Customer Reviews

4th of July by James Patterson

5 star:		(99)
4 star:		(60)
3 star:		(34)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

Wow, what a story! There is a reason why James Patterson sells millions of books and great mysteries like 4th of July are the reason why. In the fourth installment of the popular Women's Murder Club series, Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer (the head of San Francisco Police Department's Homicide Division) is fighting to save her career after she is accused in a wrongful death suit, and at the same time struggling to help solve a series of grisly murders that have shaken the small town of Half Moon Bay, where she has retreated to chill out while on administrative leave from the SFPD.

As the story unfolds Lieutenant Boxer is hot on the trail of a couple of suspects that she and her partner believe are responsible for a recent string of seedy motel murders. Turns out the suspects are two very youthful teenage siblings, and in the process of apprehending these two, Boxer is forced to use deadly force to defend herself and her partner. When all is said and done, Boxer's partner is critically wounded and unconscious, Boxer herself has been hit twice, a 15 year old girl is dead, and her 13 year old brother is paralyzed for life from the neck down. Was it a legitimate use of deadly force? Not in the minds of the parents it wasn't. And the media has already found her guilty without the benefit of trail!

In Half Moon Bay someone is killing local residents in a gruesome fashion reminiscent of an unsolved homicide from Lieutenant Boxer's earliest days on the force. She is supposed to be laying low in the sleepy little seaside resort, gearing up the trail of her life, but when the killing starts, she finds herself hard pressed to remain disinterested and unengaged. Before long she is swept up in the investigation and a target for murder herself!

A great weekend read. The chapters just fly by! Also recommended are the other three stories in the Women's Murder Club series: 1st to Die, 2nd Chance, and 3rd Degree. Be the first on your block to collect all four books!

James Patterson and his latest co-writer have written a novel that appears to have been compiled from a crime novel cliche bin. Dozens of murders, overly-dramatic descriptions, and a climax that it is anything but. His leading character hardly spends more than a few moments investigating yet miraculously solves a baffling crime. Patterson has really stretched himself thin on this one. It is a true page-turner in that you keep turning pages to see if anything interesting will ever happen.

I thought this was a good book that kept me guessing to the end. The chapters are only a few pages each, so the action shifts all over the place. The one unrealistic aspect of this book that I did not care for was the trial. She had this trial hanging over her head the whole book and yet she never really seemed to worry about it, at least not in the way that most normal people would.

Patterson just never seems to stop amazing me with his writing. In his latest whodunnit, the chapters just effortlessly go from by and before you know it, the reader is immersed in this great book. Definitely recommend.

This book was not good at all. It didn't thrill me whatsoever. It wasn't amazingly clever or even that interesting. I'm sorry I even read it.

Yes, the authors are creative in keeping suspense alive, and they build on this strength by packing more suspense into 344 pages than you'd think could be done. But to accomplish this they move the story along at a fast clip (at times readers have to gasp for breath!), and dropped character development for the bane of today's popular fiction: the overuse of metaphors.

But the book's real undoing is its unbelievably at critical moments. Whenever the suspense reached its apex the story became preposterous. Or, if you prefer: implausible, cockamamie, dubious, far-fetched, beyond belief, flaky, incredible, kooky, phony, or screwy. For example, try explaining the jury's verdict in light of its questions to the judge, and how a "pretty, dark-haired girl of about eight" inexplicably acquires wisdom and courage seldom even seen among adults.
- John Ambrose, Falls Church, VA

An unfortunate waste of time... This is certainly not the classic Patterson we eagerly await! The story line is just a short step up from Nancy Drew, and any observant mystery reader will figure out soon enough who the villians are, since so few new characters appear in the book! Although the book appears to be 392 pages, there are WIDE margins, double spacing, and each 1-2 page chapter starts another new page! Save your money and go to the library. This one-afternoon read is NOT worth the price!

Lt. Lindsey Boxer goes out with the girls from the Murder Club of past books, and things start out well with margaritas and chit-chat.

But she gets called to a stake out, and the next thing she knows, Boxer is shooting two juvenile suspects who had shot and hit her and her partner.

The book tells the story of her defending herself in court against accusations of being a drunk, improper cop. While she's waiting for court, she escapes to Half Moon Bay, where she finds herself involved in a serial killing spree that has the town in a panic. Of course, this spree reminds Lindsey of a long-ago case she never solved. Could they be connected?

The book has too many coincidences, making the plot seemed forced and contrived. Some things, like the lawsuit, seemed glossed over and not true in any real legal sense. Even the title seems forced; there is one small July 4 party that seems added in to justify it.

But Lindsey is a likeable character, and the book moves about at a quick pace. It doesn't stand up to intense scrutiny or discussion, but it's well-written with interesting women characters and enough grim, sadistic crime to give it a creepy feeling.

Mysteries can be better than this book. But it's worth a read, if you don't expect too much and just go with the flow.

Patterson never fails to keep you entertained. Yes, perhaps some of his recent stuff is not a great as it could be, but if you are reading him for the first time you will be asking yourself "what's all the fuss about, this guy is fantastic!" And yes he is very good. Just relax and enjoy this book for what is it, a good little summer beach book.

Mr. Patterson: Please demonstrate more discretion in selecting ghost writers for your pulp fiction publishing machine.

Ms. Paetro: Don't quit your day job.

If you are looking for character development, descriptive scenes, engaging voice and style, believable conflict, romantic or who-done-it suspense, balanced point of view, entertaining pace, and (or) suspension of disbelief, this is not a book deserving of your time or money. If your idea of pacing is 146 chapters spread across 400 pages, or if the lame pet dog character foil trick works for you, be sure to buy this book at Amazon's used book prices.