2nd Chance (A Women's Murder Club Thriller, 2)

Very much a disappointment. Feels contrived. An over abundance of political correctness does not compensate for a contrived story and lack of suspense. Seems like a man wrote the conversation scenes between the women. Lets hope that Mr Patterson dumps co-author Gross and gets back to writing his own great stuff.

To the person who asked about Jill being killed in the first book: You must be thinking of another book. Jill did not die and did not have an abusive husband. She had abused herself by cutting her arm when she was younger but that's about it.
Okay, this book was worse than 1st to Die. Why in the world would Lindsay be promoted to anything? She was wrong about the killer in her last case. She was wrong twice! Two times she went after the wrong person. She never even knew who the killer was until they gave themselves away. Heck, even I knew who the killer was way before then but Lindsay hadn't a clue. I won't even get into Jenks involvement, that shouldn't have been part of the 1st book, the book should have ended at the last chapter and that epilogue should be burned.
Anyway...this 2nd book tries to expand on the Murder Club and Patterson just doesn't pull it off. He's trying for the Sex and the City type of comraderie and it's so obvious that he's going to milk this for a series as far as it will go. Hopefully, it'll end right here. He doesn't write women well. And for a homocide leutenant, Lindsay is impulsive, sporadic, quick to judge, wreckless and dangerous. She should try selling shoes at Macy's instead and keep away from law enforcement. I read the 1st book, tried the 2nd but I won't waste my time with any more.

This book is a fast & easy read. You'll get hooked since the prologue to the last chapter, but I think that it would be much better if Lindsay's boyfriend wouldn't die in the first book and he would help the Women's Murder Club. Of course is just what I think. And the way Lindsay found the bad guy is much better and credible than in 3rd Degree. So the ranking of these three books is exactly as they were written:

1 1st to Die

2 2nd Chance

3 3rd Degree

4 4th of July (June 21, 2005)

I'm not a lover of romantic women's fiction and Mr. Patterson seems to have watered down his style to a degree that it has more in common with Mills & Boone than the hard boiled police fiction that I enjoy. Either he isn't acquainted with any successful professional women or he's been reading too much Jilly Cooper. The heroine of the story, asked by her boss to keep a matter confidential, promptly calls up her friends (who include a newspaper reporter), for a kaffee klatch at which she reveals all. This is not the sort of behaviour that I regard as normal among women in responsible positions - nor do they go in for "giddy hugs". Write about men, Mr. Patterson, you know beans about women holding down significant jobs. This book is just plain silly.

In 1st To Die, James Patterson introduced us to the Women's Murder Club - Lindsay, a San Francisco detective; Claire, a medical examiner; Jill, an assistant district attorney; and Cindy, a Chronicle reporter. Their combined skills caused the capture of a serial killer. In 2nd Chance, we meet the same women, but Patterson happily develops their characters considerably, and it adds much to the story. Again, we have a serial killer, but it takes time before we see a connection between the murders. We also have a more dangerous killer. When Lindsay and her friends get too close, the still-unknown killer turns like a rattlesnake and pursues them. This cranks up the intensity rapidly to a knockout climax. As usual, Patterson uses very short chapters - no more than scenes with a kicker at the end of each - to keep the action moving fast. If you like thrillers, it should keep you turning the pages.

The second installment in the Women's Murder Club series, this novel takes place four months after Lindsay Boxer solves the bride and groom murder.

It was a typical afternoon in the local parish where the children's choir has just finished their rehearsal. As the kids leave the church, bullets come out of nowhere throwing everyone into chaos and killing one innocent girl. Lindsay, SFPD's newly minted Lieutenant, knows it is time to get back into action. It doesn't take long before she ties up the girl's murder with that of an elderly black woman. And as the killing spree continues, Lindsay has no doubt that the motive is a personal vendetta against black cops. But dealing with a methodical killer has left the cops baffled, chasing clues that lead them to a labyrinth of dead ends. And as the gruesome killings set the SFPD on their heels, the hunt is on and the Women's Murder Club is back in action.

So where do they begin? They know that the killer goes by the nickname of Chimera. But is Chimera a criminal that suffered in the hands of police and now seeking vengeance, or is he a cop himself? Once again, Lindsay and her friends find themselves immersed in a sick game of cat and mouse, where one of them becomes a target herself. And for Lindsay, a most unexpected reunion with her estranged father will send her emotions in a roller coaster ride where old wounds will be opened and new surprises will be revealed.

As a follow up to the highly-charged 1st TO DIE, this novel proves the author's knack for keeping you glued to the story. 2nd CHANCE is as riveting as its predecessor and I am impressed by the layered and twist-driven plot. The thing about Patterson is his canny ability for creating such interesting antagonists that makes you want to delve into their sick mind. As for the female protagonists, while the main star is without a doubt Lindsay, who also handles the first person narration, Patterson is progressively building up the other characters as we are invited to their lives and learn more about them. However, don't expect too much as Patterson is just letting the readers make their acquaintance, leaving you wanting to get to know these women more and ensuring that you continue on with the rest of the book in the series.

Although not as well written as 1st to Die, this was a good book. While there were some mistakes, they did not detract from the plot as a while. Anyone who is used to reading mysteries knows there is always a twist. While the twist here was given away a little early, it was still interesting to find out how everything turned out.
I am looking forward to reading the next installment for the Women's Murder Club.

Love this series. Hard to put down! I believe there are at least 22 books in this series. I have a long way to go and will enjoy every minute of it.

2nd CHANCE is a decent James Patterson novel. I've read quite of a number of Patterson's books, and I think this novel ranks somewhere in the middle of his work. I don't believe this book is as good as 1st to DIE or 4th OF JULY, but I think it's above-average. It contains the same fast-paced suspense that almost all of Patterson's work is famous for. I read this novel in one sitting.

This novel is not perfect. Unlike some of Patterson's other novels, this book takes a while to get started. Also, I think Patterson overdoes it with the female bonding that takes place in this novel. It seems phony and unrealistic, given how little time these four women have known each other. I also thought the pregnancy subplot involving the assistant DA character was cursory and badly done.

I also found Lt. Lindsay Boxer to be somewhat annoying in this book. This is a character that constantly runs into dangerous situations without backup or even a bullet-proof vest. She frequently jumps to the wrong conclusions in this book (as she did in the last novel in this series). She is also rather bossy and rude to some other characters. I know that Boxer isn't supposed to be perfect, but that doesn't mean she has to be unlikable.

Overall this is an okay read, but it's one of the weaker entries in the Women's Murder Club series.

Take four professional women--Lindsay, a homicide inspector who receives some bad personal news; Claire, a medical examiner and Lindsay's best friend; Jill, a tough assistant DA; and Cindy, a persistent reporter from the Chronicle--mix them together and you've got: The Women's Murder Club.

With a serial killer dubbed 'Chimera', we are given a glimpse of pure evil--a killer whose targets appear to be random, with nothing obvious to connect them. But of course, Lindsay and her friends slowly begin to put the pieces together. And when the targets become more personal, especially to Lindsay, you are left wondering if there will be a Women's Murder Club by the time the story has ended.

With engrossing and 'real' characters, whose only fault is that they may be just a bit too intelligent and a bit too perfect, Patterson captures the camaraderie of female friendships. But it is the relationship between Lindsay and her estranged father that is key to this story.

In this second smoothly crafted installment, I am please to report that James Patterson and his mysterious co-author Andrew Gross have yet again captured my imagination and kept me up late at night. I couldn't wait to read it after I finished the first in the series--1st to Die--and I'll be running out for the third immediately. The plot races along at breakneck speed, with enough twists to make your stomach churn. I've been a longtime fan of Patterson's Alex Cross series, but I have to say...'Alex Cross move over! There's a new gal in town...and her name is Lt. Lindsay Boxer!'

I have a few questions regarding the co-author. Why is there no biography at the back for Andrew Gross? And why is his name in such tiny print? I also wonder how much of this novel he actually wrote. And this leads me to my final question--What does it take to co-write a novel with James Patterson (because as an author myself I am always looking for new options!) :)

~ Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Author of Divine Intervention