14th Deadly Sin by James Patterson

Synopsis:

Detective Lindsay Boxer and her three best friends are back and recovering from the events that pushed them all to the edge.

After her near-death experience, Yuki is seeing her life from a new perspective and is considering a change in her law career. San Francisco Chronicle reporter Cindy has healed from her gunshot wound and has published a book on the infamous serial killers she helped to bring down. Lindsay is just happy that the gang are all still in one piece.

But a new terror is sweeping the streets of San Francisco. A gang dressed as cops are ransacking the city, and leaving a string of dead bodies in their wake. Lindsay is on the case to track them down and needs to discover whether these killers could actually be police officers. Maybe even cops she already knows...

This doesn’t happen often, but I am going to start this review off with a complaint:

There was NOT nearly enough scenes with the Women’s Murder Club fully assembled.

With all of the chaos in these books, the scenes where the girls are all together are like breaths of fresh air. They are fun and comical and give the book a much needed break from the intense crimes. This book was lacking that.

AND aside from Lindsay and Yuki, we hardly even read about the girls doing things in their normal working lives.

Phew.

Now that I have that off my chest….

I did enjoy this installment. We are now 14 books in, and I cannot get enough of Lindsay Boxer. These books are released one per year, but that is not enough for me. I always get excited when I see the new one up for preorder online, and I always preorder right away.

This one did not disappoint.

I know by reading reviews of some of Patterson’s other books that the stories are getting old and repetitive. They lack creativity and excitement. If you are new here, I don’t believe that to be the case. If you are not new here… Well, I am still not bored of his books.

14^th Deadly Sin introduced some new characters, and a truly unsettling story.

Cops are supposed to be the ones we trust. But, when folks wearing SFPD wind breakers are the ones committing crimes, who can really be trusted?

I couldn’t figure out who the true killers were until they were revealed. It is always satisfying when that happens, because guessing the twist before the reveal can make a book really boring to get through.

I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed the flow, and I just really enjoyed having a new WMC book to read.

4/5 stars. Give me more Women’s Murder Club get-together.

Side note: There was also not enough Martha. Lindsay and Martha scenes are always cute. Pets <3

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Lifeguard by James Patterson

Synopsis:

Working as a lifeguard at a luxurious Florida resort, Ned Kelly meets the woman of his dreams. It feels perfect in every way-except that she's used to caviar and Manolo Blahniks, and he's used to burgers and flip-flops. So when Ned's cousin offers to cut him in on a fast break-and-enter job, Ned can't turn it down. The risk is high, and the reward is even greater-$5 million. But the robbery goes devastatingly wrong. Forced to run away from his town and the woman he's fallen in love with, Ned knows that only distance and secrecy can save his life. But who is pursuing him? The FBI? Whoever sabotaged the heist? Or is it all somehow tied in to his new love-and his oldest enemies?

Lifeguard fits into multiple categories. It is a romance novel, a crime novel, a suspense novel and no much more.

For being a fugitive, Ned was an extremely likable character. I wouldn’t mind a series made about him alone. But, the series would have to be prequels to this book, as I believe this novel had a satisfying ending to his story.

Ellie was also a fun character.

This book was more character driven than story driven, and that is what made it fun to read. All of the character had very different personalities and it was fun getting to know them.

That doesn’t mean that the story was lacking at all, it just wasn’t exceptionally unique. A mediocre story line was made up for by the fun and interesting characters.

Lifeguard reminded me a little of the TV show White Collar which made it even better as I enjoy that show a lot.

4/5 Stars I really enjoyed it, but those who aren’t fans of Patterson may not.

I would call it a nice summer thriller. 

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SLACKER!! / Update

Hey guys!
I know I have been slacking on the reviews lately. But, don't worry. I have a ton coming. I have been super busy these past few months finishing up my undergrad degree and I just graduated last weekend!

Now that I don't have school to worry about, I can focus more on reading and getting out reviews to you. 
Thank you for staying patient!


Courtney

What Hides Within by Jason Parent

Synopsis:

Inside all of us, there is darkness. Inside Clive, it's tangible, and it's aching to get out.

What Hides Within tells the story of a man held captive by an unknown evil. Clive Menard is a spineless slacker leading an ordinary existence. But when Chester enters his life, it becomes far from ordinary.

A disheveled Clive stands alone in a hospital waiting room. A series of incidences have led him to undergo unnecessary neurosurgery. A voice inside Clive’s head nags him to kill the doctor.

Weeks prior, a murder investigation and an unrelated kayaking excursion set the story’s interlocking events in motion. When a remorseful killer, a bomb-happy psychopath and a mysterious widow spider converge upon Clive, they bring with them destruction and death. Clive must discover who or what is steering his very existence before he, too, is consumed by the carnage around him.

With a driven detective following his every step and a vicious killer hiding within his circle of friends, Clive must walk a narrow and dangerous path, teetering between salvation and damnation. He must confront Chester and his own demons. But is he powerless to overcome them?

By the cover of this book, I should have known what to expect. But, I did not, and there were quite a few scenes where I was cringing.

Reading a book with the main character of a spider is not a good thing for someone who is very afraid of spiders…

That said, it was definitely a unique story. Having something inside of your head talking to you seems terrifying in itself, but that thing can also control your actions. That is even more terrifying.

I enjoyed the story for the most part… despite the spider thing…

There were parts that dragged on a bit, I felt that the story of Clive’s roommate didn’t really get the full attention that it deserved. Detective Rielly was an important character, but she also just seemed like a small character and we never learn much about her.

So, while some of it dragged on, I also feel that it should have been longer to explore the characters more.

For a horror story, it was interesting and unique. If you are looking for something different, go ahead and pick it up.

3/5 stars.

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