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Private cover art

Private

Written by: James Patterson, Maxine Paetro
Narrated by: Peter Hermann
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Publisher's Summary

The police can't help you....

Former Marine helicopter pilot Jack Morgan runs Private, a renowned investigation company with branches around the globe. It is where you go when you need maximum force and maximum discretion. The secrets of the most influential men and women on the planet come to Jack daily - and his staff of investigators uses the world's most advanced forensic tools to make and break their cases.

The press will destroy you....

Jack is already deep into the investigation of a multi-million dollar NFL gambling scandal and the unsolved slayings of 18 schoolgirls when he learns of a horrific murder close to home: his best friend's wife, Jack's former lover, has been killed. It nearly pushes him over the edge. Instead, Jack pushes back and devotes all of Private's resources to tracking down her killer.

Only one place to turn: Private....

But Jack doesn't have to play by the rules. As he closes in on the killer and chooses between revenge and justice, Morgan has to navigate a workplace love affair that threatens to blow the roof off his plans. With a plot that moves at death-defying speeds, Private is James Patterson's sleekest, most exciting thriller ever.

©2010 James Patterson (P)2010 Hachette

What the critics say

"James Patterson knows how to sell thrills and suspense in clean, unwavering prose." ( People)
"Patterson's novels are sleek entertainment machines, the Porsches of commercial fiction, expertly engineered and lightning fast." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Private

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    21
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

good listen

I really enjoyed this book. Im not sure if this is a series. but I hope it is

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good old school detective novel

Three stories of three different cases at a detective agency. reasonable character development and plausible forensics make this a worth while listen

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Investigate this!

I don’t usually read detective novels, and I frankly cannot recall why I bought this one.
It is a soulless, manipulative story, designed to introduce the agency and characters. I found simplistic villains and unlikeable vigilante protagonists. If this was intended to hook me on the series, it failed.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fast-paced; good characters

I enjoyed this book - it is fast-paced and has a decent plotline and well-developed character. I was definitely looking for the next in the series when I was done. We'll see how much the authors are able to keep the stories fresh and the characters developing.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow

I am really impressed , loved both story, and narrator. wish the story continued. Thanks for a excellent job.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Dreadfully pompous pulp

This book feels like a poor imitation of a novel by a student. Maybe it is, in which case well done on a good first step. If this is a meant to be more than an exercise it’s a bitter disappointment. The characters are two dimensional, the dialogue feels like someone in their sixties trying to be hip and the plot lines are unconnected and the mystery is thin. It’s not solved, then it is. The one interesting plot is the best friend and his dead wife, but it doesn’t go anywhere interesting or deep. There’s no relationship to unpack or anything tying the characters together. It feels like it was written as a cash grab for a Lifetime movie of the week. There’s nothing worse than picking up a mystery novel, looking for a good story and being sold something that was clearly written in bad faith, without care or heart. That’s what this feels like. Thankfully the voiceover is okay and it’s mercifully short.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great listen!

A really great listen. A detective style narrative of a murder case, packed with details to keep it interesting at every turn. very enjoyable!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

The end could have been better

The ending felt a bit rushed and somewhat anticlimactic. It's still a good story though

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

loved it.

#Audible 1. I really enjoyed this book. Kept me interested the whole time. I can not wait to listen to another on of the authors books.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Suspense got me hooked, overlooked little threads

Being about a Private investigation company we find the novel starting in the middle in a problem and then two others that are introduced and solved in the course of the story. They give us hints that these characters have history and practice, but it felt incomplete. I see now that this is the first in a long series, so it gives the authors space to explore and create.

The writing and narration got me hooked and I was a little let down on how magic boxes and lampshades on unanswered questions led to the solution. It feels like they had 10,000 words to finish the book and just answered issues as fast as possible to get to the seeds for the next one.

Fun and I will get the next one.

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