No One is Safe From Patterson

James Patterson is a master in grabbing the reader from page one and not letting go until the very end. The Women’s Murder Club books not only grasp you from the beginning, they never release you, leaving you anxiously awaiting the next installment that is months away from publication. 3RD DEGREE is no different.

Lindsay Boxer is jogging with her buddy, assistant DA Jill Barnhardt. Little does she know that her entire life will be tossed upside down in a matter of minutes. She notices bruises on Jill’s shoulder but before she can question her, a nearby townhouse blows up. Lindsay rushes inside to save a child (ah, our heroine!), and the chase begins…

Seems August Spies, a group of terrorists, is targeting greedy corporate executives and this attack is only the beginning. Lindsay along with the other members of the Women’s Murder Club is on a journey to stop them before the body count increases. This time they have help from a hunky deputy directory of the Office of Homeland Security. Yep, you guessed it, Joe Molinari and Lindsay are smitten.

3RD DEGREE continues with excellent character growth and story development. A difficult transaction takes place in this tale, as Patterson kills off one of the main characters. I found it tough to understand his motive and am hoping in the next book we find out. I’m wondering if the missing member will be replaced, or will the others be left to continually morn her passing. Either way, it makes one wonder at Patterson’s purpose.

Could the changing of the make up of the Women’s Murder Club be Patterson’s downfall? He could have at least waited a few more books like Cornwall did in her Scarpetta series. Hey, maybe with enough complaints, Patterson will have the deceased rising from the dead just like Cornwell did! We’ll have to wait for a few more installments in this series before we have the answer to that question.

Overall 3RD DEGREE is a very good book and a must read if you’ve been following along in this series.