The first to die
The first to die -or 1st to Die, by its original title in English—is the first book in the series The Women Against Crime Club, written by award-winning and prolific bestselling author James Patterson. The work was first published in 2001 by Little, Brown and Company. Later, it was translated into Spanish by Esther Roig Giménez and the RBA publishing house, who marketed it the same year.
As has happened in recent times with James Patterson's books, The first to die It quickly became one of the best-selling titles in the United States.. This gave way to the creation of twenty-one volumes belonging to the same series, which does not have an end date, so Patterson could surprise fans with future installments.
Synopsis of The first to die
The Birth of the Bridegroom Killer
The first book in one of literature's most popular crime series begins with a newlywed couple. David and Melanie celebrate their wedding night like any couple in love, ignoring that that morning will be the last of their lives. The next morning, the police arrive at the scene and find a terribly sadistic image that overwhelms the hearts of everyone in the room.
Luckily, among the experts is Lindsay Boxer, the only woman within the San Francisco Homicide Department. She takes the murder investigation into his hands. However, the inspector is not having the best time of her life. A short time ago, doctors diagnosed her with a curious blood disease, so her physical integrity is affected as the search for the Boyfriend Killer progresses.
The creation of the Women's Murder Club
Lindsay Boxer, a detective at the peak of her police career, contact another prominent woman. In this case, it is Claire Washburn, specialist in the department of forensic medicine. While they investigate, The curious and daring journalist Cindy Thomas joins them.
This is how the Women's Club Against Crime was formed.. A little later, the powerful group allied itself with Jill Bernhardt, the implacable assistant prosecutor, with whom a new investigation model focused on the Boyfriend Killer case was completed.
Despite the hope that invades the Homicide Department, The Women Against Crime Club will have to overcome obstacles they did not expect. In addition to these disagreements, they must fight against time, since the murder of David and Melanie will be the first of several attacks carried out against newlyweds. The protagonists will see some of the most terrible scenes, where bodies are subjected to humiliation and outrage by the perpetrator.
An explosive thriller to read during a weekend at the beach
Given the level of danger implicit in the synopsis, the reader may think that The first to die It is a complex story. However, James Patterson's execution of the plot feels fast-paced, engaging, but relaxed. In the words of one of the author's reviewers: I tend to read Patterson's books when I don't want my brain to work so hard. 1st to Die "It fits perfectly."
And, in fact, this is precisely what happens with The first to die. While the murder investigation takes place, it is possible to notice that Lindsay Boxer fights for her health and her political ideals. However, both her ideology and the progression of her illness feel artificial, only existing to make the inspector seem more human, but the construction of her character is superficial, and this also happens with all the other protagonists.
James Patterson's narrative style
Patterson won the Guinness World Record for being the author with most fiction books sold Worldwide. Much of this merit was achieved thanks to his multiple collaborations with other writers, but also thanks to his well-known short stories. The essence of stories and novels of less than 150 pages lies in The first to die, where the chapters are short and whose end always has a particular hook.
The first to die It is a book with a simple narrative, easy to read, without plot twists or complicated structures. However, it has a fast-paced style that attracts, above all, those people who enjoy quick stories full of exciting little plots, with stereotypical female characters and some stories without practical sense.
About the author, James B. Patterson
James B. Patterson was born on March 22, 1947, in Newburgh, New York, United States. Patterson earned a bachelor's degree in Advertising from Manhattan College. Additionally, he earned a master's degree from Vanderbilt University. Since 1996 she retired from her career to dedicate herself exclusively to the literary world. As an author, he currently earns more than Dan Brown, John Grisham and Stephen King could accumulate at the same time.
Throughout his years in literary work, has been nominated for various awards, winning some of them in the process, such as the Edgar Award. He also tends to collaborate with multiple authors, including: Andrew Gross, Maxine Paetro and Liza Marklund. In 2005 he created the James Patterson PageTurner Awards, a foundation through which he aims to encourage writing and reading in young people.
Other books by James Patterson
Novels
Cross Series
Alex Cross Series:
- Along Came a Spider (1993);
- Kiss the Girls — The Lovers Collector (1995);
- Jack & Jill (1999);
- Cat and Mouse (1997);
- Pop Goes the Wease (1999);
- Roses Are Ed (2000);
- Violets Are Blue (2001);
- Four blind mice (2002);
- The Big Bad Wolf — The Wolf of Siberia (2007);
- London Bridges — The bridges of London (2004);
- Mary, Mary (2005);
- Cross, or Alex Cross (2006);
- Double Cross (2007);
- Cross Country (2008);
- Alex Cross's Trial (2009);
- I, Alex Cross (2009);
- Cross Fire (2010);
- Kill Alex Cross (2011);
- Alex Cross, Run (2013);
- Cross My Heart (2013);
- Hope to Die (2014);
- Cross Justice — Crossed Paths (2015);
- Cross the Line — Crossing the line;
- The People vs. Alex Cross (2017);
- Target: Alex Cross (2018);
- Criss Cross (2019);
- Deadly Cross (2020);
- Fear No Evil (2021).
Women's Murder Club Series
- 2nd Chance — Second Chance (2002);
- 3rd Degree — The third degree (2004);
- 4th of July — The 4th of July () (2005);
- The 5th Horseman (2006);
- The 6th Target (2007);
- 7th Heaven (2008);
- The 8th Confession (2009);
- The 9th Judgment (2010);
- 10th Anniversary (2011);
- 11th Hour (2012);
- 12th of Never (2013);
- Unlucky 13 (2014);
- 14th Deadly Sin (2015);
- 15th Affair (2016);
- 5. "The Trial" (2016);
- 16th Seduction (2017);
- The Medical Examiner—16.5. The Forensic (2017);
- 17th Suspect (2018);
- 18th Abduction (2019);
- 19th Christmas (2019);
- 20th Victim (2020);
- 21st Birthday (2021).