10th Anniversary (Women’s Murder Club)

James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Little, Brown and Company (2011)
ISBN 9780316036269
Reviewed by Tracey Rockfor Reader Views (5/11)

“10th Anniversary” is another installment of the “Women’s Murder Club,” a group of friends that solve crimes, and meet up and talk about crimes or clues.  There are three different stories running parallel to each other.  Lindsay Boxer is a homicide detective investigating a teenage girl that was found wandering the streets.   She had just given birth but her newborn baby was nowhere to be found.  Lindsay must determine if there is a homicide to investigate or if there is more to this victim’s story than what it appears.  Lindsay also is assisting her friend, Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano, who is prosecuting a woman for the murder of her husband.  This trial is crucial for Yuki’s career but seems to be taking on a new spin every day. The defense seems to have left no stone unturned in making sure his client gets off.   In an attempt to try to follow a lead of a serial rapist, Cindy Thomas finds herself drugged and kidnapped. The women seem to have their hands full while trying to balance their professional and personal lives. 

This book is part of a series so, I would say it fits in and is very typical of the previous books.  If you are a fan of the other “Women’s Murder Club” books, then you will more than likely want to pick this up just to keep up with what is going on with the lives of Lindsay, Cindy, Claire and Yuki.  I would not recommend this particular book for anyone who has never read any of the other books in the series.  It would be too confusing. Most authors like to refresh a reader and retell some of a story from past books.   This doesn’t happen in this book.  First, the chapters were too short.  So, not knowing the characters or the writing style, it will throw a reader completely off or even make the story boring.  Also, there was too much information to grasp without knowing and understanding the characters.   This book is one for the fans and they will either love it or hate.  I give Patterson a “C” for consistency.  I don’t think you will find anything original or new with storyline, but it’s not a bad book to read either.  I think “10th Anniversary” is a solid murder mystery book for the fans.

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