Private by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

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I recently finished listening to Private by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro on audio CD. The novel revolves around Jack Morgan, a former marine helicopter pilot who runs the world renowned investigation company, Private. Private is the investigative firm to the stars because of their discretion, ability to keep dark secrets, their advanced forensic labs, and the amazing, hard working staff.

This book is alive with new plots at every turn. There are three main stories going on throughout the novel. Jack’s uncle is seeking information about a possible fix going on in the NFL. A friend of Jack’s is brutally murdered and his best friend is the only suspect in the case. Finally, there are the schoolgirl slayings. High school aged girls are turning up dead at a rapid pace with no clues in sight.

While Jack and his Private team work diligently to solve all three of these cases, there is plenty of personal strife in his life as well. His twin brother has a huge gambling debt that the mob is looking for him to pay, he gets a daily death threat, a memory from the past that wants to break through is always on the edge of his mind, and his love life is a mess.

The book is action packed with twists and turns in each of the cases as well as Jack’s personal life. Toward the end of the book the cases start coming together and even start overlapping. The explosive conclusions of all the cases kept me on the edge of my seat. Some of the events were easy to spot coming while some came crashing out of nowhere. In any case, there were enough clues throughout the book to keep me guessing, but also enough so that I was able to figure a few things out on my own.

There were times when I was so into what I was listening to that I would sit in the driveway for 5-10 additional minutes just so I could finish a chapter before going into my house. I am excited that there is talk of this being a new series in the works. The characters are strong willed, loyal people, but they all have their faults which make them realistic. I can’t wait for the second book in the series!

I give this book 4 ½ stars out of 5.