1st to Die: The Women's Murder Club

I really enjoyed listening to 1st to Die and found myself staying in my car to finish chapters many times after arriving at my destination. I recommend skipping over the prologue (maybe read it last). It was unnecessary, and it made it painfully obvious that in the end, Chris -- I'll stop now. The author can spoil it for you, but I won't. Trust me. Skip over the first four minutes. (She's an inspector with SFPD, the only woman, divorced, and looking back to the "honeymoon murders". Now you have not missed anything crucial.)

1/2 star for a good start, but it didn't last. I've never felt compelled to write a review, as most books I choose are right on the money regarding the previous reviews. This one though. Maybe it was the unabridged version, maybe it was the narrator, maybe it was the plot. No, it was all of these. No plot, narration terrible, book too, too long. Stick with Alex Cross. Patterson's attempt at female bonding is unrealistic and the plot, what little there is, is very predictable. Gave up at 5 hours, and I don't care who did it.

I like the storyline, ABC is coming out with the Women's Murder Club drama this fall (2007 starring Angie Harmon as Lindsey Boxer). The characters are likable but the narration started to grate on me. I just didn't like how she read it especially when she was saying Jacobi's lines... I let it go after awhile and just concentrated on the storyline.

I'm glad I "read" it but I'm having a hard time wanting to download the rest of the series that I bought and only because of the narration.

Being a fan of James Patterson, I was delighted to come across this book which was much different than the Alex Cross stories. The whole idea of a successful group of women coming together as friends to solve murders was great. I thought the story had just the right amount of twists in it, and it kept me on edge most of the time - which is mandatory for a good mystery novel. I liked it enough to listen to it twice. The narrator was ok as well - not distracting like some books I've listened to. I recommend this for any mystery/suspense fans.

Not even done with the book and may not finish. The narrator's inflections make the characters, especially the main character, seem wimpy and weak - and (they're)she's not. Also, the volume changes during those times(speaking softly - sometimes with a tremor that makes me want to turn this off)make this very difficult to follow. I'll avoid other books with this narrator.
Can't rate the book's content because I can't get past the narrator - and may not finish the book.

The book was great however the narrator could put you to sleep with that voice. They should of choosen a different narrator. But over all the book was great.

The real mystery is why this author is so popular. I'm not difficult to please especially with mysteries. I nearly abandoned this one several times but instead left it playing while I did other stuff (like pump gas). Often while listening, I found myself repeating lines to my dog ("I melted into his arms") and just laughing. The dog agreed; There is no humor, no grace, no subtlety, no intelligence.

The narrator did her best.

I will not spoil the story for you but I thought it was all pretty transparent and knew what would happen long before 4 allegedly experienced women did. The only saving grace is that the butler did not do it. I think I'm done with Patterson.

The narration was top notch though.

I know Patterson is a popular author. I just can't figure out why. The writing is cliched at best, hackneyed at worst. And you simply must suspend your brains and common sense to buy into the premise, let alone what passes for a plot.

The plot twists were phenomenal! The story didn't flow though, almost as though the author was trying force his plot into his preconceived notion of its interaction with the "murder club". It almost worked but not quite... That being said, it is worth a listen.