Private

James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Former Marine and CIA agent Jack Morgan inherits his father's renowned security and detective business—along with a case load that tests him to the breaking point. Getting to the bottom of an NFL gambling scandal and an unsolved LAPD investigation into 18 school girl slayings would be enough. On top of all that, Morgan takes on solving the horrific murder of his best friend's wife.

As Morgan fights the urge to exact brutal revenge on that killer, he has to navigate a workplace imbroglio that could blow the roof off his elite agency. And it's an especially explosive situation . . . because the love affair is his own.

My Take:

I am a big Patterson fan, but I can't say this was my favorite.  It was definitely exciting and fast paced (just about a guarantee with a Patterson) but didn't have that extra oomph that most of his thrillers have.  There were three different mysteries going on, which helped with the pace of the book, but some of them ended a bit anticlimactically.  One of the mysteries ended exactly as I thought it would, which, for a Patterson, was odd because ordinarily the readers is thrown completely for a loop.  While I didn't find the events in this book especially thrilling, I really enjoyed the new characters we were introduced to.  They were complex and flawed but extremely likable and the sort of hard core good guys a person can really root for.  With great characters, and the fact that they run the most powerful investigation firm in the world, the stage is set of a great series, and Private was a pretty good jumping off point.  As far as the book goes, I'm torn between a 2 and 3 rating, but I think because it wasn't as explosive as I'd hoped, I'm going to have to rate it a 3, Find a Used Book Store, Private is a must read, just don't spend over 20 bucks on it :)

The review copy I was given by the publisher was in audio format.  I love a good audio book, and for the most part, the narrator was pretty great.  He was a little over dramatic at times, but overall very entertaining and worth the money.

Do you agree with my review?  Do you think I'm totally off base?  Either way I'd love to hear from you, be sure to leave a comment and tell me how you feel!

If this book were a movie it would be rated R for strong language throughout, some sexual content and violence.

***FTC Disclosure:  This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review, no other compensation was given, all opinions are my own*** 

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