hospital, which is being sued for medical malpractice by relatives of twenty patients who have recently died there. The litigants are represented by the flamboyant victim's rights attorney Maureen O'Mara, who is pitted against the hospital's high-powered litigator Lawrence Kramer. An additional element of intrigue is that Dr. Dennis Garza, who was the emergency room physician on duty when Keiko and many of the other patients were admitted, seems destined to play a crucial role in the outcome of the case.
This novel has two potentially riveting plots and several potentially interesting characters; unfortunately it also suffers from the criticisms often leveled at Patterson's work. The character development is minimal as usual; in addition, there are several questionable plot devices utilized which in my opinion are unnecessary to sustain the storylines. An example which does not involve introducing any spoilers is the trial itself. This novel could easily have introduced many elements of a legal thriller by concentrating on a single victim as the basis of a much more conventional trial. Instead, we get an agglomeration of what should actually be separate cases (with minimal details about many minor characters) in the context of a highly questionable class action suit that has never been certified as such and would in reality have dragged through the courts endlessly before getting heard by a jury. If this distortion of legal procedure were necessary to further the plot it would be understandable, but it is not. In addition, there are many unanswered questions concerning the main characters and an epilogue which provides closure but without any satisfying background explanation.
In summary, in my opinion less would have been more in the case of this novel. Either of these plots would have been more satisfying if they were developed in greater detail; combining the two in one novel meant that they each suffered from lack of the detailed development which would have made either of them more compelling. However, despite my criticisms and objections I have rounded up my rating to four stars because the authors accomplished the majority of what I expected when I purchased the book; its rapid pace was combined with a plot with enough mystery and surprises to keep me interested and a rousing conclusion with a great twist. However, given the fact that the story has such obvious strengths and weaknesses I am not at all surprised that it has engendered such a wide difference of opinion among reviewers.
Finally, I was left with a few unanswered questions which intrigue me enough so that I will probably read the sequel. First, will this become the Lindsay Boxer series with the other members of TWMC as only supporting actresses? Second, given the uncertainty regarding Yuki's future, will she remain a member of the Club or is one of the plot devices going to become a rotating membership among club members, which simultaneously somewhat destroys the continuity of such a series but also provides the authors with an additional way of keeping the series fresh? Last, will Maxine Paetro continue to lend her obvious talents to the series and perhaps provide some continuity or will Patterson once again choose to alternate his coauthor? And yes, the official explanation of who is THE FIFTH HORSEMAN does occur very late in the book, although I actually prefer my guess that it was a double entendre which should refer to Dr. Garza for reasons which will become obvious during the course of the story.
Tucker Andersen
Summary of The 5th Horseman (Women's Murder Club)
It is a wild race against time as Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer and the newest member of the Women's Murder Club, attorney Yuki Castellano, lead an investigation into a string of mysterious patient deaths--and reveal a hospital administration determined to shield its reputation at all costs. And while the hospital wages an explosive court battle that grips the entire nation, the Women's Murder Club hunts for a merciless killer among its esteemed medical staff. The newest addition to the topselling new mystery series takes the Women's Murder Club to the most terrifying heights of suspense they have yet to encounter. THE 5TH HORSEMAN proves once again that James Patterson is "the page-turningest author in the game right now " (San Francisco Chronicle).Literature & Fiction Books
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