Women's Murder Club Books in Order
Part ofJames Patterson Books in OrderFind the Women's Murder Club books by Maxine Paetro in order, with quick summaries, character notes, series background, and tips on where to begin.
Last updated: 2 new books added
Coming soonNext book: 27 Stars (2027) · Pre-order on Amazon
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).
Women's Murder Club books in publication order
27 books
1st to Die
by James Patterson
2000
San Francisco homicide inspector Lindsay Boxer joins a medical examiner, prosecutor, and reporter to investigate a series of killings. Their informal Women's Murder Club pools knowledge outside official channels as the four friends pursue a killer conventional procedures cannot stop.
2nd Chance
by Andrew Gross
2002
When an 11-year-old girl is shot on church steps and an elderly woman is murdered across town, Lindsay Boxer senses the cases are linked. The Women's Murder Club races to stop a killer whose target list keeps circling back to the police.
3rd Degree
by Andrew Gross
2004
A deadly explosion on a San Francisco street is only the start. As a shadowy group promises another killing every three days, Lindsay Boxer and the club hunt the truth while one of their own may be in terrible danger.
4th of July
by James Patterson
2005
Facing trial after a shooting, Lindsay Boxer retreats to Half Moon Bay and encounters a series of murders recalling an old unsolved case. She and the Women's Murder Club investigate while the courtroom proceedings threaten her career.
The 5th Horseman
by James Patterson
2006
Lindsay Boxer and attorney Yuki Castellano investigate suspicious patient deaths at a hospital determined to protect its reputation. As litigation puts the institution under scrutiny, the Women's Murder Club searches for a killer who may work among its staff.
The 6th Target
by James Patterson
2007
A violent attack leaves a Women's Murder Club member critically injured while Lindsay Boxer investigates kidnappings of children and their nannies. With no ransom demands to explain the disappearances, she struggles to identify the purpose behind the crimes.
7th Heaven
by James Patterson
2008
Lindsay Boxer investigates fatal fires targeting wealthy couples while a new lead emerges in the disappearance of Michael Campion. The Women's Murder Club pursues both cases as the arson attacks begin threatening lives closer to Lindsay's own.
The 8th Confession
by James Patterson
2009
Lindsay Boxer investigates murders among San Francisco's wealthy while reporter Cindy Thomas looks into a street preacher's killing. Their searches uncover separate secrets, and personal tensions within the Women's Murder Club complicate the effort to identify both criminals.
The 9th Judgment
by James Patterson
2009
A burglary leaves an actor's wife dead, while a mother and infant are murdered elsewhere the same night. Lindsay Boxer investigates both cases with the Women's Murder Club, but leaked information makes her question who she can trust.
10th Anniversary
by James Patterson
2011
Newly married Lindsay Boxer investigates an injured teenage mother whose newborn has disappeared. Meanwhile, Yuki Castellano prosecutes a woman accused of murdering her husband, and evidence Lindsay uncovers threatens to put the friends on opposing sides.
11th Hour
by James Patterson
2012
Lindsay Boxer investigates a murder weapon stolen from her department’s evidence locker, raising fears of a killer within the police. A separate discovery of severed heads in an actor’s garden adds another disturbing case to her workload.
12th of Never
by Maxine Paetro
2013
Lindsay Boxer barely has time to settle in with her newborn before two major cases pull her back to work, a murder tied to a 49ers star and an eerie professor who seems to predict killings. Then the danger turns deeply personal.
Unlucky 13
by James Patterson
2014
Lindsay Boxer’s happy life as a new mother is disrupted when the FBI sends evidence of a dangerous killer’s return. The Women’s Murder Club must track Mackie Morales before her reappearance becomes a threat to them.
14th Deadly Sin
by James Patterson
2015
A daylight murder interrupts the Women’s Murder Club’s birthday celebration. As Lindsay Boxer investigates, footage of masked criminals raises suspicions about her police colleagues, leaving the friends facing a frightened city and a spreading wave of violence.
15th Affair
by James Patterson
2016
Lindsay Boxer pursues a mysterious blonde as a plane crash throws San Francisco into chaos and her husband disappears. Turning to the Women's Murder Club, she investigates whether his hidden past connects to her case.
16th Seduction
by James Patterson
2017
A wave of mysterious heart attacks troubles San Francisco while a bomber's trial challenges Lindsay Boxer's investigation. Struggling with her husband's secrets, she must connect the cases before a criminal turns the accusations against her.
The 17th Suspect
by Maxine Paetro
2018
A confidential informant points Lindsay Boxer toward a disturbing possibility, something inside the San Francisco police department has gone badly wrong. As shootings spread and her health falters, Lindsay chases a killer determined to wreck both her case and her reputation.
The 18th Abduction
by James Patterson
2019
Lindsay Boxer investigates three missing teachers as the case turns into murder. Meanwhile, her husband Joe encounters a woman claiming to have seen a presumed-dead war criminal, raising questions that draw the Women's Murder Club together.
The 19th Christmas
by Maxine Paetro
2019
The Women's Murder Club is hoping for a quiet December when a criminal known only as Loman starts terrorizing San Francisco with escalating threats. Holiday plans vanish as Lindsay and her friends race to stop a mastermind who wants the whole city afraid.
The 20th Victim
by James Patterson
2020
Precise shootings in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago send Lindsay Boxer after killers targeting people involved in profitable crime. As deaths mount, public reactions blur the line between condemning the shooters and celebrating their victims' downfall.
21st Birthday
by James Patterson
2021
When Tara Burke and her baby disappear, Lindsay Boxer investigates the husband who dismisses his wife's absence. As the Women's Murder Club pursues conflicting evidence, an unexpected suspect raises the possibility of a much wider threat.
22 Seconds
by Maxine Paetro
2022
A warning scrawled on dead former cops, you talk, you die, sends Lindsay Boxer into a case tied to guns, drugs, and betrayal. With only seconds to react, she has to decide how much risk she can take.
The 23rd Midnight
by Maxine Paetro
2023
A copycat killer starts recreating murders from a notorious case Lindsay Boxer thought was over. As Cindy's true-crime book becomes a killer's playbook, the whole club is pulled into a brutal new nightmare.
The 24th Hour
by Maxine Paetro
2024
A celebration for the Women's Murder Club turns chaotic when an assaulted woman, a shaky memory, and a tricky prosecution collide. While Yuki handles the courtroom fight, Lindsay hunts a high-society killer who may strike close to the bridesmaids.
25 Alive
by Maxine Paetro
2025
When former SFPD chief Warren Jacobi is found murdered in Golden Gate Park, Lindsay Boxer is hit by grief and suspicion at once. A clue left behind sends the Women's Murder Club on a determined hunt for his killer.
26 Beauties
by James Patterson
2026
A father interrupts the Women’s Murder Club’s celebration to ask for help finding his daughter. As Lindsay Boxer investigates two young women’s deaths, the friends consider whether those cases connect to a larger group of missing women.
27 Stars
by James Patterson
2027
Sergeant Lindsay Boxer investigates the death of a young San Francisco basketball star. When two friends are murdered near her daughter’s private school, she must navigate two high-profile cases involving the secrets of the city’s wealthy and powerful.
Series background & context
The Women's Murder Club books Maxine Paetro wrote with James Patterson begin with 4th of July, the point where her long run on the series starts. The setup is simple and smart. Four women in San Francisco, each with access to a different part of the truth, compare notes over food and friendship and end up solving cases that would overwhelm any one of them alone.
At the center is homicide detective Lindsay Boxer, who carries the badge, the stress, and usually the first wave of danger. Around her are medical examiner Claire Washburn, crime reporter Cindy Thomas, and assistant district attorney Yuki Castellano, who joins the group in 4th of July. Their jobs give the books a built-in rhythm, crime scene, autopsy, headline, courtroom. San Francisco matters, too. Its neighborhoods, courts, hospitals, politics, and waterfront streets shape the way each case unfolds.
The stories are usually driven by one big public investigation, but Paetro's run shows how flexible that formula can be. The 5th Horseman turns suspicious hospital deaths into a race against institutional secrecy. The 6th Target mixes a personal attack on the club with a wave of kidnappings. 7th Heaven brings arson and a high-profile disappearance into the same pressure cooker. Later books widen the lens with returning enemies, corruption, copycat killers, and cases that stretch beyond city limits, from Unlucky 13 to The 23rd Midnight and 25 Alive.
The cases are brutal, but the books never lose sight of the friendships.
That balance is really the series' engine. Lindsay may lead the investigations, but Claire brings calm and hard science, Cindy knows how to chase a story when official channels stall, and Yuki adds legal pressure that can rescue a case or complicate it. Their marriages, pregnancies, betrayals, health scares, and work conflicts keep building in the background, so even when a single novel can be read on its own, the emotional payoff is better in order.
The tone is fast, direct, and very hard to put down. Chapters are short. Clues arrive quickly. One scene might be courtroom drama, the next a forensic detail, the next a late-night conversation between friends trying to hold their lives together. If you want crime fiction that mixes police work with ongoing character lives, this series does that well. And if you start with 4th of July, you can watch Maxine Paetro's whole stretch of the club unfold from the beginning.
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shape MRB and its growth.




































Comments
Did we miss something? Have feedback?
Help us improve this page by sharing your thoughts