Women's Murder Club is a Police Procedural based on the book series of the same name by James Patterson. The series follows Inspector Lindsay Baxter (Angie Harmon) and her three friends: attorney Jill Bernhardt (Laura Harris), Dr. Claire Washburn (Paula Newsome), and reporter Cindy Thomas (Aubrey Dollar), as they solve murder cases together in an unofficial club. Meanwhile, a case from Lindsay's past slowly finds its way back into her life and threatens to take it over once again. Other major characters include Lindsay's partner Warren Jacobi (Tyrees Allen), Lindsay's ex-husband and new boss Tom Hogan (Rob Estes), and Jill's boss Denise Kwon (Linda Park).
It is the second adaptation of the books after the 2003 TV film First to Die, starring Tracy Pollan as Lindsay. The show ran for one season on ABC between October 12, 2007 and May 13, 2008.
Includes examples of:
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Lindsay in the show is played by the brunet Angie Harmon. However, in the original books and the TV film, Lindsay is blond.
- Alas, Poor Villain: When the Kiss Me Not Killer's identity and backstory are finally revealed, even Lindsay, who was obsessed with catching him, feels sorry for the fact that Billy has basically been reliving watching his father murdering his sister for years.
- Arch-Enemy: Lindsay's most personal case is the Kiss Me Not Killer, which she became obsessed with to the point that it destroyed her marriage to Tom. When the Kiss Me Not Killer returns years later, he threatens her life and in the final episode even kidnaps her dad due to her arresting his.
- Asshole Victim: One episode has Lindsay investigating the murder of a college student, but the episode wipes away sympathy he might get when it's revealed that he and his friend raped a girl and attempted to gaslight her to the point that very few people believed her. In fact, the episode shows far more sympathy towards his murderer and rape victim.
- The Baby of the Bunch: Cindy is the youngest member of the group, being far more aware of things like pulp culture, sports, and places people might hang out, and is often mistaken for an actual teenager. She is also far more innocent and is repeatedly called cute by the others. The others, particularly Lindsay, are shown to also be extremely protective of Cindy due to her younger age.
- Big Brother Instinct: Jacobi is fiercely protective of Lindsay, with one episode revealing that all the men who want to ask Lindsay out are forced to talk to Jacobi first for his okay. When he suspects that Tom and Lindsay have slept together, Jacobi tells him to stay away from her so that she won't get hurt again.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: One episode has them investigating the murder of a football player, with the culprit being revealed as his grieving and supportive widow due to him planning to reveal that he was suffering from a brain disease.
- Doomed Appointment: The first episode begins with Lindsay standing by her car waiting impatiently for a reporter who's supposed to meet her there. The reporter actually does soon show up... crashing into the roof of the protagonist's car, her corpse having been thrown from a nearby roof.
- Friend to All Children: Lindsay is shown to repeatedly have a soft spot for children. One episode has her investigating the disappearance of a pregnant woman, with her growing more and more desperate to find her, especially after they discover that the baby has been born. One episode has them discover that a child witnessed a break-in at her house, with Lindsay being shown to be far gentler than she would be with an adult witness. This is revealed to be because she and Tom were at one point expecting a baby which died in childbirth.
- Happily Married: Claire and Ed are shown to be married, and while they do have some issues due to him now being in a wheelchair, the episodes go out of their way to show that the two are hopelessly in love and will always work it out.
- Intrepid Reporter: Cindy is constantly forcing her way into Lindsay's investigations and trying to find the story, refusing to simply stand by while the others say it's too dangerous. This type of reporting is constantly shown to get Cindy in trouble, such as getting her repeatedly arrested or even shot at one point.
- Miscarriage of Justice: One episode features a man who, seven years after being convicted for murder, would be executed for this. The case has a turn of events when the key witness is killed after sending an email admitting to have lied on the stand. It turns out the prosecutor was secretly dating the victim and was so sure the defendant was guilty he blackmailed someone to give false testimony.
- Nice Girl: Heather, Tom's new fiancée, is shown to be surprisingly nice and understanding, only losing her temper when the club repeatedly interrupt her wedding, with her repeatedly apologizing for making her being with Tom causing Lindsay to be uncomfortable.
- Satellite Love Interest: Due to being introduced late in the season, we learn nothing about Pete beyond his mutual interest in Lindsay, with the only real drama coming from him being in town for such a short time.
- Sex with the Ex: Ater being forced by a case to relive the memory that they lost a baby, Lindsay and her ex-husband Tom sleep together despite him being engaged. Both of them agree the next day that it was a mistake the next day.
- Silver Fox: Jacobi has noticeably greying hair, but this does very little to stop his luck with the ladies. Multiple episodes show that he is able to easily woo women.
- Sympathetic Murderer: "And the Truth Will (Sometimes) Set You Free" has a case where the murderer is Kate Hammond, who killed one of the two frat boys who raped her and are attempting to gaslight her, after they sent her a mocking valentine. The main characters waste no time noting that, while murder is never okay, none of them can really blame her after all the stuff the victim and his friend did to her.
- Working with the Ex: The pilot reveals that Lindsay's ex-husband, Tom, is now a police lieutenant and her new boss. Much of their dynamic is the two learning to work together after their divorce and Tom's new engagement.
