Thursday, May 29, 2008

7th Heaven by James Patterson (& Maxine Paetro)

7th Heaven is the 7th installment of James Patterson's Women's Murder Club. (The review of the 6th book in this series, The 6th Target, is below under "older posts.") Unlike several other continuing series books, Patterson continues to do a great job keeping his story-lines fresh, exciting, brutal and spell-binding.

Like prior books in this series, the setting for 7th Heaven is modern day San Francisco. Four of the lead characters are members of their self-titled "Women's Murder Club." Lindsey is a detective with the San Francisco Police Department. Yuki is a San Francisco Assistant District Attorney. Claire is the Medical Examiner. And, the fourth and final member of the Women's Murder Club is Cindy, crime reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. These four women work together to solve many of San Francisco's highest profile and most brutal crimes.

7th Heaven is two crime stories. The first is the disappearance of the ailing teenage son of one of California's former governors. The second criminal story-line is the arson murders of several wealthy couples.

One of the reasons I enjoy this series so much is because Patterson weaves the personal lives of these four women into his mysteries. Claire is pregnant. Lindsey is having issues with her boyfriend Joe and her steamy attraction to her detective partner, and her apartment catches fire in the middle of an arson investigation. Yuki finds a new, albeit quirky, love interest as she faces prosecuting one of the biggest cases of her career and continues to deal with the death of her mother. And Cindy continues to seek out alternate sources for her newspaper stories to keep from breaching her trust with her crime fighting friends.

As with all of the books in this series, this book is a hard-to-put-down mystery. Patterson does not get bogged down in the minutiae of forensic detail making this an easier read than some other crime fiction. He also knows enough about San Francisco and the surrounding areas to get the setting details right.

7th Heaven is another suspense-filled, enjoyable read in Patterson's Women's Murder Club Series.

7th Heaven
Authors: James Patterson (and Maxine Paetro)
Available formats:
Hardback, February 2008, 376 pages, approximate cost $20
Hardback, Large Print, February 2008, 435 pages, approximate cost $22
Audio, Compact Disc, Abridged, read by Carolyn McCormick, February 2008, approximate cost $22
Audio, Compact Disc, Unabridged, read by Carolyn McCormick, February 2008, approximate cost $29

Other books by James Patterson are too many to mention in this space (more than 40). The books listed here are James Patterson books I have read.

Women's Murder Club Series:
The 6th Target, Patterson (and Maxine Paetro), 2007
The 5th Horseman, Patterson (and Maxine Paetro), 2006
4th of July, Patterson (and Maxine Paetro), 2005
3rd Degree, Patterson (and Andrew Gross), 2005
2nd Chance, Patterson (and Andrew Gross), 2003
1st to Die, 2002

Alex Cross Series:
Four Blind Mice, 2003
Along Came A Spider, 1993

Others:
Maximum Ride, 2006
The Lake House, 2004
The Beach House, Patterson (and Peter de Jonge), 2003
When the Wind Blows, 1999

To learn more about the author James Patterson, visit: http://www.jamespatterson.com/

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Full of Grace by Dorothea Benton Frank

Dorothea Benton Frank's Full of Grace is another really good, enjoyable, southern novel. I have been a fan of Frank's books since my Aunt Vee gave me one several years ago. The front cover of this book is inscribed from Aunt Vee making my first Frank book a real treasure. Some of her other titles, Sullivan's Island, Isle of Palms, Shem Creek, are written about the South Carolina coastal, barrier islands where I grew up. I received my "signed First Edition" copy of Full of Grace as a Christmas present. (Mrs. Pebbles - thank you very much and I love you for always thinking of me.)

For the most part, Full of Grace is set in the South Carolina coastal cities of Charleston and Hilton Head. The two main characters are Grace, a high-end travel agent, and Michael, a research Doctor at the Medical University of SC in Charleston. Grace and Michael live in downtown Charleston.

Grace's parents, Big Al and Connie Russo, have retired and moved from New Jersey to Hilton Head bringing Grace's maternal grandmother to live with them. The Russo's are Catholic Italians. They remind me of the television Soprano's except replacing the mob with Catholicism. They are the typical atypical dysfunctional family.

Grace is an unmarried 32-year-old non-practicing Catholic living with Doctor and scientist Michael who does not believe in God or faith. To add insult to injury for Grace's family, Michael is Irish. Grace lives her life with Michael in Charleston, but spends holidays with her family in Hilton Head without Michael.

Without giving away too much of the plot and storyline, Michael starts having terrible headaches and is diagnosed with a usually fatal form of cancer. A non-existent relationship with Grace's family, Grace's grandmother having visions of ghosts and Michael's Alzheimer stricken mother frame this story of Grace and Michael's love and hope.

This book taught me several things about Catholicism and Catholic symbolism which I did not know. I value historical detail in fiction writing and, as one who knows little about the Catholic faith, I appreciate Frank giving the background and significance of many of these symbols.

This novel has one very different and likable characteristic. The book is written in first person from Grace's point of view but the prologue and the epilogue are written by Michael. Hearing from Michael at the beginning and the end of this book helped to better define his distinct personality and his own feelings about his work, his illness, his stance on religion and his relationship with Grace and her family.

I really liked this book. It is not a hard-to-follow thrilling, suspenseful novel. It is a very touching easy read. I am sure everyone will find at least one member of their own family in the Russo's. The setting of Charleston is "home" for me making this book even more enjoyable. From where the Harris Teeter in downtown Charleston is located to the road between Charleston and Hilton Head being very dangerous, I appreciate Frank's knowledge of her setting.

I have enjoyed every book I have read by Dorothea Benton Frank. I have read all of her novels except the latest two. I look forward to reading these in the very near future.

Full of Grace
Author: Dorothea Benton Frank
Hardcover, May 2006, 317 pages, barnesandnoble.com Bargain Book $6
Paperback, March 2007, 340 pages, approximate cost $8
Audio, compact disc, abridged, approximate cost $25

Other books by Dorothea Benton Frank:
Bulls Island, new release - April 2008
Christmas Pearl, 2007
The Land of Mango Sunsets, 2007
Pawleys Island, 2005
Shem Creek, 2004
Isle of Palms, 2003
Plantation, 2001
Sullivan's Island, 2000

To learn more about the author Dorothea Benton Frank, visit: http://www.dotfrank.com/