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Cover of 1st to Die by James Patterson1st to Die
Modern · Fiction, Thriller, Mystery

1st to Die

by James Patterson
2001 · 432 pages · Fiction
Lifetime bestseller
≈ 11 hours to read · about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Lindsay Boxer is a homicide inspector in San Francisco, and someone is murdering newly married couples on their wedding nights. Frustrated by her department, she forms a secret team with three friends, a medical examiner, a newspaper reporter and an assistant district attorney, to catch the killer. And she's privately facing a frightening diagnosis.

Why it's worth reading

It was a #1 New York Times bestseller and began the Women's Murder Club series. It's fast, short-chaptered and hard to put down.

You'll love it if you liked

Good to know

It's violent, with graphic murders. It's the first of a very long series, written with Andrew Gross.

By the numbers

72.5Must-Read Score
  • Readers65 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Bestseller55 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

Bestseller
#1 New York Times bestseller (2 weeks at #1)

Reads as

Gripping

How we rank

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Explore the best-of lists

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Quick answers

Is 1st to Die worth reading?

Yes. It was a #1 New York Times bestseller and began the Women's Murder Club series. It ranks #1,043 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 72.5 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is 1st to Die about?

Lindsay Boxer is a homicide inspector in San Francisco, and someone is murdering newly married couples on their wedding nights. Frustrated by her department, she forms a secret team with three friends, a medical examiner, a newspaper reporter and an assistant district attorney, to catch the killer. And she's privately facing a frightening diagnosis.

How long does it take to read 1st to Die?

About 11 hours (432 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after 1st to Die?

If you liked it, try The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden, Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow or Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe.