2nd Chance (The Women's Murder Club) [Mass Market Paperback]

James Patterson (Author), Andrew Gross (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Women's Murder Club | Publication Date: February 1, 2003

2nd Chance reconvenes the Women's Murder Club, four friends (adetective, a reporter, an assistant district attorney, and a medical examiner)who used their networking skills, feminine intuition, and professional wiles tosolve a baffling series of murders in 1st to Die. This time, themurders of two African Americans, a little girl and an old woman, bear all thesigns of a serial killer for Lindsay Boxer, newly promoted to lieutenant of SanFrancisco's homicide squad. But there's an odd detail she finds even moredisturbing: both victims were related to city cops. A symbol glimpsed at bothmurder scenes leads to a racist hate group, but the taunting killer strikesagain and again, leaving deliberate clues and eluding the police ever morecleverly. In the meantime, each of the women has a personal stake at risk--andthe killer knows who they are. 2nd Chance speeds along at a Formula One pace through many tight curves,but unlike recent entries in theAlex Cross series, itdoesn't sacrifice good characters to a twisted plot. Lindsay's the star, butthere's a fine esprit de corps among the four women, who are even betterdeveloped here than in the first book. What makes them both convincing andinteresting as a criminal-justice juggernaut is their willingness to stick theirnecks out, even if they suffer for it. If you haven't picked up a JamesPatterson novel in a while, this is a great time to start anew. --BarrieTrinkle

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

2nd Chance reconvenes the Women's Murder Club, four friends (a detective, a reporter, an assistant district attorney, and a medical examiner) who used their networking skills, feminine intuition, and professional wiles to solve a baffling series of murders in 1st to Die. This time, the murders of two African Americans, a little girl and an old woman, bear all the signs of a serial killer for Lindsay Boxer, newly promoted to lieutenant of San Francisco's homicide squad. But there's an odd detail she finds even more disturbing: both victims were related to city cops. A symbol glimpsed at both murder scenes leads to a racist hate group, but the taunting killer strikes again and again, leaving deliberate clues and eluding the police ever more cleverly. In the meantime, each of the women has a personal stake at risk--and the killer knows who they are.

2nd Chance speeds along at a Formula One pace through many tight curves, but unlike recent entries in the Alex Cross series, it doesn't sacrifice good characters to a twisted plot. Lindsay's the star, but there's a fine esprit de corps among the four women, who are even better developed here than in the first book. What makes them both convincing and interesting as a criminal-justice juggernaut is their willingness to stick their necks out, even if they suffer for it. If you haven't picked up a James Patterson novel in a while, this is a great time to start anew. --Barrie Trinkle --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

It's been a long time since we've seen a bestselling author of Patterson's clout credit an assistant author on the cover, and good for Patterson for that. The credit is deserved. This is Patterson's richest, most engaging novel since When the Wind Blows and, as the second in his Women's Murder Club series (after 1st to Die), yet more evidence that this prolific writer can roam beyond Alex Cross with style and success. Like all Pattersons, the narration mixes first and third person the first here is voiced, as before, by San Francisco homicide detective Lindsay Boxer, while the third-person sections cover the doings of the other three members of Boxer's informal club, a reporter, a pathologist and a prosecutor, as well as the villain's shenanigans. The basic story line is vintage Patterson, i.e., a serial killer (here, one known as Chimera) goes on a calculated rampage until stopped by the good guys or in this case, gals. As the victims a young girl shot dead, an elderly black woman hanged, two cops pile up, it becomes clear to Boxer and others that they're up against a racist who hates black cops; is the killer a cop himself? The story ripples with twists and some remarkably strong scenes, particularly Boxer's in-prison interview with a crazed con. But what makes this Patterson stand out above all is the textured storytelling arising from its focus on Boxer's personal issues. In the first novel, Patterson personalized Boxer by dealing with her rare blood disease; here, it's the emotionally powerful introduction of Boxer's long-lost father into her life that galvanizes the plot, particularly as Patterson ties the man into Chimera's rampage. Prime Patterson; first-rate entertainment. (On sale Mar. 4)Forecast: Patterson's name, major ad/promo and a 10-city author tour add up to #1; simultaneous Time Warner Audio and large-print edition.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Vision; First Printing edition (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446612790
• ISBN-13: 978-0446612791
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.1 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (291 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,729 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( P ) > Patterson, James

More About the Author

From my publisher:

James Patterson...


* James Patterson holds the New York Times bestsellers list record with 63 New York Times bestselling titles.

* JP has sold more than 220 million books worldwide. And considering pass-along and libraries, it's safe to say many more people than that have read a Patterson!

* In 2010, JP was named by kids everywhere the Children's Book Councils' Children's Choice Book Awards "Author of the Year" in 2010. More than 15,000 kid and teen readers voted for JP in a category he shared with Suzanne Collins, Carl Hiaasen, Jeff Kinney, and Rick Riordan. His Witch and Wizard series saw the biggest launch of a series for young readers ever, surpassing sales of first installments of Twilight, Diary of A Wimpy Kid, and Percy Jackson & The Olympians.

* JP has grossed over 3 billion dollars in worldwide sales. This is larger than the worldwide theatrical gross of Avatar, the highest grossing film of all time.

* JP has had 43 New York Times hardcover #1 bestselling novels, also a publishing industry record.

* Last year, JP has sold more books than John Grisham, Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, and Stephen King combined (source: Nielsen BookScan).

* JP properties are gaining wide interest amongst film and TV producers. JP's award-winning series for young readers, Maximum Ride, is currently with Avi Arad (Spiderman, Iron Man) and Universal Pictures. Lloyd Levin (Green Zone, Watchmen) is attached to produce a feature film adaptation of JP's newest young readers series, Witch and Wizard, and James Patterson Entertainment is set to produce the next Alex Cross film, I, Alex Cross which will feature Idris Elba (The Wire, The Losers) as Alex Cross. And, a television adaptation of JP's 2007 love story Sundays At Tiffanys aired in December 2010 starring Alyssa Milano and Eric Winter.

* JP's books are licensed in 43 countries worldwide, and are in print and actively sold in 100 countries.

* According to a 2010 Bowker Sisters in Crime Survey, JP is the favorite mystery writer amongst readers under 50...AND over 50! Survey respondents comprised American men, women and teens who bought at least one mystery fiction title in 2009 and/or 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Same Formula as 1st to Die, December 31, 2002

By 

TJ's Mommy (El Dorado Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 2nd Chance (Hardcover)

I had to give this book four stars, but only because it follows the EXACT same formula as the first book. The plot is still very exciting and the story grabs you. I made the mistake of reading one right after the other and it became too predictable to how the story was going to end. I would highly recommend this book, but not right after you've read the first one.

In this novel you follow the Women's Murder Club again, but this time it is a serial sniper that is taking people out. There is a "women's" story intertwined, though not love this time, but there's a pregnancy and Lindsay is reunited with her dad. Patterson does a good job casting suspicion on certain characters to sidetrack you. The end will surprise the reader, but only as to who the killer actually is. You think you've caught him, but have you really? Same formula as the first one...

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He's back in the saddle again!, March 16, 2002

By 

Karen Kirsch "blazerlib" (Novi, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 2nd Chance (Hardcover)

If you're looking for great fiction, don't read James
Patterson. If you're looking for a fast-paced, fast-read
mystery, then you might want to pick up this book. "First
to Die" was the first in the Women's Murder Club mysteries.
Loved it! This one didn't disappoint me. The premise of
a homicide detective, D.A., coroner, and news writer combining their talents and intellect to solve a mystery is quite innovative. "2nd Chance" begins with a murder that might be
viewed as a hate crime. However, with the help of her best
friend the coroner, Lindsey the detective sees another pattern forming. Another killing that leads in a totally different direction. Then, just when you think you know the
outcome...yikes! there are still 70 pages to go. Lindsey's dad returns after a 20 year hiatus. Sympathize or suspect
While I love those books that I can savor over a week's time,
I also love those I can't put down until I finish it the same
day. Patterson is a same day read...

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of his better books..., July 19, 2002

By 

J. Boccanfuso (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 2nd Chance (Hardcover)

Lately, I've been doubting James Patterson's ability to turn out a decent read. "When the Wind Blows" didn't work for me. "Cradle and All" just seemed silly. "1st to Die" was a great thriller, and it is followed by another great thriller, "2nd Chance."

The Women's Murder Club is back in business when a killer strikes San Francisco, commiting hate crimes. Lindsay Boxer, the newly appointed Lieutenant, joins her pals Cindy, Claire, and Jill to solve the mystery.

The plot of "2nd Chance" moves along rather quickly, rarely stopping for a breather. When Lindsay isn't dealing with the stresses of her job, her personal life is there to stress over. Her father returns to get a second chance at being a good dad, she finds out one of her friends is pregnant, and she still is trying to cope with the fact that Chris Raleigh is dead.

"2nd Chance" is one of Patterson's better books. It moves the plot forward with every page, but doesn't feel rushed. It reassured me that the Patterson that wrote amazing thrillers wasn't dead... he was just sleeping. Here's to hoping he continues this series with another strong installment.