 - 5 Star Rating
4th of July is the fourth book in the Women’s Murder Club Series by James Patterson as the name suggests. It is beneficial to read the first 3 books in the series, 1st to Die, 2nd Chance, and 3rd Degree, but not necessary as Patterson does a great job in making 4th of July stand on its own.
I have to tell you, I am really becoming a James Patterson fan. I love his ability to instantly engage you in the depths of the story and characters. I’m not one who likes the long winding path to get to the meat of the book. Patterson’s way of keeping chapters very short and the facts clear and concise allow you to follow every minute detail of the evolving narrative in a fun, fast-paced manner.
Lindsay Boxer, Lieutenant Detective of San Francisco Police Department is the star of this plot-thickening, detective, crime-thriller novel. A string of what appears to be brutal killings of runaway teenagers has Lindsay hopping from one clue to the next. The only thing consistent is they are teenagers, appear to be runaways and the killer likes to write “Nobody Cares” as a parting remark.
Then, suddenly, Lindsay and her partner get gunned down while chasing a couple of kids in what appears to be a car-jacking. In a weird twist of fate, Lindsay ends up on trial for the murder of one of the teenagers involved in the car-jacking, while her partner ends up in ICU fighting for his life.
Lindsay gets a little R&R (not planned, of course!) from the SFPD. She visits her sister’s lovely retreat in quiet Half Moon Bay for a little respite from her busy schedule to heal her injured body and crushed soul.
However, once she is in Half Moon Bay for a bit, Lindsay discovers Half Moon Bay is not the quiet, sleepy little town she envisioned. There is a string of brutal, senseless murders happening here too with no rhyme or reason, no evidence to put together and no crime suspects. Even worse, the killer’s odd signature is the same as a John Doe cold case she was never able to solve from when she first joined the force.
Patterson does a fantastic job intertwining the details to thicken the plot and keep you totally enthralled with the work of fiction. I had a hard time stopping the audio book. In fact, I found myself wishing for even more traffic jams on hour long commute to work, just so I could listen to a bit more before having to stop for a few hours.
If you’ve never read or listened to a James Patterson book, I suggest you start with 4th of July to wet your appetite. If you have already listened to his first three books in this Women’s Murder Club Series, then you will truly want to devour this one!
Author : James Patterson
Narrated By : Carolyn McCormick
Published By : Hachette Audio
Length : 7 hours
Detective
Detective
Crime
Thrillers
Price : $29.98 $20.68
After losing one of its own, Lindsay Boxer and the Women’s Murder Club make a courageous return for their fourth and most chilling case ever—one that could easily be their last. A young girl is killed in crossfire after a routine arrest goes terribly wrong, and Lt. Lindsay Boxer has to defend herself against a charge of police brutality. In a landmark trial that transfixes the nation, Lindsay fights to save her career and her sanity.
While awaiting trial, Lindsay escapes to the beautiful town of Half Moon Bay, but the peaceful community there is reeling from a string of unspeakable murders. Working with her friends in the Women’s Murder Club, Lindsay finds a link between these killings and a case she worked on years before—an unsolved murder that has haunted her ever since. As summer comes into full swing, Lindsay battles for her life on two fronts: before a judge and jury as her trial comes to a climax, and facing unknown adversaries who will do anything to keep her from the truth about the killings-—including killing again. It all comes to a head before the big annual 4th of July celebration on the waterfront at Half Moon Bay. Patterson fine-tunes the tension like never before in this heart-racing new novel in the bestselling detective series to debut in years.
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