“What's the worst thing anyone has ever done?”(112) Can you think of a more beautiful, and special moment in anyone's life than their wedding day? Well, in the book 1st To Die, author James Patterson created a morbid outcome to several weddings that left families tormented. In this book homicide detective Lindsay Boxer is caught in the middle of two very serious situations. Between the mysterious bride and groom murders happening throughout America and her ever diminishing health she finds herself fighting against not only one, but two deadlines.

This book is mostly told from the viewpoint of Lindsay Boxer, a homicide detective in California. She is on her way to achieving the rank of lieutenant, and she believes solving the case of the bride and groom murders will help solidify that. However, once she is diagnosed with a rare blood disease, everything starts slipping from her grasp. She soon realizes that she cannot solve this mystery alone, and decides it's high time the women of the homicide world had their moment in the spotlight. This is when Lindsey brings together Claire, a forensic scientist; Cindy, a press reporter; and later Jill, the assistant D.A. Together, they form the Women's Murder Club. These four women will bring their own pieces of evidence and clues to solve the case off the record.

I really admired Lindsay in this book. She is a tough woman, desperately trying to rise above all the struggles laid out before her. All she wants is to make a name for herself- to rise to the top and dominate in a man's world. Lindsey, as well as the other three women have spunk, and a whole lot of determination.

Although mostly told from the perspective of Lindsay, the book starts out from the viewpoint of the killer, a good way to hook someone into reading. It gives you a starting point, makes you hunger for more information, and tantalizes your curiosity as to the identity of the killer. Not only that, but the name of the killer is even given, or is it? “What is the worst thing anyone has ever done?” Campbell murmured to himself. “ Am I capable of doing it? Do I have what it takes?” (12)

As with any book, 1st To Die has a numerable amount of themes. One prominent theme throughout the book was to never underestimate a woman’s intuition. Even though nobody believes her, and or won't listen to her, Lindsay is positive that the murderer is the last person you would suspect. No one would think this to be true, but what happens may surprise you. “It was risky and rash, precisely the opposite of what had gotten me as far as I was.” (129) Even after they capture the killer something isn’t right, and Lindsay once again uses her gut instinct to help steer her in the right direction of solving the case. The other prominent theme was the theme of living to the fullest, to live without regret. Lindsay has a rare and deadly blood disease, who knows how much time she has left. All she wants to do before her disease takes her is to solve this case. It’s what keeps her going, but then she realizes that she needs to enjoy herself as well. “Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it, but while I drink, I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. Its current slides away, but eternity remains. I would drink deeper, fish in the sky, whose bottom is pebbly with stars.” (117)

1st To Die has a series of twists and turns, the resolution is so unexpected and confusing it’ll make your head spin. Unfortunately the book also has a lot of slow parts. I had a hard time pressing on through some of it. In the end, though, I’m glad I did. It was a good book and I recommend it to anyone who loves a thrill, and especially to those who enjoy murder novels. However if you cannot take a book with a lot of explicit sexual content, specifically necrophilia, then this might not be the book for you.