| Publisher | Penguin |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 03 February 2022 |
| ISBN-10 | 1529157277 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1529157277 |
| Format | paperback |
| Pages | 432 |
| Price | £ 8.99 |
21st Birthday
by
When reporter Cindy Thomas is approached by a distraught mother over the disappearance of her daughter and baby granddaughter, she refers the case to Sergeant Lindsay Boxer and the Women’s Murder Club starts on the trail of a psychopathic serial killer.
Review
When Chronicle reporter Cindy Thomas is approached by a distraught mother to investigate the disappearance of her 20-year-old daughter and baby granddaughter, she refers the case to San Francisco police department Sergeant Lindsay Boxer. The woman’s main suspect is her daughter’s highly strung schoolteacher husband who, she claims, has been abusing the girl.
The man admits that although the marriage was stormy, his wife is merely a spendthrift runaway who will return when her cash runs out. But when it emerges that he’s having an affair with one of his students – even younger than his wife – suspicion falls firmly on him.
When his new girlfriend has her throat cut at a rendezvous he had apparently arranged, he is arrested and charged – then springs a major surprise as he accuses his own ex-Special Forces soldier father of the killings along with a string of other murders in different states, including his own wife and daughter!
A handful of other key characters emerge through the story, which flows well and keeps its narrative momentum, but few stand out. There is no lack of action and suspense, muddled by accusations and false leads, but despite that this long-running series may well now be past its best. I found this episode just too Hollywood, too reminiscent of the worst of American TV crime dramas. There’s a senior investigative reporter who carries – and uses – a gun; a homicide detective who tackles the toughest cases; a brilliant lawyer; and San Francisco’s Chief Medical Officer. They’re not only long-standing best friends, but also connected by their choice of men.
The reporter’s life partner is the detective’s working buddy; the lawyer is married to her direct superior, a police lieutenant; the medico manages a relatively calm married life; while the detective herself is married to a former senior intelligence man and somehow manages to cope with a bright young daughter and a soppy border collie.
All are now approaching middle age, successful in their jobs and relationships and obviously more than comfortably off as Gucci and Chanel seem to feature prominently in their wardrobes. It’s all very California Housewives!
But James Patterson, back with his long-time collaborator Maxine Paetro, is always acutely commercially aware of the latest trends, whether it be courtroom dramas, psychopathic killers or just plain determined cops and he tailors his staccato, crisply written stories to meet them.
The man admits that although the marriage was stormy, his wife is merely a spendthrift runaway who will return when her cash runs out. But when it emerges that he’s having an affair with one of his students – even younger than his wife – suspicion falls firmly on him.
When his new girlfriend has her throat cut at a rendezvous he had apparently arranged, he is arrested and charged – then springs a major surprise as he accuses his own ex-Special Forces soldier father of the killings along with a string of other murders in different states, including his own wife and daughter!
A handful of other key characters emerge through the story, which flows well and keeps its narrative momentum, but few stand out. There is no lack of action and suspense, muddled by accusations and false leads, but despite that this long-running series may well now be past its best. I found this episode just too Hollywood, too reminiscent of the worst of American TV crime dramas. There’s a senior investigative reporter who carries – and uses – a gun; a homicide detective who tackles the toughest cases; a brilliant lawyer; and San Francisco’s Chief Medical Officer. They’re not only long-standing best friends, but also connected by their choice of men.
The reporter’s life partner is the detective’s working buddy; the lawyer is married to her direct superior, a police lieutenant; the medico manages a relatively calm married life; while the detective herself is married to a former senior intelligence man and somehow manages to cope with a bright young daughter and a soppy border collie.
All are now approaching middle age, successful in their jobs and relationships and obviously more than comfortably off as Gucci and Chanel seem to feature prominently in their wardrobes. It’s all very California Housewives!
But James Patterson, back with his long-time collaborator Maxine Paetro, is always acutely commercially aware of the latest trends, whether it be courtroom dramas, psychopathic killers or just plain determined cops and he tailors his staccato, crisply written stories to meet them.
Reviewed 20 August 2022 by John Cleal
