詹姆斯·帕特森（1947－），現居佛羅裏達州，被譽為美國驚悚推理小說天王，他的作品屢屢創下美國書市排行榜銷售紀錄。隻要新作問世，即能登上《紐約時報》暢銷書排行榜第一名。

美國《齣版人周報》曾評價：“帕特森的小說就像迅速運轉的娛樂機器，是休閑讀物中的保時捷，如雷鳴般爆發，如閃電般迅捷。最簡潔的描寫，最流動的語句，最精悍的章節，這一切都促成瞭最佳的駕禦效果，他的風格和他的‘座駕’始終匹配得天衣無縫。”

在過去十年間，詹姆斯·帕特森創作瞭兩個新偵探小說係列：“亞曆剋斯·剋勞斯”係列（Alex Cross），包括《紐約時報》暢銷書排行榜第一名的《倫敦橋》、《一隻大壞狼》、《四隻瞎眼鼠》、《瑪麗，瑪麗》；“女子謀殺案俱樂部”係列（The Women’s Murder Club），包括同樣高居暢銷書排行榜首位的《1號死亡》、《2次機會》、《3度奪魂》、《7月4日》、《第5個騎手》，這個係列最新齣版的《第5個騎手》打破瞭銷售記錄。作者同時也發錶瞭多部熱銷愛情小說，包括《蘇珊娜給尼古拉斯的日記》《山姆寫給詹尼弗的信》。其作品纍計銷售超過8000萬冊。

Detective Lindsay Boxer and the Women's Murder Club make a courageous return for their fourth and most chilling case ever-one that could easily be their last. In a late-night showdown after a near-fatal car chase, San Francisco police lieutenant Lindsay Boxer has to make an instantaneous decision: in self-defense, she fires her weapon-and sets off a chain of events that leaves a police force disgraced, an entire city divided, and a family destroyed. Now everything she's worked her entire life for hinges on the decision of twelve jurors. To escape scrutiny during breaks from her trial, Lindsay retreats to the picturesque town of Half Moon Bay. But soon after her arrival, a string of grisly murders punches through the peaceful community. There are no witnesses and there is no discernible pattern. But a key detail recalls a case Lindsay worked on as a rookie years before-an unsolved murder that has haunted her ever since. As summer comes into full swing, Lindsay and her friends in the Women's Murder Club battle for her life on two fronts: before a judge and jury as her trial comes to a climax, and facing unknown adversaries who will do anything to keep her from the truth about the killings-including killing again. James Patterson fine-tunes the tension as never before in this breathtaking addition to the best-selling detective series to debut in a decade.