A great read, fast-paced and gripping. Highly
recommended for all lovers of the thriller genre. (Review by Barry Meehan)
James Patterson is regarded as a master of the
crime thriller, and is one of the most successful authors of all time, whether
his novels are written solely by himself or in conjunction with many others,
including ex-president of the USA, Bill Clinton. Jeffery Deaver, himself a
master novelist, says about Patterson “It’s no mystery why James Patterson is
the world’s most popular thriller writer. Simply put: nobody does it better”.
And as far as The
18th Abduction (with co-author Maxine Paetro) is concerned,
nobody could have done it better. If you are a fan of the Women’s Murder Club,
this 18th book in the series will soon have you revelling in the familiar
characters of San Francisco homicide detective Lindsay Boxer, Chief Medical
Examiner Claire Washburn, journalist Cindy Thomas and lawyer Yuki Castellano.
If – by any stray chance – you have never read any of the previous 17 novels in
the series, it actually doesn’t matter if this is the first one you pick up. All
the characters are clearly defined, and no reference to previous cases is
necessary to enjoy this one.
As far as the plot is concerned, Lindsay Boxer is
lead detective working the case of three female schoolteachers who go missing
after a night of dinner and drinks. There are no clues to follow and no suspect
– the women have simply disappeared, and the odds of finding them alive
diminish with every passing minute. Lindsay’s husband, Joe Molinari of the FBI,
has an encounter with a frightened woman who believes she has seen a ghost – a
war criminal from her Eastern European homeland, who is blatantly walking the
streets of San Francisco.
Joe’s contact is determined to track the war
criminal on her own, much against Joe’s advice, and then suddenly disappears,
causing Lindsay and Joe’s investigations to dovetail, as they both seem to be
chasing the same mass murderer. Members of the Women’s Murder Club work
tirelessly with Lindsay and Joe to protect their beloved San Francisco from a
fiendishly clever monster.
The 18th
Abduction is a great read, fast-paced and gripping through
the plot’s twists and turns as time rapidly runs out for the abducted women in
both the SFPD and FBI cases. Highly recommended for all lovers of the thriller
genre.
The 18th
Abduction is published by Penguin Random House South Africa.
RRP R270 ISBN 9781780899336 – Barry Meehan
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