Book Review: The 17th Suspect by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Women's Murder Club #17)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong, twisty mysteries

Cons: Weak characters, one plot graphic at times

The Bottom Line:

Assault, homeless deaths

Mean more page turning twists for

Fans of this series

I Suspect You’ll Enjoy the Women’s Murder Club’s Latest Outing

You never really know what you will get when you pick up a Women’s Murder Club novel.  Some of them can be pretty entertaining, but the very next one is a complete disaster on every level.  Fortunately, The 17th Suspect is one of the stronger entries in the series.

ADA Yuki Castellano has taken on a new case with huge national ramifications.  It’s a case of assault of a subordinate by a supervisor.  The catch is that a man was assaulted by a woman.  However, there is a video that seems to make it into a solid case.  Is it as solid as it seems?

Meanwhile, SFPD detective Lindsay Boxer is asked by a homeless woman to look into the case of a murdered homeless man, the latest in a string of such killings.  Unfortunately, the killings are taking place outside of Lindsay’s jurisdiction, and her efforts to get the case moving lead to an inner department skirmish.  Can she find the killer before another murder takes place?

And what about Cindy and Claire?  They once again play supporting parts, suppling just a little bit of help to Yuki and Lindsay.  The real series stars these days are Yuki and Lindsay.  I’ll issue my normal complaint here – I really wish all four of the women were involved in the cases in these books, or better yet, one big case.

Having said that, both of these cases are compelling.  They weave in and out of each other, with twists and complications that kept me wanting to read.

Over the course of the series, I’ve come to care for the characters, however, with the emphasis of the books on action, they aren’t super deep.  This is especially true for the new characters who are brought in for this book.  But again, this is nothing new for fans of the series and is factored in when we pick up a book.

The assault that Yuki is prosecuting in a rape.  Some of the discussion about that case made me a bit uncomfortable.  This definitely isn’t one of the cozies I read, but I still think they could have handled that case in a more delicate matter and still entertained.

The 17th Suspect isn’t going to change anyone’s minds about this series, but those who enjoy visiting Lindsay and the others will be glad to get their hands on this book.

Fans will want to read the rest of the Women’s Murder Club books.