Private L.A.

I don’t even remember ordering this book. It was just there, on my Kindle. It was outstanding, one of those stories that demanded that your attention, demanded that you return ASAP each and every time that you put it down. It had everything, intrigue, internationalism , romance, sex, and unfortunately a bit of terrible perversion and violence. But, you know, those things happen too. There are a lot of characters and I had a little trouble keeping them straight, but that’s because I approached the beginning of the book a bit superficially. That was a mistake.

This book is James Patterson at his best. I read the book overnight because of the pace and all the action. The book actually goes back and forth between two cases – one a kidnapping and the other an over-the-top extortion scheme. The action is non-stop even for a Patterson novel. The small chapters drive the stories forward at a relentless pace, dragging you along with them. If you love thrillers or already a Patterson fan, this book is for you. You will get your money’s worth in spades. I think you will also be dragged along on this impossibly satisfying double story line, and then head for the bookstore for more books in this series. Take my advice to start this book when you have nothing planned the next day because you will need it to recuperate from your marathon reading session. Enjoy!!!

I remember years ago when James Patterson wrote insightful and interesting mystery’s. Now, his writings seem more contrived and predictable, leaving little for me to be interested in. Although I had not read Patterson for a number of years, the story line in this one held out some hope, so I gave him one last try. Well, now that I’ve read it, all hope is lost. This one read more like a mystery ‘playbook’ that touched all the right points, but seemed to be so formulaic, as if he (and his co-writers) were more intent on pushing out ‘product’ than interesting stories. I could go on about the story, the poorly developed characters, and all the narrative contrivances, but it would not be worth the time. It appears to me that Patterson and his co-writers will continue to offer readers nothing more than a ‘novel mill’ approach to their writing, so I will move back to authors that offer old fashioned fiction.

Note that I’ve only posted 3 Stars but this is simply because I haven’t red this novel, “Private L.A.” because I have a few other books in the “Private” series to read yet. I’ve read quite a number of James Patterson novels and have enjoyed every one of them. Perhaps, after I do read this and I remember to return to this rating, I will followup on the book review.

James Patterson, with co-writer, Mark Sullivan, has put together his third Private novel staring Jack Morgan, owner and operator of a powerful worldwide investigative agency. Morgan is immediately overwhelmed with murder cases.
A group known as No Prisoners is terrorizing Los Angeles with random group massacres and threatens to up the ante if the City doesnt meet their outrageous monetary demands. Private is asked by the mayor of L.A. to discretely resolve the murders before her city falls into panic mode.
A powerful Hollywood couple and their children are reported missing after returning to Los Angeles from filming a movie in Vietnam. Jack Morgan is tasked by the head of the film production company to investigate their disappearance before the media gets wind of it. The case quickly turns international. As if Jack Morgan hadnt enough on his plate his errant twin brother, Tommy, is charged with murder. Tommy, hoping to get off the hook for murder at any cost, threatens to implicate Jack in the murder if his demands for money and ownership of Jacks company are not met.
The triple-plotted story is action packed, never slows, and consistently holds the readers attention. Truth and reality are often stretched to their limits but Patterson and Sullivan skillfully weave a story of intrigue to keep the pages turning.
Private L.A. is a fun read. I give it a 4 out of 5 rating.

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