Gabriel Allon
thriller
Series · thriller
Women's Murder Club
The Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson has 26 known books (26 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with 1st to Die (2001). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is 26 Beauties. The next announced book, 27 Stars, is due 19 April 2027.
- Books
- 26 known books (26 novels)
- Published
- 26
- First published
- 2001
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Thriller
- Last checked
Start here: 1st to Die (2001) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
1st to Die
1st to Die is the opening novel of James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series, published in March 2001 at 424 pages. It's the series' starting point, followed by 2nd Chance in a series that runs to 26 books.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 1st to Die - Book 2:
2nd Chance
2nd Chance is the second book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Andrew Gross, published in March 2002 at 390 pages. It follows 1st to Die and precedes 3rd Degree in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 2nd Chance - Book 3:
3rd Degree
3rd Degree is the third book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Andrew Gross, published in March 2004 at 349 pages. It follows 2nd Chance and precedes 4th of July in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 3rd Degree - Book 4:
4th of July
4th of July is the fourth book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in May 2005 at 400 pages. It follows 3rd Degree and precedes The 5th Horseman in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 4th of July - Book 5:
The 5th Horseman
The 5th Horseman is the fifth book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in February 2006 at 410 pages. It follows 4th of July and precedes The 6th Target in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The 5th Horseman - Book 6:
The 6th Target
The 6th Target is the sixth book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in May 2007 at 390 pages. It follows The 5th Horseman and precedes 7th Heaven in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The 6th Target - Book 7:
7th Heaven
7th Heaven is the seventh book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in February 2008 at 381 pages. It follows The 6th Target and precedes The 8th Confession in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 7th Heaven - Book 8:
The 8th Confession
The 8th Confession is the eighth book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in April 2009 at 366 pages. It follows 7th Heaven and precedes The 9th Judgment in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The 8th Confession - Book 9:
The 9th Judgment
The 9th Judgment is the ninth book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in April 2010 at 368 pages. It follows The 8th Confession and precedes 10th Anniversary in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The 9th Judgment - Book 10:
10th Anniversary
10th Anniversary is the tenth book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in May 2011 at 416 pages. It follows The 9th Judgment and precedes 11th Hour in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 10th Anniversary - Book 11:
11th Hour
11th Hour is the eleventh book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in May 2012 at 416 pages. It follows 10th Anniversary and precedes 12th of Never in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 11th Hour - Book 12:
12th of Never
12th of Never is the twelfth book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in April 2013 at 397 pages. It follows 11th Hour and precedes Unlucky 13 in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 12th of Never - Book 13:
Unlucky 13
Unlucky 13 is the thirteenth book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in May 2014 at 416 pages. It follows 12th of Never and precedes 14th Deadly Sin in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Unlucky 13 - Book 14:
14th Deadly Sin
14th Deadly Sin is the fourteenth book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in May 2015 at 367 pages. It follows Unlucky 13 and precedes 15th Affair in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 14th Deadly Sin - Book 15:
15th Affair
15th Affair is the fifteenth book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in May 2016 at 400 pages. It follows 14th Deadly Sin and precedes 16th Seduction in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 15th Affair - Book 16:
16th Seduction
16th Seduction is the sixteenth book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in May 2017 at 384 pages. It follows 15th Affair and precedes The 17th Suspect in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 16th Seduction - Book 17:
The 17th Suspect
The 17th Suspect is the seventeenth book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in April 2018 at 384 pages. It follows 16th Seduction and precedes The 18th Abduction in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The 17th Suspect - Book 18:
The 18th Abduction
The 18th Abduction is the eighteenth book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in April 2019 at 416 pages. It follows The 17th Suspect and precedes The 19th Christmas in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The 18th Abduction - Book 19:
The 19th Christmas
The 19th Christmas is the nineteenth book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in October 2019 at 400 pages. It follows The 18th Abduction and precedes The 20th Victim in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The 19th Christmas - Book 20:
The 20th Victim
The 20th Victim is the twentieth book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in March 2020 at 432 pages. It follows The 19th Christmas and precedes 21st Birthday in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The 20th Victim - Book 21:
21st Birthday
21st Birthday is the 21st book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in May 2021 at 416 pages. It follows The 20th Victim and precedes 22 Seconds in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 21st Birthday - Book 22:
22 Seconds
22 Seconds is the 22nd book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in May 2022 at 400 pages. It follows 21st Birthday and precedes 23rd Midnight in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 22 Seconds - Book 23:
23rd Midnight
23rd Midnight is the 23rd book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in May 2023. It follows 22 Seconds and precedes The 24th Hour in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 23rd Midnight - Book 24:
The 24th Hour
The 24th Hour is the 24th book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in May 2024. It follows 23rd Midnight and precedes 25 Alive in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The 24th Hour - Book 25:
25 Alive
25 Alive is the 25th book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in May 2025 at 368 pages. It follows The 24th Hour and precedes 26 Beauties in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 25 Alive - Book 26:
26 Beauties
26 Beauties is the 26th and most recent book in the Women's Murder Club series, co-written by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, published in April 2026 at 432 pages. It follows 25 Alive in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 26 Beauties
About the Women's Murder Club series
The Women's Murder Club begins with a simple idea: four friends in San Francisco, each with a different angle on murder, pooling what they know over margaritas and takeout. Lindsay Boxer is the SFPD homicide detective (eventually sergeant) at the center of the series; Claire Washburn is the city's medical examiner; Cindy Thomas is a crime reporter at the Chronicle who has an inconvenient habit of arriving at scenes first; and Yuki Castellano, who joins the club early on, prosecutes the cases the others build. Off the record and often against the rules, they compare notes and crack the cases that official channels can't.
James Patterson launched the series solo with 1st to Die in 2001 and has co-written it with Maxine Paetro since 2005's 4th of July, settling into a reliable spring-release rhythm. The numbered titles make the reading order self-explanatory, and inside each one you get the trademark Patterson machinery — short chapters, multiple killers and subplots running at once, courtroom fireworks courtesy of Yuki — braided with the slower-burning story of the women's lives: Lindsay's romance with (and marriage to) Joe Molinari, motherhood, career blowups, and losses the series does not always undo. It is one of the best-selling detective series of the century, past 26 entries and still counting, and it inspired both a 2007 ABC television series and a long-running hidden-object game franchise.
Frequently asked questions
How many Women's Murder Club books are there?
There are 26 numbered novels as of 26 Beauties (2026), plus a couple of optional BookShots novellas. Book 27 has not yet been announced.
What order should I read the Women's Murder Club books in?
In numerical order — the number in each title is its place in the series, starting with 1st to Die (2001). Publication order and story order are identical.
Do the Women's Murder Club books stand alone?
The murder cases do, but the characters' personal lives carry over heavily from book to book, so reading in order is more rewarding than with most Patterson series.
Who writes the Women's Murder Club series?
James Patterson wrote 1st to Die alone, co-wrote books 2-3 with Andrew Gross, and has co-written every book since with Maxine Paetro.
Who are the four members of the Women's Murder Club?
Detective Lindsay Boxer, medical examiner Claire Washburn, reporter Cindy Thomas, and prosecutor Yuki Castellano.
If you like the Women's Murder Club series
Reading order last verified .