"2nd Chance" by James Patterson with Andrew Gross (Thriller)

Unlike the other James Patterson novels I've read so far, this one is not part of the Alex Cross series.

I actually picked this up in paperback...at Lester B. Pearson airport. You see, due to a recent bereavement in our family, I suddenly found myself flying over to England to attend a funeral. The arrangements were very rushed, and at the airport I found myself browsing in a bookstore for something to pass the time during the plane ride. There weren't many Patterson books there, but they did have this one, so I grabbed it.

The lead character is San Francisco homicide detective Lindsay Boxer. Ambitious and driven, she pushes herself hard to solve what turns out to be a difficult case for her, both professionally and personally.

The action starts off with a bang - a horrible shooting outside a church results in the death of a young child. This immediately raises public concern and political pressure.

Lindsay works the case, searching for clues with help from some of her friends. She has connections to a reporter, an assistant district attorney, and a medical examiner, all of whom play a role in the investigation. Over-all, I'd say there's a stronger sense of teamwork in this novel, compared to Patterson's Alex Cross series, which focuses more on Cross as an individual.

Anyway, the shooting leads to a case that turns out to have some personal connections for Lindsay. As the case develops, more victims fall to the killer, including one of her superiors in the police department.

And, just to make matters even more interesting for her, it turns out that the trail leads to a suspect who is himself a former cop. And, this cop knew Lindsay's estranged father. Lindsay's father ends up coming back into her life after many years, leading Lindsay to wonder if it's because he really wanted to see her, or because of some possible connection he might have to the case she's investigating.

The case becomes even more personal when the killer goes after one of Lindsay's closest friends.
This novel has the same Patterson trademarks I'm used to from his other novels - a lot of action, fast pace and intense plot. The characters and relationships are worked out well enough to make the lead characters sympathetic and enjoyable to read about.

And the story did end with a twist that I honestly didn't guess ahead of time, it made for an interesting surprise.

So...in the end, this novel did turn out to be a good way to pass the time on the plane.