Title: The 6th Target

Author: James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

When I read it: April, 2013

Genre: Thrillers, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Crime

Link: Goodreads

I am currently reading the 17th installment of the Women’s Murder club. Since there were so many books ahead of the 17th one, I want to post a review of each one separately, instead of creating a monster post. Most of this post will be about the plot, so that when I get to the 17th installment, readers will be caught up, in case they did not read all the books.

You can read my review of the 1st book, 1st to Die, here.

You can read my review of the 2nd book, 2nd Chance, here.

You can read my review of the 3rd book, 3rd Degree here.

You can read my review of the 4th book, 4th of July here.

You can read my review of the 5th book, 5th Horseman here.

The Writing: As with most of the James Patterson books, the writing is nothing special. Patterson’s books are classic beach reads. Quick and entertaining for a day at the beach.

The Audiobook Recording: Nothing to report.

Expectations/Recommendations: Since I have read many of Patterson’s books before, I knew what to expect, and I was not disappointed. If you are looking for a quick read, and aren’t expecting anything intellectual, this is the right book for you.

See below for the plot of the book, but be careful because there are several spoilers.

Summary of the Plot from Wikipedia:

When a horrifying attack leaves one of the four members of the Women’s Murder Club struggling for her life, the others fight to keep a madman behind bars before anyone else is hurt. And Lindsay Boxer and her new partner in the San Francisco police department run flat-out to stop a series of kidnappings that has electrified the city: children of rich families are being plucked off the streets together with their nannies – but the kidnappers aren’t demanding ransom. Amid uncertainty and rising panic, Lindsay juggles the possibility of a new love with an unsolvable investigation, and the knowledge that one member of the club could be on the brink of death.

And just when everything appears momentarily under control, the case takes a terrifying turn, putting an entire city in lethal and horrifying danger. Lindsay must make a choice she never dreamed she’d face—with no certainty that either outcome has more than a prayer of success, a decision she has never made before. One that will change her life, as parents everywhere expect the worst, as new assistant D.A Yuki Castellano prepares to prosecute a high-profile trial. Detective Lindsay Boxer pursues one lead after another to capture the murderer who tried to kill her friend. However, the clues do not seem to ease the solving of the crime. Who will the 6th Target be?

Lindsay Boxer has to solve three separate mysteries in this novel.

On a ferry, a madman named Alfred Brinkley shoots people and hurts Claire Washburn, LA’s ME and Boxer’s friend. Ike Quintana, an addict, voluntary points the police to Alfred Brinkley, a madman who hears voices in his head; while Boxer is wondering how to contact him, he spontaneously shows up at Lindsay’s house! She arrests him and puts him on trial. Brinkley is defended by Mickey Sherman, an excellent lawyer who has to fight the People, represented by Yuki Castellano, together with Lindsay and Claire one of the member of the Women’s Murder Club. Sherman convinces the jury Brinkley’s legally insane and so he’s judged not guilty and simply interned into a criminal asylum. Some days after the verdict, though, Brinkley kills his warden and escapes. He goes to meet his mother, who reminds him of having killing his sister when he was a boy; Brinkley gets violent again and tries to kill her at the very same time when Boxer catches him and finally manages to convict me; only to hear Brinkley still threatening her while moved to prison.

A parallel plot deals with a band of pedophiles, led by Paul Renfree, a man who was molested when a boy and now, with the help of his wife, kidnaps young guys with the intent of selling them to the child trafficking mafia; when he tries to kill Madison Tyler, SFPD tails him until they get their identity and manage to stop him and his accessories.