4th Of July, by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro, and Carolyn McCormick (Narrator)

AUDIO CD

The story starts off with a bang -- actually with many bangs, and none by fireworks. When the bangs stop, San Francisco Police Department Lt. Lindsay Boxer and her partner Warren Jacoby have both been shot twice. The shooters are kids, one dead and the other seriously wounded. Days later the kids' father, a prominent doctor in San Francisco, sues Lt. Boxer for $50 million, claiming wrongful death, police brutality, and not following police procedures. Relieved of duty and awaiting her trial, Lindsay Boxer decides to escape the media frenzy and take refuge at her sister's beach house in Half Moon Bay. There she finds the local police department involved in its second double murder in two weeks. Each killing leaves the couples whipped across their backs and buttocks and with their throats slashed. Despite her help, more murders occur before Boxer solves the astonishing mystery.

I enjoyed this book because of its fast pace and interesting plot twists. Because Lt. Boxer travels between the trial in San Francisco and the murders in Half Moon Bay, it feels like you're listening to two stories at once, and this heightens the suspense. The listener can't wait to get back to the Half Moon Bay murders after observing the courtroom action. The reader, Carolyn McCormick, is a skilled actress who gives each character definition and life, making this seven-CD unabridged book very easy to listen to.

The outcome of Lt. Boxer's trial and the shocking results of the murder investigations make this one of Patterson's best mysteries. I enjoyed every moment, and although Patterson is one of my favorite mystery writers, you don't have to be a James Patterson fan to appreciate this book.

John Mormon
5/29/05