Author: James Patterson, Maxine Paetro
Published: May 3rd 2021 by Little, Brown and Company
Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Series: Women's Murder Club #21
First Sentence: Prologue: Cindy Thomas followed Robert Barnett’s assistant down the long corridor at the low firm of Barnett and Associates in Washington, DC.
From the Publisher: When young wife and mother Tara Burke goes missing with her baby girl, all eyes are on her husband, Lucas. He paints her not as a missing person but a wayward wife—until a gruesome piece of evidence turns the investigation criminal.
While Chronicle reporter Cindy Thomas pursues the story and M.E. Claire Washburn harbors theories that run counter to the SFPD’s, ADA Yuki Castellano sizes Lucas up as a textbook domestic offender . . . who suddenly puts forward an unexpected suspect. If what Lucas tells law enforcement has even a grain of truth, there isn't a woman in the state of California who's safe from the reach of an unspeakable threat. (Goodreads)
My Opinion: For me, Patterson’s books rarely live up to expectations, and 21st Birthday was no different. Even the title was a misnomer since nothing in the book, other than one of the victims was twenty and not going to see their 21st Birthday made the number significant.
All was going according to the usual pace until two-thirds of the way, the pivotal courtroom scene, was nothing more than a retelling of the previous 250-plus pages. The thriller/suspense climax culminated in an ending that was dry and felt like the familiar we hit our contractual page count, let’s call it a day scenario.
So why do I continue with this series - a good question. The best I can come up with is --I have invested time, the characters are familiar, and hope. Hopeful that one day all the pieces will fall in place, and the writing team of Patterson and Paetro will shock and surprise me.
As a funny note, in the author note section, Patterson gets a full page showing off his accolades while Maxine Paetro gets two sentences.
From the Publisher: When young wife and mother Tara Burke goes missing with her baby girl, all eyes are on her husband, Lucas. He paints her not as a missing person but a wayward wife—until a gruesome piece of evidence turns the investigation criminal.
While Chronicle reporter Cindy Thomas pursues the story and M.E. Claire Washburn harbors theories that run counter to the SFPD’s, ADA Yuki Castellano sizes Lucas up as a textbook domestic offender . . . who suddenly puts forward an unexpected suspect. If what Lucas tells law enforcement has even a grain of truth, there isn't a woman in the state of California who's safe from the reach of an unspeakable threat. (Goodreads)
My Opinion: For me, Patterson’s books rarely live up to expectations, and 21st Birthday was no different. Even the title was a misnomer since nothing in the book, other than one of the victims was twenty and not going to see their 21st Birthday made the number significant.
All was going according to the usual pace until two-thirds of the way, the pivotal courtroom scene, was nothing more than a retelling of the previous 250-plus pages. The thriller/suspense climax culminated in an ending that was dry and felt like the familiar we hit our contractual page count, let’s call it a day scenario.
So why do I continue with this series - a good question. The best I can come up with is --I have invested time, the characters are familiar, and hope. Hopeful that one day all the pieces will fall in place, and the writing team of Patterson and Paetro will shock and surprise me.
As a funny note, in the author note section, Patterson gets a full page showing off his accolades while Maxine Paetro gets two sentences.
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