4th of July
James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
(Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan)
2005 Little, Brown & Co.
ISBN: 0316710601

Lindsay Boxer defends herself when a girl is killed when a routine arrest goes wrong.

After losing one of its own, Lindsay Boxer & the Women's Murder Club make a courageous return for their fourth & most chilling case ever -- one that could easily be their last when, in a landmark trial that transfixes the nation, Lindsay fights to save her career & her sanity.

While awaiting trial, Lindsay escapes to the beautiful town of Half Moon Bay, but the peaceful community there is reeling from a string of unspeakable murders. Working with her friends in the Women’s Murder Club, Lindsay finds a link between these killings & a case she worked on years before -- an unsolved murder that has haunted her ever since.

As summer comes into full swing, Lindsay battles for her life on two fronts: before a judge & jury as her trial comes to a climax, & facing unknown adversaries who will do anything to keep her from the truth about the killings -- including killing again. It all comes to a head before the big annual 4th of July celebration on the waterfront at Half Moon Bay.

Senior Associate Reviewer Narayan Radhakrishnan writes:

There is nothing new about this book. As with any other James Patterson work -- 4th of July is nail-biting. As with any other James Patterson work it is a stunning page-turning read. & as with any other James Patterson work 4th of July also will get a 4 teacup ranking. Oh, but there is a difference -- this book is $4 costlier than The 3rd Degree the earlier work in the Women's Murder Club Series.

4th of July is an interesting & fabulous murder mystery. Police Officer Lindsay Boxer is cooling of with a margarita with her friends Clair Washburn & Cindy Thomas. Light conversation turns sentimentally nostalgic when they talk about their friend, Assistant DA Jill Bernhardt, now dead. (For those who come in late, & who have not read the earlier books in this series -- Bernhardt was the fourth member of the Women’s Murder Club, before she was brutally murdered.)

The atmosphere suddenly changes when Lindsay is called into duty -- together with officer Warren Jacobi -- the duo chases & corners a Mercedes driven by two teenagers, a boy & a girl. A routine check-up goes foul when the teenagers open fire on the police officers. With no means of escape Lindsay Boxer returns fire & the result is that the girl is dead & the boy becomes crippled for life.

Boxer is charged with police brutality. In the meantime there is a killer on the loose -- he/she leaves no evidence but his victims are always married couples, & each victim has been strongly whipped. Lindsay desperately wants to join the investigation -- but her present situation doesn’t allow her to. What follows is a psychological mystery at its best, culminating in a truly grandiose James Patterson finish.

I liked 4th of July immensely & the most funny thing is that, the theme of the work would have been perfect for Jill Bernhardt to shine, had she not have been murdered in The 3rd Degree. & Mr. James Patterson, if you are reading this, did Jill Bernhardt actually have to die? The Women's Murder Club is not the same without her.

All in all a great read -- & eagerly awaiting the next Women’s Murder Club outing.

More from James Patterson:
Honeymoon
Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas
Sam's Letters To Jennifer
Hide & Seek
Four Blind Mice
The Jester
The Beach House
The Big Bad Wolf & many more!
(06/19/05)

Narayan
2005©Narayan Radhakrishnan
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
I am a 26 years old lawyer practicing in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Along with my legal practice, I have finished post-graduate studies for both Business Law & Human Rights. I am a self proclaimed numero-uno legal thriller lover & am the proud owner of all of Grisham's & Turow's novels. I enjoy John Mortimer's Rumpole & relish an occasional Martini & a rare Scot(ch)t-oline with a Patterson on the side.

My work A FICTION OF LAW is now about 500 pages in length & features 500 lawyer authors & 2000 legal thrillers covering a 300 year period - inclusive of entries from the USA, UK, Asia, Europe, China, Middle East etc. Still in search of a publisher.
www.keralatourism.org