The 18th Abduction

Anna Sotovina, a survivor from Djoba, Bosnia, is confronted with an unimaginable sight as she rides her bike to work: Slobodan Petrovic, a notorious war criminal, is living freely in San Francisco. Anna recognizes the horrors Petrovic inflicted—convicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, including the rape of hundreds of women and the brutal murder of children. Disturbed that such a monster is at large, Anna reports her sighting to the FBI, only to be dismissed. Fortunately, Joe Molinari, one of the top risk assessment consultants in the field, offers Anna a ride home, listens to her harrowing account, and initiates an investigation into Petrovic, who is now living under the alias Antonije (Tony) show more Branko.

Joe Molinari, known to fans as Sergeant Lindsay Boxer's husband, becomes deeply involved in this case. Meanwhile, Lindsay and her partner, Inspector Richie Conklin, are investigating the mysterious disappearance of three teachers from Pacific View Prep—Carly, Adele, and Susan. The teachers were last seen leaving the Bridge, a local bar, on a Monday night. The investigation takes a grim turn when Carly Meyers is found dead, hanging from the shower in a dive motel. As more bodies are discovered and evidence mounts, it becomes clear that Joe and Lindsay may be pursuing the same suspect.

This thriller maintains a steady, suspenseful pace as the narrative alternates between the two cases, tracking the authorities as they pursue suspects and assemble their cases. The depiction of the massacre in Bosnia is particularly difficult to read, but ultimately, with the combined efforts of Joe, Lindsay, Richie, the FBI, and the SFPD, justice prevails. show less

18th Abduction published in 2019 is the eighteenth book in the series and for the first time in a while the book almost turns out to be a thriller. This story takes us back five years prior so that we can fully understand what is going on.

The book opens with the arrival of Boxer and her husband Joe at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. They were there to support Anna Sotovina who was one of many witnesses against the war criminal Slobodan Petrovic. He had previously done a deal which had gained him a release from prison.

Five years earlier Joe has been an FBI agent and was leaving the field office in San Fransico when he came across Anna who had been sat on the ground crying. Asking what was the matter she told him that she show more had seen a ghost a man that was supposed to be dead. She had seen Petrovic known as the butcher of Djoba which had been the precursor to Srebrenica.

Boxer was investigating three missing teachers all female and taught at the same school. There had been no sign of there teachers with no evidence to guide the investigation. When one of the teachers turns up dead in a motel room that charges by the hour the body and the room have been forensically cleaned. Boxer was going nowhere fast.

When Boxer’s case crosses with that of Joe’s they begin to gain some traction and are able to gain evidence and intelligence. The FBI come and support Boxer’s team with all the gadgetry and toys which aids the investigation along with agents.

For once a thriller has broken out and it rather enjoyable. show less

For me this wasn't the best book in the series by a long way. Most of the usual Women's Murder Club meetings are absent as is the interaction between the 4 ladies. Although I did understand that the majority of the book was 5 years in the past, which explained Julie's absence, the timeline still didn't quite ring true from some of the previous books.

The main villain acts almost as if he wants to get caught, leaving clear evidence on at least body and displaying his kills in a way that points right to him. There are also a few unexplained discrepancies and occurrences, such as how did a bad guy know someone in disguise and in a borrowed car was parked nearby.

Not sure if this series is starting to get stale or the authors are losing show more interest and just churning out words to sell another novel but this is a low point in the series for me. show less

This is what James Patterson does best, write a good story. The Women's Murder Club, with Maxine Paetro co author, is one of the more consistently readable series from Patterson simply because of the story quality. The characters are familiar but basically are filler for the story, the writing is decent and the pace is quick. When you read it you simply want to rush through to see what is going to happen next, maybe it is called suspense that draws except it is more the pace of the story. These are not award winning writings however, I find them simply a fun read. Do not have to think heavily when reading one or be afraid of setting the book down to eat dinner; you can step back into it at virtually any place and not loose the flavor of show more the story.

In one respect this one was a little more meaningful and the topic was much more engulfing since it addressed an international war crimes survivor and the man who destroyed her family and thousands more during the years of the Balkan wars. For a change it truly made one think about this distant nightmare that has lived in the Balkans since the time of the Ottoman Empire and how the lasting affect still resounds today.

Candidly I feel this is one of Patterson's more meaningful stories and anyone who enjoys a good story with some meaning to it should read this book. While little in the story affected most of us on a daily basis it is a nightmare everyone should not forget as we let it happen. show less

Lindsay Boxer and her partner Conklin are called to help find three female teachers from a prestigious private school, who have disappeared after a night of drinking together. When one of the three is found hanged in a rent-by-the-hour hotel in the Tenderloin, it turns out not to be her first time there; however, despite Herculean efforts, the SFPD and Women's Murder Club is stymied. Meanwhile, Joe Molinari takes pity on a woman named Anna, who is convinced, she has spotted the Serbian war criminal, Slobodan Petrović (a/k/a the Butcher of Djoba), living large under a new identity in San Francisco. Convicted in the Hague, Petrović managed to negotiate some type of pardon, but was presumed drowned. He taunts both the FBI and SFPD, with show more the U.S. presumption of innocence. When the second teacher is found dead, hanging in a forest, also with odd injuries from a shuriken, which tie back to a known skill of Petrović. Medical examiner Claire makes important contributions, but then Anna is kidnapped. The cases ended too easily and conveniently, at least for my liking. show less

Another solid Women's Murder Club entry for James Patterson! Although this novel didn't really have a lot of the club members in it, it was still an enjoyable and fast-paced read. It kept my attention, and I finished it in just a few hours.
Both Lindsay and Joe are working cases that end up tied to each other. Lindsay is trying to find 3 missing schoolteachers, and Joe is trying to assist a Serbian American bring down an evil man who was responsible for many atrocities in Serbia. Both cases eventually cross each other.
This is a story that is mostly told "5 years earlier", with the final episode back in current day.
I really enjoyed this novel, and thought it was well done.

#The18thAbduction #JamesPatterson

The disappearance of three private school teachers becomes a homicide case when one of the three women turns up in a seedy motel room . . . murdered. While Lindsay Boxer is involved in the case, her husband, Joe Molinari, searches for a notorious war criminal seen walking the streets of San Francisco.

When Lindsay and journalist Cindy Thomas compare notes, there are unexpected revelations about the victims. At the same time, Joe’s informant vanishes, hinting at an international crime operation. Can Joe, Lindsay, and the Women’s Murder Club find the answers while protecting their city . . . and themselves . . . from a monster?

All the expected characters are in place in this, the eighteenth book in the Women’s Murder Club series. The show more relentless pace of the story builds suspense; the short chapters ramp up the tension. As the story builds on previous books in the series, the strong characterizations are a strength of the story; however, there is less interaction between the Murder Club ladies than might be expected.

There’s not much backstory for readers new to the series, nevertheless, it stands well on its own. With a twisting plot and unexpected reveals, readers will find themselves pulled into the telling of the tale until they’ve turned the final page.

Recommended. show less