This is such a great series. Lindsay Boxer is a SFPD homicide detective. Her partner is Rich Conklin. She's married to Joe. The Women's Murder Club consists of Lindsay, Claire (the ME), Yuki (attorney) and Cindy (crime investigator for the newspaper).

This book consists of a killer targeting homeless people. Lindsay is approached by a woman who tells her about a few murders and that the PD isn't doing anything about it so Lindsay starts investigating.

In conjunction with that investigation, Yuki has a trial of a man accusing a woman of raping him. He has a video so it's a open-and-shut case. Or is it? ( )

Suspense

I have tried to read all the Women’s Murder Club books because it is one of my favorite series of all times. I don’t know the idea of girlfriends solving crimes while having drinks and dealing with life sounds like my kind of party. All and all I am glad 17th Suspect was in my library and I was able to read it. I am very pleased with the fact that all the books in the series have kept up their pace.
Summary:

An informant pulls Lindsay into a heartbreaking series of murders outside her jurisdiction. She can’t let go, even though she knows she should- someone is taking down San Francisco’s homeless and the cops working the cases don’t seem to care. Millie, her informant, is kind and lucid… and scared. Someone needs to protect her and Lindsay just knows she has to be the one to do it. At the same time, though, her health is failing and she is getting backlash for going into another’s jurisdiction. Can she keep it together and help her informant? Or has she finally taken on too much?

While all this is happening Yuki is taking on an explosive case. A handsome young man claims to have been raped by his ex-girlfriends and supervisor. Matt’s story breaks Yuki’s heart and she takes on the case against Brianna Hall. The internet is going nuts- can an able-bodied man truly be raped by a woman? Yes, Yuki knows they can… but was Matt? Both sides have their own story- and both are believable. Who’s telling the truth? At the same time, Yuki feels like her husband Brady is taking a step back from her. They are both busy professionals…. can they keep their careers and marriage?

My thoughts:

Patterson is still one of my all-time favorite authors- and this is one of his top three best series’. I love Lindsay and her crew- they are a well-developed and interesting group of characters that each bring something special and unique to the group. We have watched this team learn and grow for years, becoming a part of us. I think that’s why this is one of my favorites along with the Alex Cross and Michael Bennett series. I need to be able to revisit these old friends, join in their adventures. All three are instant-buys for me, no matter what.

The plot was good and the story had a nice transition from Yuki to Lindsay. It was fast paced, action packed, and held the perfect amount of emotion. I loved it to death. I even found myself feeling for the shooter, just a little. That’s another thing I like about Patterson- you get to visit the shooter’s mind, find his motivation and quirks. They’ll never be your BFF, but it’s interesting to see this side. My only complaint is that I felt like Cindy and Claire took a backseat in this one- they were barely present at all! It brought the book down for me- just a touch. Admittedly, I can’t see how you could bring them in without adding at least a hundred pages to the book…. but they’re still part of what makes this a successful series. For me, this is a four-and-a-half-star book. I highly recommend it, but read the other ones first- and don’t forget the book shot!

On the adult content scale there’s violence, language and sexual content. I have to say that this is one for more mature audiences.
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The 17th Suspect
Women’s Murder Club, Book 17

I Picked Up This Book Because: Continue the series.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: CC Public Library
Dates Read: 7/17/23 - 7/19/23
Stars: 4

The Characters:

Lindsay Boxer: Police detective
Clair Washburn: Medical Examiner
Yuki Castellano: Attorney
Cindy Thomas: Crime desk reporter


The Story:

I enjoyed spending more time with Yuki. I like that our supporting characters are enjoying some time in the spotlight without their lives being in danger. It was also nice to get a peek into her relationship with Jackson. They both have very demanding jobs that can’t be easy to juggle.

Changes are coming for this series. I'm not sure if I am scared or excited. Maybe a bit of both. The ending of this was very tidy. I almost get the feeling our writers didn't know if another book would come. Fortunately, it did and I'm looking forward to it.

The Random Thoughts: ( )

Not bad... but I expected a bit more detail on the motive for the serial killing. After all the build-up, once he was caught that was it. No real information about why. ( )