22 seconds

Patterson and Paetro are still going strong with this 22nd installment (following 21st Birthday) in the "Women's Murder Club" series. San Francisco homicide detective Lindsay Boxer is trying to stop a large drug and gun shipment from entering the United States from Mexico. Meanwhile, her journalist friend and member of the Club, Cindy Thomas, is kidnapped and beaten by criminals who want information about Lindsay. As the action heats up, police find corpses whose lips have been stapled together and "You talk, you die" written on their foreheads. In addition to the crime/mystery aspect of the novel, Patterson and Paetro explore the relationship between Lindsay and her husband, Joe, who is also working the case for the FBI. Lindsay faces a difficult choice--should she leave the case with Joe and go home to her young daughter, or stay and take down the gun-running and drug operation? Award-winning narrator January LaVoy employs her vocal skills to create distinct and memorable characterizations. Especially noteworthy is Lindsay's daughter, who is heartbreaking as she pleads for her mother to stay home. VERDICT This expertly narrated audio is a fast and entertaining listen. A solid installment in this ever-popular series.--Ilka Gordon

Lindsay Boxer faces a ton of trouble in the latest entry in Patterson and Paetro's Women's Murder Club series. Senior crime reporter Cindy Thomas is writing a biography of Evan Burke, a notorious serial killer who sits in solitary confinement in San Quentin. She's kidnapped by thugs wanting her to talk about her best friend, Lindsay Boxer, who's an SFPD homicide detective and the story's main character. San Francisco has a restrictive new gun law, and gun-totin' folks everywhere have their boxer shorts in a twist. A national resistance movement has formed--Defenders of the Second--whose motto is "We will not comply." They find it outrageous that the new law makes it illegal to own a gun that can kill 50 people with a single clip. Meanwhile, lots of bodies show up: A young girl disappears and is later found dead in a ditch, and ex-cops are found dead with their lips stapled shut and "You talk, you die" written on their foreheads. An inmate is found hanged in prison. And "a massive but unspecified load of military-style weaponry was en route from Mexico to the City by the Bay." In a "frustrating, multipronged case," there's a harrowing shootout memorialized in a video showing "twenty-two of the scariest seconds" of Boxer's life. She's an appealing series hero with loving family and friends, but she may arrive at a crossroads where she has "to choose between my work and [my] baby girl." The formulaic story has unmemorable writing, but it's entertaining and well told. You probably won't have to worry about the main characters, who have thus far survived 21 adventures. Except for the little girl, you can expect people to get what they deserve. It's relatively mild as crime novels go, but the women characters are serious, strong, and admirable. Enjoyable storytelling by two masters of the craft. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.