The prolific and tireless James Patterson is at it again, and this time he has brought along a few friends for the ride. 23 ½ LIES consists of three stories featuring the Women’s Murder Club and other Patterson characters. Let’s take a look at each one.

“23 ½ Lies”: The title novella is written with Maxine Paetro, who has been involved with most of the Women’s Murder Club thrillers. Here, Lindsay Boxer is faced with the reality of her long-estranged father being brutally executed in what appears to be gangland fashion. Lindsay steps directly into this case and along the way learns things about her late father that she never knew, as well as some deeply hidden family secrets that will blow you away. This story is my favorite of the trio and falls between the 23rd and yet-to-be-released 24th installments in that long-running series.

"23 ½ LIES continues [Patterson's] dominance in the area of highly accessible thrillers that have a wide appeal and allow his co-writers to show off their stuff and/or make a name for themselves in the process."

“Fallen Ranger”: A lesser known but well-written Patterson character is Texas Ranger Rory Yates, who this time is faced with solving an armored car robbery. His investigation becomes extremely personal when it appears that the prime suspect is a rogue ex-Ranger. Having to track down and bring to justice one of his own is no easy feat. Written with Andrew Bourelle (a new-to-me author), this is by far the book’s longest story and includes a satisfying side narrative with Rory’s girlfriend.

“Watch Your Back”: This final story was written with the great Loren D. Estleman, who is a master of crime noir. Dennis Cook is a down-on-his-luck artist who takes on a well-paying assignment that involves spying on the alleged cheating wife of one of his clients. Of course, the task will not be as easy as it sounds, and Dennis quickly will become aware that he may have bitten off more than he can chew. His client is a wealthy businessman who owns a conglomerate of businesses and has money to burn. He also may have an ulterior motive. There are some decent twists in this one, and Estleman’s anticipated crime noir style is very evident from start to finish.

Whether it is a full-length novel or a collection of short stories, anything under the name of James Patterson is worth reading. 23 ½ LIES continues his dominance in the area of highly accessible thrillers that have a wide appeal and allow his co-writers to show off their stuff and/or make a name for themselves in the process.