14th Deadly Sin (A Women's Murder Club Thriller, 14)

14th Deadly Sin is the fourteenth book in the Women's Murder Club series by prolific American author, James Patterson. It is co-written with Maxine Paetro. Detective Sergeant Lindsay Boxer and Detective Inspector Rich Conklin are given a disturbing case: robberies from check-cashing shops and Latino mercados where the perpetrators wore SFPD Windbreakers, but were well disguised with rubber face masks and gloves. Some witnesses has been murdered and CCTV footage was poor.

When Lindsay and Rich are called to a stabbing murder in broad daylight in a public place, a chance remark has Lindsay checking for similar unsolved murders. Her hands are full with the Windbreaker heists, but a newly unemployed Joe Molinari takes up the case.

Yuki Castellano quits the DA's office and takes a job with a firm defending cases for those who can't afford counsel. Her first case is a fifteen-year-old who is accused of the shooting murder of three drug dealers, and puts her in direct opposition to her old boss, DA Len Parisi.

Lindsay's superior, Warren Jacobi is troubled by reports that execution-style murders of drug dealers are being carried out by cops. Could they be linked to the Windbreaker heists? Meanwhile, SF Chronicle reporter Cindy Thomas is busy attending book signings for her lately published first book. She and the fourth member of the Women's Murder Club, medical examiner Claire Washburn are very much in the background for this instalment.

It's sort of nice to see ex-FBI agent Joe Molinari playing stay-at-home dad to Julie and helping Lindsay out with her case, even in both he and Lindsay (separately) do something stupidly dangerous, and get away unscathed. Yuki shows that she's got what it takes as a defence lawyer, especially when all the odds seem to be against her.

Some of the writing is rather poor and stilted, with unnecessary and inane detail adding fill. This one has a bit of a cliff-hanger ending, but not as annoying as some recent Alex Cross books. Perhaps 15th Affair will reveal all.