Джеймс Паттерсон - The Midwife Murders

“They asked if we had anyone to spare, and I volunteered you. I figured you’d want to keep a low profile right now.”

I sense a subtext to Kyle’s words. It’s true I want to keep a low profile, but this assignment seems low stakes, the kind of job they’d typically assign to a new hire in need of field experience. He might prove himself, and even if he doesn’t, screwing up won’t be too much of a black mark on his reputation. There are other Rangers available to do this job. Which tells me something.

My lieutenant is sending me on this job as a punishment.

“Is there a problem?” Kyle says. “You got quiet there for a minute.”

“Are you really this petty?” I say, even though I know I shouldn’t.

I guess everyone is right—I am a hothead.

“What did you say?” Kyle snaps. “Call you a hero and suddenly you’re too good for a small-town field assignment?”

I bite my tongue. It’s what I should have done in the first place.

Kyle says, “I’m giving you an order, Ranger.”

I’ve been trying to walk the straight and narrow within the Texas Ranger Division. I’ve been careful not to piss anyone off lately. I need to do this job and do it to the best of my ability. And if spending a few weeks in the middle of nowhere is what it takes to mend fences with my lieutenant, that’s what I’m going to do.

“I’m sorry,” I say, trying to make my voice sound as earnest as possible. “I was out of line. I’m happy to do it.”

“Good,” he says, his voice still trembling with anger. “You leave first thing in the morning.”

‘CLINTON’S INSIDER SECRETS AND PATTERSON’S STORYTELLING GENIUS MAKE THIS THE POLITICAL THRILLER OF THE DECADE’

LEE CHILD

‘Difficult to put down’

Daily Express

‘Satisfying and surprising’

Guardian

‘A quick, slick, gripping read’

The Times

‘A high-octane collaboration … addictive’

Daily Telegraph

Also by James Patterson

ALEX CROSS NOVELS

Along Came a Spider • Kiss the Girls • Jack and Jill • Cat and Mouse • Pop Goes the Weasel • Roses are Red • Violets are Blue • Four Blind Mice • The Big Bad Wolf • London Bridges • Mary, Mary • Cross • Double Cross • Cross Country • Alex Cross’s Trial ( with Richard DiLallo ) • I, Alex Cross • Cross Fire • Kill Alex Cross • Merry Christmas, Alex Cross • Alex Cross, Run • Cross My Heart • Hope to Die • Cross Justice • Cross the Line • The People vs. Alex Cross • Target: Alex Cross • Criss Cross

THE WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB SERIES

1st to Die • 2nd Chance ( with Andrew Gross ) • 3rd Degree ( with Andrew Gross ) • 4th of July ( with Maxine Paetro ) • The 5th Horseman ( with Maxine Paetro ) • The 6th Target ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 7th Heaven ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 8th Confession ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 9th Judgement ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 10th Anniversary ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 11th Hour ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 12th of Never ( with Maxine Paetro ) • Unlucky 13 ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 14th Deadly Sin ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 15th Affair ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 16th Seduction ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 17th Suspect ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 18th Abduction ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 19th Christmas ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 20th Victim ( with Maxine Paetro )

DETECTIVE MICHAEL BENNETT SERIES

Step on a Crack ( with Michael Ledwidge ) • Run for Your Life ( with Michael Ledwidge ) • Worst Case ( with Michael Ledwidge ) • Tick Tock ( with Michael Ledwidge ) • I, Michael Bennett ( with Michael Ledwidge ) • Gone ( with Michael Ledwidge ) • Burn ( with Michael Ledwidge ) • Alert ( with Michael Ledwidge ) • Bullseye ( with Michael Ledwidge ) • Haunted ( with James O. Born ) • Ambush ( with James O. Born ) • Blindside ( with James O. Born )

PRIVATE NOVELS

Private ( with Maxine Paetro ) • Private London ( with Mark Pearson ) • Private Games ( with Mark Sullivan ) • Private: No. 1 Suspect ( with Maxine Paetro ) • Private Berlin ( with Mark Sullivan ) • Private Down Under ( with Michael White ) • Private L.A. ( with Mark Sullivan ) • Private India ( with Ashwin Sanghi ) • Private Vegas ( with Maxine Paetro ) • Private Sydney ( with Kathryn Fox ) • Private Paris ( with Mark Sullivan ) • The Games ( with Mark Sullivan ) • Private Delhi ( with Ashwin Sanghi ) • Private Princess ( with Rees Jones )

NYPD RED SERIES

NYPD Red ( with Marshall Karp ) • NYPD Red 2 ( with Marshall Karp ) • NYPD Red 3 ( with Marshall Karp ) • NYPD Red 4 ( with Marshall Karp ) • NYPD Red 5 ( with Marshall Karp )

DETECTIVE HARRIET BLUE SERIES

Never Never ( with Candice Fox ) • Fifty Fifty ( with Candice Fox ) • Liar Liar ( with Candice Fox ) • Hush Hush ( with Candice Fox )

INSTINCT SERIES

Instinct ( with Howard Roughan, previously published as Murder Games) • Killer Instinct ( with Howard Roughan )

STAND-ALONE THRILLERS

The Thomas Berryman Number • Hide and Seek • Black Market • The Midnight Club • Sail ( with Howard Roughan ) • Swimsuit ( with Maxine Paetro ) • Don’t Blink ( with Howard Roughan ) • Postcard Killers ( with Liza Marklund ) • Toys ( with Neil McMahon ) • Now You See Her ( with Michael Ledwidge ) • Kill Me If You Can ( with Marshall Karp ) • Guilty Wives ( with David Ellis ) • Zoo ( with Michael Ledwidge ) • Second Honeymoon ( with Howard Roughan ) • Mistress ( with David Ellis ) • Invisible ( with David Ellis ) • Truth or Die ( with Howard Roughan ) • Murder House ( with David Ellis ) • The Black Book ( with David Ellis ) • The Store ( with Richard DiLallo ) • Texas Ranger ( with Andrew Bourelle ) • The President is Missing ( with Bill Clinton ) • Revenge ( with Andrew Holmes ) • Juror No. 3 ( with Nancy Allen ) • The First Lady ( with Brendan DuBois ) • The Chef ( with Max DiLallo ) • Out of Sight ( with Brendan DuBois ) • Unsolved ( with David Ellis ) • The Inn ( with Candice Fox ) • Lost ( with James O. Born) • Texas Outlaw ( with Andrew Bourelle ) • The Summer House ( with Brendan DuBois ) • 1st Case ( with Chris Tebbetts )

NON-FICTION

Torn Apart ( with Hal and Cory Friedman ) • The Murder of King Tut ( with Martin Dugard ) • All-American Murder ( with Alex Abramovich and Mike Harvkey ) • The Kennedy Curse ( with Cynthia Fagen )

MURDER IS FOREVER TRUE CRIME

Murder, Interrupted ( with Alex Abramovich and Christopher Charles ) • Home Sweet Murder ( with Andrew Bourelle and Scott Slaven ) • Murder Beyond the Grave ( with Andrew Bourelle and Christopher Charles )