Contents
About the Book
About the Authors
Also by James Patterson
Title Page
Dedication
Part One
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Part Two
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Part Three
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Part Four
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Epilogue
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Sneak Preview
Acknowledgments
MEET THE WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB
Copyright
ABOUT THE BOOK
Four bodies are found in a luxury hotel
The first is a man who checked in under a false name. Two are in a room next door, full of surveillance equipment. And the fourth is the house maid, who saw too much.
Detective Lindsay Boxer is sent in to investigate and hunt down an elusive and dangerous suspect. But when her husband Joe goes missing, she begins to fear that the suspect she is searching for could be him.
As the case gets ever more complicated and personal, San Francisco is suddenly faced with an atrocity no one will ever forget.
Sometimes secrets can be deadly…
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
JAMES PATTERSON is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. Since winning the Edgar™ Award for Best First Novel with The Thomas Berryman Number, his books have sold in excess of 300 million copies worldwide and he has been the most borrowed author in UK libraries for the past eight years in a row. He is the author of some of the most popular series of the past two decades – the Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club, Detective Michael Bennett and Private novels – and he has written many other number one bestsellers including romance novels and stand-alone thrillers. He lives in Florida with his wife and son.
James is passionate about encouraging children to read. Inspired by his own son who was a reluctant reader, he also writes a range of books specifically for young readers. James is a founding partner of Booktrust’s Children’s Reading Fund in the UK.
MAXINE PAETRO is the author of three novels and two works of nonfiction, and she is the coauthor of the Women’s Murder Club series with James Patterson. She lives in New York with her husband.
Also by James Patterson
1ST TO DIE
Four friends come together to form the Women’s
Murder Club. Their job? To find a killer who is
brutally slaughtering newly-wed couples on
their wedding night.
2ND CHANCE
(with Andrew Gross)
The Women’s Murder Club tracks a mystifying serial
killer, but things get dangerous when he turns
his pursuers into prey.
3RD DEGREE
(with Andrew Gross)
A wave of violence sweeps the city, and whoever is
behind it is intent on killing someone every three
days. Now he has targeted one of the Women’s
Murder Club …
4TH OF JULY
(with Maxine Paetro)
In a deadly shoot-out, Detective Lindsay Boxer
makes a split-second decision that threatens
everything she’s ever worked for.
THE 5TH HORSEMAN
(with Maxine Paetro)
Recovering patients are dying inexplicably in
hospital. Nobody is claiming responsibility.
Could these deaths be tragic coincidences,
or something more sinister?
THE 6TH TARGET
(with Maxine Paetro)
Children from rich families are being abducted off
the streets – but the kidnappers aren’t demanding
a ransom. Can Lindsay Boxer find the children
before it’s too late?
7TH HEAVEN
(with Maxine Paetro)
The hunt for a deranged murderer with a taste for
fire and the disappearance of the governor’s son
have pushed Lindsay to the limit. The trails have
gone cold. But a raging fire is getting ever closer,
and somebody will get burned.
8TH CONFESSION
(with Maxine Paetro)
Four celebrities are found killed and there
are no clues: the perfect crime. Few people
are as interested when a lowly preacher
is murdered. But could he have been
hiding a dark secret?
9TH JUDGEMENT
(with Maxine Paetro)
A psychopathic killer targets San Francisco’s most
innocent and vulnerable, while a burglary gone
horribly wrong leads to a high-profile murder.
10TH ANNIVERSARY
(with Maxine Paetro)
A badly injured teenage girl is left for dead,
and her newborn baby is nowhere to be found.
But is the victim keeping secrets?
11TH HOUR
(with Maxine Paetro)
Is one of Detective Lindsay Boxer’s colleagues
a vicious killer? She won’t know until the
11th hour.
12TH OF NEVER
(with Maxine Paetro)
A convicted serial killer wakes from a two-year
coma. He says he’s ready to tell where the
bodies are buried, but what does he
want in return?
UNLUCKY 13
(with Maxine Paetro)
Someone returns to San Francisco to pay a visit to
some old friends. But a cheerful reunion is
not on the cards.
14TH DEADLY SIN
(with Maxine Paetro)
A new terror is sweeping the streets of San Francisco,
and the killers are dressed in police uniform.
Lindsay treads a dangerous line as she investigates
whether the criminals are brilliant imposters or
police officers gone rogue.
ALEX CROSS NOVELS
Along Came a Spider • Kiss the Girls • Jack and Jill •
Cat and Mouse • Pop Goes the Weasel • Roses are Red •
Violets are Blue • Four Blind Mice • The Big Bad Wolf •
London Bridges • Mary, Mary • Cross • Double Cross •
Cross Country • Alex Cross’s Trial (with Richard DiLallo) •
I, Alex Cross • Cross Fire • Kill Alex Cross •
Merry Christmas, Alex Cross • Alex Cross, Run •
Cross My Heart • Hope to Die • Cross Justice
DETECTIVE MICHAEL BENNETT SERIES
Step on a Crack (with Michael Ledwidge) •
Run for Your Life (with Michael Ledwidge) •
Worst Case (with Michael Ledwidge) •
Tick Tock (with Michael Ledwidge) •
I, Michael Bennett (with Michael Ledwidge) •
Gone (with Michael Ledwidge) •
Burn (with Michael Ledwidge) •
Alert (with Michael Ledwidge) •
PRIVATE NOVELS
Private (with Maxine Paetro) • Private London (with Mark Pearson) •
Private Games (with Mark Sullivan) • Private: No. 1 Suspect (with
Maxine Paetro) • Private Berlin (with Mark Sullivan) •
Private Down Under (with Michael White) • Private L.A. (with Mark
Sullivan) • Private India (with Ashwin Sanghi) •
Private Vegas (with Maxine Paetro) •
Private Sydney (with Kathryn Fox)
NYPD RED SERIES
NYPD Red (with Marshall Karp)
NYPD Red 2 (with Marshall Karp)
NYPD Red 3 (with Marshall Karp)
NYPD Red 4 (with Marshall Karp)
STAND-ALONE THRILLERS
Sail (with Howard Roughan) • Swimsuit (with Maxine Paetro) • Don’t
Blink (with Howard Roughan) • Postcard Killers (with Liza Marklund) •
Toys (with Neil McMahon) • Now You See Her (with Michael Ledwidge) •
Kill Me If You Can (with Marshall Karp) • Guilty Wives (with
David Ellis) • Zoo (with Michael Ledwidge) • Second Honeymoon (with
Howard Roughan) • Mistress (with David Ellis) • Invisible (with
David Ellis) • The Thomas Berryman Number • Truth or Die (with
Howard Roughan) • Murder House (with David Ellis)
NON-FICTION
Torn Apart (with Hal and Cory Friedman) •
The Murder of King Tut (with Martin Dugard)
ROMANCE
Sundays at Tiffany’s (with Gabrielle Charbonnet) •
The Christmas Wedding (with Richard DiLallo) •
First Love (with Emily Raymond)
OTHER TITLES
Miracle at Augusta (with Peter de Jonge)
FAMILY OF PAGE-TURNERS
MIDDLE SCHOOL BOOKS
The Worst Years of My Life (with Chris Tebbetts) •
Get Me Out of Here! (with Chris Tebbetts) •
My Brother Is a Big, Fat Liar (with Lisa Papademetriou) •
How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill (with Chris Tebbetts) •
Ultimate Showdown (with Julia Bergen) • Save Rafe! (with Chris Tebbetts) •
Just My Rotten Luck (with Chris Tebbetts)
I FUNNY SERIES
I Funny (with Chris Grabenstein) •
I Even Funnier (with Chris Grabenstein) •
I Totally Funniest (with Chris Grabenstein) •
I Funny TV (with Chris Grabenstein)
TREASURE HUNTERS SERIES
Treasure Hunters (with Chris Grabenstein) •
Danger Down the Nile (with Chris Grabenstein) •
Secret of the Forbidden City (with Chris Grabenstein)
HOUSE OF ROBOTS SERIES
House of Robots (with Chris Grabenstein) •
Robots Go Wild! (with Chris Grabenstein)
OTHER ILLUSTRATED NOVELS
Kenny Wright: Superhero (with Chris Tebbetts) •
Homeroom Diaries (with Lisa Papademetriou)
MAXIMUM RIDE SERIES
The Angel Experiment • School’s Out Forever •
Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports • The Final Warning •
Max • Fang • Angel • Nevermore • Forever
CONFESSIONS SERIES
Confessions of a Murder Suspect (with Maxine Paetro) •
The Private School Murders (with Maxine Paetro) •
The Paris Mysteries (with Maxine Paetro) •
The Murder of an Angel (with Maxine Paetro)
WITCH & WIZARD SERIES
Witch & Wizard (with Gabrielle Charbonnet) • The Gift (with Ned
Rust) • The Fire (with Jill Dembowski) • The Kiss (with Jill Dembowski) •
The Lost (with Emily Raymond)
DANIEL X SERIES
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (with Michael Ledwidge) •
Watch the Skies (with Ned Rust) • Demons and Druids (with Adam
Sadler) • Game Over (with Ned Rust) • Armageddon (with Chris
Grabenstein) • Lights Out (with Chris Grabenstein)
GRAPHIC NOVELS
Daniel X: Alien Hunter (with Leopoldo Gout) •
Maximum Ride: Manga Vols. 1–8 (with NaRae Lee)
For more information about James Patterson’s novels, visit www.jamespatterson.co.uk
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To friends of the Women’s Murder Club
PART ONE
CHAPTER 1
ALISON MULLER WASN’T classically beautiful, but she was striking, with swinging blonde hair and peekaboo bangs brushing the frames of her wraparound shades. Her black leather coat flared above the knees of her skinny jeans, and her purposeful stride was punctuated by the staccato clacking of her high-heeled boots.
That afternoon, as she cut through the golden-hued lobby of San Francisco’s Four Seasons Hotel, Ali checked out every man, woman, and child crossing the floor, on the queue at reception, slouched in chairs in front of the fireplace. She noted and labeled the tourists and businesspeople, deflecting the stares of the men who couldn’t look away, while on the phone with her husband and their younger daughter, Mitzi.
“I didn’t actually forget, Mitz,” Ali said to her five-year old. “More like I lost track.”
“You did forget,” her daughter insisted.
“Not completely. I thought your big day was tomorrow.”
“Everyone wanted to know where you were,” her daughter complained.
“I’ll make it up to you, sweetheart,” Ali said.
“When? With what?”
Ali’s thoughts ran ahead to the man waiting for her in a room on the fourteenth floor.
“Let me speak to Daddy,” Ali said.
She passed the stunning exhibition of modern art and reached the elevator bank at the northwest end of the lobby. She stood behind the couple in front of the doors. They were French, discussing their dinner plans, agreeing that they had enough time to shower and change.
Ali thumbed her phone, checked her e-mail and the Investors Business Daily headlines and the text from Michael asking i
f she’d gotten lost. Ali’s husband came back on the line.
“I did my best,” he said. “She’s inconsolable.”
“You can handle her, dear. I’m sure you can do it. I’ll order her something online when I get home.”
“Which will be when?” her husband asked.
God. The questions. The never-ending questions.
“After dinner,” Ali said. “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t blow you off if it wasn’t important.”
The elevator doors opened.
“Gotta go.”
Her husband said, “Say good-bye to Mitzi.”
Shit.
She said, “Hang on a minute. I’m losing reception.”
Ali stepped into the elevator and stood with her back to the corner, her jacket parting to reveal the butt of a gun tucked into her waistband. The doors closed and the car rose swiftly and quietly upward.