A brutal madman sprays bullets into a crowd of children leaving a San Francisco church. Miraculously-or was it intentionally?-only one person dies. Then an elderly black woman is hung. Police homicide inspector Lindsay Boxer senses a connection and together with medical examiner Claire, assistant D. A. Jill, and Chronicle reporter Cindy, finds a link that sends a chill through the entire nation. This killer's motives are unspeakable.

A Main Selection of The Literary Guild®, of Book-of-the-Month Club®, of Doubleday Book Club®, and of The Mystery Guild®

Come si può uccidere un'innocente coppia di sposini in luna di miele? Se lo chiede tutta San Francisco e la domanda ricade sulla giovane e determinata ispettrice Lindsay Boxer, cui sono state affidate le indagini. Ma il mistero, già fitto, sembra diventare addirittura impenetrabile quando l'assassino colpisce ancora: la vittima è una neosposa appartenente a una delle famiglie più in vista della città. Lindsay è disperata, ha bisogno di aiuto e lo trova nelle sue amiche: Claire, una bravissima patologa, Cindy, una grintosa giornalista, e Jill, un'avvocatessa di rara integrità.

Alex Cross crede nei fatti concreti, eppure nella catena di delitti irrisolti che da San Francisco si allunga fino al profondo Sud della Louisiana c'è qualcosa di strano e spaventoso. Anche in un detective come lui, che conosce il male in ogni sua manifestazione, s'insinua il dubbio che non tutto sia spiegabile razionalmente. Le macabre circostanze che accompagnano il ritrovamento di giovani coppie lo spingono nei meandri di un universo insondabile (e a volte apparentemente assurdo) dei riti magici, dei frequentatori di club dell'occulto e di perversi giochi di ruolo. È una lotta contro il tempo che, delitto dopo delitto, Cross affronta con la nuova, coraggiosa collega Jamilla.

D.C. Detective Alex Cross has seen a lot of crime scenes. But even he is appalled by the gruesome murders of two joggers in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park - killings that look more like the work of savage beasts than humans. Local police are horrified and even the FBI is baffled. Then, as Cross is called in to take on the case, the carnage takes off, leaving a trail of bodies across America and sweeping him to Savannah, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Los Angeles . . as his nemesis, the merciless criminal known as the Mastermind, stalks him, taunts him, and once again, threatens everything he holds dear...

Jack Mullen is in law school in New York City when the shocking news comes that his brother Peter has drowned in the ocean off East Hampton. Jack knows his brother and knows this couldnt be an accident. Someone must have wanted his brother dead. But the powers that be say otherwise. As Jack tries to uncover details of his brothers last night, he confronts a barricade of lawyers, police, and paid protectors who separate the multibillionaire summer residents from local workers like Peter. And he learns that his brother wasnt just parking cars at the summer parties of the rich. He was making serious money satisfying the sexual needs of the richest women and men in town. THE BEACH HOUSE reveals the secret lives of celebrities in a breathtaking drama of revengewith a finale so shocking it could only have come from the mind of James Patterson.

Katie Wilkinson has finally found the perfect man - but one day he suddenly disappears, leaving behind only a diary written by a new mother named Suzanne for her baby, Nicholas. In it she intimately reveals the romance between herself and the child's father, her hopes for their marriage, and her unparalleled joy in motherhood. As Katie reads on, she realizes that the man she loves is Suzanne's husband. Now, filled with terror and hope, Katie must struggle to understand what has happened - and find out if her new love has a prayer of surviving.

A brutal madman sprays bullets into a crowd of children leaving a San Francisco church. Miraculously-or was it intentionally?-only one person dies. Then an elderly black woman is hung. Police homicide inspector Lindsay Boxer senses a connection and together with medical examiner Claire, assistant D. A. Jill, and Chronicle reporter Cindy, finds a link that sends a chill through the entire nation. This killer's motives are unspeakable.

A Main Selection of The Literary Guild®, of Book-of-the-Month Club®, of Doubleday Book Club®, and of The Mystery Guild®

The sensational killings that have rocked San Francisco appear to be unrelated except in their brutality. But detective Lindsay Boxer senses there's some thread connecting them all. She calls her friends in the Women's Murder Club together to see if they can discover what it is. Surely some clue has been overlooked by their bosses and male colleagues.
Working with Chronicle reporter Cindy Thomas, Assistant District Attorney Jill Bernhardt, and medical examiner Claire Washburn, Lindsay discovers that there is indeed a link. The victims were of different ages, lived in different locations, and were killed with different weapons. But each had a close relative in a particular profession, a profession that sends a chill through Lindsay's heart.
The partners in the Women's Murder Club realize that this killer is after something unspeakable, something deeper than revenge, and that the next target could be one of them. They deduce where the killer is likely to strike next and bait a trap that can't be resisted. But if their calculation is wrong, the consequences will be lethal. And there will be no second chance.

A brutal madman sprays bullets into a crowd of children leaving a San Francisco church. Miraculously-or was it intentionally?-only one person dies. Then an elderly black woman is hung. Police homicide inspector Lindsay Boxer senses a connection and together with medical examiner Claire, assistant D. A. Jill, and Chronicle reporter Cindy, finds a link that sends a chill through the entire nation. This killer's motives are unspeakable.

A Main Selection of The Literary Guild®, of Book-of-the-Month Club®, of Doubleday Book Club®, and of The Mystery Guild®

Four women--four friends--share a determination to stop a killer who has been stalking newlyweds in San Francisco. Each one holds a piece of the puzzle: Lindsay Boxer is a homicide inspector in the San Francisco Police Department, Claire Washburn is a medical examiner, Jill Bernhardt is an assistant D.A., and Cindy Thomas just started working the crime desk of the San Francisco Chronicle. But the usual procedures aren't bringing them any closer to stopping the killings. So these women form a Women's Murder Club to collaborate outside the box and pursue the case by sidestepping their bosses and giving each other a hand. The four women develop intense bonds as they pursue a killer whose crimes have stunned an entire city. Working together, they track down the most terrifying and unexpected killer they have ever encountered--before a shocking conclusion in which everything they knew turns out to be devastatingly wrong. Full of the breathtaking drama and unforgettable emotions for which James Patterson is famous, 1st to Die is the start of a blazingly fast-paced and sensationally entertaining series of crime thrillers.

Per un serial Killer, una delle cose più importanti è dimostrare di essere migliore. Migliore delle sue vittime e soprattutto migliore della polizia che gli dà la caccia. A questo riguardo, il Mastermind non ha dubbi: lui è il migliore, perché non deve neppure compiere i delitti; gli basta manipolare psicologicamente gli uomini e le donne che ricevono da lui prima l'incarico di rapinare banche e poi di uccidere barbaramente sia gli ostaggi sia i loro cari. L'FBI si rivolge all'unica persona in grado di fermare l'orribile disegno criminale di Mastermind: il poliziotto-psichiatra Alex Cross. Ma non sa che Cross sta vivendo un momento difficile come non mai: tormentato da dolorosi problemi familiari, medita addirittura di abbandonare il lavoro.

Katie Wilkinson ha trovato l'uomo ideale ma un giorno, senza spiegazione, lui sparisce dalla sua vita e le lascia un diario da leggere. È il diario di una giovane mamma scritto per il suo bambino, in cui Suzanne racconta la storia d'amore tra lei e il padre del bimbo e l'immensa gioia che la maternità le ha procurato. Nel leggere questo commovente resoconto Katie si rende conto che il padre del bambino e l'uomo che l'ha lasciata sono la stessa persona e che il suo amato Matt ha quindi una moglie e un figlio. Ma il resto del diario la mette di fronte a qualcosa d'altro, qualcosa che la spaventa e la fa sperare allo stesso tempo.

Detective Alex Cross must confront his most terrifying nemesis ever-and his own deepest fears-in this electrifying new thriller from the master of suspense, James Patterson.

Alex Cross has never believed in vampires. But when two joggers are found slain in a manner that suggests a macabre ritual, he has to reconsider. Someone believes in vampires enough to have committed a series of bizarre murders that appear to be the work of one. Local police are horrified, and even the FBI is baffled.

Cross takes on the case and plunges into a netherworld of secret clubs and role-players, a world full of poseurs and playactors-and someone demented enough to have crossed the line from dark ritual to real blood. At the same time, a lethal super-criminal from Cross's past known as the Mastermind is stalking him, taunting him, and threatening everything he holds dear. Cross has never been closer to defeat, or in greater danger. In a shocking conclusion, Alex Cross must survive a deadly confrontation-only to discover at last the awful secret of the Mastermind.

In this heart-pounding new thriller, Detective Alex Cross pursues the most brilliant killer he's ever confronted, a mysterious criminal who calls himself the Mastermind. In a series of crimes that has stunned Washington, D.C., bank robbers have been killing bank employees and their families if the robbers' instructions are not followed to the letter. Alex Cross knows this is no ordinary criminal-the pathological need for control and perfection is too great. Cross is in the midst of a crisis at home-but the case becomes all-consuming as he learns that the Mastermind is plotting one huge, last, perfect crime...

Facing a particularly vicious killer in his latest investigation, Alex Cross finds his family targeted by the vengeful Mastermind, a situation complicated by tension in his relationship with his girlfriend and his daughter's unexplained seizures.

Four women-four friends-share a determination to stop a killer who has been stalking newlyweds in San Francisco. Each one holds a piece of the puzzle: Lindsay Boxer is a homicide inspector in the San Francisco Police Department, Claire Washburn is a medical examiner, Jill Bernhardt is an assistant D.A., and Cindy Thomas just started working the crime desk of the San Francisco Chronicle.

But the usual procedures aren't bringing them any closer to stopping the killings. So these women form a Women's Murder Club to collaborate outside the box and pursue the case by sidestepping their bosses and giving one another a hand.

The four women develop intense bonds as they pursue a killer whose crimes have stunned an entire city. Working together, they track down the most terrifying and unexpected killer they have ever encountered-before a shocking conclusion in which everything they knew turns out to be devastatingly wrong.

Alex Cross's latest investigation into a series of vicious murders turns deadly as his prime suspect, a British diplomat named Geoffrey Shaffer, makes Cross and his fiancee the target of a deadly cabal of killers masterminded by Shaffer.

In Boston, a young woman finds herself pregnant--even though she is still a virgin.

In Ireland, another young woman discovers she is in the same impossible condition.

And in cities all around the world, medical authorities are overwhelmed by epidemics, droughts, famines, floods, and worse. It all feels like a sign that something awful is coming.

Anne Fitzgerald, a former nun turned private investigator, is hired by the Archdiocese of Boston to investigate the immaculate conceptions. Even as she comes to care about and trust the young women, she realizes that both are in great danger. Terrifying forces of light and darkness are gathering. Stepping into uncharted territory where the unknown is just the beginning, Anne must discover the truth--to save the young women, to save herself, and to protect the future of all mankind.

Il «Club di mezzanotte»: una misteriosa organizzazione criminale di individui senza volto e senza scrupoli, gente che ha soldi e potere a sufficienza per arrivare dove vuole, quando vuole; finanzieri, imprenditori, politici e militari. John Stefanovitch lo sa bene, il tenente della polizia di New York, infatti, ha pagato un prezzo altissimo nel tentativo di fermare uno dei più pericolosi membri dell'organizzazione, lo spietato Alexandre St. Germain, il «Danzatore della morte». Ora John non ha più nulla da perdere e attende soltanto l'occasione per vendicarsi. E quando incontra Sarah McGinnis, una brillante giornalista che da anni indaga sul Club, capisce che il momento è giusto: il momento di andare sino in fondo...

Alex Cross è alle prese con uno spietato serial killer: Geoffrey Shafer. Egli, addetto all'ambasciata inglese di Washington ed ex agente dei servizi segreti, conduce una vita apparentemente esemplare, ma, in realtà, è divorato da un'unica 'passione': uccidere giovani prostitute di colore. I suoi delitti, però, non sono casuali, ma seguono uno schema ben preciso dettato nel corso di un esclusivo gioco virtuale denominato 'I Quattro Cavalieri', al quale partecipano, appunto, quattro spietati 'messaggeri dell'Apocalisse'. Proprio quando sta per cadere nella trappola tesagli dall'investigatore, Shafer alza la posta in gioco e rapisce Christine, la compagna di Alex Cross.

Alex Cross è un detective e uno psicologo criminale. E' nero. Ama il suo lavoro e i bambini. Vive a Washington. Jazzie Flanagan è la prima donna a ricoprire la carica di supervisore dei Servizi Segreti. E' bella, distante, misteriosa. Gary Soneji insegna matematica in una scuola esclusiva della capitale. Quando senza motivo apparente, rapisce sotto il naso di due agenti dell'FBI Maggie Rose, la figlia di una famosa stella del cinema, e Michael Goldberg, il figlio del Ministro del Tesoro, molti si stupiscono della sua abilità. Lui no. L'ha già fatto. L'ha già fatto molte volte. Solo Alex e Jezzie hanno gli strumenti per capire qual'è lo scopo che muove Soneji.

Detective Alex Cross is back-and he's in love. But his happiness is threatened by a series of chilling murders in Washington, D.C., murders with a pattern so twisted they leave investigators reeling. Cross's pursuit of the killer produces a suspect, a British diplomat named Geoffrey Shafer. But proving he's the murderer becomes a potentially deadly task. As Shafer engages in a brilliant series of surprising countermoves, Alex and his fiancee become hopelessly entangled with the most memorable nemesis Cross has ever faced.

This new edition of Patterson's widely used book carries the story of battles over poverty and social welfare through what the author calls the 'amazing 1990s,' those years of extraordinary performance of the economy. He explores a range of issues arising from the economic phenomenon--increasing inequality and demands for use of an improved poverty definition. He focuses the story on the impact of the highly controversial welfare reform of 1996, passed by a Republican Congress and signed by a Democratic President Clinton, despite the laments of anguished liberals.