Product Description

As the only woman homicide inspector in San Francisco, Lindsay Boxer has to be tough. But nothing has prepared her for the brutal maniac who has begun a killing spree – slaughtering newlywed couples.  Lindsay is sickened by the deaths, but her determination to bring the murderer to justice is threatened by a personal tragedy. So she turns to Claire Washburn, a coroner, Cindy Thomas, a journalist, and Jill Bernhardt, an attorney, for help with both crises, and the Women’s Murder Club is born.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17347 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
James Patterson inaugurates a new crime series with the impressively complex First to Die: the Women's Murder Club, a group of San Francisco professionals--a homicide cop, an assistant district attorney, a pathologist and a reporter--share their information and thinking on cases. Someone is killing honeymoon couples on their first night together and nothing that we know about the killer is, we realise, entirely reliable: the connections between the victims are tenuous and the killer's method varies significantly. Intelligent, sensitive, tough cop Lindsay Boxer has problems of her own--a potentially fatal blood condition and a suspicion that she is falling for the intelligent divorced spin-doctor forced on her as partner by a publicity-conscious city government. The conversations she has with her friends are partly a matter of looking again at the results of legwork--sometimes explaining something to people who do not share your automatic assumptions makes you look at it again--and partly a matter of sharing expertise; rapidly they realise that they are up against someone for whom murder is a sexual game. Patterson has always had an eye for the psychology of killers--here he adds empathy for those to whom caring about victims is a way of life. --Roz Kaveney

Review
'Patterson knows where our deepest fears are buried... there's no stopping his imagination' -- New York Times Book Review 'This is a great page-turner' Sainsbury's Magazine April 2002 -- Sainsbury's Magazine 20020401

About the Author
James Patterson is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. He is the author of some of the most popular series of the past decade: the Women's Murder Club, the Alex Cross novels and Maximum Ride, and he has written many other number one bestsellers including romance novels and stand-alone thrillers. He has won an Edgar Award, the mystery world's highest honour. He lives in Florida with his wife and son.

Customer Reviews

First in new series
This review is of the audiobook version

The first story in a new series '1st To Die' which introduces Lindsay Boxer and the Women's Murder Club. Lindsay is a San Francisco homicide Inspector and she has been put on a case where a married couple were killed on the evening of their wedding. Lindsay is partnered with a man from the mayor's office, Chris Raleigh, and on the same day discovers she has an unusual blood disorder which is potentially fatal. Lindsay's energy is directed toward the investigation as well as her health and as she investigates the first murder and another two 'bride and groom' killings she finds herself drawn into a group of other women for support - Cindy Thomas, a reporter; Claire Washburn, a medical examiner; and Jill Bernhardt, an assistant DA.

The book seemed to draw to a conclusion fairly early but then there were several twists which made the story move in new directions. The interactions between Lindsay and Chris Raleigh were well written, as were Lindsay's moments of emotion as she battles her disease and tries to get to the bottom of the murders. However there were some rather cringe-worthy moments when the girls seemed to have to say "I love you" to each other, as well as having to be vastly successful and feisty as well as in touch with their femininity. Those who like to read more about the murder scenes might find this story a disappointment as it seems to be more about Lindsay and her feelings than detective work. I also felt that the 'baddie' seemed rather comic-book bad and his behaviour at the very end of the story was rather implausible. Still I enjoyed the story and this new series of characters.

The narrator of this story did a good job but sometimes her voice became so quiet that it was difficult to hear over road noise when driving and listening, which is probably how many people will hear this story. In order to hear the quiet sections the volume had to be raised rather more than I would like for the louder sections. However this was an excellent audiobook and whiled away a long journey very effectively!

1st to die
This was the first James Patterson book I ever read and it certainly didn't dissapoint. The plot and the characters were well developed. I really enjoyed this book and I will be reading more of James Pattersons books

Really enjoyable!
I am a big James Patterson fan, although of late alot of his books have been much of a muchness! I really did enjoy this! I have bought the complete Muder Club series as I had read a mid series one! Am looking forward to getting into No2! If you have never read a James Paterson before this is a great place to start!