Friday, June 1, 2007

1st to Die / James Patterson

From Library Journal
Lindsay Boxer is an inspector on the San Francisco Homicide Squad. Her healthy, optimistic outlook is given a jolt when she is diagnosed with aplastic anemia, which is potentially fatal. While dealing with her first treatments, she takes on a new case. Someone has killed a bride and groom during the first hours of their honeymoon. The killer strikes again in Napa Valley and a third time in Cleveland. Lindsay gathers her girlfriends, all of whom work in related areas of the justice system, to circumvent the bureaucracy of police business and solve the crimes. There are a number of loose ends that never get tied up, and a number of actions that don't seem to fit the characters' persona. The unabridged version of the story moves along well but seems contrived and somewhat sloppy, though well read by Suzanne Toren. Lack of detail in the abridgment, which is well read in alternate chapters by Melissa Leo and Dylan Baker, does not significantly hamper the telling of the tale; the loose ends and inconsistent characters are less apparent and bothersome.

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