Book Review: 19th Anniversary by James Patterson

  

Jacque's Review:

This is the tenth book in the Women's Murder Club Series. Detective Lindsay Boxer is a newlywed and is struggling to balance her work and personal life. She always seems to put her job first, but after working on this case involving a missing child, she is beginning to think about starting a family of her own. Dr. Clare Washburn, the medical examiner who is part of their team, is the only character with children. As a highly successful woman with a career and family, I believe Lindsay can look to Clare for inspiration and support. 

Another significant portion of this book focuses on a case Yuki is prosecuting. A prominent cardiologist is accused of murdering her husband, which seems to be a slam dunk case. Lindsay, however, is not convinced the wife is guilty and continues to investigate the case on her own time. She wants her friend to succeed, but she has been wrongly accused in the past and can relate to this woman's situation. She can't let her go to jail and lose her children if she is not guilty. Yuki has a history of bad relationships in this series, but I think she may have found a keeper this time around. Unfortunately, he has some baggage AND he is Lindsay's boss. Lindsay is directly disobeying her boss's orders by working on this case, but she just can't let it go.

Cindy Thomas, the crime reporter, is investigating a series of cases involving assaults on women. Each victim experiences memory loss for a period of time, so it is believed the suspect is drugging them prior to the abduction and assault. There doesn't seem to be a connection between the victims or a similar demographic, but Cindy eventually finds a clue that could solve the case. The smart thing to do would be to contact Lindsay and her partner Rich Conklin (who is also Cindy's boyfriend) for assistance, but she follows the trail on her own. She finds herself in a very dangerous situation and is lucky to have the friends that she does.

Overall, this was another excellent addition to the series. I really enjoy these characters and look forward to seeing what is in store for them in the next installment. With the 24th book coming out next year, I guess I have a lot to look forward to.