Between The Pages - 22 Seconds

22 Seconds

James Patterson 

May 2022 

SFPD Sergeant Lindsay Boxer has guns on her mind and only twenty-two seconds until she loses her badge—or her life. 

There’s buzz of a last-ditch shipment of drugs and weapons crossing the Mexican border ahead of new restrictive gun laws. Before Lindsay can act, her top informant tips her to a case that hits disturbingly close to home. 

Former cops. Professional hits. All with the same warning scrawled on their bodies: You talk, you die. 

Now it’s Lindsay’s turn to choose. 

Between The Pages 

22 Seconds by James Patterson delivers exactly what fans of the Women’s Murder Club series crave: a high stakes thriller that refuses to let go. The storyline is fast paced and engaging, showcasing Patterson’s trademark ability to hook a reader from page one and hold their attention through every twist. Joe’s expanded presence added welcome texture. The novel’s pace is relentless, its twists well timed, and its characters as engaging as ever. Another strong, entertaining entry in a long running series that continues to deliver. 

Rating: 5 Stars

Between The Pages - 21st Birthday

21St Birthday

James Patterson 

May 2021 

When young wife and mother Tara Burke goes missing with her baby girl, all eyes are on her husband, Lucas. He paints her not as a missing person but a wayward wife—until a gruesome piece of evidence turns the investigation criminal. 

While Chronicle reporter Cindy Thomas pursues the story and M.E. Claire Washburn harbors theories that run counter to the SFPD’s, ADA Yuki Castellano sizes Lucas up as a textbook domestic offender ... who suddenly puts forward an unexpected suspect.

If what Lucas tells law enforcement has even a grain of truth, there isn't a woman in the state of California who's safe from the reach of an unspeakable threat.

Between The Pages 

This latest addition to the Women’s Murder Club series marked a strong return to what originally made this series so compelling. 21st Birthday breaks the pattern of recent, more predictable installments that felt somewhat repetitive. The story delivered a compelling mystery, a tighter plot, and meaningful character development. The investigation offered enough twists to stay engaged without feeling forced, making it an enjoyable and satisfying read from start to finish. 

Rating: 5 Stars

Between The Pages - The 20th Victim

The 20th Victim

James Patterson 

May 2020 

Three victims, three bullets, three cities. The shooters' aim is as fearsomely precise as their target selection. When Lindsay realizes that the fallen men and women excel in a lucrative criminal activity, she leads the charge in the manhunt for the killers. As the casualty list expands, fear and fascination with this suspicious shooting gallery galvanizes the country. 

The victims were no angels, but are the shooters villains ... or heroes?

Between The Pages 

This installment of the Women’s Murder Club series offers the brisk pacing and high-stakes tension fans expect. The central case is compelling, though some plot elements feel familiar and follow a similar formula with Lindsay and her team once again chasing leads that go nowhere. With so many installments, a bit of repetition is perhaps inevitable. The freshness comes from the parallel storylines of Joe’s investigation and Claire’s personal news, which provide the book with the strongest emotional beats. Overall, an enjoyable read that could benefit from more inventive plotting. 

Rating: 4 Stars

Between The Pages - The 19 Christmas

The 19th Christmas

James Patterson 

October 2019 

The Women's Murder Club gets ready for a quiet Christmas—until a mysterious killer decides to terrorize the city. As the holidays approach, Detective Lindsay Boxer and her friends in the Women's Murder Club have much to celebrate. Crime is down. The medical examiner's office is quiet. Even the courts are showing some Christmas spirit. And the news cycle is so slow that journalist Cindy Thomas is on assignment to tell a story about the true meaning of the season for San Francisco. Then a fearsome criminal known only as "Loman" seizes control of the headlines. Solving crimes never happens on schedule, but as this criminal mastermind unleashes credible threats by the hour, the month of December is upended for the Women's Murder Club. Avoiding tragedy is the only holiday miracle they seek. 

Between The Pages 

James Patterson’s The 19th Christmas delivers a brisk, suspense-driven holiday installment in the Women’s Murder Club series, blending festive calm with a rising sense of danger. The story keeps the investigative team juggling multiple leads, many of which frustratingly fail to connect to the looming heist at the heart of the plot. A standout moment is the return of Jacobi, whose presence adds a welcome layer of familiarity and grit. Cindy’s human-interest assignment provides a softer counterbalance. The New Year’s celebration scenes offer a warm reunion of the cast, but it’s the late twist involving Joe that truly elevates the ending. It’s a compelling reveal, one that could easily have carried even more weight had it been explored further. 

Rating: 4 Stars

Between The Pages - The 18th Abduction

The 18th Abduction

James Patterson 

March 2020 

For a trio of colleagues, an innocent night out after class ends in a deadly torture session. They vanish without a clue—until a body turns up. With the safety of San Francisco's entire school system at stake, Lindsay has never been under more pressure. As the chief of police and the press clamor for an arrest in the "school night" case, Lindsay turns to her best friend, investigative journalist Cindy Thomas. Together, Lindsay and Cindy take a new approach to the case, and unexpected facts about the victims leave them stunned. While Lindsay is engrossed in her investigation, her husband Joe meets an Eastern European woman who claims to have seen a notorious war criminal—long presumed dead—from her home country. Before Lindsay can verify the woman's statement, Joe's mystery informant joins the ranks of the missing women. The entire Women's Murder Club must pull together to protect their city and one another from a true monster. 

Between The Pages

The 18th Abduction delivers a gripping, fast-paced mystery with the Women’s Murder Club at its core. Although the story’s placement five years before the previous installment disrupts the series’ continuity and creates a brief sense of disconnection, the dual investigations and high emotional stakes keep the tension sharp. Despite the timeline shift, it remains a compelling page turner. 

Rating: 4 Stars

Between The Pages - The 17th Suspect

The 17th Suspect

James Patterson 

March 2019 

When a series of shootings exposes San Francisco to a mysterious killer, a reluctant woman decides to put her trust in Sergeant Lindsay Boxer. The confidential informant's tip leads Lindsay to a disturbing conclusion: something has gone horribly wrong inside the police department. The hunt for the killer lures Lindsay out of her jurisdiction and impacts her in dangerous ways. She suffers unsettling medical symptoms, and her friends in the Women's Murder Club warn her against taking the crimes to heart. But with lives at stake, the detective can't help but follow the case into terrifying terrain. A decorated officer, loving wife, devoted mother, and loyal friend, Lindsay has always acted with unwavering integrity. But now she is confronting a killer who is determined to undermine it all. 

Between The Pages 

The 17th Suspect offers a solid and engaging entry in the Women’s Murder Club series, even if it unfolds with a quieter intensity than some of its predecessors. The central mystery—rooted in a string of unsettling shootings and a potential breach within the police department—keeps the tension steady, while Lindsay’s troubling health symptoms add a personal layer that deepens the stakes. The story’s emotional core comes from watching Lindsay and Joe begin to reconnect after earlier turmoil, grounding the plot in the relationships that make the series resonate. While not the most pulse pounding installment, it remains a compelling, character-driven chapter that moves Lindsay’s arc forward in meaningful ways. 

Rating: 4 Stars

Between The Pages - 16th Seduction

16th Seduction

James Patterson 

December 2017 

Fifteen months ago, Detective Lindsay Boxer's life was perfect. She had a beautiful child and a doting husband, Joe, who helped her catch a criminal who'd brazenly detonated a bomb in downtown San Francisco, killing twenty-five people. But Joe wasn't everything that Lindsay thought he was, and she's still reeling from his betrayal as a wave of mysterious heart attacks claim victims across San Francisco. As if that weren't enough, the bomber is about to go on trial, and his defense raises damning questions about Lindsay and Joe's investigation. Not knowing whom to trust, and struggling to accept the truth about the man she thought she knew, Lindsay must connect the dots of a deadly conspiracy before a brilliant criminal puts her on trial. 

Between The Pages 

16th Seduction delivers another gripping chapter in Lindsay Boxer’s journey, weaving together a tense bombing investigation with the emotional fallout of her husband’s betrayal. The novel balances a fast-moving plot, complete with a chilling bomber who always seems one step ahead, with Lindsay’s struggle to regain her footing both personally and professionally. The courtroom twists add an extra layer of suspense as past decisions resurface in dangerous ways. Patterson keeps the stakes high while grounding the story in Lindsay’s resilience, making this installment both compelling and emotionally resonant. 

Rating: 4 Stars

Between The Pages - 15th Affair

15th Affair

James Patterson 

November 2016 

Detective Lindsay Boxer chases an elusive suspect...her husband. 

As she settles into motherhood and a happy marriage, Lindsay Boxer thinks she has found domestic bliss. But when a beautiful, alluring blonde woman with links to the CIA disappears from the scene of a brutal murder at a downtown luxury hotel, Lindsay's life begins to unravel. Before she can track down the woman for questioning, a plane crash plunges San Francisco into chaos and Lindsay's husband Joe vanishes. The deeper she digs, the more Lindsay suspects that Joe shares a secret past with the mystery blonde. Thrown into a tailspin and questioning everything she thought she knew, Lindsay turns to the Women's Murder Club for help as she tries to uncover the truth. Filled with pulse-pounding international intrigue, 15th Affair proves that all is fair in love, war, and espionage. 

Between The Pages 

15th Affair delivers a tightly woven mystery that blends high-stakes investigation with deeply personal turmoil for Detective Lindsay Boxer. The central case is layered with espionage, secrets, and a mysterious CIA-linked suspect that keeps the tension sharp, while Lindsay’s fear that her own husband may be entangled adds emotional depth that elevates the story. Patterson balances the fast-paced plot with the strength of the Women’s Murder Club, whose collaboration remains one of the series’ most compelling elements. The result is a gripping, character-driven thriller that satisfies both longtime fans and newcomers. 

Rating: 5 Stars

Between The Pages - 1st To Die

1st To Die 

James Patterson 

March 2001 

Four crime-solving friends face off against a killer in San Francisco in the Women's Murder Club novel that started James Patterson's thrilling series. 

Each one holds a piece of the puzzle: Lindsay Boxer is a homicide inspector in the San Francisco Police Department, Claire Washburn is a medical examiner, Jill Bernhardt is an assistant D.A., and Cindy Thomas just started working the crime desk of the San Francisco Chronicle. 

But the usual procedures aren't bringing them any closer to stopping the killings. So these women form a Women's Murder Club to collaborate outside the box and pursue the case by sidestepping their bosses and giving each other a hand. The four women develop intense bonds as they pursue a killer whose crimes have stunned an entire city. Working together, they track down the most terrifying and unexpected killer they have ever encountered--before a shocking conclusion in which everything they knew turns out to be devastatingly wrong. 

Between The Pages 

New to the Women's Murder Club series and was immediately hooked. Mr. Patterson is the master of murder mystery. Gripping in suspense. A clever and entertaining plot filled with twists. A great casting collaboration. Lindsay and her three crime-solving friends rock this series. 

Rating 

5 Stars