The 5th Horseman (Women's Murder Club) [Paperback]

James Patterson (Author), Maxine Paetro (Author)

Book Description

Series: Women's Murder Club | Publication Date: April 17, 2007

It is a wild race against time as Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer and the newest member of the Women's Murder Club, attorney Yuki Castellano, lead an investigation into a string of mysterious patient deaths--and reveal a hospital administration determined to shield its reputation at all costs. And while the hospital wages an explosive court battle that grips the entire nation, the Women's Murder Club hunts for a merciless killer among its esteemed medical staff. The newest addition to the topselling new mystery series takes the Women's Murder Club to the most terrifying heights of suspense they have yet to encounter. THE 5TH HORSEMAN proves once again that James Patterson is "the page-turningest author in the game right now " (San Francisco Chronicle).

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James Patterson is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many books, including Beach Road, Honeymoon, Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas, and the Alex Cross and Women's Murder Club series of thrillers. More than 100 million of his books are in print around the world, making him one of the top-selling writers of all time.

From AudioFile

San Francisco PD Detective Lindsay Boxer is suspicious about unexpected deaths at a local hospital--especially after the mother of one of her friends inexplicably succumbs. The Women's Murder Club is soon involved in finding the person responsible--and at risk to themselves. Carolyn McCormack's performance is superb. Her ability to capture the essence of each of the main characters is impressive; her skill at fleshing out even minor characters is rare. Her spirit, enthusiasm, and emotional involvement help the novel, which has its predictable moments. Overall, McCormack's ability to keep each moment fresh and alive makes this program a real treat for the listener. M.A.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 421 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing/Warner Books; First Thus edition (April 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446699314
• ISBN-13: 978-0446699310
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.1 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (225 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

79 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Great Thrill Ride, But Where's the Meat?, February 17, 2006

By 

S. Rhodes - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The 5th Horseman (Women's Murder Club) (Hardcover)

The 5th Horseman, which is the fifth book in Patterson's best-selling Women's Murder Club books. It's hair-raising. It's fast paced, it's James Pattersons's continuing to string out best-sellers faster than we write checks. Lately his books have been hit or miss. This one is no different, but I'm sorry to say the things that still bug me about Patterson continue to bug me here and they probably always will so long as he keeps pumping out four or five books a year.

At the San Francisio Muncipal Hospital, people have been receiving the wrong medication which induces a heart attack. The latest victim to this string of "accidents" is Yuki Castellano's mother Keiko, who suddenly collapses. After she's taken to the medical hospital, she's given the wrong medication and suddenly dies. Just like several others. Lindsay Boxer decides it's time to investigate. It's been happening too much to be just an accident.

It isn't such a bad book. For the most part, it'll keep you on the edge of your seat. If you like fast-paced movie-like books, The 5th Horseman is perfect. It instantly grabs your attention and takes you away.

Again, however, this book is plagued by what just about every James Patterson book is plagued with these days. Where's the meat? The substance? There's a lot of plot, but what about characters and steady pace? The book, like many of his previous books, moves much faster than it has to. And because it moves so fast, there's little time to feel for these characters.

Look at it like this, Yuki Castellano was introduced in 4th of July, the previous book (which was much better than this one). We learned very little about her. Here, her mother is introduced right after the prologue. When the mother dies, Patterson tries to make us feel sorry for Yuki Castellano. And I probably would've if I actually KNEW Yuki. The reader doesn't feel for these characters anymore. Lindsay Boxer is perhaps the only character who gets developed. But the other characters of the Women's Murder Club (who ARE major characters) receive very little. Being stuck with these characters for 400 pages calls for some kind of development for these otherwise, underdeveloped characters.

The overall plot is pretty good, at least. Like I said, you'll be on the edge of your seat, but again, it feels very movie like. Everything happens so fast that there are times when the reader is left behind.

If I were to write a letter to James Patterson, I'd tell him to slow down. Ever since he began pumping out four or five books a year he's had to call on numerous co-authors, and his books have gotten shorter, despite them being 400 pages long (as many reviewers have pointed out, the formatting makes it that way). And along with being shorter, they're moving faster. Not only do things happen unrealistically fast, but they become unbelievable, and his characters are beginning to suffer as a result.

The 5th Horseman is a good book, but it lacks substance. Put simple, there's no character development anymore, and nothing falls into place logically. It's time Patterson slow down a little. Take time to flesh out his characters and his stories. He's established his credibility as a writer, it would be a shame for him to ruin it. I don't know about you, but I like a few spices on my book... the kind of spices that make me glad to be with these characters. The kind that make me say, "I sure hope nothing bad happens to her!" It's not here.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I don't get it? This is just average?, February 17, 2006

By 

Bill Pullman "Book reviewer" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 5th Horseman (Women's Murder Club) (Hardcover)

Believe it or not but this is my first Patterson novel (I did see the movie "Kiss the Girls" and thought it was OK). I found this book to be average entertainment at best. From reading this book I do not understand this authors best-selling status, Though I have figured out how he rights five novels a year. First he has a stable of co-writers who are doing the heavy lifting (Ms. Paetro in this case). Then you write very short 2 page chapters and have ridiculously wide margins. The book is 400 pages long but if it where laid out properly it would not be more than 200 pages. The book is more a comic book than a novel. This is McDonald's drive thru literature for the masses with short attention spans! Look, I am not a some literary snob, I love thriller/adventures/mystery but I want them to have some meat.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Borrow Don't Buy, April 8, 2006

By 

DELILAH "AVID READER" (LOS ANGELES,CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 5th Horseman (Women's Murder Club) (Hardcover)

I am huge James Patterson fan but I felt he blew it with this book. There are too many subplots that distracted from what the book purported to be about. A serial killer in a hospital but we are given plots about young female escorts being killed. What in the hell did this have to do with the hospital murders. NOTHING!! They could have further developed this story for another book and made it more interesting instead of solving it so quickly.
The story about the doctor and the lawyer was interesting but which one the two writers came up with such a lame ending. After they had wrapped up the case with the two aforementioned characters, they probably found out they forgot about letting the reader know who the person was doing the killing and gave us some crappy ending in an attempt to let us know whoduit without ever really giving us a reason why. I had to go back and reread the chapters about this person to try and get a clue. How did this person get out of jail so quickly and move on to another hospital? And how did Lindsay Boxer know she would be there? Too many holes that needed to be filled in. I expected more. Next book I just wait until I can borrow it from someone else or wait until the paperback version comes out and get it at a discount store.