The 8th Confession by James Patterson

Title: The 8th Confession
Authors: James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Series: The Women's Murder Club #8
ISBN -10: 0316018767
Pages: 352
Year Published: 2009
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Date Finished: May 21

From the dust jacket: Appearances can be deceiving.

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. Not a trace of evidence is left behind in their glamorous home.

But the truth can be deadly.

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 though the cracks, but when reporter Cindy Thomas hears about it, she knows the story could be huge. Probing deeper into the victim's history, she discovers he may not have been quite as saintly as everyone thought.

Let the confessions begin.

As the hunt for two criminals test the limits of the Women's Murder Club, Lindsay sees sparks fly betwen 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? The exhilarating new chapter in the Women's Murder Club series, The 8th Confession serves up a double dose of speed-charged twists and shocking revleations as only James Patterson can. And remember, this is the only Murder Club episode of the year.

First sentence: The old chrome-yellow school bus crawled south on Market Street at half past seven that May morning.

My review: The 8th Confession begins with a bombing of a school bus. Next Cindy Thomas discovers the mutilated body of a homeless man. Lindsay Boxer and her partner Rich Conklin are working both cases. Things quickly get complicated when the super-rich are being targeted. Medical examiner Claire Washburn is stomped on the cause of their deaths. To her, it's the perfect crime: no evidence has been left behind.

Meanwhile, Yuki Castellano is prosecuting a woman on trial for murdering her father and the attempted murder of her mother. Yuki cannot afford to lose this case. If she does, she fears she will also be out of a job.

As much as I love JP and this series, this book was a letdown for me. About page 100 or so, I just didn't care about the killer's identity, the plot or the characters. In prior books, The Women's Murder Club played a significant role in solving the crimes. In this book, however the characters' interactions didn't flow. They appeared to be "too separate" for me. Claire was hardly mentioned at all. The storyline for Yuki was abrupt and somewhat disappointing when she met the cute doctor.

I did mange to finish it only because I think JP may be taking the characters in a new direction. I'm curious to see what will happen with Lindsay's relationship with Joe. Despite feeling disappointed, I will continue reading the rest of this series, and of course more of JP's books.