Review: 7th Heaven

Title: 7th Heaven (Women's Murder Club #7)
Author: James Patterson with Maxine Paetro
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company (2008)
Genre: Fiction, Suspense
Book Source: Review copy provided by Hachette Book Group.

In 7th Heaven, which is set in California, there are two mysteries being investigated by the protagonist Detective Lindsay Boxer and her partner. One case involves deadly fires being set at the mansions of very wealthy middle aged couples. Each time a book with Latin writing inside is left at the crime scene; tying together the fires and making it clear that they were no accident. This investigation ends up affecting both detectives in a personal way.

The other case explored in this suspense novel is an old one that involves a missing teenage boy who's parents are public figures. It is a high profile case that has a lot of media attention. When a new lead surfaces and a suspect is taken to trial, it is the lack of physical evidence that works against the prosecutor.

This was a fairly fast paced suspense novel that is seventh in the women's murder club series. I had not read the others and so the characters did not seem very well developed to me. I assume that if I had read the other 6 books in order I would feel like I knew Detective Boxer and her associates in more detail. In my reading I focused on the actual cases but I still found only mild enjoyment from this novel. The two story lines were necessary, because neither case was very detailed in terms of clues. In addition to solving the cases there was also some minor drama going on in the personal life of the detective. She finds herself attracted to her partner even though she is already in a relationship. Overall, I didn't enjoy 7th Heaven because there was just not enough substance to it to get me thinking.