“The 6th Target” by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro – Three-headed Crime Wave

 

James Patterson and Maxine Paetro have really claimed the Women's Murder Club as their collective effort over time, and they were never afraid to experiment with the story, as they did in The 6th Target. 

In it, we follow three different plots: the shooting of Claire and the subsequent courtroom drama, a series of assaults and kidnappings in Cindy's apartment building, and a kidnapping investigated by Lindsay Boxer.

James Patterson and Maxine Paetro Split the Storylines

Book series tend to come in two essential varieties: the ones which always keep things the same, and the others where the writers try to experiment and expand from one book to the next. I'd say James Patterson and Maxine Paetro belong to the latter group, at least as far as the Women's Murder Club series is concerned, and more precisely, the sixth book titled The 6th Target.

While the series does benefit a little from being read in order, it's only in regards to character development. As far as the plot or the world goes, each book has enough concise exposition to help you situate yourself and enjoy the experience as a standalone act. In other words, if you want to start the series with this book, you can very much do so.

In any case, taking a step in a somewhat different direction when compared to the previous novel, this one introduces us to three plot lines which are, for the most part, unrelated to each other. They all revolve around members of the Women's Murder Club, mainly: Claire, Cindy and Lindsay Boxer, who for once takes a relative back-seat from her usual role as the driver.

The first plot revolves around a shooting which leaves Claire not only injured, but perhaps even worse, pulled into a courtroom drama where the lines between fiction and truth become inevitably muddled. Meanwhile, Cindy's apartment building has been the site of numerous assaults, attempted murders, as well as one actual murder, and with Lindsay's help they try to untangle the mess.

Finally, Lindsay Boxer also has a case of her own she's working on, following the trail of a kidnapping in hopes of bringing the victim back home safe and sound. In the process she also makes the acquaintance of her new partner on the job and gets to see just how much he's worth.

A Lighter Mental Load in The 6th Target

Generally-speaking, the more directions a novel tries to pull in, the more characters they try to develop and the more plot lines they try to introduce, the more complicated things tend to become. As a reader, you're given quite a lot to keep track of, and I myself have quite a lot of trouble with novels which go overboard in this regard.

Somewhat-paradoxically, it felt to me like The 6th Target actually benefited from the multiple storylines in the exact opposite manner, feeling clear and even a bit lighter than most, if not all the previous entries into the series.

I think it's largely due to two primary facts: each plot has a very clear beginning, middle and ending, and the storytelling remains straightforward, practical and goal-oriented until the very end. None of them introduce too many elements to keep up with, and I never found myself having trouble remembering what had previously happened when switching from one storyline to the other.

Additionally, with there being more stories for the same number of pages as before, expository character development is largely kept to a bare minimum, only briefly touching on a new element in Lindsay's love life. In other words, the focus is placed almost entirely on getting the three stories from point A to point B with the least amount of fuss possible.

Ultimately, I found this made for a very light and pleasant reading experience, one with a rather quick pace to boot. The cases themselves are easy to follow without necessarily being simple in their nature, something I attribute entirely to James Patterson and Maxine Paetro's literary prowess.

Overwhelmed by Crime

Individually-speaking, each of the three stories carries its own captivating element making it remarkable in relation to the other ones. Also, before talking more about them, I would like to add the authors do find the time to throw in some comments and criticisms about modern society; in large part, they're seamlessly integrated into the stories themselves.

For instance, Claire's story has her becoming a victim of a mass shooting, and while the courtroom drama she goes through is exciting in its own right, the authors' condemnation of gun violence and the persisting issue (even today) of public shootings. Even when the writers' real viewpoints does feel a bit more obvious, I never found they hindered my enjoyment of the story.

As I mentioned it before, Lindsay Boxer does take a bit more of a back-seat this time around, but I would still say she remains the primary protagonist, so to speak. We get to see most of the book through her perspective, and she remains our guide when visiting the other two women in their own plots.

Once again, she is about as likeable and respectable a protagonist as you could find, being caring, compassionate, intelligent, but not without her little flaws and the room for improvement which make her feel not only human, but relatable. Watching her struggle against the sudden wave of crime in her life breeds respect for all the real people her character represents.

I do feel the need to mention, with there being three cases, they are inevitably smaller than the big investigations we've been a part of so far, and it did seem somewhat strange and unusual until I mentally adjusted to the fact, something you might have to do as well.

The Final Verdict

The 6th Target by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro is an excellent entry into the Women's Murder Club series, and takes a bit of a chance by deviating from the formula established by its predecessors, for a good cause in my opinion. It's a bit of a different experience from what the series usually offers, and I believe it's definitely one worth having.

If you've enjoyed the previous books in the series, or are looking for a solid legal thriller and murder mystery, then I strongly suggest you give the book a shot.

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James B. Patterson Personal site James Patterson is an American writer who has dedicated a large part of his literary career to writing murder-related thrillers, inventing in the process two memorable character-based series in Alex Cross and Michael Bennett. His most prominent works include Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider.

Maxine Paetro Maxine Paetro is an American author who began her published career all the way back in 1979 with How to Put Your Book Together and Get a Job in Advertising, which was revised for the fourth time in 2010. She has remained an active author, writing numerous novels since then, including Manshare, Windfall and Woman of God. Additionally, she is known for collaborating with James Patterson on numerous entries in the Women's Murder Club series.