“7th Heaven” by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro – Flames of Justice

 

James Patterson and Maxine Paetro have shown their immense talents in always finding new and riveting mysteries to send Lindsay Boxer on, and in book seven of the Women's Murder Club, titled 7th Heaven, they send her on the trail of a pair of arsonists. Unfortunately for wealthy couples, the arsonists have no regard for the sanctity of life, targeting them one after the other seemingly at random.

James Patterson and Maxine Paetro set Fire to the Wealthy

The wealthy have always seemed to live in a world apart, one with concerns and considerations which seem alien to most of us. While many of us look at them with puzzlement, there are those who look at them with envy, and even worse, those who see in them personal enemies, as does an arsonist in 7th Heaven by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro.

The seventh book in the Women's Murder Club series, it doesn't require you to have read the previous book, nor any of the other chapters before it. Each book works perfectly as a standalone, though I do recommend you also check them out if you haven't yet; they're fairly solid in their own right.

In any case, the story features Lindsay Boxer once again, this time accompanied by her partner, Rich Conklin. A fire in a wealthy suburban home results in a dead couple, and the two detectives desperately search for clues for as the picture becomes clearer, it seems to suggest a malicious arson rather than an accident.

Then, the worst they've been fearing comes to pass: fires keep on ravaging wealthy suburban homes, consuming the seemingly idyllic couples within. It becomes clear a particularly twisted pair is at work, and the race is on to capture them... however, the culprits in question are no fools, and have a few moves of their own in store.

While Lindsay, her murder club, and Rich hunt for madmen, a separate case also rears its head: the disappearance of California's golden boy, Michael Campion, just a month earlier. It seems a new lead has been found, but all things considered, it might have been better if the knowledge it carried remained in the dark.

The Web of Connections in 7th Heaven

With this already being the seventh book in the series, I must admit this is about as far as I've made it into any literary series. Generally, around the third or fourth books most of them tend to become either painfully repetitive and predictable, or they go so far off the rails one can hardly see the starting point anymore.

Somehow, Patterson and Paetro have managed to skirt the line between the two eventualities, keeping the series feeling fresh and original while remaining within the boundaries of the world they've created. The main part of the story, the one which sends us after the pair of arsonists, makes up an intriguing web of connections sending us sprinting from one clue to the next.

While there were a few occasions where I was able to predict the coming twists, I would say it's likely due to my familiarity with the series and the genre as a whole, rather than any kind of weakness in the authors' writing. In large part, it still managed to surprise me on multiple occasions, especially the climax, which is something Patterson has always excelled at.

The thread we watch Lindsay and her cohorts unravel feels smooth, continuous, and most importantly, perfectly logical. I can't recall any offensive leaps in logic, and ultimately all the pieces have their places in the big picture.

There is even a good amount of tension which originates between Lindsay and Rich as they come to suspect different people and find themselves at odds with each other. This bit of conflict goes a long way towards helping develop and define them as characters and in relation to each other, also giving a few brief and well-timed breaks from focusing on the case.

The Trial of the Club

In the previous couple of chapters in the series, I think it's fair to say there's been a bit of a shift in favour of a greater focus on courtroom drama. Personally, I find it quite an enjoyable experience, especially since it's approached rather meticulously and serves to break up the pacing of the story here and there.

To be honest, I almost found the courtroom case to be more intriguing than Lindsay's affair, showing Yuki at the peak of her abilities as she must try and do her job as prosecutor despite a lack of hard evidence as well as an extremely capable and zealous defender working on behalf of the accused. On top of it all, she also has her very own stalker to deal with.

Though Patterson and Paetro do give us details on the inner workings of the court system, they never go needlessly deep in the subject, only teaching us the basics in layman's terms. While I would have personally enjoyed explanations with a bit more technicality, I don't think it's an opinion most people share with me.

The various members of the Women's Murder Club also make their appearances here and there to help our main ladies with their cases, and in the process we see their lives moving forward, adding a few more details to their already-developed characters.

Despite splitting its time between two eventful narratives, the novel also finds the time and place to develop Lindsay's personal life a little further, largely focusing on her indecisiveness between two men. While personally I can't say I care much for this aspect of the book, it's fairly swift to read through and I imagine those who enjoy this element in literature will find it to be well-written.

The Final Verdict

7th Heaven by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro maintains the consistent quality of the Women's Murder Club series, offering two exciting narratives in their own right, one chasing after arsonists, and the other a courtroom drama surrounding a senator's vanished son. Spinning a complex web of intrigue peppered with character development, it has everything Patterson and Paetro have come to be known for.

If you've enjoyed the previous books in the Women's Murder Club, or are looking for an entertaining thriller capable of surprising you on numerous fronts, then I would highly recommend this book for you, as well as the rest of the series.

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James B. Patterson Personal site James Patterson is an American writer who has dedicated a large part of his literary career to writing murder-related thrillers, inventing in the process two memorable character-based series in Alex Cross and Michael Bennett. His most prominent works include Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider.

Maxine Paetro Maxine Paetro is an American author who began her published career all the way back in 1979 with How to Put Your Book Together and Get a Job in Advertising, which was revised for the fourth time in 2010. She has remained an active author, writing numerous novels since then, including Manshare, Windfall and Woman of God. Additionally, she is known for collaborating with James Patterson on numerous entries in the Women's Murder Club series.