The 24th Hour is the 24th book in the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. The writing duo is back with the latest installment of kick-ass friends in the Women's Murder Club. The book opens with Sergeant Lindsay Boxer, Medical Examiner Claire Washburn, Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano and crime writer Cindy Thomas gathered at San Francisco's finest restaurant to celebrate a birthday and a wedding.

Before the women can raise their glass for a toast, there's a loud disturbance. On instinct, Lindsay runs toward the scream and finds a woman has been assaulted. Claire examines the victim. Lindsay makes an arrest. Yuki takes the case. Cindy covers it in the media.

Patterson and Paetro are great at making sure every character plays a major role. In The 24th Hour, each of the WMC members are showcased in their professional environment along with their personal lives. It is a good balance making it an easy read. Although there was a main mystery, two other minor subplots were explored but didn't add much to the story. There was even another murder very late in the book...welp, at the 24th hour true to the title. It felt more like filler.

Was this latest installment good or nah? I cannot give up on this series after investing so much time into these characters. However, something drastic needs to happen to give this series a reset. I recommend The 24th Hour for followers of the series for continuity purposes but take your time getting to it. If you're new to the WMC series, you will enjoy the beginning books far more than the recent releases.

Happy Early Pub Day, Patterson and Paetro! The 24th Hour will be available Monday, May 6.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Speechless……….

I have read all of the books in this series and this was the only one I didn’t like. Mind-numbingly boring is an understatement. I struggled to finish it. The only interesting thing was the personal happenings in the ladies’ lives. But I love the author and series so much that I will assume it was a fluke and look forward to #25.

Disappointing is the kindest thing I can say.
3 weak story lines smashed together into the same volume.
It reads almost like reading 3 books by 3 different authors, perhaps it was.
3 plot lines that didn't have enough 'meat' to flesh out an entire book.
This was the first book in this series that was a struggle to finish.

Not my favorite WMC, but still fun! I feel like he's setting up Claire for something in the next book.