Monday, May 29, 2023

23rd Midnight


Title: 23rd Midnight
Author: James Patterson, Maxine Paetro
Published: May 1, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Series: Women's Murder Club #23

First Sentence: At dawn that morning, a man dressed entirely in black backed his gray Ford sedan up to the curb on Taylor Street.

Blurb: Detective Lindsay Boxer put serial killer Evan Burke in jail.

Reporter Cindy Thomas put Burke on the bestseller list, in her true-crime book about the case.

An obsessed fan is studying every detail-and committing fresh horrors that carry Burke's signature.

Now Lindsay's tracking an elusive suspect, one who's penning a deadly playbook featuring Cindy's name in blood-red ink. (GoodReads)

My Opinion: In the opening of this book, the writing team may have taken things too far by depicting a sycophantic fanboy's actions to appease a psychopath. The graphic mention of children, in this manner, could be distressing for some readers who are sensitive to such content.

The style of writing in this book is typical of Patterson and Paetro; a slow pace interrupted by sudden bursts of excitement. The actions of the homicide team can be improbable at times, and the events following the arrest seemed to drag on.

What did surprise me was Lindsay’s burning out and questioning how much longer she could keep up the pace with a daughter and husband at home who are only getting the little bit that she can give them. It may be conjecture, but it made me wonder if this was a way for the writing team to let their readers know the series is coming to an end.

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