After accidentally reading a romance novel when I was in the mood for a murder (honestly, how does that even happen?), I turned to a reliable cure: James Patterson and a strong cup of coffee. The 6th Target is the next installment in the Women’s Murder Club series, and I dove in like it was crime scene tape and I had a badge.
This book juggles three big cases at once—because apparently, Patterson and Paetro believe in multitasking with maximum mayhem. We’ve got a mass shooting on a ferry (which hits hard—especially for those of us who do active shooter drills every year), murders in Cindy’s apartment building (honestly, I’ve had a few neighbors where this wouldn't surprise me), and kidnappings of children with murdered nannies (which, oddly, got the least page time).
Each case ties in a different member of the Club: Claire gets shot (but is okay!), Yuki brings the shooter to court, Cindy is dodging homicide in her hallway, and Lindsay is putting in overtime like she’s collecting detective badges on commission. Speaking of Lindsay, she’s still the same smart, capable woman we’ve come to appreciate—just a little more self-assured this time around. You love to see the growth.
The pacing? Classic Patterson: short chapters, fast plot, no time to blink. There wasn’t a single section I felt the urge to skip, and the courtroom scenes were actually fun to read—made me think I might need to revisit a John Grisham book sometime soon.
Now, not everything was perfect. The kidnapping storyline could’ve been its own book, but instead it got the “oh yeah, we solved that too” treatment. Also, Claire’s son Willie is briefly introduced as a kid with guts (he went after the shooter!), but then... nothing. Missed opportunity, in my opinion.
In short: I liked it. Maybe not as much as the last couple in the series, but it scratched my murder mystery itch, gave me just enough courtroom drama, and didn’t ask me to suffer through a single breathless love scene. Four stars, and I’m still Team Women’s Murder Club all the way—though I do still miss Jill.
Some books bring the heat—this one brought body bags, bullet wounds, and courtroom drama. Just how I like it.
