7th Heaven
By James Patterson (Little, Brown Publishers, $27.99)
REVIEWED BY PRUDY TAYLOR BOARD Special to Florida Weekly

There's a reason why Palm Beacher James Patterson is one of the best-selling authors of the 21st century- he spins a good yarn. And he doesn't let his readers down with "7th Heaven," his latest offering which he co-authored with New York journalist and novelist Maxine Paetro.

The book successfully and effectively weaves four stories into one. The book, and the first story, opens with a home invasion in which a wealthy couple is robbed, murdered, and their home is burned to the ground leaving behind a telling clue that's also the murderers' signature- a book in which the killers have written a Latin phrase. Then Patterson introduces the second story which involves the disappearance of the son of the former California governor. The son, Michael Campion, was born with a congenital heart defect. His struggles to survive and live a normal life have turned him into the state's darling, a local version of JFK Jr. He's been missing for months when Detective Sgt. Lindsay Boxer (of the Women's Murder Club) and her partner, Rich Conklin, are sent to follow up on an anonymous tip concerning his whereabouts. He was last seen frequenting the digs of Junie Moon, a sweet-faced waif of a prostitute who helped him divest himself of his virginity.

The third story deals with Boxer's personal life. Her handsome, sensitive live-in lover Joe has just moved to San Francisco to be with her, but she's also turned on by Conklin who's a 30-year-old, six-foot-two hunk. Such a problem.

And the fourth story features Yuki, an assistant state attorney who's also a member of the Women's Murder Club. She's the prosecutor when Junie Moon goes on trial for Michael's murder and Yuki's also the target of Jason Twilly, a bestselling true-crime writer who woos her to get the inside story of the trial. Claire, the M.E. and a member of the club, is pregnant and her fecund condition adds to the stewplot.

Patterson, as usual, delivers a good story and there's no question he's a master of his craft. This reviewer found it very interesting that he skillfully switches from first person point of view to third person, multiple points of view so that the main story is told through Boxer's eyes, but we have many scenes revealed through the eyes of other characters including the killers. In short: An engrossing read.

Books reviewed in this column are available online or at your local bookstore.

(c) 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.