REVIEW: The 9th Judgment by James Patterson

Title: The 9th Judgment (Women's Murder Club #9)
Author: James Patterson
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Publication Date: January, 2009
Genre: Thriller / Suspense
Rating: 8/10

Description: The most personal

A young mother and her infant child are ruthlessly gunned down while returning to their car in the garage of a shopping mall. There are no witnesses, and Detective Lindsay Boxer is left with only one shred of evidence: a cryptic message scrawled across the windshield in bloodred lipstick.

The most dangerous

The same night, the wife of A-list actor Marcus Dowling is woken by a cat burglar who is about to steal millions of dollars' worth of precious jewels. In just seconds there is a nearly empty safe, a lifeless body, and another mystery that throws San Francisco into hysteria.

The most exciting Women's Murder Club novel ever

Lindsay spends every waking hour working with her partner, Rich--and her desire for him threatens to tear apart both her engagement and the Women's Murder Club. Before Lindsay and her friends can piece together either case, one of the killers forces Lindsay to put her own life on the line--but is it enough to save the city? With unparalleled danger and explosive action, The 9th Judgment is James Patterson at his compelling, unstoppable best!

My Thoughts: With the 9th installment of the Women’s Murder Club, I feel pretty well connected to the characters, having gotten to know them over the last nine books. I love them all equally, but hats off go to Claire as the one in the group who really stood out for me in this book. She’s very direct and isn’t afraid to speak her mind. I don’t want to give anything away, but the last chapter of the book was so much better, thanks to Claire.

Lindsay has two very high profile murder cases in this book. First up is Hello Kitty, so named by Cindy. Kitty is a cat burglar, a very successful cat burglar I might add, but her job at famous movie star, Marcus Dowling’s house ends with a murder that Kitty did not commit. The second is the Lipstick Killer, so named because he guns down women and children and then leaves his calling card in lipstick on the victim’s windshield. Unfortunately, the powers that be at SFPD feel the Marcus Dowling case is more important and demands Lindsay devote all her attention to this one instead of the other one. Lindsay soon learns that working one will bring her closer to the other one.

As the layers of both cases are peeled back, Lindsay finds herself trying to stay one step ahead of a woman and child hating sadistic killer and an elusive cat burglar torn between risking her freedom by coming forward to set the record straight or doing just one more job that will ensure her financial security and freedom.

I really loved how the story played out but I do have a few grievances. First of all, Lindsay and Joe are still together and still engaged. I really don’t understand and definitely don’t like where Patterson is going with Lindsay’s attraction to her partner, Rich Conklin. Rich has just started a relationship with Cindy and I would love to see where that leads. I think Lindsay and Joe make an excellent couple and I want them to stay together. Mr. Patterson, please stop stirring the pot of deception. If Lindsay cheats on Joe with Rich, she will lose Joe and Cindy and Mr. Patterson will lose me as a fan. I get that adultery is a plot device that elevates tension in the story, but I can’t stand it, especially when it’s the story’s protagonist who does it.

Secondly, the entire epilogue was cold-blooded and I felt didn’t need to be included in the story. It had no bearing on the story or anything that had happened. It left more questions at the end than answers, especially regarding Lindsay’s career and position at SFPD. James Patterson usually does an excellent job of tying up loose ends and ripping the rug out from under me with some of the plot twists and turns, so I really didn’t understand the need for this epilogue. If the epilogue puts to rest any of the confusing feelings Lindsay is having for Rich, then all is forgiven, but I don’t think it will. So, unfortunately, I am not rating this book as high as I would, because the epilogue really pulled me out of the story and left me without any closure. I am anticipating the 10th book with the hopes that there will be some tying up of the loose ends. Overall, I am still a fan of this series and look forward to what Lindsay, Claire, Cindy and Yuki face next.