Product Description

One of James Patterson's best loved heroines is about to die. Detective Lindsay Boxer is jogging along a beautiful San Francisco street when a fiery explosion rips through the neighborhood. A town house owned by an Internet millionaire is immediately engulfed in flames, and when Lindsay plunges inside to search for survivors, she finds three people dead. An infant who lived in the house cannot be found - and a mysterious message at the scene leaves Lindsay and the San Francisco Police Department completely baffled. Then a prominent businessman is found murdered under bizarre circumstances, with another mysterious message left behind by the killer. Lindsay asks her friends Claire Washburn of the medical examiner's office, Assistant D.A. Jill Bernhardt, and Chronicle reporter Cindy Thomas to help her figure out who is committing these murders-and why they are intent on killing someone every three days. Even more terrifying, the killer has targeted one of the four friends who call themselves the Women's Murder Club. Which one will it be? While the investigation rages furiously, Lindsay works very closely with a federal officer assigned to the case. At the same time, she learns that one member of the Women's Murder Club is hiding a secret so dangerous and unbelievable that it could destroy them all.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #373723 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 278 pages

About the Author
James Patterson's previous international number one bestsellers include CAT AND MOUSE, WHEN THE WIND BLOWS, POP GOES THE WEASEL, CRADLE AND ALL, ROSES ARE RED, SUZANNE'S DIARY FOR NICHOLAS, 1ST TO DIE, VIOLETS ARE BLUE, 2ND CHANCE, and FOUR BLIND MICE. He lives in New York and Florida. KISS THE GIRLS was made into a number one hit movie, and the film version of ALONG CAME A SPIDER is currently out on video.

Customer Reviews

Another excellent title by Patterson
A gripping story line mixed with a hint of sadness. Even after being a huge fan of detective Alex Cross, I have found the tales of the Women's Murder Club and Lyndsey Boxer just as captivating. I'm sure any Patterson fan will love this book too. Enjoy reading...

A good read.
I enjoyed this book but I did feel that the plot to kill off one of the main characters was a bit weak and throughout the last book I felt that one of them would die eventually. I enjoyed the storyline about the violent relationship and felt that it made you feel a bit closer to the character and made her feel a bit more human. I read the whole book in about 4 hours although it is a book you could easily pick up and put down.
Being a big fan of James Patterson, I felt that it wasn't one of his best but still an enjoyable plot.

A Disappointing Sequel to Two Excellent Books in the Series
For me, crime fiction has to have enough ring of truth that I can imagine the circumstances really happening. Otherwise, the book is simply a fantasy, and my pleasure depends on the symbolism, metaphors and issues explored. 3rd Degree didn't work well for me from either perspective.

If you have read and enjoyed 1st to Die and 2nd Chance, you should read this book because there are important developments for the four women in the Women's Murder Club. Otherwise, if you pick up the fourth book in the series when it comes out, you will find yourself a little lost.

The book opens with a bang when Homicide Detective Lindsay Boxer observes a home explode during her jog. There are more explosive events ahead as the book chronicles Lindsay's efforts (abetted by her women friends) to locate the terrorists behind a series of attacks on those who have gained at the expense of others and have upheld law and order. Because of the magnitude of the events, the whole antiterrorist forces of the United States become involved. Lindsay finds herself being attracted to one of them. At the same time, there's trouble in Jill's marriage.

The problems with the book come from the story's development of the terrorist theme. The terrorists just don't seem like real people. They are like cardboard drawings that haven't even been cut out of the cardboard so that they can stand two-dimensionally on their own. The way they work together and their motivations didn't ring true with me either.

Mr. Patterson and Mr. Gross also didn't seem to develop the four female characters more than the minimum to build the story and draw your interest in reading a fourth book in the series. These four women could have made for wonderful characters if the authors weren't so plot and action obsessed.

After you finish this book, think about whether your time is spent on the right priorities.