4th of July

Det. Lt. Lindsay Boxer, SFPD is with friends from the women's murder club when her former partner tells her that there is a lead on a vehicle from the scene of a murder. After a chase of the vehicle, a shootout ensues. Lindsay and her partner are both shot, one of the two teenagers in the car is killed and the other injured.

After Lindsay's release from the hospital from her injuries, she learns that the father of the twenagers in the chase is suing her for wrongful death, excessive use of force and police misconduct.

This is a very timely topic. If only the teenagers were black the headlines would have been horrific. However Lindsay is put on leave while the case comes to trial.

During this time, she travels to her sister's home not far show more from San Francisco. While there a true policeman's or policewoman's holiday takes place. A number of murders take place in Half Moon Bay and Lindsay offers her expertise in an attempt to solve the murders.

This is a great book for a summer read. Fast moving action, a good protagonist, her dog, Penelope, a large Vietnamese potbellied pig and a number of murders.

Not much character development but it's not really necessary, most of us have read of Lindsay Boxer and the women's murder club. (Although they aren't a factor in this story.) Some well placed surprises and a clever novel to read. show less

4.25 stars

In the 4th installment of the Women's Murder Club series, Lindsay is involved in a shootout which results in the death of a teenage girl and a boy (the girl's brother) is paralyzed. Their family brings a lawsuit against Lindsay, so while she is asked not to work until after her trial, she goes to stay at her sister's place. In this town, there are some murders happening that seem suspiciously similar to Lindsay's first homicide case, now cold. She can't help but try to solve the current case while she is in town.

This is my favourite in the series so far. I was really engaged in both storylines and it was very fast-paced (but then, I think most of his books are). This is one that kept me wanting to read

The best book of the series in my eyes, knowing in hindsight these books were written to sell and not to be good (even being called crap by the author himself) doesn't mean this one wasn't enjoyable for turning off my brain and watching some shit hit the fan for awhile.

I LOVED this book. Everything about it from the court case to who the killers were. It was a plot twist for sure. I also loved the new character Yuki, shes a great lawyer and fits in great with the girls, although I am still mad about Jill. Poor little Allison. That poor girl. I knew from the beginning something was off with Keith. Great book, great plot, very well written.

She didn’t want to do it. She really didn’t. But, two kids were firing at her and Jacobi. Jacobi was down. Lindsay Boxer fired her weapon. Now one teen is in the hospital and will be paralyzed for life … the other is dead. It’s a tragedy, but these teens were not innocent. They’d killed a couple of other teens, then whipped and slashed their buttocks before leaving a message at the scene, “Nobody Cares.” Boxer’s mind went back ten years before to a John Doe whose murderer had never been caught. The MO was the same.

Because of the shooting, Lindsay was placed on administrative leave. She went to her sister’s house in Half Moon Bay where she could recoup and relax. But trouble followed; there were more murders. Now it show more seems someone may be after Lindsay.

I’ve read the first three in the Women’s Murder Club and this is one of my favorite series in the mystery and suspense genre. This one did not disappoint. There was plenty of action along with twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. I love the group of women that Lindsay meets with. They’re a hoot! But, one of the things I like best about this series is that the situations are realistic and the people have human frailties. No super heroes. Some of the chapters are given over to the killer. We don’t know the name of the person other than The Watcher. And, The Watcher is not alone. Rating: 4 out of 5. show less

Listened for fun (Audible)
Overall Rating: 3.75
Story Rating: 3.50
Character Rating: 4.00

Audio Rating: 3.00 (not part of the overall rating)

First Thought When Finished: I love the new member of the team but the story was a little all over the place!

Speed Date Review:

First Date: 4th of July started with a bang! We hit it off right from the beginning with a fast and furious pace. It worked so well until we got drug to court. At that point, our mutual love fest hit a snag!

Second Date: We got a new member to the Murder Club! She is a perfect fit into this crafty group of women. It is too bad that her part was highlighted with a bit of drama that I think was overdone. I did love her closing statement though. There was just to much going on show more between the court drama and the secondary case that Lindsey is involved with. Something had to give and unfortunately that was rushed storytelling and over the top dramatics.

Third Date: The secondary case comes to a fast and furious end. There were some twists and turns that hooked me back into the story the last few chapters. With this my love affair is reignited and I am reminded of why I fell in love with the first place. The Murder Club and I will be spending time together in the future. I need to know more about them!

Audio Thoughts:

Narrated by Carolyn McCormick

These are relatively quick listens. Carolyn does an excellent job with voices, pacing, and emotion. I really enjoy her narration. However, the sound effects are HORRID and way overdone. Many times the distracting music tracks pulled me out of the story. In some cases, it even drowned out the narrator. I just was not a fan! I keep sticking with the audio hoping that these will eventually go away. We will see!

Relationship Status: Still Dating! show less

In this installment of the Woman's Murder Club, Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer of the SFPD faces the most challenging case of her carreer-her own trial! Labeled "Detective Harriett" by the press, and accused of being a child killer by the public, Lindsay relocates to her sister, Cat's house for some much-needed downtime before she goes to court to fight for her reputation and livelihood only to find herself caught up in the middle of multiple murders being committed in the small, ocean town of Half Moon Bay. Faced-paced, non-stop action kept me turning the pages of this well-crafted thriller that has a twist at the end you won't see coming. This was a quick, entertaining read.