Book Review “20th Victim”
Synopsis: Simultaneous murders in L.A., Chicago, and San Francisco: The Women’s Murder Club grapples with a case so fast-moving and wide-ranging that at first the crime seem like a physical impossibility.
Reporter Cindy Thomas gets an early scoop, but the case is in SFPD sergeant Lindsay Boxer’s jurisdiction. And Lindsay is the first to realize that the shooters’ targets have been chosen with horrific precision. The murdered men and women were all known, and feared, criminals. Are the killers vigilantes, coordinating their attacks to make a statement? Is there a war beginning here?
While Assistant DA Yuki Castellano clashes with Lindsay in a brutal test of loyalty, medical examiner Claire Washburn faces a potentially fatal of her own. And in the meantime, the hit list expands and the entire nation is transfixed by an ever-growing gallery of murder victims: Where will the assassins strike next? How many targets can there be?
The killings come so fast, so close, and are so ruthless that everything is called into question – even the sacred bonds between Lindsay and her friends in the Women’s Murder Club. What would you do if everything you loved and trusted were threatened? Lindsay, Yuki, Cindy, and Claire have to learn the answer – just as the shooters prepare to attack again.
Pages: 432 Pages
Writer: James Patterson
Recommendations:
This story had me completely hooked from the start. Picture this: a vigilante group taking down drug dealers, gaining public support because, let’s face it, who doesn’t love a little justice served on a silver platter? Then there’s Yuki, working on a case she’s not too keen on, trying to put away a guy who’s basically a walking target for a known criminal. Cindy’s got her hands full with a new co-worker who’s as ruthless as they come, adding some spice to her already hectic life. And let’s not forget Claire, who’s about to drop a bombshell that’ll shake up the Women’s Murder Club.
But, alas, this book left me feeling a tad underwhelmed. It had all the makings of a gripping tale, with suspense oozing from every page. Yet, it fell short of its potential. The motive behind targeting drug dealers could have been explored further, and the resolution of the crime felt a bit too easy, like they took the shortcut to tie up loose ends. It’s as if they threw in some tech jargon like Tor and dark web to sound cool, but forgot to give us a truly thrilling finale. They opened doors to intriguing subplots and then just ghosted them, leaving us hanging.
In the end, this book had promise, but it missed the mark. Here’s hoping the next installment brings the closure and excitement we crave.