26 Beauties, James Patterson, author, January LaVoy, narrator
Sex trafficking may be behind a sudden spate of missing girl reports. Most are presumed to be runaways, so the problem is on the back burner in the police department. At a party, Cindy Thomas, a journalist/author is approached by Eric Snaff. He wants her to help him find his missing daughter. She tells Lindsay Boxer, a homicide detective, about the missing Nicole Snaff and her father’s desperate search for her. Lindsay finds out that the FBI thinks that very father might be the best possible suspect in his own daughter’s disappearance. Although he has told Cindy the names of people he suspects and seems genuinely concerned, Lindsay and Cindy now have to consider that he might be responsible for Nicole’s disappearance or even might be the person running a human trafficking ring that is luring unsuspecting women into their lair. Yuki Castellano is very much involved in a trial, right now, but she manages to get in touch with a source to find out if there anything strange happening to the girls hanging around the Tenderloin. He gives her information that makes the women believe there might be an undiscovered trafficking ring operating. When the bodies of a couple of beautiful women are sent to Claire Washburn, the Medical Examiner, all four of the members of the Murder Club are suddenly involved in the same investigation. They all believe that there might be a gang preying on young, unsuspecting women, leading them into a lucrative, but dangerous life. Lindsay learns the sex trafficking rings are international. She calls Interpol. Alain Creasy volunteers to help her in her investigation.
The book has many action-packed scenes, Yuki’s courtroom, Lindsay and Alain in the Tenderloin, etc., but it feels more like chick lit more than the exciting mysteries of yore that Patterson used to write. It illustrates the vulnerability of young, beautiful and naive women searching for fame and fortune. It points a finger at unscrupulous men and women who are paid to lure them into a life of escort/prostitution. It details the difficult and dangerous life of police work, not only here, but abroad. It reinforces the need for good investigative reporters to help solve mysteries that seem insoluble. It shines a light on the dangers of the drug scene. It highlights the four friends in the Murder Club and their effort to make the world a better place.