Review: The Idaho Murders - James Patterson and Vicky Ward - July 2025 There are some books you pick up out of curiosity, and then there are books you pick up because you simply have to. For me, The Idaho Murders was firmly the latter. True crime has been a long-time love of mine, and James Patterson has been on my shelves for years, so when I heard these two forces had come together to tackle the Moscow, Idaho case, I knew I'd be settling in with this one sooner rather than later. I followed this case closely as it unfolded in the news, piecing together fragments here and there the way we all did. But nothing quite prepared me for how much more there was to learn. James Patterson and Vicky Ward have done something genuinely remarkable here, drawing on over 300 exclusive interviews to build a picture of what happened on that terrible night of 13th November 2022, when four young lives were taken far too soon. What struck me most, curled up with this book over several evenings, was...

Review: Murder Interrupted - Book #1 Discovery's Murder is Forever Series -  James Patterson - January 2018 You know how sometimes a book finds you twice? That's exactly what happened with Murder Interrupted by James Patterson and I'm so glad it did. One of my reading goals for 2026 is to tackle at least one non-fiction book a month, which sounds straightforward enough until you're standing in front of your shelves (or your TBR list) completely paralysed by choice. In the end, I handed the decision over to my partner, and honestly? Best thing I could have done. He pointed me straight to this one a copy I'd nabbed at the Rotary secondhand book sale here in Tauranga back in March and off I went. Here's the funny thing though. A quick peek at Goodreads reminded me I'd actually attempted this very book back in February 2018 when it first came out. Apparently past-me wasn't feeling it, because I gave it 2 Ps which, for those who know my rating system, is a ...

Review: The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians - James Patterson and Matt Eversmann - April 2024 The moment I heard about this book's release, I knew it had to be mine. And honestly? OMFG. Every single page felt like it was written specifically for me – like the author had somehow crawled inside my brain and mapped out my soul. "This is you, Paula," each chapter whispered, and I couldn't look away. But here's the thing about books that mirror your heart so perfectly – they also hold up a reflection of what you've lost. Reading this stirred something bittersweet in me, because once upon a time, I lived and breathed this world. Working in the library wasn't just a job; it was my calling. Helping customers discover their next favourite read, doing readers advisory that's where my passion lived, where my heart sang loudest. Then the environment turned toxic. The place that once felt like sanctuary became suffocating, pushing me to dark places...

Review: Holmes is Missing - Book #2 Holmes, Margaret and Poe Mystery Series - James Patterson and Brian Sitts - January 2025 James Patterson has long been one of my go-to authors, and with each new release, I’m always eager to see if it will be a hit or a miss. His Holmes, Margaret and Poe series quickly became one of my favorites, blending classic literary inspirations with modern detective work. Holmes is Missing continues this thrilling saga with high stakes and a gripping mystery. The story kicks off with the shocking disappearance of Holmes, the sharp-minded detective of the trio. While Margaret and Poe attempt to carry on without him, they are soon pulled into a heart-wrenching case—the abduction of six newborns from a private hospital in New York. As they investigate, disturbing links to similar disappearances in London surface, prompting Margaret to follow the clues across the Atlantic. Meanwhile, Holmes has his own dangerous mission, delving into a decades-old cold case known ...

Review: The 24th Hour - Book #24 Women's Murder Club Series - James Patterson and Maxine Paetro - May 2024 When The 24th Hour drops, you know you’re in for an edge-of-your-seat, chaotic ride. A wedding, a birthday, and an assault all collide, as trouble always seems to find the Women’s Murder Club. And trust me, this time it’s big trouble. Sergeant Lindsay Boxer and the gang—Medical Examiner Claire Washburn, Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano, and crime writer Cindy Thomas—are just trying to enjoy a nice meal in San Francisco’s best restaurant. But before they can toast to life’s celebrations, violence crashes their moment. The case? Complicated. A victim with a memory that keeps shifting, a story full of holes, and a whole mess of lies. As Yuki digs deep into the legal side of things, Lindsay is on the hunt for a high-society killer whose skills in target practice might take out more than just a couple of lives. And the best part? The stakes are personal. The Women’s Mu...

Review: Holmes, Margaret and Poe - Book #1 - James Patterson and Brian Sitts - January 2024 I had been looking forward to this one, but a little nervous at the same time as I have found recently that the co-written books haven't been great and I couldn't get into them as I had most of the earlier titles and series. This one though was fabulous and amazing and I loved it all as every character even the side ones of Violet and Grey were likable and enjoyable. The book starts with three PIs Brendan Holmes, Auguste Poe, and Margaret Maple joining forces in New York as Private Investigators. The thing too is just like their namesakes, they are the best at what they do and despite getting into mischievous trouble, they always solve the crimes that they are hired for. Everything about this series was great from the flawed characters as each of our PIs has a vice, to the way they solved the crimes like a giant jigsaw puzzle, to the variety of crimes in this book from modern kidnappings...

Review: 23 1/2 Lies - Book #23.5 Women's Murder Club Series - James Patterson and Maxine Paetro - September 2023 After trying two books this morning and nothing kicking in, I went for a nice quick novella read, and the perfect one for me as I knew I would enjoy it was James Patterson and Maxine Paetro's latest in the Women's Murder Club series. This is one of my favorite crime series as I have seen them develop through the books, marry, and have children. After reading 20+ books in this series for almost 20 years it's a comfort series. In 23 1/2 Lies, Lindsay's crazy morning with her daughter knocking over the two fish in the fish bowl should have been her pre-warning that today was going to be a "bad day'. A person has been shot near the court house and that person happens to be none other than Marty Boxer aka Lindsay's father or so she thought the strange thing was according to sources and what she was told, he died years ago so how can his fresh corp...

Review: The Medical Examiner - Book #16.5 Women's Murder Club Series - James Patterson and Maxine Paetro - August 2017 Claire is in for a strange day at the Morgue, as she walks in and does her handover. Just as she is preparing a body for autopsy, she hears a groan and the groan is coming from one of the death drawers. She opens the body bag and the body sits up, she is alive. Turns out Joan Murphy has a rare disease and when she went into shock, everyone thought she was dead. The downside though is that Joan was shot and found naked with a dead body, but she has no memory of what happened or who the guy is. This is the sort of story that journalist Cindy lives for, Dead Woman Come Back to Life. But in searching for the truth, Cindy finds herself face to face with a crazy man with a gun. With Lindsay on vacation with Joe, it is up to Rich to figure things out. Can he discover the truth before his girlfriend Cindy ends up the next victim? The Medical Examiner was one of the novell...