Eight stars
James Patterson and Maxine Paetro are back for another explosive instalment of the Women’s Murder Club. Detective Lindsay Boxer packs a punch in this piece, alongside her friends, as they unravel numerous mysteries, including a major shipment of drugs and arms fro Mexico. Tossing caution into the wind, Boxer will have to uncover just who’s dirty and protect her family at the same time. Another great piece in the series, showing that the Patterson-Paetro collaboration works wonders.
Word on the street is that a major shipment of drugs and guns have made their way into San Francisco from Mexico, led by members of a dangerous cartel. Detective Lindsay Boxer leads the SFPD portion of a task force into cracking the mystery wide open, while also discovering who is the head of the snake. What she uncovers is baffling and quite worrisome. Not only are the illegal items finding their way onto California streets, but people are being murdered in an apparent attempt to silence any leaks.
It would seem that there are crooked cops all through the shipment’s route, turning head or greasing wheels to ensure these illegal items make their way onto the streets. As Boxer and her husband, a veteran of various US Agencies, work to discover the truth, they come to the realisation that they could be putting themselves and their family at risk.
As the dead bodies mount, there is a troubling sense that this is one fight that cannot end peacefully. All the while, others in the Club tackle their own issues, from the body of a young girl found in a ditch to the daunting task of writing the memoirs of a serial killers. Patterson and Paetro impress with another novel in a series that seems to be working well!
This series has been one of the more reliable collections with Patterson’s name affixed, leaving readers able to predict that something good will come of it. The premise is simple and the delivery quite accurate, especially when there are usually numerous plots taking place in a single novel. Patterson and Paetro offer up some decent writing and keep the characters progressing nicely, something that is surely difficult this far into the series. I’m always eager to see what is to come with Lindsay Boxer and her Women’s Murder Club. This novel solidified that for me.
Twenty-two books into the series. an make it difficult to find development or new backstory that has not been discussed. While the pile of novels is high, the central characters appear to find ways to make things exciting. There is always the progression within Lindsay’s family and the odd mention of certain personal details surrounding the other three, all of which permits the series fan to feel connected to all that is going on. I read, not only for the mystery, but also to see how things will progress with the characters, and am rarely left disappointed at any point. I do wonder what awaits me in novels to come, especially how some of the breadcrumbs left in the narrative will come to fruition.
While the writing and plots are rarely something that I would call stellar, the books are reliable when it comes to entertaining. There is always somehting going on and I can usually get some great action within the pages of the story. A well-plotted narrative keeps the story moving along, as well as some keen twists to keep things from being too predictable. I can usually count on something decent when it comes to character development, all strung together in short chapters, as per Patterson’s trademark. While there have been so many novels, things have yet to go stale, which is nice for a series reader such as myself. I have said it before and will repeat myself here; there needs to be a decent crossover with some of the other Patterson series, pulling together some great detective work with a cast that many fans of Patterson’s work can enjoy.
Kudos, Mr. Patterson and Madam Paetro, for another decent addition to the series. Where will you take these ladies from San Fran next, I can only wonder.
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