Title:	Unlucky 13
	Author:	James Patterson, Maxine Paetro
	Published:	Grand Central Publishing
	No. of Pages:	416
	Cover Price:	$28.00 Hardcover, $16.00 Paperback, $10.99 Kindle,

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In the thirteenth installment of James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series, Unlucky 13, Lindsay is busy and happy being a mom to Julie and wife to Joe. Yuki finally ties the knot, and while on her honeymoon cruise, the ship is taken over by pirates. Lindsay is put in charge of finding a murderer who is somehow blowing up his victims from the inside, and one of the murderers from a previous book resurfaces and Lindsay's life is in danger.

Although there is much suspense in the novel, readers who have read all of the books in the series will most likely agree that the three unrelated scenarios are overkill, far-fetched, and unbelievable. Many of Patterson's books over the years have had sloppy writing and loose ends, but this is the first in the Women's Murder Club series that overtly exhibits these problems. I always just assumed these books were better because of Maxine Paetro's co-authorship. I'm always suspicious when famous best-selling authors co-write books, and assume they don't participate much; however, this book is vintage slipshod Patterson. One of the plots isn't even resolved at the end; whether it's by design or just an oversight, it really could have been handled better.

Of course those of us who like this series are going to read each book as it comes out even though we know the writing isn't top-notch; we like the characters and want to see what happens to them. It would probably be a good idea for these authors to take a little more time constructing the plots and paying attention to the writing rather than releasing a new substandard book every few months.

Unlucky 13 is an easy fast read, and is a must read for those who care about Lindsay Boxer and the members of the Women's Murder Club. It's similar to eating at a chain restaurant – sometimes we choose to eat at one even though we know the food is substandard and appeals to the lowest common denominator. That's probably why James Patterson has sold more books than any other best-selling author. It isn't because of excellent writing; rather, it's because the books are comfortable and mindless.

This book was purchased with personal funds and no promotion of the book was solicited by the author or publisher.

This book may be purchased at Amazon:
Unlucky 13 (Women's Murder Club) Paperback
Unlucky 13 (Women's Murder Club) Hardcover
Unlucky 13 (Women's Murder Club) Kindle