About the Author

James Patterson's previous international number one bestsellers include CAT AND MOUSE, WHEN THE WIND BLOWS, POP GOES THE WEASEL, CRADLE AND ALL, ROSES ARE RED, SUZANNE'S DIARY FOR NICHOLAS, 1ST TO DIE, VIOLETS ARE BLUE, 2ND CHANCE, and FOUR BLIND MICE. He lives in New York and Florida. KISS THE GIRLS was made into a number one hit movie, and the film version of ALONG CAME A SPIDER is currently out on video.

Reviews

'[James Patterson] defies expectations in a shocking way. Readers will love him for it...clever manipulation of an audience serves Patterson as well as it served Hitchcock: his fans will only clamor for more' Publishers Weekly, 23/2/04 -- Publishers Weekly 20040223 'A solid thriller' Australian Daily Telegraph, 1 Mar 04 -- Australian Daily Telegraph 20040301 'James Patterson has evolved and refined a medium of his own: the crime thriller that moves faster than a book, but not quite as fast as an hour of television!does it keep you reading? I found I couldn't stop, in an obsessive-compulsive way' Sydney Morning Herald, 1/5/04 -- Sydney Morning Herald 20040501 'Another page-turner from the masters of the very short chapter with a surprise twist. In a word: thrilling' Herald Sun, Melbourne, Australia 3/4/04 -- Herald Sun, Melbourne, Australia 20040403 'This book won't disappoint. It's no surprise that it's still at the top of the bestsellers list' Burnie Advocate, 12/4/04 -- Burnie Advocate 20040412

'[James Patterson] defies expectations in a shocking way. Readers will love him for it...clever manipulation of an audience serves Patterson as well as it served Hitchcock: his fans will only clamor for more' Publishers Weekly, 23/2/04 -- Publishers Weekly 20040223 'A solid thriller' Australian Daily Telegraph, 1 Mar 04 -- Australian Daily Telegraph 20040301 'James Patterson has evolved and refined a medium of his own: the crime thriller that moves faster than a book, but not quite as fast as an hour of television!does it keep you reading? I found I couldn't stop, in an obsessive-compulsive way' Sydney Morning Herald, 1/5/04 -- Sydney Morning Herald 20040501 'Another page-turner from the masters of the very short chapter with a surprise twist. In a word: thrilling' Herald Sun, Melbourne, Australia 3/4/04 -- Herald Sun, Melbourne, Australia 20040403 'This book won't disappoint. It's no surprise that it's still at the top of the bestsellers list' Burnie Advocate, 12/4/04 -- Burnie Advocate 20040412

From the start, Patterson's Women's Murder Club series (1st to Die; Second Chance) has felt like high-concept TV with a smart edge, featuring an appealing and reliable cast of four female crime busters (a cop, a prosecutor, a medical examiner, a reporter) who race along byzantine plot lines humming with blood and sex, romance and heartbreak. But Patterson is an author who will detonate readers' presumptions for the sake of story, and in the series' third installment, the prolific author, working with frequent collaborator Gross (The Jester, etc.), defies expectations in a shocking way. Readers will love him for it. San Francisco Homicide lieutenant Lindsay Boxer, who narrates most of the action, is jogging with assistant DA Jill Barnhardt when Lindsay notices two things: first, bruises on Jill's shoulder; then the explosion of a nearby townhouse, into which Lindsay rushes to save a child. With the juxtaposition of these two plotlines, Patterson jumpstarts this enjoyably convoluted tale. The townhouse, home to a greedy CEO and his family, was destroyed by members of a terrorist group calling itself "August Spies"; Lindsay's chase after the group, which commits further killings, brings her into close proximity to what promises to be a new series regular, Joe Molinari, deputy director of the Office of Homeland Security. Love blooms for Lindsay but, meanwhile, love has curdled at Jill's house, where Jill's husband is abusing her. Then comes the big surprise, and the story's remainder plays out at high emotion and warp speed. There's a calculated feel to all that happens, but clever manipulation of an audience serves Patterson as well as it served Hitchcock: his fans will only clamor for more. (One-day laydown Mar. 1) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.