Author: James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
Publisher: Century
Publication Date: 1st January 2015
Pages: 384
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon
Showgirls. Millionaires. Murder.
Jack Morgan, head of Private Investigations, the global PI agency of the rich and famous, is being pushed to the limit. His car has been firebombed, his ex is dating someone else, and his twin brother is still out to destroy him.
But Private doesn’t rest, and nor do its clients: not the LAPD who need Private’s help catching two scumbags with diplomatic immunity, and not the client who has just confessed to murdering his wife.
Add to that Jack’s best friend being held on a trumped-up charge that could see him locked away for a very long time, and it seems like all bets are off…
The Private series of books by James Patterson and Co are one of my favourites but it's the ones featuring Jack Morgan that are my most favourite and I'm pleased to say that Jack is back in Private Vegas. I was very excited for Vegas as even though I've never been to the city, we all feel like we have through movies and books and so Private hitting Vegas was something I couldn't wait to read. I'd say this is probably one of my favourite Private books yet, as Jack's character is explored further, and some rather dramatic events throughout the book, and a fantastic (and frustrating!) cliffhanger have left me desperate to see what happens next.
As with most of the Private novels, there's a number of different stories taking place which in the beginning takes me a little time to get my head around as there's a lot going on. Jack wakes up to find that his car has been firebombed, his sadistic twin brother is back for revenge (and a determination to destroy Jack and take over Private) and his on/off lover and colleague Justine might have found herself a boyfriend. It's not looking good then for Jack but when two violent, nasty individuals start kidnapping and torturing women, and their diplomatic immunity prevents the police from doing anything, Jack takes it upon himself to do anything to take them down. Not one to do things by halves Patterson and co-writer Maxine Paetro also add into the mix some quite shady characters in the background plotting murders, and Jack's best friend Del Rio is up in court accused of something that could see him put away for a very long time.
You can see then why it takes a little time to get fully invested in all of the arcs, as short, sharp chapters flit between them all quite frequently but it wasn't long before I was completely hooked. Some of the stories are more interesting than others, as a huge fan of Jack I had a particular interest in who had this vendetta against him, and who wanted to destroy him. Jack has a lot of friends, but he has also developed a number of enemies over the years and so he is just as much at a loss as the reader. The focus is on Jack for much of the book, and there are some massive developments in his personal life (which you will of course have to read the book to find out more about...) but you will be left wanting more once you reach the book's conclusion. One thing Patterson and his co-writers never fail to do is come up with despicable villains, and the ones in this book are at times quite scary and there was seemingly nothing they wouldn't do as they were fearful of nobody and nothing, which at times made them very dangerous and unpredictable.
I guess the only thing I could say is that with these books, and I guess with most crime books in general, is that a lot of things are just tied up too nicely. I obviously won't say any more than that but sometimes I wish authors would push the boundaries more, this book was incredibly exciting and had all those relentless scenes and heart-stopping moments Patterson does so well, but as I said, a lot of things just tied up too nicely for me. All that said, I did mention earlier that towards the end of the book a number of things happen that are going to have a profound effect on Jack's life, I doubt he will ever find peace living the life that he does and all I can say is that I hope the next Private book isn't too far off, as I can't wait to pick up where this one ended and see how things work out for Jack. If you are new to the Private books this one could easily be read as a standalone, but I have read them all (apart from Berlin which is on my TBR) and it's a great series.
4/5
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