Kill or be Killed

by James Patterson

Four gripping thrillers – one killer collection!The TrialAn accused murderer is on trial. But after he threatens to unleash violence on everyone involved in the case, the whole city is paralysed, and Detective Lindsay Boxer and the Women’s Murder Club are caught in the eye of the storm.HeistA band of thieves is about to pull off the perfect diamond heist – until a rival crew arrives at the exact same time.The Women’s WarFormer Marine Corps colonel Amanda Collins and her lethal team of women warriors have vowed to avenge her family's murder. And they have nothing left to lose...Little Black DressCan a little black dress change everything? What begins as one woman's fantasy is about to go too far.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Short Stories, Adult Fiction

356 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2016

About the author

Official US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Reviews

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of four BookShots (novellas).

The Trial ★★★
Lindsey Boxer and her partner arrest Kingfisher. As his trial approaches, he makes death threats against everyone involved with his case - police, lawyers, and jurors. When people start dying, it makes for a thrilling trial of an incredible violent and ruthless man.

A novella that falls between books 15 and 16 in the Women's Murder Club series. This short book centers around the action of a notorious crime lord's trial. He will do anything to stay out of police custody, and that means threatening some of our favorite characters.

A quick and easy read. Good for fans of this series. This wasn't one of my favorite BookShots, nor a favorite of this series, but it was entertaining.

Heist ★★★★
A diamond heist gone wrong.

A fast-paced, entertaining, and wild read. This novella is easily read in one sitting.

The Women's War ★★★★
Amanda is a former Marine colonel out to avenge her family's death. A wanted drug lord killed her husband and children, now Amanda and her friends take him on.

Badass women ready to rumble. Short book. Fast read.

Little Black Dress ★★★
A romance novella from James Patterson. It's a quick, entertaining read, but it's different than most of Patterson's books. This one isn't a mystery or thriller, so not for all fans of Patterson's work.

[Melenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of novellas written by James Patterson and 4 co-authors contains totally unrelated stories with lots of action in each one. The Trial takes place after the last full length novel of the Women's Murder Club. Kingfisher who attempted to kill Boxer and her family is not dead after all. He's caught after a shootout and brought to trial.

Heist tells the story of a diamond robbery where two groups of robbers attempt the theft at the same time and the ensuing escape. The last page has a very interesting twist.

The Women's War reveals how a former Marine Colonel exacts revenge on the drug kingpin who kills her family. And The Little Black Dress tells the story of a woman divorced for over a year who buys a cute black dress and her life gets much more interesting.

I couldn't tell from the storyline or the writing style that James Patterson co-wrote 3 out of the 4 stories. Of course, the Women's Murder Club books has all the same characters as the regular novels and it was obviously Patterson's plot. The Little Black Dress was basically an erotic fantasy, totally unlike any of the books I've ever read that he has written. I much prefer full length novels for the story development as well as the character development but these stories did move along at a fast pace.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kill or Be Killed

All four stories in this book were enjoyable. Of course this goes without saying that most of the time some of them are a little bit farfetched but they are still enjoyable. I haven't been that disappointed so far so I'll keep reading them.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here's some unsolicited advice, James Patterson. Don't attach your your name to every book just so you can be the author with the most "written" books.

This book was (didn't realize until I started reading) a collection of "bookshots" which are according to the book jacktet, "novels you can devour in a few hours ..impossible to stop reading..all original content from James Patterson" (but written by/with different authors).

I started one of the short stories and it was not interesting to me (The Heist) so gave it up. I thought I would try another (Little Black Dress) to which I couldn't finish either. A lady gets divorced, buys a little black dress and wants to sleep around with every person she meets. Sorry but these bookshots were a bust.

[John (Just bought an Oculus 2 VR, so less time to read these days!) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this is one of those collection of bookshots by James Patterson. The first 3 were great, but the forth was a romance novel. So, with that in mind, I am giving it a low rating since the cover name for this collection was "Kill or Be Killed"!

[Kesley Rowe · Rating 1 out of 5]

the second book was the only one i liked😭im sure i could’ve gone on to the fourth but i was just so uninterested and decided not to. i think this is a good enough spot to stop anyways.

there’s this weird writing thing they do where it’s always some boss babe girl boss baddie white woman in her 30s, always single or in a complicated relationship, fighting mexican cartel boss men?? after some point the girl boss character gets boring, especially when you keep doing it😭and ESPECIALLY when the character is kinda insufferable. the first one was okay like idk how she’s the only woman at work but meh. the second time however? she is an annoying not like other girls ass character and i will not be putting myself through that😁props to everyone who finished, but i couldn’t.

i’ve never dnf’d before so ig that means the book was really bad?? considering that one book i read that i should’ve dnf’d LMAOO

[Shirley Bauman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abrupt ending. Wanted more.

[Chainsaw · Rating 1 out of 5]

NOTE: This review is based only on the first of the four contained novellas ("The Trial"), as I decided the 112 pages' worth of my time was already far too much investment into this collection.
The story was not fast-paced, thrilling, suspenseful, or mysterious. It was my impression that the author "mailed in" a dime-store cop story that proved uninteresting at best.
Bottom line: Don't waste your time.

[Sandra Jackson - Alawine · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest I have only read 3/4 of the book as I have Little Black Dress and will read it at a later date as the library book needs to be returned and I had a ton of library books come in at once.

The Trial was OK
Heist was Great
The Women's War stank

I do like the fact that he combined the bookshots in a hardback book as my library will not get the bookshots in and when he writes bookshots like The Trial that go with a series I follow I feel like I missed something if I don't read them.

[Wayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Not bad. Not good. Just meh.

I'm starting to find that James Patterson's bookshots (short novellas meant to be read in one sitting) are very hit or miss. Some have been ok. Others have been dreadful. I think I'm done with bookshots for a while.

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book of bundled BOOKSHOTS, all with the underlying theme of the title. I have already read and reviewed three, so this review will be of just the first one “The Trial”, co-authored with Maxine Paetro a long-time collaborator of Patterson's including books in the Woman’s Murder Club, the focus of this story. I like the idea of bundled BOOKSHOTS but run into a problem when I have read some in a volume as small paperbacks and can’t put my hands on the others unless I get a hardback edition. The small paperbacks provide a handy, easily, portable format, ready to take wherever you plan to go, while a hardback edition is usually heavy and bulky. This time there was just one story I wanted but had to get the hardback edition to read it.

For those who have read The Murder Club series with its group of four girlfriends who gather regularly to support one another and have fun, this is a fine BOOKSHOT which avoids the tricky problem of producing a story which makes sense to those who have not read the series or have only completed some of the books. The group is made up of Yuki Castellano a pro bono defense attorney, Cindy Thomas a crime reporter, Claire Washburn a medical examiner and Lindsay Boxer a homicide detective.

This story focuses on Lindsay and her past experience with the head of a Mexican drug cartel. Nicknamed “The Kingfisher”, he was part of a crime she investigated in the past involving five former San Francisco cops who took down a number of drug houses for their own gain. One in particular yielded over five million dollars in cash and drugs, but it all belonged to the Kingfisher and he was determined to get it back and deliver his revenge for their impunity. The Kingfisher was known for his violence and brutality, a man who enjoyed settling his scores personally. He targeted Lindsay, the homicide inspector on the case, demanding she recover and return his property. After many threatening phone calls, the harassment abruptly stopped and the Mexican federal police called to say that the Kingfisher’s body had turned up dead in a shallow grave in Baja.

But the Kingfisher suddenly reappeared in a San Francisco club called the Vault and was recognized by a kitchen worker who called 911. During that call shots rang out as Kingfisher gunned down two young women at close range sitting at the bar. The Kingfisher and the two thugs who accompanied him fled the scene just as the police arrived. There was a gunfight as the trio tried to make their escape during which the two thugs went down and the police nabbed The Kingfisher. The news they had received from the Mexican police about Kingfisher’s death was obviously a lie, he was still alive and well but now in the hands of the authorities.

The San Francisco division prepares to go to trial. Jackson Brady their lieutenant, Barry Schein the assistant district attorney and Warren Jacobi chief of police work to pull together a case for the grand jury, knowing they must move quickly to avoid having the FBI take over the case. If they can indict, they can skip an arraignment and go directly to trial. Meanwhile the Kingfisher is busy marshalling his forces, determined at all costs to avoid a trial. He threatens “bad things” will happen and people will die unless the case is dismissed and true to his word he delivers. People are shot, there is a widespread power outage, gunfights in the streets and explosions, all serving to delay the trial on three separate occasions.

Meanwhile with the possibility the Kingfisher may go down, two major drug cartels use the opportunity to fight for control of the drug trade, adding more fuel to the fire.

I was invested in the story until about halfway through when the resolution was clearly announced, just dropped into the narrative with red flags waving, destroying the resolution for me. Although it signaled a perfect act of retribution, it came too easily and too early. When reading a crime thriller, readers always try to guess the culprit, but when they do it easily and early in the story, it destroys the reading experience. Still, I enjoy the Women’s Murder Club and this BOOKSHOT did one thing, it turned me back to that series which I was part way through, but had never finished. It is one of Patterson’s better series and I plan to continue with it.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well what can I say about Mr Patterson? He's undoubtedly a very talented author but I stopped being a real fan a long time ago. I'll occasionally pick one of his books up and my wife has been given a few so I thought I'd give this a quick read whilst I decided on my next 'proper book' from my TRL.
The first two short stories were okay, the third passable with some utterly ridiculous bits (a platoon of hardened soldiers chasing a drug cartel kingpin that's murdered children and women galore get side tracked by his men killing horses as a distraction and they fall for it - really?)
And the last was utter rubbish and like other readers have said, why is it in a book of short stories called Kill or Be Killed? Perhaps the dress was killer? Weird story to put in.

Can't say I'll be rushing to read anymore of his stuff any time soon. Patterson seems to have become like a massive action movie star now stuck in straight to DVD fare. Letting others do all the work for him whilst he puts his name on the front cover and makes a fortune. No doubt he still occasionally comes up trumps but there's too much of a gimmick to his books now.

I'll still probably try the odd one because there's no doubt when he's good he's great but I've got other things to read and I'm sure Mr Patterson has plenty of fans that will read any and all of his dozen annual releases. Just not me.

[Bob]

This a book with 4 stories by Patterson and assorted authors. The first is a Women's Murder Club tale "The Trial" followed by "The Heist" set in England about a robbery by a trio of friends that is interrupted by a pair of heavies on motorcycles who try to rob them but are fought off and what follows. Next is "The Women's War about an x Marine and her friends and old comrades as the carry on a war with a major and nasty Mexican drug lord. And finally "The little Black Dress" which departs from the tone of the first three and becomes a leans more to the PG or X as it tells the tale of a recently divorced editor of a Manhattan Magazine who having purchased a Little Black Dress suddenly finds herself searching for one night stands with strangers.
Good reads all but you may want to skip the last one because of the subject matter.

[Raoul Jerome · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a new thing for me in that it was a series of 4 stories (BookShots). The first three I liked to different extents--the fourth not so much. They were all fast reads..page turners which I like about bookshots. The first, The Trial, was well done and fun to revisit the "Women's Murder Club" Hadn't read one of those in a long time. The 2nd, Heist, dealt with a diamond heist, but we weren't sure who was at the root of it until close to the end... well done. The 3rd, The Women's War, dealt with a retired set of woman marines under the command of one Alpha female all of whom were dealing with a really bad guy drug dealer/cartel from Mexico. They eventually emerged victorious--I think... The 4th, Little Black Dress.... I'd have to say "What's the Point? The only thing I got out of this was a sexy female whose whole objective seemed to be "How can I achieve the epitome of promiscuity?"-- Again, I say "What's the point?" No bad guys put away, no problems solved, no wrongs put right--just a bunch of sex for no apparent reason...????

[Karen Copeland · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a compilation of four short books, each meant to be read in one sitting if so desired. The first two stories, one a women's murder club, were not bad. The third was so ridiculous that I did not get past a few pages. It was about an all female team of commandos who parachute into a country to take down the leader of a drug cartel. The dialogue was way too slick to be believed, as was the plot. The final book was about a divorced woman on a sexual spree, helped along by her little black dress. There was no real mystery involved and certainly no "Kill or be Killed" aspect. I wondered why it was included in the book.

[Robin Harwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s hard to know how to rate a book like this, which is actually four totally unrelated novellas. The first two were okay—I would probably give each one three stars. I found the third one so boring that I pretty much just skimmed through most of the last half just so I could finally be done with it. One star for that one. The fourth one did not even fit with the title “Kill or Be Killed” as it was primarily one woman just constantly lusting over and sleeping with random men. One star for that one as well. So overall average for the book—two stars.

[Michelle TT Diaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Trial- Great plot and climax but a disappointing ending.

Heist- A plot that has been explored before and was predictable until the very end. I didn't see that coming!

The Women's War- Fun to read of an all female platoon. Good story!

Little Black Dress- Not sure why this story is included since it has nothing to do with "Kill or be Killed". It's about a woman, who after she buys a LBD, now has the courage to go any pick up men for one night stands. I really liked this story.

[Sarah Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

A really disappointing book- it comes across like a proper novel, but is actually a collection of Patterson's bookshots. Having previously read 3 of the 4 stories included, it was rather disappointing. (My own fault for not having read the blurb, but there's no mention on the front cover of it being 4 bookshots.) Little Black Dress doesn't fit with the other stories in the collection, and the story never really seems to get anywhere. Not Patterson's best.

[terry stallings · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 James Patterson's Bookshots

This has 4 of James Patterson's Bookshots in 1 volume. The Trial is a Women's Murder Club mystery, Heist is about a diamond heist gone awry, The Women's War is about 3 ex-marine, all female, going after a Mexican drug kingpin, and The Little Black Dress is an erotic thriller. If you like James Patterson, you'll love these 4 short thrillers. If you haven't tried Patterson, start with this one
Go ahead, and read it. You'll be glad you did!

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad I borrowed this from the library, or I'd have been irritated, as it presents like a book. Instead it's a collection of 4 previously published bookshots, two of which I had already read. What a gimmick, you make short books so people will buy them for a quick read, then you package them together to make a full size book. Brilliant!

[Barbara O'steen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy James Patterson’s bookshot books so I was very happy to read this compilation of 4 bookshots. I enjoyed “The Trial” and “The Heist” because of the twists at the end. “The Women’s War” was good too not as fast paced as the other two. I had already read “Little BlackDress” and did not like it at all.

[Rosemary Yakubowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book consists of 4 of Patterson's Bookshots. All 4 are excellent reads and adventurous! I really enjoy these bookshot books. They're short stories of less then 150 pages that can normally be read in a single sitting. He has MANY on the market now. Give them a try

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read 2 of the 4 selections. I liked the one based on Lindsay Boxer and friends better than "The Little Black Dress". Don't know why James Patterson has gone into this book format. I prefer his full length novels.

[Kay Woolford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Should have read the reviews first. It's a book of short stories 😭
The only one I liked was the first and it was based of a previous book. The others just didn't capture me and found them difficult to finish

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a series of short stories. To me, the first was the best, the last was the most boring book I have ever had the misfortune to read, and I am surprised that Mr Patterson allowed his name to be put against it!

[Lakshmi Vijayakumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced stories with engaging characters and amazing plot lines. To be able to build a premise, introduce the characters, narrate their story and to give the tale a satisfactory conclusion in about 150 pages is a rare but entertaining skill I’m glad the authors have.

[Ellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

the first three stories were pretty good and then the final one suckedddd *spoiler* the protagonist gets raped and they all play it off like nothing happened at all no worries??? wtf??? obviously written by a man

[Melissa Follett-Filice · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last story was just crap. No story at all except for a over-horny divorce, sleeping her way through New York. The other short stories were ok but not great. I wouldn't really recommend, the plots are too far fetched and just overall lacking.

[Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of four adventures. Fast spaced, mind boggling and very very hot. Little Black dress is the fourth story and my favourite. I wasn't sure what to expect but following Jane Avery through her awakening was everything to me.
Definitely a good read, all four.