I will open by saying that I have read several of Mr. Patterson's books; the Alex Cross series and I really enjoyed them. This is the first time I have read one of the Women's Murder Club novels. The book read similarly to the other Patterson books - fast pace, short chapters and lots of twists. The difference here is the female voice. It was nice.

I enjoyed the book but it was more like two short stories with entwined characters than one novel. This didn't make the book bad it was just a bit odd for me. As I said I truly enjoyed reading it. The characters were fun to get to know and I would pick up another book in the series in a heartbeat. And I have to admit I never saw the twist at the end coming. THAT is always a good thing in a book. ( )

“7th Heaven” is another chapter of the Woman’s Murder Club, where four women get together and try and solve crimes in San Francisco. As I’ve mentioned before, I liked Patterson, but when he collaborates with other authors, the books just don’t seem to hit their mark. It’s like he just puts his name on a book, and doesn’t care about the substance of the story. ( )

My Thoughts:

Detective Lindsay Boxer and her partner, Rich Conklin, get an unexpected tip on an unsolved case, one they’d both like to solve since it involves a vulnerable and well-known son of a former Governor. Right behind that comes the unexplained murders of wealthy citizens by an arsonist, who appears to see his crimes as a great game of—get even.

These double plots spin around the main characters, giving them plenty of angst and moments that complicate their own personal lives. The story moves at a comfortable pace, not too slow that it drags, and not so fast that the reader drops the threads of the developing investigation.

If you’re a fan of the Women’s Murder Club, you’ll meet them all again in this story. But Lindsay Boxer keeps the prominent lead, in fact,we get to know a little more about her inner struggles as she balances work and the love interest in her life, Joe.

I really enjoyed the courtroom scenes in this story. And the ending, while feeling somewhat incomplete, still rounded out the book making it a satisfactory read.

Teaser Snippet:

I started moving the bags of frozen vegetables aside until I saw a woman’s face.

“This freezer is deep enough for two,” Jacobi muttered.

Like his previous books in the Women's Murder Club, I read this in one sitting, I just can't put it down even while on a moving car. As usual, this book was written in an engaging style that left me on the edge of my seat, palpitating and turning the page after page frantically.

The book focused more of hardcore detective work, there were the usual dead ends until something small but vital comes up. Arresting the culprits in the arson hate crimes were a long shot but were really wrapped up in a bloody way. There were times when I felt Lindsay's frustration whenever things didn't go her way, and although this is a work of fiction, James Patterson knows how to inject truth in everything like it's not always a happy ending for some characters.

Yuki lost her second case because she was fighting a losing battle but that's life and she moved on, but I was really scared when she was almost killed by a psycho - which was a minor story. The suspense never stopped there.

I'm still voting for Joe. Lindsay was really pushing herself to the limit and taking him for granted because of the job. She got her priorities messed up and I'm still hoping they won't break up, she's in a vulnerable state with her partner Richard because she spends more time w/him than Joe and while reading those parts I felt my heart constrict because Lindsay can't make a decision. That was another suspenseful part.

I'm still giving this a 5 even though the ending left me high and dry. It really never occurred to me and I loved that after reading 7 books of this series, it was still unpredictable. ( )

Honestly, I wasn't impressed. It seems like Mr. Patterson picked a bunch of crazy things to throw together with this latest story starring the Womens' Murder Club.

Although the mystery of who killed Michael Campion was interesting, the whole Yuki/Twilly event was just plain stupid.

Overall, another quick read that will only take you a day or so, but it's not as good as the previous books in the series. ( )