7th Heaven (Women's Murder Club) [Hardcover]

James Patterson (Author), Maxine Paetro (Author)

Book Description

Series: Women's Murder Club | Publication Date: February 4, 2008

A terrible fire in a wealthy suburban home leaves a married couple dead and Detective Lindsay Boxer and her partner Rich Conklin searching for clues. And after California's golden boy, Michael Campion has been missing for a month, there finally seems to be a lead in his case--a very devastating lead.

As fire after fire consume couples in wealthy, comfortable homes, Lindsay and the Murder Club must race to find the arsonists responsible and get to the bottom of Michael Campion's disappearance. But suddenly the fires are raging too close to home.

Frightened for her life and torn between two men, Lindsay must find a way to solve the most daunting dilemmas she's ever faced--at work and at home.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of the gripping seventh Women's Murder Club thriller from bestseller Patterson and Paetro (after 2007's The 6th Target), San Francisco is still haunted by the disappearance of Michael Campion, the much-adored teenage son of a former California governor, three months earlier. Following up on a tip that Michael was last seen entering a prostitute's house, homicide inspector Lindsay Boxer and her new partner, Rich Conklin, are shocked when the hooker immediately confesses that Michael, who had a heart defect, died during sex and she disposed of his body. Lindsay's ADA pal, Yuki Castellano, is sure she has a slam-dunk case, but the trial soon takes a bizarre turn. Lindsay and Rich also scramble to track down a serial arsonist responsible for murdering a string of wealthy couples. Lindsay races to put the pieces together before the fires hit too close to home. In true Patterson style, the reader is privy to Lindsay's thoughts as well as the killers', ratcheting up the suspense an extra notch. Fans won't be disappointed with the twist at the end that not even Lindsay sees coming. (Feb.)
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Review

"Patterson knows where our deepest fears are buried...There's no stopping his imagination." (New York Times Book Review )

"When it comes to mysteries, you can't beat the amazing mind of James Patterson . . . Richly woven. The story twists and turns and the ending will leave you open mouthed." (AllThingsGirl.net on 7th Heaven )

"Riveting . . . fascinating . . . moves at breakneck speed . . . a must-read." (BookReporter.com on 7th Heaven )

"The opening two chapters of 7^TH HEAVEN should be set to the Mission Impossible theme song. Tension and violence races through those first few pages as surely as that burning fuse tracked across the screen. And you won't be able to stop there." (BlogCritics.org on 7th Heaven )

"A fast-paced thriller . . . a swift and pleasurable read." (ArmchairInterviews.com on 7th Heaven ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; First Edition edition (February 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316017701
• ISBN-13: 978-0316017701
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (198 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

From my publisher:

James Patterson...


* James Patterson holds the New York Times bestsellers list record with 63 New York Times bestselling titles.

* JP has sold more than 220 million books worldwide. And considering pass-along and libraries, it's safe to say many more people than that have read a Patterson!

* In 2010, JP was named by kids everywhere the Children's Book Councils' Children's Choice Book Awards "Author of the Year" in 2010. More than 15,000 kid and teen readers voted for JP in a category he shared with Suzanne Collins, Carl Hiaasen, Jeff Kinney, and Rick Riordan. His Witch and Wizard series saw the biggest launch of a series for young readers ever, surpassing sales of first installments of Twilight, Diary of A Wimpy Kid, and Percy Jackson & The Olympians.

* JP has grossed over 3 billion dollars in worldwide sales. This is larger than the worldwide theatrical gross of Avatar, the highest grossing film of all time.

* JP has had 43 New York Times hardcover #1 bestselling novels, also a publishing industry record.

* Last year, JP has sold more books than John Grisham, Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, and Stephen King combined (source: Nielsen BookScan).

* JP properties are gaining wide interest amongst film and TV producers. JP's award-winning series for young readers, Maximum Ride, is currently with Avi Arad (Spiderman, Iron Man) and Universal Pictures. Lloyd Levin (Green Zone, Watchmen) is attached to produce a feature film adaptation of JP's newest young readers series, Witch and Wizard, and James Patterson Entertainment is set to produce the next Alex Cross film, I, Alex Cross which will feature Idris Elba (The Wire, The Losers) as Alex Cross. And, a television adaptation of JP's 2007 love story Sundays At Tiffanys aired in December 2010 starring Alyssa Milano and Eric Winter.

* JP's books are licensed in 43 countries worldwide, and are in print and actively sold in 100 countries.

* According to a 2010 Bowker Sisters in Crime Survey, JP is the favorite mystery writer amongst readers under 50...AND over 50! Survey respondents comprised American men, women and teens who bought at least one mystery fiction title in 2009 and/or 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another hit, April 2, 2008

By 

Deborah Wiley (Winter Haven, FL) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 7th Heaven (Women's Murder Club) (Hardcover)

Fires are being set to homes of the wealthy, leaving the residents dead. Detective Lindsay Boxer and her partner, Rich Conklin, are trying to find the murdering arsonists when they get a tip on another prominent case. The case involving the disappearance of Michael Campion, the son of a former governor, has been at a standstill but an anonymous tipster provides a new lead. Soon, Boxer and Conklin have a confession, but will it stand up in court? Women's Murder Club member and Assistant District Attorney, Yuki Castellano, will have the case of her life as the trial starts. Meanwhile, will Boxer and Conklin find the deadly arsonists?

The members of the Women's Murder Club are at it yet again in 7TH HEAVEN. Each book is written to stand alone although the friendship of these women has grown throughout the series. There are hints about past incidents that fans of the series will appreciate. It should be noted that newcomers to the series will miss the character development that has built slowly throughout the series, as some of the members of the Women's Murder Club only make brief appearances in 7TH HEAVEN.

Patterson and Paetro delve a bit further into Lindsay Boxer's psyche, this time examining her relationship to Joe versus her commitment to work. Yuki's insecurities are also examined as she is up against a female attorney not known for losing. Will these two members grow stronger as they face adversity?

James Patterson and Maxine Paetro deliver another fantastic thriller with 7th HEAVEN. The fast pace will have readers rapidly turning pages to see just how things will unfold. 7TH HEAVEN is yet another hit from these two talented authors and is easily recommended.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Patterson Still Delivers on WMC...Could Use Improvements Though, February 18, 2008

By 

BW "BookWish" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 7th Heaven (Women's Murder Club) (Hardcover)

I have read most of Patterson's books (about 95%). Patterson really dissapointed me with his most recent Cross books (my husband jokes that the latest Cross novels have been entirely written by the lesser-known co-authors).

The problem I have is that Patterson is using this huge font size and what is supposed to be 300-and-some pages, is really more like 150 pages using huge font size. Is Patterson dumbing us down? This last installment of the WMC, while engaging, seemed more like one of those mystery short stories you find at the end of a magazine more than a novel or book. Has Patterson become a magazine short-story writer? Guess the next book will answer that-In the meantime, I suggest reading novels by John Kellerman. The man is amazing with details and with telling a gripping crime story-Kellerman does not cut corners. You can finish a Patterson novel within 24 hrs but a Kellerman book will keep you more busy and if you want to look at it this way, you get more bang for your buck-Patterson's style has become a boilerplate recipe which is nowadays enlightened by the talent of young new writers who co-author his most recent works (in other words, Patterson may truly be fishing while the co-author does all the work as my husband believes). For now, I am reading Kellerman's "Gone" which I recommend and crossing my fingers that Patterson delivers a more substantial novel next time.

27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Strange Book, March 14, 2008

By 

L. K. Whitley "casalinda2000" (Kuwait City, Kuwait Kuwait) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 7th Heaven (Women's Murder Club) (Hardcover)

I have consistently read James Patterson's books throughout the years and have really enjoyed his work. I have read all of the Womens Murder Club books. However, I am not a big fan of his books which he writes with other writers. Neither story seems complete to me. It seems like Patterson just writes his part of the story but never really finishes it and the other writer adds his bit but doesnt actually finishes his story either.

I found this book a confusing read. Patterson wrote the thriller part of the book I would assume but, in the end, he left the reader hanging. I assume Paetro wrote the human interest story in the book. The end of this story was unsatisfactory too. Patterson is too good a writer to keep doing this.

Recently , I read one of his other books, "Step on a Crack" and it was even worse than this. Both stories left the reader hanging.

If I had known, I would not have bought these two books new. I would have waited to get them for 50 cents at a sale. They are not worth their price. The stories are just not up to Patterson's usual standard. He can do much better.