1st Case by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts

Synopsis

A computer genius pulls off her greatest hack yet -- and her skill might just get her killed.

Angela Hoot's government career begins with an ending. Her unorthodox programming skills get her kicked out of MIT's graduate school and into the Bureau's cyber-forensics unit.

A messaging app with sophisticated tracking capabilities surfaces. Its beta users, all young women, are only identified as they turn up dead in their bedrooms. As Angela races to crack the killer's digital code, their technical rivalry escalates. She must deny the killer access to her personal life, or risk losing her life to the underbelly of the Internet.

Angela is an interesting character. But, she is reckless – to a fault. I wouldn’t mind seeing her story made into a series. If she stays in her current career path, she sure could go through some interesting experiences. 

What kept my interest is that she deals with the virtual world which, as we knows, is always changing. While the app in this book would have sounded impossible in the not-so-distant past, it’s a horrifying possibility these days – maybe not in the exact way that it played out, but similar. 

I’m not sure that she would have gone without punishment had all of this actually happened. She made a lot of choices that could have severely messed up the investigation. But, I guess it’s fine if it works out in the end. 

The flirtation and attraction between Angela and Keats was a bit ridiculous right off the bat. But, just like the book I read previous to this, it’s just something you get used to when reading books with a female protagonist. 

I’m going to make a comparison - partly because these two are linked often, and partly because I’ve read a lot from both of them this year. James Patterson books and Dean Koontz books that have a female protagonist always have a male love interest. And there is often a “damsel in distress” moment which typically involves something along the lines of “thank god he got here when he did.” Oy. You get used to it, I guess. But, it does get old. 

That said, where they differ is what most of the descriptions are about. I’ve found in Dean Koontz’s books, most of the descriptions are about how beautiful the woman is. Especially in the case of the Jane Hawk series. It’s basically beat into the reader’s brain that Jane is ridiculously beautiful. It gets old. 

In Patterson’s books, I find that you see more of the admiration of the male love interest from the woman’s point of view. 

Not that it matters all that much, it’s just something that I found interesting. 

Overall, I enjoyed the ride. The story was interesting, and I liked the new angle of seeing cases from the tech side. 

5/5 Stars

Click To Purchase!

The Midwife Murders by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo

Synopsis

A missing patient is a hospital ward's worst nightmare -- until even more disappear.

To Senior Midwife Lucy Ryuan, pregnancy is not an unusual condition, it's her life's work. But when two kidnappings and a vicious stabbing happen on her watch in a university hospital in Manhattan, her focus abruptly changes. Something has to be done, and Lucy is fearless enough to try.

Rumors begin to swirl, blaming everyone from the Russian Mafia to an underground adoption network. The feisty single mom teams up with a skeptical NYPD detective to solve the case, but the truth is far more twisted than Lucy could ever have imagined. 

Well, I certainly have never read a novel from the point of view of a midwife. So, that was intriguing! Lucy is a female protagonist with a strong personality – like most Patterson books where the main character is a woman. Not a critique – but it’s definitely common. 

I liked Lucy (this would be a perfect opportunity to reference ‘I Love Lucy’. But, we have only spent one novel together. It’s way too soon for that type of commitment). I wouldn’t mind having a series with her as the main character. But with the nature of the story, this one sits as a standalone book. You would hope, at least. 

That said, it was an incredibly frustrating standalone book. There was so much incompetence that had to happen at all levels to have something like this happen – MORE THAN ONCE. Every time another baby was kidnapped, all I could do was slow-blink at the book in my hand and whisper “just – how?!”

Once everything was revealed, it made a bit more sense. But still not much. I also guessed the twist, which was kind of lame. But I only guessed half of it. I had the “Who?” but I didn’t nail down the “Why?” until it was revealed. 

That said, it was an enjoyable read. It was definitely gripping as I really wanted to figure out what was happening and if the babies would be alright. The background thread of romance was really pointless to me. I promise you that a book involving a female protagonist can exist without her falling for the main male character and being saved by him. But, the tradeoff for that pointless storyline was an otherwise good book worthy of the read. 

4/5 Stars – seriously, it ended with them on a “date”. 

Click To Purchase!

Liar Liar (Detective Harriet Blue #3) by James Patterson & Candice Fox

Synopsis

Detective Harriet Blue is clear about two things. Regan Banks deserves to die. And she’ll be the one to pull the trigger.

But Regan – the vicious serial killer responsible for destroying her brother’s life – has gone to ground.

Suddenly, her phone rings. It’s him. Regan.

‘Catch me if you can,’ he tells her.

Harriet needs to find this killing machine fast, even if the cost is her own life. So she follows him down the Australian south coast with only one thing on her mind.

Revenge is coming – and its name is Harriet Blue

When we tear everything down, what are we left with? Who are we as people? Are we good? Are we bad?

Those are the thoughts that the viciously evil Regan Banks puts in Harriet Blue’s mind. No matter how strong willed you are, when your heart and soul are put into question, it’s only a matter of time before you spin out of control. 

Is Harriet doing the right thing being on the run from her friends and comrades in law enforcement? Maybe we still don’t know, but it sure was an interesting journey to tag along on. 

I love this series. We’re used to these types of storylines and characters from Patterson’s other law enforcement series – The Women’s Murder Club, Alex Cross, etc. What differentiates them are the main protagonist, their supporting characters, and location. Well, and Patterson’s co-authors!

There’s something about them that make for cozy books to get sucked in to at any time. It must be a formula that just works well. They may not be the deepest books or the best written books, but they’re fun and they give you characters to connect with and get to know. 

I always love jumping back into one of these series, so I was very happy that this book gripped me from the very beginning. It was a great edition to the series especially after the heartbreaking loss of Harry’s brother. 

If you haven’t read any of the Harriet Blue series, start from the beginning. Rest assured that all of the books have been fun reads thus far!

5/5 Stars

Click To Purchase!

Guilty Wives by James Patterson

Patterson does it again!

He nails the suspense and mystery that are evident in the majority of his novels, and this one will take you on a crazy ride all the way to the end. I feel exhausted just reading it, but it was well worth it.

Imagine going on an innocent vacation with a few of your friends, and after a night out partying you wake up to being accused of the crime of the century.

You know you are innocent, but will your words mean anything?

This novel takes you on the journey of Abbie’s time in jail and her desperate attempt to prove her and her friends’ innocence.

You could not imagine what she has to go through while she is in prison, and it may leave you cringing in your seat.

This novel is pretty long with 400+ pages, but in normal Patterson fashion, the chapters are short, and it is really easy to get through. I didn’t want to put it down once I had started.

5/5 stars This was an excellent suspense novel and there was never a dull moment. 

Click to purchase!