The 9th Judgment

I’ve always been on the fence when it comes to James Patterson. Sometimes I’ll read a book by him that I love, but I’ll hate the next one. It’s a coin toss. Yet, I hold an entirely different outlook when it comes to his Women’s Murder Club series. These books are in a category of their own—a good one.

Summary (from book jacket):

A young mother and her infant child are ruthlessly gunned down while returning to their car in the garage of a shopping mall. There are no witnesses, and Detective Lindsay Boxer is left with only one shred of evidence: a cryptic message scrawled across the windshield in blood red lipstick.

The same night, the wife of A-list actor Marcus Dowling is woken by a cat burglar who is about to steal millions of dollars’ worth of precious jewels. In just seconds there is a nearly empty safe, a lifeless body, and another mystery that throws San Francisco into hysteria.

Lindsay spends every waking hour working with her partner, Rich—and her desire for him threatens to tear apart both her engagement and the Women’s Murder Club. Before Lindsay and her friends can piece together another case, one of the killers forces Lindsay to put her own life on the line—but is it enough to save the city?

**You may have noticed that I have switched to using the summary from the book instead of writing my own. I do this to ensure that nothing is left out, and that the information comes across as it’s meant to. **

My Thoughts:

I have been reading this series since 1st To Die was published nearly a decade ago. And, I honestly think that the series gets better with each book.

The criminals in The 9th Judgment are more developed characters than one would normally find in a suspense novel. That’s the beauty of this series. The criminal doesn’t always have to be kept a secret to create suspense.

This is the first time in this series where I literally shivered when I read about the crimes committed. Though some descriptions are unpleasant, they certainly get the point across.

In this book, Lindsay Boxer is once again the hero of the day. She is one of my favorite female characters. I just wish Patterson and his cowriters—this time, Maxine Paetro—would stop trying to create a complicated love life for Lindsay. It’s really not necessary.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense novels. These books work well as a series, and also as individual books. So, don’t feel like you have to read all of them before giving this one a chance.

My Rating: A-

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