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53 pages 1 hour read

James Patterson

1st to Die

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2001

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Book 2, Chapters 26-36Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Book 2: “The Women’s Murder Club”

Book 2, Chapter 26 Summary

Becky Passeneau and Michael DeGeorge have been married for just short of 24 hours. To celebrate, they are headed to a fancy restaurant, “the French Laundry” (98). Tomorrow they will leave on their honeymoon. Outside the hotel, a limo chauffeur approaches them and says he is their driver, compliments of the hotel. Michael hesitates, but Becky is excited, so Michael relents.

Book 2, Chapter 27 Summary

The driver is actually Phillip. Becky and Michael have sex in the back of the car, unaware that Phillip has no intention of taking them to the restaurant. Phillip shoots them.

Book 2, Chapter 28 Summary

Lindsay takes Sweet Martha on a long run Sunday morning. When she returns to her apartment, Chris calls and tells her there is a missing newlywed couple in Napa—Michael and Becky DeGeorge.

Book 2, Chapter 29 Summary

Lindsay and Chris meet with Napa detective Lieutenant Frank Hartwig. The missing couple is not on the grounds of the hotel. The hotel concierge reports getting a call from the restaurant the couple was meant to visit the night before; however, the restaurant claims they never called anyone.

Book 2, Chapter 30 Summary

Lindsay and Chris hypothesize the killer picked the couple up in a limo. Reporter Cindy arrives.

Book 2, Chapter 31 Summary

Cindy knows about the missing couple because of a conversation she had with one of the local cops. Lindsay decides to catch a ride back to San Francisco with Cindy to control the flow of information.

Book 2, Chapter 32 Summary

Cindy followed Lindsay all weekend in hopes of getting a break on the Brandt case. Rather than becoming annoyed, Lindsay is impressed with Cindy’s determination. They discover they have a lot in common, so Lindsay invites Cindy to the dinner with Claire.

Book 2, Chapter 33 Summary

Claire and Cindy hit it off immediately. The three women become fast friends as they share work and personal stories.

Book 2, Chapter 34 Summary

Lindsay catches Claire up on the details about the missing couple in Napa and suggests that the three of them work together to solve the case.

Book 2, Chapter 35 Summary

The following morning, Chris tells Lindsay he’s had no luck finding a stolen limo in the Napa area. Lindsay gets a call from Frank and learns that Napa police found the DeGeorges’ bodies at a local winery.

Book 2, Chapter 36 Summary

Lindsay and Chris go the scene. Lindsay notes that the DeGeorges are missing their wedding rings, connecting the murders to the Brandts. Tire tracks confirm the idea that a limo was used in the crime.

Book 2, Chapters 26-36 Analysis

As foreshadowed in Chapter 23, Phillip claims another set of victims. Changing his modus operandi, Phillip uses a gun to kill the DeGeorges rather than a knife. Readers are unsure whether this is to throw off the cops or get a taste of different murder methods. Either way, the victims’ missing wedding rings allow Lindsay to recognize right away that the killings are connected.

Cindy reveals tenaciousness by following Lindsay the entire weekend to keep on top of the Brandt murder case. Lindsay is so impressed by her actions that she invites her to dinner with Claire. When the three women meet, they forge an instant bond that serves as the basis for the Women’s Murder Club. In fact, it is at this meeting that Lindsay suggests the three of them work together to solve the murders of David and Melanie Brandt. Not only are these three women developing a friendship, but they are also building the foundation for what will become an investigative team that will appear in the rest of the novel series.

Lindsay’s reaction to her anemia diagnosis is complex. Professionally, it doesn’t seem to affect her ambition or plans for the future: She cultivates her friendship with Cindy, suggests forming a detective team with Cindy and Claire, and does her best to efficiently and quickly solve the case. However, Lindsay does use the illness to deflect her growing attraction to Chris, claiming to herself that she does not see the point of looking for romance if she is going to die. This discrepancy might mean that Lindsay’s true reason for resisting Chris is her fear of getting her heart broken just like she did when her marriage ended.

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