Tangled Web UK Review February 2008
7th Heaven (Womens Murder Club 7) by
James Patterson
hbk out January 08
Published by Century
at £18.99
James Patterson, one of the world's most popular and multi-dimensioned authors, has delivered another Women's Murder Club novel and 7th Heaven is guaranteed to set the New Year off with a bang. Slick, stylish and a book to read in one sitting, this is a master class in story telling par excellence. Two cases have pushed Detective Lindsay Boxer to the limit. A string of fatal arson attacks have broken out in San Fransisco. The targets have one thing in common: they are all rich, successful, married couples. With four couples dead, Lindsay is determined to put a stop to the killings and trace the murderer. Juggling cases, Lindsay has plenty on her mind. Michael Campion was a people's hero, a popular governor's son who publicly battled against a rare and debilitating heart illness. When he vanished without a trace one evening, his disappearance and the search to find him, dead or alive, hit the headlines daily. But the trail went cold very quickly. Now with a devastating new lead, Lindsay picks up the trail once more. But what is the link between the Campion case and the arson attacks? With the help of her friends and fellow Women's Murder Club members - Yuki, an attorney feeling the strain of a high profile court case; Claire, a medical examiner trying to balance her career and her pregnancy and Cindy, the reporter for a San Fransisco newspaper - Lindsay must race to find the suspects and stop the cold-blooded killers, and fast.
Not only does Patterson have his characters off to a tee, they are also so driven and likeable that in the hands of a lesser writer they might come across as a little too saccharine sweet. Not here. Each woman has you rooting for them from the off, willing them to prevail against all odds.
The Antagonists, too, are so beautifully drawn they make you want to draw a gun and shoot them for the good of mankind and their overt nastiness is something to applaud on so many levels. San Fransisco becomes the reader's second city as the author takes them by the hand as though he is some sort of tour guide, showing off the well to do and the seedier sides of the city with such a delicate ease its almost like being driven in a limousine from place to place.
Above all though, it is Patterson's grip on dialogue that makes this novel work on so many levels. Witty, gritty and eminently credible, the character interaction is an absolute joy and adds a unique zip to the pace of the novel that is lightening-quick at best and merely jet-fuelled at worst.
Whether you have read the six predecessors in the series or not, James Patterson's 7th Heaven is surely a must read addition to anybody's crime collection.
More information: www.womensmurderclub.co.uk
(
Chris High
Chris High - Author Multi-media Promotion Service www.chrishigh.com)
Thousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
Support Tangled Web - Buy Your Books Online
