7th Heaven (Women's Murder Club)
by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro
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Book Reviews of 7th Heaven (Women's Murder Club)
Book Review: RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "I'VE SEEN FIRE AND I'VE SEEN DEATH:" "DUAL CASES FOR THE WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB!"
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is James Patterson's 7th installment of the "WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB" series and takes place in San Francisco. The "girls" (Former Lieutenant now Sergeant Lindsay Boxer of the SFPD, Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano, San Francisco Chronicle reporter Cindy Thomas, and Medical Examiner Claire Washburn.) decide to get away on a last minute weekend retreat. The close knit group of loving friends are unwinding with Margarita's and being regaled with a hilarious story of one of Claire's first cases, in which, as she unzipped the body bag... a bat flew out of the dead man's clothes, resulting in Claire peeing in her pants! In the middle of this side-splitting story Lindsay receives a phone call from her former partner, who replaced her as Lieutenant, Warren Jacobi. Lindsay "growled into the phone, I'm on my own time, it's Saturday, don't you know that?" Jacobi said: "You're going to want this. If not, tell me and I'll give it to someone else." "What is it?" "The biggest deal in the world, Boxer. It's about the Campion kid. Michael."
And that "kick-starts" this multi-level, multi-dimensional mystery that offers up perhaps Patterson's best writing in years! "Michael Campion wasn't just a kid. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. had been to the nation. The only child of former governor Connor Campion, Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth." He'd also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for his whole life. Through all available media Michael's life had been shared with all Californians. "He'd been precocious and gifted as a child, and a handsome teenager, both funny and smart." Then three months ago Michael had said good night to his parents and went to bed, and the next morning despite a total absence of foul play he was gone without a trace. Now according to Jacobi there was a lead in the case. Despite groaning protests from all the other members of the sacred Women's Club, Lindsay left as duty called. At the same nexus in time two deranged young men known as "Hawk" and "Pidge" are burning down millionaire's mansions, after binding and gagging the husbands and wives that own these architectural master pieces and leaving them inside the fiery infernos to endure ghastly and grisly deaths. Hawk and Pidge purposely leave behind handwritten Latin phrases in books as their "SIGNATURE M.O.".
The author masterfully handles the interaction and overlapping of these cases simultaneously without even the slightest impediment. The cast of characters that are added during this combined criminal investigation include a young "Bambi-like" prostitute, named Junie Moon, who first confesses to having Michael die in her arms while she sings to him, and then enlisting her "white-trash" tattooed boy friend Ricky to help her cut up his body with a knife. Junie tearfully utters; "It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! But once we started cutting there was no way back. I helped Ricky put Michael's body into about eight garbage bags, and then we piled the bags into Ricky's truck." Then this un-holy couple parked in the back of a McDonald's and put the garbage bags in the dumpster. Then Junie got a lawyer and recanted. During the trial the prosecution was headed up by Yuki, while the fires and murders continued. Throw in a famous crime writing author who becomes a stalker and the literary action keeps coming at the reader hot and heavy from all directions. Patterson keeps the character's believable and the reader is kept in suspense to the very end, something that Patterson hasn't done on a consistent basis lately.
Book Review: After horrendous YOU'VE BEEN WARNED, Patterson returns with what might be best in the series!
Summary: 5 Stars
Lindsay, Yuki, Claire and Cindy are back for the seventh adventure of the Women's Murder Club in James Patterson's 7th Heaven. We all know that Patterson gets his name plastered on an insane amout of books, and since he is behind so many of them, some of them are bound to be good. And guess, what, 7th Heaven is a really good book, perhaps the best in the series.
The book opens with a couple (we learn they are rich and upper class) being held captive by Pidge and Hawk. The couple are pleading for their lives as Pidge and Hawk promise them they will live, and that this is only a robbery. Pidge and Hawk steal valuables from the couple, then set the house on fire with the couple still tied up inside. That is case #1. The second case is Michael Campion. He's an 18 year-old boy with heart defect that also happens to be the son of the former governor of California, Connor Campion. Lindsay Boxer and her parter Rich Conklin receive a tip that young Michael was last seen entering the house of a prostitute named Junie Young.
Junie is hauled down to the police station where she denies knowing Campion before finally admitting that he died of a heart attach while with her and that all she did was dispose of the body. Governor Campion insists that this girl be tried for 2nd degree murder, and Yuki gets assigned the case. The book then proceeds to follow the case as Junie is put on trial and the exploits of the serial arsonists as killers Pidge and Hawk continue to strike.
The last two novels in the series have started the disappointing trend of having several cases going on that aren't necessarily related. So it's like 3 mini-novels inside one big one. The Cross books aren't like this, and I feared 7th Heaven would suffer just like 6th Target did. You dillute the strength of the novel by having several murder cases at once. But 7th Heaven has a lot going for it. First, something isn't quite right with the Campion case. There is no evidence except for a recanted confession, yet Yuki insists on prosecuting anyway. As for the arsonists, Pidge and Hawk are truly brutal killers. Lindsay lies awake at night as fears of the case overwhelm her, and she begins to even suspect her own arson investigator, James Hanni. Also, Lindsay's relationship with Joe while also being attracted to her partner, Rich, was someone interesting. And to top it all off, both cases manage to intersect as some point and both cases have high quality endings.
Fans and skeptics of Patterson will enjoy this novel. After one of the worst novels of any genre and by any author in YOU'VE BEEN WARNED, Patterson again returns to what has made him so popular. Readers should remember that just because one Patterson novel is really good, there is no guarantee that the next will be worth the pages it is printed on.
Book Review: Fast paced thriller filled with twists and turns
Summary: 4 Stars
I have been addicted to James Patterson's Women's Murder Club since reading the first book. For those not familiar with the series, the WMC comprises four brilliant women brought together by the very nature of their jobs: Lindsay (a dedicated police detective), Claire (medical examiner extraordinaire), Cindy (ambitious crime reporter) and Yuki (sassy assistant district attorney). Four best friends who get down and dirty solving some of the toughest crimes to rock San Francisco.
While enjoying a getaway with her friends, Lindsay receives a call from her lieutenant concerning the unsolved disappearance of Michael Campion. The popular son of the former governor, Michael was to the Californians what JFK Jr. was to the whole country. Born with an inoperable heart disease, everyone knew that he was living on borrowed time. The extensive media coverage about his life and battle with a debilitating illness has endeared him to the people. Thus, when he vanished one evening without a trace, the citizens of San Francisco grieved along with his parents. Now after three months, an anonymous tip-off leads Boxer and her partner to the doorstep of a young prostitute who shortly confesses to the gruesome murder of Michael. Yet as quickly as she gives her confession, she quickly recants it leaving Yuki with the Herculean task of representing the People, pitting her head to head with a ball breaking defense lawyer.
Meanwhile, as the case goes to trial, Lindsay investigates a series of arson in the city's affluent areas. Four couples are dead - robbed and set on fire. With no clue except some cryptic Latin words written inside a book, Lindsay and her partner are set on a wild goose chase as they hunt down two pyromaniacs who seem to outsmart the police in every turn.
Who are Pidge and Hawk and why are they targeting wealthy couples? How would Lindsay track the killers with barely any clue to follow? And is Yuki about to be slaughtered prosecuting the most important case of her life?
Well jump in and let Patterson and Paetro take you on an fast-paced journey to uncover the truth behind the murders. The plot is good, although I was more taken with the Michael Campion case than I was with the arson attacks. And while it is not without its share of flaws (such as Yuki's questionable age which I am sure I am not alone here), the suspense is never in short supply and the authors take the reader in an engaging courtroom drama that would keep you on the edge of your seat.
With his trademark short chapters and pulse pounding plot, not forgetting the prerequisite twisty ending (and certainly twisty enough to catch me off guard), 7TH HEAVEN continues the WMC series that shows no signs of flagging any time soon.
Book Review: Lots of Flaws
Summary: 3 Stars
Although I am and will continue to be a fan of James Patterson, I too agree that his/their books are starting to lack substance. As for 7th Heaven, it is a fast read and keeps you interested; however, there are way too many things that just don't make sense.
I know that the boy that disappeared wanted to have a quality life as long as he could and that is why he disappeared, but at the time of his disappearance no one knew he was seeing the prostitute, so why didn't she go with him when he left? Also, we all know how long it takes to bring a case to trial. It had already been months since he disappeared when the anonyomous tip came in that he had been seen leaving her house. Add that to the time to get the case tried and it would probably be over a year. Why would he not have wondered where she was? She said in the end that they had hatched the plan weeks before he left, and when she was called in for the interrogation she got confused and confessed to killing him. This was just not believable. Especially when she blamed her former boyfriend for the actual dismembering, which of course he would deny and probably had an alibi anyway. Additionally, they never had anything other than a phone call saying he was seen there and the person didn't come forward (it was the author)and they were basing the whole case on that tip? Further, the story about the author is way out there too. He was supposed to be such a renowned author and rich, but yet he was worried over spending the advance on this latest book, so much that he was willing to kill? I know he had a gambling problem, but yet he was living in high style. He told Yuki that he had been following Michael all the time and saw him leave Junie's house, yet if he was following him all the time, he would have seen him leave and go to Costa Rico. Also, what was the kid using for money in his new life? Junie was a prostitute and while she was in jail all that time she was not making money.
It also never really gave a real good reason for why the killers were killing rich people, since they both came from rich families themselves. The neighbors had seen the last boy's family a couple of days before and when they were found in the freezer, they could only have been there a couple of days.
As to Lindsay, it is getting a little weary about her wishy-washy attitude whether she wants Joe or not.
Maybe it is me since I read a few pages a day and not at one sitting, but there were just so many unanswered questions. Any comments out there?
Book Review: Riveting
Summary: 5 Stars
I happily will confess that I am addicted to the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Intriguing characters and a fascinating setting give the authors the opportunity to paint on a broad canvas, one that certainly is not wasted in 7th HEAVEN.
The series focuses on San Francisco Homicide Detective Lindsay Boxer, with the other members of the Club --- Assistant D.A. Yuki Castellano, medical examiner Claire Washburn and newspaper reporter Cindy Thomas --- rotating from book to book in a co-starring role. The focus in 7th HEAVEN is on Castellano, who is prosecuting a high-profile murder trial that is lacking a body, among other things. Michael Campion, the teenaged son of a former governor, has gone missing. He is a celebrity of a bittersweet nature due to his good looks and an unfortunately inoperable heart defect.
Some three months after his disappearance, the police department receives an anonymous tip that on the night in question he was seen entering the home of a San Francisco prostitute named Junie Moon. At first Moon denies knowing anything about Campion, but then confesses that he died during a sexual encounter with her, after which she and her erstwhile boyfriend disposed of the body. But then Moon recants her confession. Notwithstanding that Moon's apartment bears no trace of Campion's remains and that his body cannot be found, Castellano proceeds with the prosecution.
Meanwhile, Boxer and partner Rich Conklin are busy investigating a series of fires around the city. Occurring in some of San Francisco's most expensive homes, at first they seem to be unrelated. However, the presence of victims, cryptic Latin phrases and apparent contemporaneous burglaries tie the incidents together. Boxer and Conklin race against time, even as a bit of ironic symmetry threatens to dovetail Boxer's case into Conklin's trial, and an unexpected clue leads to a conclusion for one of the cases.
7th HEAVEN, as with the other Women's Murder Club books, moves at breakneck speed, though not at the expense of the plot, which, as always, is riveting. There are additional touches --- the presence of a collection of Charles Bukowski's poetry at one of the fires, a cameo appearance by one of San Francisco's most offbeat bookstores --- that make this series a must read.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub