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Cover of 1st to Die by James Patterson

1st to Die

Book 1 of Women's Murder Club

  • 424 pages · about 7 hours
  • First published 2001
  • 67 editions

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1 About this book

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.

  • Women detectives
  • Serial murders
  • Mystery
  • Mystery & detective, women sleuths
  • Female friendship
  • Friendship
  • San francisco

2 What to expect

The first Women's Murder Club thriller: a San Francisco homicide inspector hunting a murderer of newlywed couples teams up, unofficially, with a medical examiner, a prosecutor and a reporter. Very short chapters switch between the investigation and the criminal, with the inspector's private troubles as a second thread. It is fast, plot-first and violent, thin on character, and it opens a long series.

Good for readers who want: a fast crime thriller, women investigators, and the start of a gripping series.

3 About James Patterson

Born 1947

James Brendan Patterson (born March 22, 1947) is an American author. Among his works are the Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women's Murder Club, Maximum Ride, Daniel X, NYPD Red, Witch & Wizard, Private and Middle School series, as well as many stand-alone thrillers, non-fiction, and romance novels. Patterson's books have sold more than 425 million copies, and he was the first person to sell one million e-books.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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