Customer Reviews

1st to Die

5 star:		(190)
4 star:		(104)
3 star:		(62)
2 star:		(32)
1 star:		(51)

 

 

This was my first James Patterson novel. It will, in all likelyhood, be my last.

I expected a breezy, exciting thriller with a fun female detective protagonist. What I got was an utterly predictable, flacid story speckled with 'surprises' that I had spotted hundreds of pages before. Mr. Patterson seems more interested in trying to pull the rug out from under his readers than in trying to develop characters or tell a compelling story.

The protagonist, a homocide detective for the San Francisco PD is supposed to be smart and hardworking. So are the other members of her "Women's Murder Club." There is a sort of "Sisters are Doing it for Themselves" bravura that Mr. Patterson tries to tap into that unfortunately comes across as if he'd been watching too many episodes of Moonlighting and Remington Steel, with a pinch of 9 to 5 thrown in. Very early eighties. The four women who make up the 'club'--which is a widly unethical mix of law enforcement, legal and press--are essentially indistinguishable, except for the African-American medical examiner, who occasionally sprinkles her dialogue with sentences ending in 'Honey.' Then there's the kinky writer who comes across like a two-dimensional character out of de Sade--I found myself wondering if Patterson was describing himself, which I at least had fun imagining.

The plot is full of holes. My favorite turns on one of the major reversals--Patterson sells you on the idea that only one character could have misdirected the investigation in a particular way. He then spends eighty pages or so driving that point home, until the NEXT reversal, at which point the misdirection is totally forgotten--at least by Mr. Patterson. I found myself wondering what the heck was going on.

Patterson shows no more depth of understanding his setting--the San Francisco Bay Area--than of his characters. It reads as if he'd picked up a somewhat out of date Fodor's guide to use for his research. He spends a lot of time dropping neighborhood names, but no time giving a sense of what makes those places different from each other--and San Francisco's neighborhoods abound in local color to work from.

The nearly two hundred chapters average three pages in length--it made me jumpy just shifting from scene to scene. I wanted to yell out, "Cut back on the caffeine, dude! Or take some Ritalin!"

During the course of this terrible book, ten people die grusome, aweful deaths, and I was hard pressed to care about a single one.

At one point the protagonist lists a series of writers who create compelling, exctiting mysteries starring women--Sue Grafton, Elizabeth George and Patricia Cornwell. All three write novels books that I've read with great pleasure--suspenseful, surprising novels with interesting characters and a wonderful wealth of detail. This book was a paste imitation--go buy the real thing.

This novel is an exciting tale, the story never slows down, you are kept guessing about the identity of the killer up to the last pages. I found this thriller very engaging and intriguing, I can't wait to read the second book.

Take four professional women--Lindsay-a homicide inspector who receives some bad personal news, Claire-a medical examiner and Lindsay's best friend, Jill-a tough assistant DA, and Cindy-a persistent reporter from the Chronicle--mix them together and you've got: The Women's Murder Club.

In the first in the series, the fantastic four meet and decide to share resources and talents. They are plunged headfirst into a series of gruesome murders. Someone is killing off newlyweds.

The twists and turns, even at the very end, will leave you breathless and is enough to give any bride-to-be the jitters. This is one of James Patterson's best, with characters you'll empathize with and actually care about. The humor, relationships and expert crime procedural detail tie this book together neatly.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Author of Whale Song (978-1-60164-007-9)

Available 2007 from Kunati Books

I checked this book out from my local library just before heading out to Hawaii on vacation. I had read another book by James Patterson before (Jester), and I enjoyed it. So, I figured I would try another one.

The book captured my attention immediately and I could not put it down until I finished. I burned a whole day in Hawaii on this book---beware! (it was that good!).

I really enjoyed this book, it was hard to put down. I particularly like the short chapters which allow you to finish a segment quickly and easily pick up again where you left off. Had me guessing all the way through.

This book was a great read from start to finish. I read the entire book in one day simply because I could not put it down. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat!

I could not put this book down! I'm not the type of person to read mystery/thriller fiction type of books. But from the first page to the very end... I was on the edge of my seat while reading this book on the train every morning to work. James Patterson has this ability to keep the reader wanting more. I could not believe how good this book was going to be. Every twist and turn the author takes you on is such a treat. Mr. Patterson is damn good! His attention to detail with each and every character is spectacular. I'm so flustered because I did not want this thriller to come to an end. Trust me, you will me enthralled. Also recommended: BARK OF THE DOGWOOD

As a new reader of best selling novels (killing time on my job), I'm finding that it's more fun to read the Amazon readers reviews of the book that you just finish, than the book itself. This was my first Patterson novel, and I thought it was entertaining, and very suspenseful right till the end. THEN I read the reviews! Man! you guys opened my eyes to some major flaws. I do agree how some thought it had too many distractions for someone investigating a serious serial killing spree (the new love interest, the deadly disease, and the women's club issue). Also, the spooky surprise ending did leave me backtracking to see if I'd missed something. But for me the only detail that dampened my enjoyment of the book was the convenient earthquake escape. Everything else kept pace with reality enough for me to go with the flow and entertainment value that best-selling authors normally deliver to you. I will say I'm looking to become as high brow as some of the critical reviewers on Amazon. I'm hoping to find some higher quality reading so I can look book at this book and say it sucked.

I thought this book was predictable, unrealistic and boring.

Very few books out there give me goose-bumps. Koontz can do it to you with his books like ODD THOMAS, or perhaps McCrae with this THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD, but other than that, Patterson reigns supreme. And the number one goose-bump-factor book is 1ST TO DIE. I thought this book was very well written. It kept me in suspense and I never wanted to put it down. The plot was creative and just when I thought I had it figured out, he'd throw out a little twist that made me contradict my previous ideas. The ending was a complete surprise, which is always a plus in a great book. If you haven't read a James Patterson book before, 1ST TO DIE is a great book to start out with because it'll leave you wanting more. It's quite gruesome in places, but worth every word!