James Patterson possesses a seemingly inexhaustible creative vein from which to mine interesting and capable protagonists, as well as memorable criminals of every stripe against whom to pit them. In THE MIDWIFE MURDERS, Patterson and co-author Richard DiLallo present the prickly but effective Lucy Ryuan, who finds herself conducting a solo crusade against an antagonist committing a series of heinous crimes.

Lucy is the titular head of the midwife unit at one of New York’s busiest hospitals. She is understaffed and overworked while constantly at loggerheads with the CEO, who seems to be more concerned with the state of his wardrobe than with the health of his hospital’s patients. Lucy lives with her nine-year-old son, Willie, and their faithful dog, named The Duke for reasons best known only to Willie. Although overwhelmed by her professional and personal life, she continues to swim valiantly against the tide, filled with inexhaustible energy generated by her desire to do right by her patients, most of whom are the city’s downtrodden. She is influenced by her mother, a midwife herself in an underserved area of Appalachia who also deals with familial trials on a daily basis.

"Lucy makes the book worth reading, as she is one of Patterson’s more unusual characters. If you are looking for something just a step or two beyond the typical summer mystery fare, you will not be disappointed here."

The basic plot of THE MIDWIFE MURDERS is simple enough. Lucy’s hospital is experiencing what is virtually an epidemic of infant kidnappings. Lucy is frustrated by the acts themselves, which appear to be occurring at will, despite an increase in security. The NYPD detective assigned to the case works at his own pace and in his own time, which is not fast enough for Lucy by any means. He is willing to listen to her, even if he seems to do so with half an ear and is less than impressed by her efforts to play an adult Nancy Drew (and I say that with the utmost fondness and respect for that fictional sleuth).

However, Lucy is undaunted, even as it appears that she has stumbled into an infant-for-sale operation run by a pair of very connected and dangerous eastern Europeans who have too much on the line to let her stand in their way. Their reach is much longer than it seems to be at first, so that Lucy’s investigative actions and well-honed instincts soon put her and her family in danger. She becomes even more determined to put a stop to the abductions, and her drive to see that justice is done takes her to some unexpected places, where she encounters the biggest and most dangerous surprise of all.

THE MIDWIFE MURDERS is very much a character-driven work. While the protagonist occasionally can be somewhat irritating --- a trait that she herself acknowledges more than once --- she never fails to capture one’s interest. Lucy makes the book worth reading, as she is one of Patterson’s more unusual characters. If you are looking for something just a step or two beyond the typical summer mystery fare, you will not be disappointed here.