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I am probably in the minority here, but I consider the Women's Murder Club series to be the best of the numerous novel threads that James Patterson currently has out there. The unofficial name of the series is somewhat misleading, better suited perhaps to a cozy subtitle than what Patterson and his co-writer du jour have going on here. These novels take place in an exotic setting --- the San Francisco Bay area --- and involve a threesome (their number reduced by one in 3rd DEGREE) consisting of a journalist, forensic physician, and SFPD Detective who find themselves involved on a personal and professional level in a series of grisly murders.
Formulaic? Only to a point. Patterson is too good, too experienced a storyteller to pass off a color-by-number plot as a new work, and in 4th OF JULY --- his latest Murder Club novel --- he, with co-writer Maxine Paetro, once again retools the basic premise of the series with advantage to the reader.
4th OF JULY focuses almost entirely on Detective Lindsay Boxer, with physician Claire Washburn and reporter Cindy Thomas relegated to secondary roles and off the page for most of this fine work. Boxer initially is involved in the investigation of a series of murders taking place in transient hotels located in San Francisco's downtrodden Tenderloin district. One potential clue in the investigation is the presence of a black Mercedes in the area of the crime scene. When the car is spotted a week later, once again cruising the Tenderloin, Boxer becomes involved in a pursuit that ends badly for all concerned --- and with Boxer the defendant in a wrongful death action.
Seeking to avoid the effects of strident pre-trial publicity that has gripped San Francisco, Boxer retreats to her sister's home in quiet Half Moon Bay south of the city. Boxer no sooner has her bags unpacked, however, when she becomes embroiled in an investigation concerning a number of improbable killings that are rocking the quiet village as it never has before. What attracts Boxer's attention is that there are similarities between these murders and the first killing that she investigated as a homicide detective a decade before --- a killing that remains unsolved. Boxer finds that her intrusion into the investigation raises the irritation not only of the local police force, but also the lethal attention of the perpetrators, a shadowy trio who seem to be everywhere at once. 4th OF JULY races along the double track of Boxer's trial and her de facto investigation of the Half Moon murders --- one of which could ring an end to her career, the other of which could end her life.
4th OF JULY is bookended by major surprises, so that from beginning to end one really does not know what to expect from page to page. Patterson and Paetro do an excellent job of describing San Francisco in general and the Tenderloin district in particular; the contrast between the seedy underbelly of the Tenderloin and the laid-back, comfortably wealthy feel of Half Moon Bay is subtle, stark and real. The extended courtroom passages dealing with Boxer's trial also are surprisingly well done, given that neither Patterson nor Paetro have any real world experience in the field. As an added surprise, that fourth chair at the Women's Murder Club table, recently vacated, will have a new occupant by the novel's conclusion.
4th OF JULY unquestionably is the best book in this relatively new series. This is the perfect time for newcomers to jump on board. Recommended.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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