Mystery Mondays: Audio book Review: 8th Confession

Title: 8th Confession
Author: James Patterson with Maxine Paetro
Read by: Carolyn McCormick
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense
Pub Date: April 2009, Hachette Audio
Source: Won from a blog contest

Synopsis

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.

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 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.

As the hunt for two criminals tests the limits of the Women's Murder Club, Lindsay sees sparks fly between Cindy and her 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 revelations as only James Patterson can. And remember, this is the only Murder Club episode of the year.

My Thoughts

You might recall from my previous mentions about how a reader can really influence how you feel about an audio book--at least, I find that happens to me. A good reader can make a not-so-great book better, or vice versa. With 8th Confession, I have to confess that I was not nuts about Carolyn McCormick's reading, though at times she does do a great job, depending on the character she is portraying (she gets an A+ as Yuki's mother, for example). But more often than not, I just felt her reading seemed to prim and proper for the story, if that makes any sense.

However, I thought the story behind 8th Confession was so good that the reading really did not mess up the listening experience for me. I found myself completely engaged with the story--well, not so completely that I couldn't drive safely on my commutes, but I'm sure you understand what I mean. In fact, I now think that listening to audio books might be the best route for Patterson's novels for me--with their short chapters they really are perfect for listening. And as his stories are generally fast-paced and exciting, it makes for a great audio book experience. Not that I don't enjoy reading his novels in print, but they really are a great option for my daily commutes.

As with most of his books there is a bit of sexual content and foul language, most of which I am willing to overlook, though I really could do without some of it. Given that Patterson always has several storylines working at once, I don't need all the details of the various relationships--insinuations work just fine for me. But I definitely enjoy the multiple storylines and now that Patterson has developed all the women in the Murder Club so much, there is a lot more to work with for their various stories. If you enjoy Patterson's novels, I definitely recommend checking out their audio versions--I don't think you'll be disappointed.

My rating:



Other reviews of 8th Confession:

A Novel Menagerie ~ Bermudaonion's Weblog ~ Bobbi's Book Nook
Booking Mama ~ A Bookworm's World ~ Shh I'm Reading
Diary of an Eccentric ~ reading comes from writing
Lori's Reading Corner ~ Joyfully Retired

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