A perfect book, read in one breath! This kind of reading experience is truly wonderful. When you hold a book that completely captures your attention, time seems to stand still. You are immersed in the story, following the characters' adventures and emotions.

Every page turn brings new excitement and anticipation. You can't wait to discover what will happen next. The words on the page come alive, painting vivid pictures in your mind.

It's like being on a magical journey, where anything is possible. Whether it's a thrilling mystery, a heartwarming romance, or an inspiring adventure, a perfect book has the power to transport you to another world. So, pick up a book today and let yourself be carried away by its charm.

I was really having a hard time trying to focus on the first few chapters of the book.

However, things took a significant turn after I read through half of it.

James Patterson is truly an author whose books I will automatically buy without hesitation.

In this particular book, I could vividly feel every single struggle that the heroines went through.

It was as if I was right there with them, experiencing their pain, their joys, and their challenges.

This series is definitely a must-read for all book lovers.

The way Patterson weaves the story and develops the characters is simply outstanding.

It keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end, and you just can't put the book down.

Whether you are a fan of mystery, thriller, or just a good story, this series has something for everyone.

So, if you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend that you do so as soon as possible.

You won't be disappointed.

My impulse as I read 1st to Die was to start editing immediately.

It seemed that overwriting, redundancy, and sentimentality had completely taken the place of a proper plot structure, character development, and freshness.

Each of the four women was described merely in terms of her profession and ethnic background. There was the sassy Black woman medical examiner with a faithful musician husband. Then there was the sleek, sophisticated but put-upon woman DA who received no respect from her male superiors. The perky newspaper reporter took risks to get the scoops that more seasoned newspaper people were afraid to pursue. And, of course, there was our depressed, troubled, and obsessed main character who managed to get her life back only to lose everything and spoke in cliches throughout the narrative.

This book was indeed a fast read, but I have no intention of bothering to read any of the other books in the series. I can't help but wonder if the TV show based on it is any better. If it is, it's probably only because some decent writers were able to turn the script into something far better than this lackluster book.

I was extremely curious about this series due to its obvious popularity. However, I have to admit that I wasn't overly impressed by it.

To begin with, the overly sentimental "you go girl" female characters didn't strike me as being very realistic. Patterson seems to believe that simply mentioning Sarah McLachlan and Tori Amos, along with a lot of hugging and randomly uttering "I love you, girl", is sufficient to create believable female characters. But that's not the case at all.

Moreover, I felt that the plot was overly melodramatic. The continuous twists became more tiresome than shocking or surprising. It seemed as if the author was trying too hard to keep the readers on the edge of their seats, but in the end, it just came across as forced and predictable.

In conclusion, while the series may have its fans, it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

Actual rating - 3.5 Stars.

While I didn't enjoy this particular book as much as "Invisible", it was still a rather pleasant read. I'm still quite new to the mystery/thriller genre, but I find that I really enjoy these types of books. It's a nice and refreshing switch-up from the Fantasy genre that I'm more accustomed to. This book, like many in the thriller genre, was yet another fast-paced page turner. The plot moved along quickly, keeping me engaged and eager to find out what would happen next.

However, I must admit that the ending really wasn't the best. It felt a bit rushed and perhaps not as well thought out as the rest of the story. Despite this flaw, I still enjoyed the book as a whole. It had enough twists and turns to keep me entertained, and the characters were well-developed enough to make me care about what happened to them.

I would definitely recommend this book to someone who is looking for a low effort thriller. It's not the most complex or mind-bending mystery out there, but it's a fun and easy read that can be enjoyed in a relatively short amount of time.

It is truly a challenge to rate this book. On one hand, it appears to be a combination of cheesiness and cliché, yet on the other hand, it is unpredictable and thrilling. There are some truly terrible aspects, but there are also amazing ones.

  




The pros of this book are numerous. Firstly, I love the title "1st to Die" and my initial assumption about who would be the "1st to die" was incorrect, which I consider a plus point. Secondly, the murder scenes are described in a very grotesque manner, making me shiver just by imagining them. Thirdly, the twist at the end regarding the true murderer was completely unexpected and I think it was a great twist, truly shocking. Fourthly, even the epilogue of the book is exhilarating, as I thought it was all over but there was still some heart-stopping action.



However, there are also several cons. The characters and their relationships felt very awkward and contrived to me. The dialogues were so cheesy that they actually made me gag a couple of times. The "Women's Murder Club" concept also felt a bit forced, as if it was just there for the sake of a cool title for the series and was lazily written. The parts where they were talking or even when they first met each other seemed very unnatural, as if they were suddenly BFFs. Lindsay's "blood disease" was also a bit cliché, especially the coughing up blood part, which is a common scene in many TV drama series. The romance in the book was also a bit cheesy, especially at the beginning, and their first night together was written in a very cheesy way. Additionally, the chapters are extremely short, with a total of 126 chapters and one epilogue, which is quite ridiculous. Finally, James Patterson's use of deux ex machina is also a bit overdone, as seen in this book when an earthquake conveniently frees Jenks from the van.



Despite all these flaws, I did enjoy this book overall and I am grateful to whoever gave it to me from The Filipino Group on Goodreads last December. Although I'm not sure who the original owner is, as I just picked it up from the giveaway pile, I still want to say thank you.

I have a deep affection for the Womens Murder Club series. Ever since I started reading this particular book, I was completely hooked.

It truly stands out as the best one among them all. The story is filled with intense drama, heart-pounding mysteries, and engaging characters.

Each page-turn keeps me on the edge of my seat, eager to discover what will happen next. The author's writing style is so captivating that I find myself completely immersed in the world of the club.

The chemistry between the female protagonists is palpable, and their bond adds an extra layer of depth to the story. I can't wait to read more from this amazing series and see what other adventures the Womens Murder Club will embark on.

I fell in love with this series when I was 23. I was so enthralled that I even delved into the games based on it. However, by around book #10, my feelings took a drastic turn. I ended up despising the characters and the writing, and ultimately tapped out. But now, since my library has almost all of the books available, I've decided to do a re-read.

1st to Die centers around homicide inspector Lindsay Boxer. She has aspirations of one day being promoted to lieutenant. But then, she receives devastating medical news while also getting involved in what appears to be a serial killer case. In desperation, she turns to her friends for help, and thus the women's murder club is born.

I must admit that Lindsay has never really grabbed me as the lead in this series. In the earlier books, she was far too wishy-washy. We know she's divorced, yet she suddenly catches feelings for her new partner, and vice versa, seemingly for no other reason than to further the plot.

Patterson doesn't do a particularly great job of developing the other three women in the club either. Claire Washburn, the medical examiner, Jill Bernhardt, the assistant D.A., and Cindy Thomas, the journalist, don't seem to do much more than gather to have margaritas and somehow, miraculously, figure out who did it and why.

The book also has a strange switching of perspectives. It alternates between the women and the killer, with Lindsay in first person POV and everyone else in third person, except for the killer, which makes absolutely no sense. Patterson would have been better off just having Boxer as the lead and having her interact more with her friends.

The writing is choppy, and so are the chapters. I can't deny that these books are a fast read, and you won't have much of a chance to get bored since Patterson jumps from scene to scene. However, the motivation behind the murders was a real stretch, and the ending was简直 a joke.

I really enjoyed James Patterson's early Alex Cross novels when I first started high school.

The likes of KISS THE GIRLS, VIOLETS ARE BLUE, and others were - along with Patricia Cornwell's first few Kay Scarpetta novels - the first darker, more forensic and psychological crime novels I read.

I devoured all of Patterson's early books that my high school library had (the first 6-8, from memory).

As I grew older and was exposed to the works of Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Mark Billingham, James Lee Burke, and many others, I realized how much more complex and profound the characters and settings could be, while still presenting a thrilling story that kept me turning the pages to find out what happened.

Patterson's books gradually slipped from being my top favorite to an occasional read, especially after he started collaborating with other writers.

However, during one holiday season, when I was at a beach house on a rainy first week of the year, I noticed this novel - the first in his 'Women's Murder Club' series - and decided to give it a try.

It had been a while since I last read a Patterson book. I wondered how I would enjoy a non-Alex Cross novel from this top-selling author.

Overall, although I read the book quickly (Patterson surely knows how to create hooks and engage the reader), I was left with the same sense of emptiness as I had with his later Alex Cross books and the early collaborations (some of the later collaborations with Candice Fox and Liza Marklund are slightly better).

1ST TO DIE introduces a group of four women who come together to solve crimes. There are some aspects of the setup that are likable, but as is typical of Patterson's style, this book focuses more on a fast-paced serial killer plot, with only minimal character development or setting description.

It was an enjoyable read for what it was - in fact, it was literally a 'beach read' for me, or a read while it was raining near the beach - but like fast food, it was quickly consumed and forgotten.

Having said that, I would still consider reading more from this series at some point, in between reading more substantial works from other crime writers.

AAAAAH OMG! I just finished this for the first time. Tears and screaming! Man, this was a roller coaster. It was an experience like no other. The anticipation leading up to it was almost unbearable. And then, when it finally happened, it was a whirlwind of emotions. I was filled with excitement, joy, and a touch of fear. The whole thing felt like a wild ride that I couldn't get off. But in the end, it was all worth it. I'll never forget this moment. It will stay with me forever.

The first installment from the series, yet the sixth one that I've read, this particular book is slightly better than the others.

The plot is robust enough to carry the entire book on its own. There are several interesting twists and turns that keep the reader engaged. The characters are decent, and the story is engaging enough to maintain your interest and keep you reading.

However, on the other hand, I'm not overly interested in Lindsay's tumultuous love affairs. Moreover, I can see a flawed pattern emerging in her actions throughout the series. From the very first book to the last one, she seems unable to arrest criminals properly, which leads to the deaths of many people, including her friends. It's quite a pity to see this recurring theme and the resulting consequences.

Overall, while the book has its strengths in terms of plot and pacing, the aspects related to Lindsay's love life and her inability to effectively carry out her duties do detract from the overall enjoyment to some extent.

"1st To Die" is truly a perfection.

The way it combines suspense, the thriller element, and the mystery is just like that perfect blend of coffee.

It has this amazing ability to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire reading experience.

I found myself completely engrossed and unable to put the book down, reading it all in one sitting.

The story unfolds in such a captivating manner that you are constantly on the lookout for clues and trying to figure out what's going to happen next.

The characters are well-developed and the plot is full of twists and turns that keep you guessing until the very end.

Overall, I would rate "1st To Die" 4 stars for its excellent writing, engaging story, and ability to keep the reader hooked from start to finish.

It's definitely a must-read for fans of the suspense, thriller, and mystery genres.