I didn't think I could sleep until he was dead

6. 9th Judgment by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

The Women's Murder Club has two new cases. In the first, a high-end cat burglar seemingly breaks pattern and kills a woman. In the second, a man is on a spree, killing mothers and their small children in very public places while leaving cryptic messages for police written with his victims' lipstick.

James Patterson is not one to write grand exposes on the human mind and the many ways it can break. His "plot twists" can be interesting if somewhat predictable, but every once in a while they can take you by surprise. In other words, Mr. Patterson's novels are not deep reads. They're mind candy, a quick bite to give you a little boost. When I spend literally hours reading peer-reviewed journal articles, editing textbooks, and staring at fish heads and fins, sometimes I don't want something else to make me think. Sometimes I do, but sometimes I don't. I want something I can relax into that will entertain me with quippy one-liners and that presents a case and solves it quickly. It's why I watch "Castle", and it's why I read Mr. Patterson's Women's Murder Club series. A quick bit of entertainment to rest my brain.