By James Patterson. Set in San Francisco, the novels follow a group of women from different professions relating to investigating crime as they work together to solve murders. The series follows the women through their personal issues, including Lindsay Boxer's medical issues, marriage, and pregnancy. The main characters were originally Lindsay Boxer (police officer), Cindy Thomas (reporter), Claire Washburn (medical examiner), and Jill Bernhardt, but later in the series, defense attorney, Yuki Castellano, is introduced.