I agree with what a lot of the 1 and 2 start reviewers have said and have one thing to add: the author has obviously not done any research on dogs. Or, possibly, border collies in America are very different from the breed we have here in Scotland. Border collies are fairly large dogs and I would really like to see one perch on somebody's lap looking out to the bay... makes for a very, very funny picture! Next, does Mr Patterson know that border collies are working dogs and keeping one in a flat is absolutely ridiculous and amounts to animal cruelty? And if the heroine of the books indeed keeps her collie in a flat, then it is highly likely that when she returns from work, the collie will have taken the flat apart from sheer boredom.
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I picked up this book on a recent trip to the USA. Once I had started it I couldn't put it down. I just kept on reading. It is a brilliant murder, mystery novel. James drew me in to the story so much that I felt as though I was living there with the characters and knew them intimately.
Guys don't be put off by it saying "A Women's Murder Club Novel". It is no way a book that will only appeal to women. In a predominately male world, four women join forces and press forward in their workplaces to bring a vicious killer to justice. With several twists the outcome is not easy to guess.
I felt like I'd watched a film rather than read a book and knew the characters instantly. So I rushed out to get 2nd Chance to read on the aeroplane home!
Jeany Pavett, Author of Life After Death; A Mother's Story.
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You can't tell a book by it's cover! The Women's Murder Club sounds like an old school whodunnit?, with shady alley ways and a distinct film noir setting. Thankfully none of those tired mechanics are in play here. Instead Patterson uses his usual frenetic approach to offer an intriguing story featuring a quartet of successful women who work together to stop a serial killer. 1st to Die creates an interesting killer, a clever and twisting story and works hard to create a main character to bring the Club together, as well intrinsically linking them to the story. It works too and Patterson's first novel in the series is a success with emotional elements as well as the crafting of an ingenious killer. The impact is weakened with the twists in this one, although it's still a decent and entertaining read.
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I dont read much but this book captivated me from beginning to end - so much so that i rushed out and brought more from the series - currently on the 3rd book and still loving them!!!!! would definatley recommend.
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Some time ago, while attempting to piece together a broken series of memory flashes in which I saw myself hunted and eventually subdued by the cast of "Cheers" in a rundown warehouse, I stumbled across this languid prosedream. I shook my head to remove the image of Norm advancing on me, canines sharp in the half light, and settled down to lose my sense of self and social restraint in the plot-whirlpool created by that consummate word-wrangler, Lord Patterson of Story.
As I read, the characters (the members of the Women's Murder Club, the murderer, and the disembodied voice of Superman's father) became more real; and my life, mundane as it was at that time (between the second and third Polka Wars), seemed to fade into the fog of fiction. The twists and turns of the plot ensnared me until my mind could move no more but simply twitched now and then. And when, finally, I found myself blinking in the sultry sunlight of his dénouement, I realised that life could not go on the same. I released the stilton, tore down my invisible curtains, and recalled Jasper from his lonely watchtower.
So here's to you, Mr. P. May all your joy be as sweet as jam, if less reliant on pectin.
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