Grade: B-
James Patterson brought us the books, "Kiss The Girls" and "Along Came A Spider," both of which were adapted to the big screen. I hope his latest book, "2nd Chance," never makes it to a movie screen.
The story centers around Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer of the San Francisco Police Department Homicide Unit. She has a seemingly racist killer on her hands taking out people related to the force from 20 years ago.
A little girl, a patrolman, an elderly widow and the chief of police have fallen victim.
Patterson worked with real people from the SFPD's Homicide Detail for the book.
The 390 pages are divided into 120 choppy chapters, including the prologue and epilogue. Combining chapters could have created a better story flow, seeing that some chapters quickly began after a mundane climax in the previous chapter.
Readers could also do without the "Women's Murder Club" that exists in the story, which consists of a District Attorney Jill, medical examiner Claire, Chronicle reporter Cindy and Lindsay. While the group of ladies made the characters seem deeper and allowed for more storytelling, they seem like a clumsy edition to the murder investigation.
The group's gathering merely sums up the story elements for the reader. This degrades the reader in that it implies he/she may not be intelligent enough to put the facts together themselves.
Frank Coomb's character has an extensive background, and the story is truly built around him and the lieutenant. The story offers a couple of twists towards the end regarding Coombs and his family that explain why the killer is revealed so early in the story.
Pastor Aaron Winslow's character is close to dragging his profession through the mud as he almost gives in to his lustful desires. Even though the event itself doesn't take place on the pages, it is strongly insinuated. This helps to really carry the idea that everyone is capable of mistakes; a theme that runs rampant throughout the novel.
It won't be surprising to see this on the New York Time's Bestsellers list. Just remember that even though a lot of people buy it, doesn't mean it is that good (Just look at Harry Potter ... sorry). So, wait for the paperback.
Overall the book was above average, but it is just interesting enough to want to finish the story...no more no less. With past accomplishments in mind, Patterson can be cut a little slack on this, and future bestsellers can still be expected.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
