22 Seconds

The Women's Murder Club is back! I love these gritty novels where Lindsay Boxer and her gal pals take down criminals. While Claire, Yuki, and Cindy are all featured, Lindsay takes top billing. In the latest novel, CA is cracking down on gun control, and the criminals don't want to give up their guns - or their illegal trafficking of weapons and drugs. Joe, Lindsay's husband, is contracted by the FBI to work on the gun case, too. Both Lindsay and Joe are put in harm's way on more than one occasion. When former cops get killed, with "you talk you die" found on their bodies, Lindsay realizes that someone wants people quieted. Everything wraps up nicely.
The Women's Murder Club is a great series, I always feel like I know the characters, show more since I have been following them for years. This one was action packed, and the danger level kept the tension high for me. I am glad that the book featured a bit about Julie, Joe and Lindsay's young daughter - and how their jobs affect her, too. Looking forward to book 23. show less

22 seconds, James Patterson, Maxine Paetro, authors; January LaVoy, narrator
This 22nd book in the Womens Murder Club mystery series is definitely not for men. I would describe it as chick lit, perhaps appropriate for someone looking for a quick read for a plane flight or a day at the beach. The dialogue is a bit hackneyed and repetitive. The characters often seemed shallow and self-possessed, although they were very dedicated to their professions which was the most admirable part of the book for me, since they are hard-working law officers and medical personnel across a broad spectrum. They are all juggling their family and work life as well as they can.
One of the couples, Lindsey and Joe have a four-year-old daughter Julie who needs to show more have time-outs more often than she is getting them. Guilt ridden parents try too hard to understand her demands and her whining without appropriate expectations of behavior. Julie complains a lot and her cousins call her a brat. I am inclined to agree. Occasionally, the child seemed like the adult in the family and vice versa.
Another character, Cathy, attempting to write a book about a serial killer, but currently has a bit of writer’s block. She is hoping this book will put her on the front page with a best-seller and secure her future. Then there is a medical examiner and a journalist. All are friends. They are portrayed as strong-willed capable women. Sometimes, though, they seem preoccupied with their emotions instead of their intellect, but most often, they make common sense decisions and accomplish their goals.

Lindsey and Joe are both involved in a drug/gun running operation which proves very dangerous, at times. To protect their daughter and insure that one of them will survive, they try not to work in danger at the same time. One always stays back with Julie. She is a detective and he is the former Deputy Director of Homeland Security, now working for the FBI. When a law is passed banning assault weapons, demonstrations erupt and they become targets. A sophisticated gun and drug smuggling operation is exposed complete with tunnels leading from Mexico to California. Former cops, who have been compromised by greed, are turning up dead with their mouths stapled shut and a note that says you talk, you die. Sometimes the story seems like gibberish and sometimes it is filled with violent action. If you are looking for some mindless entertainment, this would be a good choice. To avoid unnecessary confusion, It would be helpful if the reader has read some other books in the series. show less

22 Seconds
Women’s Murder Club, Book 22

I Picked Up This Book Because: Continue the series.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: CC Public Library
Dates Read: 8/1/24 - 8/2/24
Stars: 4

The Characters:

Lindsay Boxer: Police Detective
Clair Washburn: Medical Examiner
Yuki Castellano: Attorney
Cindy Thomas: Crime Desk Reporter
Joe Molinari, Warren Jacobi, Ritchie Conclin, Julie Molinari, Jackson

The Story:

This one was really close to home for Boxer and family. Julie's freak out while at her aunt’s house really worried me, especially in light of Claire's case. All around this was another great installment and I'm kinda sad I'm almost caught up.

22 Seconds by James Patterson is an action thriller straight out of a Hollywood movie. Although I am not much of a fan of action thrillers, this one kept me on my heels with every page. The plot provides the readers with an amazing atmosphere of gangsters, guns, and police action. You can easily feel the tension growing in your belly as the plot moves further. Most of the plot is basically police procedure. I didn't expect the book to be so interesting and thrilling.

The book is fast-paced as the author didn't waste any time in long conversations. Each character plays a distinct role that further escalates the interest. The book definitely deserves 5 stars.

A pretty good read, but sometimes hard to follow. CA is cracking down on guns, and the criminals don't want to give up their guns. Why is one San Francisco cop the target of all this foolishness? There were several/quite a few characters who became hard to follow. Plot holes became incredulous. Why do both Lindsey and her husband have a vehicle in a very high cost city on a public salary?

Hold the front page a thriller almost breaks out in this outing of the women’s murder club. As always, the good guys win, and the crime is solved but the best character in the story is the ever-aging Martha the dog. This is a pleasant Sunday afternoon’s reading if you cannot find anything exciting to do.

With California’s already strict gun laws some brave legislator had tightened them even further and banned semi-automatics and stricter registration and sales requirements. Automatic weapons were now illegal in the state along with suppressors clips that hold more than ten bullets, and the guns require to have GPS tags in them.

There is a push back be the Second Amendment Advocates and there are threats against law enforcement. At show more the same time former police officers are turning up dead and rumours abound that they were involved in the illicit drugs trade. There are also rumours of a massive illegal drug and guns shipment coming up from Mexico.

Boxer and her team are busy chasing their tails for any leads they can discover and at the same time there are threats on Boxer’s life, and she needs protection. Fortunately for the reader there are no surprises big shocks or even twists.

There are no pulsating endings no excitement just a bit boring. show less

This was the first Women’s Murder Club novel I have read, and it will be the last. The story does not get going until the last half of the book. I wanted to DNF it several times before I reached the half-way point. The writing is amateurish.

The characters were flat and totally uninteresting. I cared for none of them. Some of them were completely despicable, especially some of the officers.

The story was disjointed and a result of the book having two authors. It appeared Patterson wrote one part, Paetro wrote another part without consulting with each other and a third person meshed them together. The two plot lines had no connection at many points. There were numerous point of view changes, even in the same paragraph, and sections show more told in the first person failed to identify whose point of view we were reading, which made the prose difficult to read.

There are many plot holes and inconsistent action. Two of the FBI agents were taken hostage in Mexico by unknown parties, and then back in their homes the next morning with no explanation whatsoever. Bizarre. And, how does a man whose hands are handcuffed behind his back touch a wound on his neck. Is he Houdini?

Patterson is too good of a writer to put his name on this book with the poor writing. I am sure I will read more of Patterson’s work, but none of this series. show less