You never get a second chance to make a first impression. The killer “Chimera” is about to make a memorable first impression.

Forty-eight young children are leaving a San Francisco church after choir practice. Suddenly the sound of a high-powered rifle fills the night.

Everyone is all right, except for one 11-year-old girl, who has been shot and killed.

Across the San Francisco Bay, a woman is found dead in her basement – hanging from the ceiling. Soon there will be more victims.

James Patterson’s “2nd Chance” explores the sensational killing spree of “Chimera.” On the surface, the victims seem to have nothing in common. Enter the Women’s Murder Club.

Four women, using their talent and expertise, have come together once again to solve a heinous crime.

These four characters also appeared in Patterson’s “1st to Die,” and a third book is on the way.

Lt. Lindsay Boxer is treating this case like any other. She is focused on finding the killer before another victim surfaces.

What she has failed to anticipate is that this case may be linked to her family’s past. When the case starts to get complicated, she turns to her club.

The club includes Claire Washburn, a medical examiner, Cindy Thomas, a reporter for the “San Francisco Chronicle,” and Jill Bernhardt, an assistant district attorney.

Together these four women will use their unique styles to catch a killer. That is, if he does not catch them first.

James Patterson has established a reputation for putting out an incredibly high number of books in a year. “2nd Chance” is his spring release, and he plans to release books in summer and fall.

Over the past several years, Patterson has continued to make each book more exciting than the last. So his ability to produce many stories in a short time has not been criticized.

But with “2nd Chance,” readers may be seeing the first chink in his armor. The storyline in this novel did not improve from the storyline in “1st to Die.”

Patterson has also hired Andrew Gross to help him write. How much of the story was written by Gross is not known.

Patterson recently told reporters he is working on about 14 projects. He uses Gross to help move things forward.

“2nd Chance” is still an amazing story that is worth reading. The characters are strong and the plot is excellent. Patterson also includes his standard twist at the end.

Compared to other books in the suspense genre, “2nd Chance” is an outstanding novel. When compared to other Patterson books, it is not one of the best. But one cannot fault Patterson for being slightly off his game once in a while.

Matthew Carlson is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Dewitt.