Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009

Book Review: 8th Confession

Author:       James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Publisher:    Little Brown/Hachette

ISBN:          978-0-316-01876-0

Website:      www.jamespatterson.com

 Type:         Fiction:Murder Mystery/Chick Lit

Pages:        368 Hardcover

Purchase:    $16.79 @ Amazon.com (HERE)

Release Date:    April 27, 2009

The Story

“As San Francisco’s most glamorous millionaires mingle at the party of the year, someone is watching – waiting for a chance to take vengeance on Isa and Ethan Bailey, the city’s most celebrated couple.  Finally, the killer pinpoints the ideal moment, and it’s the perfect murder.

As Detective Lindsay Boxer investigates the high-profile murder, someone else is found brutally executed – a preacher with a message of hope for the homeless.  His death nearly falls through the cracks, but with Cindy Thomas hears about it and discovers he may not have been quite as saintly as everyone thought.

As the hunt for the two criminals tests the limits of the Women’s Murder Club, Lindsay sees sparks fly between Cindy and Lindsay’s partner, Detective Rich Conklin.  The Women’s Murder Club now faces its toughest challenge: will love destroy all that four friends have built?”

(Above excerpt is from the back cover of 8th Confession)

The Review

I haven’t read Patterson’s classics, Along Came a Spider and Pop Goes the Weasel.  I have read The Lake House, Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas and Sundays at Tiffany’s, all of which I liked.  Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas is probably my favorite love story novel (love love love that book).  I heard that his murder/mystery series is good.  This is the 8th Book of the Women’s Murder Club Series, none of which I’ve read.  Surprisingly, this is not a problem for new readers.  Not understanding the depths of these pre-existing characters didn’t deter me from getting to know them in this book and getting into the story.

For not being a huge fan of murder/mystery, I oddly enjoyed the change of pace that this book provided.  There were two big cases to solve and I enjoyed watching them unfold.  Although this book is a 368-pager, I read this book very quickly and enjoyed the fast-pace of the book.  I appreciated the strands of romance woven into the story and the feminine spin on police work and law.  8th Confession also brings you into the mind of a killer, yet lets the story unfold so that you don’t really understand the motives until the end.

If the Murder/Mystery genre is up your alley, I believe you’d enjoy this read.  If you’re a follower of the series, it’s a must-have.  I met some folks on the soccer field who were really looking forward to this next book in the series and told me that they “gobble” up each book as they are released.  Whether you’re a dedicated reader or just want to try out something different, I thought the book was good and perhaps you’d enjoy it.  It’s perfect for a long plane ride.

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”

Because I haven’t read many books in this genre, I don’t have much to compare this book to.  So, I’m going off gut instinct here on my rating and if I read more under the same genre, I may become more of a connoisseur of this genre.  At any rate, for the genre Fiction: Murder/Mystery/Chick Lit, I rate this book a 7 OUT OF 10.  However, if you’re a James Patterson fan (like me), you may disagree and give it higher marks!

My heartfelt thanks to Miriam and Hachette for this amazing read. 

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