2nd Chance is the second volume in James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series and it features four, strong women who share the limelight as the book's hero. The members of the Women's Murder Club are Police Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer, San Francisco Chronicle Reporter Cindy Thomas, Assistant District Attorney Jill Bernhardt and Claire Washburn, a medical examiner. In 2nd Chance these four, over achieving women are brought together by Boxer, to help her catch a brutal murderer who kills young and old with equal ease. He also appears bent on having the moniker, Serial Killer, added to his name.
This is a high impact, fast-moving story, told in over a hundred short chapters. The story starts quickly and the action never fades. This mystery comes complete with a few red herrings and several nice plot twists. This is a quick read. This unabridged audio recording of 2nd Chance is read by Melissa Leo and Jeremy Piven and it includes an audio forward by the author. While both readers have nice voices and both do a fine job in reading, the narrative would have flowed better if Leo had read the entire book herself. The transition between readers was abrupt at times, and Piven's voice does not have the energy or vitality that Leo's does. While Piven would have been an excellent choice to read a book featuring a character such as Sam Spade or some other hard-boiled detective, in this book, he was out of place.
The focus of the story in 2nd Chance is the mystery surrounding the identity of the killer and the task of tracking him down. Yet, I was more impressed with women that Patterson chose to solve the crime. They all hold high-profile jobs and are authorities in their respective fields. They handle themselves, and their jobs, proficiently. Furthermore, these women are risk takers. To solve a crime, they are willing to risk their lives, and their careers, to do what is necessary to solve the case. These are interesting and engaging characters who are well-fleshed out. Boxer, who is the lead instigator in the 'club' was the first female Homicide Detective in San Francisco. And now, as this story begins, she has just been promoted to lieutenant. One can imagine that she could have easily solved the crime on her own, but as the saying goes, "A little help from your friends doesn't hurt."
Please note that this story contains graphic representations of violence and strong language.
Violets are Blue, by James Patterson.
This is Patterson's seventh novel featuring D.C. police Detective Alex Cross. In this case, Cross is faced with solving several murders that appear to have been carried out by vampires! (Audio)
Envy, by Sandra Brown.
When Maris Matherly-Reed, a book editor, reads the prologue to the novel Envy, she instinctively knows that she has a hit on her hand. As she set out to find the author of the book, she unintentionally enters a dangerous world, one which she is ill prepared to navigate. More sinister, Maris begins to wonder if the book is a work of fiction, or the confession of a murderer. (Large Print)
