2nd Chance (Women's Murder Club) by James Patterson
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Book Reviews of 2nd Chance (Women's Murder Club)
Book Review: A 2nd Chance to make a first impression.
Summary: 3 Stars
2nd Chance is a passable, fluff thriller; you'll never confuse James Patterson's writing with the skillfull writing of a Thomas H. Cook. Our protagonist, Lindsay Boxer, is back in this second installment to find someone who is killing seemingly random people. Everyone believes the killings are hate crimes due to all the victims being black, but the killer's motive runs deeper than skin color, and deals more with a certain profession. Patterson paints Lindsay as an emotionalist who allows the scummy characters in the book to constantly get under her skin. She's so indignant and outraged about everything instead of being smart and objective while doing her job.
Also returning for the second installment are Lindsay's gal pals who assist her in crime-solving: the prosecutor, the coroner, and the reporter. I'd list their names if I cared enough, but I don't.
The four professional, thirty-something women all act like they're in high school. Patterson's attempts to make the coroner sound black are ridiculous. We get plenty of "hey girls" and "my girls." Too bad we didn't get a "fo shizzle my nizzle." There is also a minister in the story named Aaron. He is another perfect black specimen similar to Alex Cross. The thing is, Patterson totally disrespects the character's role as a pastor by having him have sex with the floozy reporter. I missed the memo that says it's okay for ministers to have sex before marriage. In fact, the issue of the restrictions of a minister due to his profession and faith isn't even discussed by any character in the story. Patterson attempts to paint this guy as a sincere man of the cloth who practices what he preaches, yet contradicts his character by having him behave like a regular guy who isn't tied by any Christian or moral doctrine. He never does or says anything that would show us he's a server of the Lord. Even his speeches in church have nothing to do with God. Like Jesse Jackson, this man must have gotten his divinity license from a label off a cereal box.
Bottom Line: 2nd Chance isn't as good as 1st to Die even though its twists are more plausible. I'm hesitant about delving any deeper in the series, though I do own the third installment, 3rd Degree.
Book Review: An okay read, but with an illogical twist.
Summary: 3 Stars
I enjoy reading James Patterson, so I'm not inclined to pan his work. 2nd Chance is a fast read. It's light. It doesn't require the reader to do much thinking. The only disappointment I had was that Lindsay Boxer, for just one brief but fairly important moment, appears to go brain dead - which is the exact opposite of what you would expect from this character. But this "brain dead" moment sets the stage for a good portion of the book. This "moment" happens about 70% through the story. The killer has been identified and located but there is not enough tangible evidence to arrest him. Rather than establish 24/7 surveillance of the suspect (which would dramatically increase the odds of catching the bad guy in the act and thus produce evidence), Lindsay decides to "rattle the guy" and "turn his life upside down." She thus confronts the killer and in essence notifies him that they are on to him. This is not what a super-smart, going to show up all the men in the world, highly decorated, recently promoted, female detective would do. It's something Jacobi (her ex-partner) would do, but not Lindsay. This brain dead moment tended to spoil the rest of the story for me. You would think that Patterson, after so many years of writing these kind of stories, would not let such an odd, illogical twist occur within his main character.Book Review: Good But Not Great
Summary: 3 Stars
2nd Chance is a good book but it doesn't even compete with some of his other books like 1st to Die and Mary Mary. It was very suspenseful and it was defiantly a page turner. But there were a few things I didn't like about it. One thing was I didn't like how the girls just became "best friends." Friendships take time and you do not become that good of friends with someone in only a couple of months. Also I found Jill's miscarriage to be completely pointless and irrelevant. I am not even sure why James Patterson even put it in the book at all. It wasn't like that was a main concern of the last book or anything. It just kind of seemed like an incomplete thought that he just decided to throw into the book to take up some room. Also I know that James Patterson is know for his plot twists at the end of his books but this one seemed very unnecessary. I liked the first ending more than I liked the "real" ending just as a couple of other reviews said.Book Review: 2nd Chance
Summary: 3 Stars
This is the second book in the Women's Murder Club series featuring Detective Lindsay Boxer and her friends -- a crime reporter, a medical examiner, and an assistance district attorney -- who are the Women's Murder Club. They gather to discuss evidence that others in their workplaces may have missed as well as sharing support and friendship. This time it's another rather bizarre serial killer. Boxer's long-lost father, a retired police officer, makes an appearance in this book. This is a fast read with short chapters. The plot holds one's attention to the end.Book Review: 2nd better than 1st.
Summary: 3 Stars
I really liked this one because the action and excitment was right there from the beginning and Patterson again keep me guessing right to the end. This is a fast read which doesn't require a lot of concentration, but it kept drawing me back to see what happens next. Men, don't let the fact that this about "A Women's Murder Club" keep you away because Detectives Jacobi and Cappy are always there to back up Lt. Lindsey Boxer. Also Lindsey's Dad, Marty Boxer, comes back from her past to help her in to solve this murder series.