1st to Die (The Women's Murder Club)

1st to Die (The Women's Murder Club) by Patterson, James. audioCD edition. ISBN: 9781586210595.

The Womens Murder Club pits four San Francisco women professionalsagainst a serial killer whos stalking and murdering newlyweds in bestsellingauthor James Pattersons newest thriller. Lindsay Boxer is a homicide inspectorwhos just gotten some very bad news. She deals with it by immersing herself inher newest case and soliciting the personal as well as professional support ofher closest friend, who happens to be the citys medical examiner. The twowomen, along with an ambitious and sympathetic reporter and an assistant DA,form an unlikely alliance, pooling their information and bypassing the chain ofcommand in an engaging, suspenseful story whose gruesome setup is vintagePatterson. "What is the worst thing anyone has ever done?" the killer muses to himselfearly in the narrative. "Am I capable of doing it? Do I have what it takes?"Answering his own question, he embarks on a murderous spree that takes him fromthe bridal suite in a Nob Hill hotel to a honeymoon destination in the NapaValley and thence to a wedding reception at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame andMuseum in Cleveland, Ohio. Dispatching his victims on the happiest day of theirlives, he purposefully leaves enough clues for his distaff trackers to discoverhis identity and put him behind bars. But just when the women think theyve gotthe case all wrapped up, the killer turns the tables on them in a bloodydenouement that even the most discerning reader wont see coming. Patterson,author of the popular Alex Cross mysteries, promises future adventures for theWomens Murder Club, which may give him an opportunity to develop his heroinescharacters more completely and win new fans among those who prefer theirdetectives in high heels and lipstick. --Jane Adams