The 6th Target by James Patterson (& Maxine Paetro)

Fans of James Patterson's Women's Murder Club will not be disappointed in the newest installment of this series, The 6^th Target.

The 6^th Target is really three murder mysteries in one. The first mystery places you inside the mind of a deranged killer who, in his murderous crime spree, shoots one of the members of the Women's Murder Club. The second mystery is a killer on the loose in the apartment building of another of the Club's members. And the third mystery involves the disappearance of a gifted child in San Francisco. As in each book in this series, the four members of the Women's Murder Club - San Francisco Police Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer, San Francisco Chief Medical Examiner Claire Washburn, San Francisco Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano and San Francisco Chronicle Reporter Cindy Thomas - put the the pieces of these mystery puzzles together to assist solving the crimes and putting the bad guys behind bars.

I have read and liked this entire series of books. I like these books because of the San Francisco setting, the power roles of the female lead characters, and the inter-personal relationships of these women outside of their crime solving duties. The Women's Murder Club is also a new series on ABC. I like the television show for the same reasons I enjoy the books. The television show has taken some criticism because, at times, the characters seem to be more interested in their personal relationships than solving their criminal investigations. I have always liked the personal story lines as much, if not more, than I enjoy the crime solving skills of these four women. Although the television series seems to have jumped around to and from different nights on ABC, I think it's regular time-slot is Friday night after Men In Trees, another of my favorite television shows. (With Tivo, I am almost always assured I will never miss an episode of my favorite shows, no matter how many times the network changes the time-slot. You gotta love Tivo!)

Even with the personal story lines, The 6^th Target is a suspense-filled mystery. Patterson has done a great job building the criminal and criminally insane characters of this book. The "perps" are almost too realistic and frightening.

If you have not read any of Patterson's Women's Murder Club series, and you enjoy reading crime stories which include the inter-personal relationships of working women, my suggestion would be to start with the first book in this series, 1^st to Die. (This complete series of books is listed below.) You do not need to read previous installments in this series to enjoy this book. The 6^th Target is a good stand-alone, crime-solving story.

Although I have read and enjoyed other Patterson books, I am very partial to the Women's Murder Club series. After finishing the latest installment in this series, I always look forward to the next one! If you have not started this series, you have an advantage. Because of the availability of all six books in the series, you can read them back-to-back, while I have to wait on the next publication.

The 6^th Target
Authors: James Patterson (and Maxine Paetro)
Available formats:
Hardback, May 2007, 390 pages, approximate cost $20
Hardback, Large Print, May 2007, 483 pages, approximate cost $30
Paperback, available January 2008, 416 pages, approximate cost $14
Audio, Compact Disc, Abridged, read by Carolyn McCormick, May 2007, approximate cost $30
Audio, Compact Disc, Unabridged, read by Carolyn McCormick, May 2007, approximate cost $40

Other books by James Patterson are too many to mention in this space (more than 40). The books listed here are James Patterson books I have read.

Women's Murder Club Series:
The 5^th Horseman, Patterson (and Maxine Paetro), 2006
4^th of July, Patterson (and Maxine Paetro), 2005
3^rd Degree, Patterson (and Andrew Gross), 2005
2^nd Chance, Patterson (and Andrew Gross), 2003
1^st to Die, 2002
(Note: The seventh installment of this series, 7^th Heaven, is currently scheduled to be released in February of 2008)

Alex Cross Series:
Four Blind Mice, 2003
Along Came A Spider, 1993

Others:
Maximum Ride, 2006
The Lake House, 2004
The Beach House, Patterson (and Peter de Jonge), 2003
When the Wind Blows, 1999

To learn more about the author James Patterson, visit:
http://www.jamespatterson.com/