1st to Die

I read the first few books of the Women's Murder Club series waaaay back in my pre-GoodReads era. That's a long time ago! I recently decided to feed my new Kobo a free library copy and dive back into this series.

I expect a fast-paced, popcorn kind of thriller from James Patterson. He has written just shy of what feels like a gazillion books, but this book was just ... okay. It was a decent introduction to the four main characters of this 25 book (and counting) series. We meet Lindsay Boxer (police detective), Claire Washburn (medical examiner), Cindy Thomas (journalist) and Jill Bernhardt (Assistant D.A.) who band together to solve crimes.

I love the (albeit quick) bond between the foursome as these women solve the case of a serial killer bent on killing newlyweds. It's a quick and easy read although not as tension-filled or as fast-paced as I had hoped. And I easily could have done without the superfluous romance. 

This book was good but not great. I am eager to see the four main characters grow in the later books and hopefully storylines that will give me a page-turner kind of read. It was a good enough start to the series that I already have book two - 2nd Chance - lingering on my kobo.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: James Patterson

Genre: Suspense

Series: Women's Murder Club 1

Type and Source: ebook from public library

Publisher: Hachette Book Group

First Published: March 5, 2001

Read: January 21 - 24, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: Four women-four friends-share a determination to stop a killer who has been stalking newlyweds in San Francisco. 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 one another 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.