If you’ve started looking into the Women’s Murder Club series and ended up more confused than when you started, that’s fair. There are 25 books and counting, and James Patterson isn’t exactly slowing down.
The good news: this is one of those series where publication order and reading order are the same thing. No spin-offs to chase, no parallel timelines. You just start at book one and go.
TL;DR: The Women’s Murder Club series by James Patterson currently has 25 books, starting with 1st to Die (2001). Read them in publication order. Start at the beginning — character relationships and ongoing storylines carry through the whole series.
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Meet the Club
Before the list, here’s who you’re actually following. This is an ensemble series, which means four main characters, not one.
Lindsay Boxer is a homicide detective with the San Francisco Police Department. She’s the one who ends up at the centre of most of the cases, and the one whose personal life gets the most complicated over 25 books.
Claire Washburn is the Chief Medical Examiner for San Francisco. She’s been there from the start and is probably the emotional anchor of the group.
Cindy Thomas is a crime reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. She brings the journalist angle — and occasionally gets herself into situations she probably shouldn’t.
Yuki Castellano is a district attorney who joins the group starting in book four. By the later books she’s as central as anyone.
They’re friends first, investigators second. That dynamic is what keeps people reading past book ten.
Women’s Murder Club Books in Order
- 1st to Die (2001)
- 2nd Chance (2002)
- 3rd Degree (2004)
- 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)
- 16th Seduction (2017)
- The 17th Suspect (2018)
- The 18th Abduction (2019)
- The 19th Christmas (2019)
- The 20th Victim (2020)
- The 21st Birthday (2021)
- 22 Seconds (2022)
- 23rd Midnight (2023)
- The 24th Hour (2024)
- 25 Alive (2025)
26 Beauties is expected in 2026.
A note on authorship: Patterson wrote the first book on his own, co-wrote books 2 and 3 with Andrew Gross, and has worked with Maxine Paetro from book 4 onward. The voice stays consistent enough that it doesn’t matter much, but it’s worth knowing if you’re the type who notices these things.
Do You Need to Read Them in Order?
Yes. This isn’t a series where you can drop in at book 14 and be fine.
Character relationships evolve significantly — marriages, deaths, career changes, grudges that span multiple books. If you skip ahead, you won’t be completely lost, but you’ll be missing the context that makes the payoff land.
Where Should You Start?
Start with 1st to Die. It introduces the core group, sets up the tone, and does what a first book should do: makes you want the next one.
If you’re already a Patterson reader coming from the Alex Cross or Michael Connelly universe, the pacing here will feel familiar. Short chapters, fast movement, cases that don’t let up. The difference is the ensemble — you’re following four people, not one, which gives the series a different texture.
FAQ
How many Women’s Murder Club books are there? 25 published as of 2025, with 26 Beauties expected in 2026.
Who is the main character in the Women’s Murder Club series? Lindsay Boxer is the central figure, but the series follows four women: Lindsay (homicide detective), Claire Washburn (medical examiner), Cindy Thomas (crime reporter), and Yuki Castellano (district attorney, joins in book 4).
Do the Women’s Murder Club books need to be read in order? Yes. Character storylines and relationships carry through the full series.
Who writes the Women’s Murder Club books? James Patterson wrote book 1 alone and books 2–3 with Andrew Gross. From book 4 onward, the series has been co-written with Maxine Paetro.
Was there a Women’s Murder Club TV show? Yes. It aired on ABC from 2007 to 2008, starring Angie Harmon as Lindsay Boxer. It ran one season.
If you got this far, you’re probably already thinking about what to read next. You can find more reading lists and series guides on the books, TV and media page.
