Series: Jack Morgan
(#1)
Publisher: Little,
Brown and Company
Publication Date: June 28, 2010
Publication Date: June 28, 2010
Review: I'll admit it, sometimes I just feel like reading a quick, entertaining,
James Patterson novel. With a really crazy schedule that barely left time for
sleep, let alone reading and reviewing novels, I knew I could count on
Patterson to provide a non-taxing read that I could pick up in short bursts and
not be completely lost with. Unfortunately, its the entertainment factor that
seems to be more hit or miss when it comes to Patterson's recent efforts. As he
has grown into a novel-producing brand, releasing numerous books with various
co-authors, the quality of his stories seems to have suffered. With all this in
mind, curiosity got the better of me, and I found myself plowing through one of
Patterson's latest series novels, Private.
As any reader of any of Patterson's novels can
attest, pace is rarely an issue. I easily found myself 80 pages deep into the
book with no problems, but was surprised at the amount of time the authors
(Maxine Paetro co-authors this narrative) spent setting up the characters and
upcoming action. The novel follows former Marine pilot Jack Morgan who, after
inheriting 15 million dollars from his imprisoned father, starts his own
private investigation firm. Within 5 years, Jack's company, Private, quickly
becomes a success with branches around the globe. Jack oversees the LA branch,
and has recently become very busy with three urgent cases.
To start things off, his best friend, Andy, has
called him to investigate the murder of his wife, Shelby. As is always the
case, Andy is the police's prime suspect, but Jack knows Andy would never kill
the wife he loved. Jack tasks Private with finding the real killer before Andy
is hauled off by the LAPD. In addition, Jack's uncle Fred, a high level
executive of the NFL, has hired Private to investigate the possibility of
referees fixing games through bad calls. With several examples, the evidence
seems to support this theory. Jack’s firm has to prove this case before it
reaches the public and completely destroys the integrity of the game. Finally,
there is the case of the schoolgirl killer. Thirteen girls have been killed and
even stranger, none of the killings were done the same way. With the rate of
the killings quickly rising, Private is in a race to catch the killer before
more innocent lives are lost.
This is probably one of my favorite Patterson
novels in recent memory. Considering some of his other attempts, the characters
were generally well thought out, and the mysteries were intriguing without ever
getting completely over the top. With all the cases coming to a satisfying, if
somewhat predictable, conclusion, this novel was brisk while still providing
enough entertainment to make it an enjoyable read.
No comments:
Post a Comment