The 17th Suspect

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A good combination of stories for this series.

I have tried to read all the Women's Murder Club books because it is one of my favorite series of all times. I don't know the idea of girlfriends solving crimes while having drinks and dealing with life sounds like my kind of party. All and all I am glad 17th Suspect was in my library and I was able to read it. I am very pleased with the fact that all the books in the series have kept up their pace.
Summary:

An informant pulls Lindsay into a heartbreaking series of murders outside her jurisdiction. She can't let go, even though she knows she should- someone is taking down San Francisco's homeless and the cops working the cases don't seem to care. Millie, her informant, is kind and lucid... and scared. Someone needs to protect her and Lindsay just knows she has to be the one to do it. At the same time, though, her health is failing and she is getting backlash for going into another's jurisdiction. Can she keep it together and help her informant? Or has she finally taken on too much?

While all this is happening Yuki is taking on an explosive case. A handsome young man claims to have been raped by his ex-girlfriends and supervisor. Matt's story breaks Yuki's heart and she takes on the case against Brianna Hall. The internet is going nuts- can an able-bodied man truly be raped by a woman? Yes, Yuki knows they can... but was Matt? Both sides have their own story- and both are believable. Who's telling the truth? At the same time, Yuki feels like her husband Brady is taking a step back from her. They are both busy professionals.... can they keep their careers and marriage?

My thoughts:

Patterson is still one of my all-time favorite authors- and this is one of his top three best series'. I love Lindsay and her crew- they are a well-developed and interesting group of characters that each bring something special and unique to the group. We have watched this team learn and grow for years, becoming a part of us. I think that's why this is one of my favorites along with the Alex Cross and Michael Bennett series. I need to be able to revisit these old friends, join in their adventures. All three are instant-buys for me, no matter what.

The plot was good and the story had a nice transition from Yuki to Lindsay. It was fast paced, action packed, and held the perfect amount of emotion. I loved it to death. I even found myself feeling for the shooter, just a little. That's another thing I like about Patterson- you get to visit the shooter's mind, find his motivation and quirks. They'll never be your BFF, but it's interesting to see this side. My only complaint is that I felt like Cindy and Claire took a backseat in this one- they were barely present at all! It brought the book down for me- just a touch. Admittedly, I can't see how you could bring them in without adding at least a hundred pages to the book.... but they're still part of what makes this a successful series. For me, this is a four-and-a-half-star book. I highly recommend it, but read the other ones first- and don't forget the book shot!

On the adult content scale there's violence, language and sexual content. I have to say that this is one for more mature audiences.