Private [Hardcover]

James Patterson (Author), Maxine Paetro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 28, 2010

The police can't help you

Former CIA agent 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 sleekest, most exciting thriller ever.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The prolific Patterson seems unstoppable." (USA Today )

"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 )

About the Author

James Patterson has had more New York Times bestsellers than any other writer, ever, according to Guinness World Records. Since his first novel won the Edgar Award in 1976, James Patterson's books have sold more than 170 million copies. He is the author of the Alex Cross novels, the most popular detective series of the past twenty-five years, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. Mr. Patterson also writes the bestselling Women's Murder Club novels, set in San Francisco, and the top-selling New York detective series of all time, featuring Detective Michael Bennett. He writes full-time and lives in Florida with his family.

Maxine Paetro is the author of three novels, two works of nonfiction, and the coauthor of seven books with James Patterson. She lives in New York with her husband.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (June 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316096156
• ISBN-13: 978-0316096157
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (214 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

From my publisher:

James Patterson...


* James Patterson holds the New York Times bestsellers list record with 63 New York Times bestselling titles.

* JP has sold more than 220 million books worldwide. And considering pass-along and libraries, it's safe to say many more people than that have read a Patterson!

* In 2010, JP was named by kids everywhere the Children's Book Councils' Children's Choice Book Awards "Author of the Year" in 2010. More than 15,000 kid and teen readers voted for JP in a category he shared with Suzanne Collins, Carl Hiaasen, Jeff Kinney, and Rick Riordan. His Witch and Wizard series saw the biggest launch of a series for young readers ever, surpassing sales of first installments of Twilight, Diary of A Wimpy Kid, and Percy Jackson & The Olympians.

* JP has grossed over 3 billion dollars in worldwide sales. This is larger than the worldwide theatrical gross of Avatar, the highest grossing film of all time.

* JP has had 43 New York Times hardcover #1 bestselling novels, also a publishing industry record.

* Last year, JP has sold more books than John Grisham, Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, and Stephen King combined (source: Nielsen BookScan).

* JP properties are gaining wide interest amongst film and TV producers. JP's award-winning series for young readers, Maximum Ride, is currently with Avi Arad (Spiderman, Iron Man) and Universal Pictures. Lloyd Levin (Green Zone, Watchmen) is attached to produce a feature film adaptation of JP's newest young readers series, Witch and Wizard, and James Patterson Entertainment is set to produce the next Alex Cross film, I, Alex Cross which will feature Idris Elba (The Wire, The Losers) as Alex Cross. And, a television adaptation of JP's 2007 love story Sundays At Tiffanys aired in December 2010 starring Alyssa Milano and Eric Winter.

* JP's books are licensed in 43 countries worldwide, and are in print and actively sold in 100 countries.

* According to a 2010 Bowker Sisters in Crime Survey, JP is the favorite mystery writer amongst readers under 50...AND over 50! Survey respondents comprised American men, women and teens who bought at least one mystery fiction title in 2009 and/or 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

269 of 286 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very poor - don't bother, June 17, 2010

By 

I Like Cheese - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Private (Kindle Edition)

I've been reading James Patterson's books for years (I don't think I've missed one!) and we all know that a majority of his books these days are ghost-written by a co-author, meaning that the quality isn't often anywhere near as good as some of his earlier novels (such as the Alex Cross ones). Well Private is a prime example of this - sloppy writing with forced dialogue, predictable plot twists and celebrity name-drops and product placements litter nearly each one of the short chapters; bad two dimensional characters that are all horribly unlikable; and three unrelated "mysteries" that tie up a little too easily (and are then forgotten about - I mean, what was the point of the NFL storyline exactly?!) and have none of the usual twists and shocks that I'd expect from a thriller novel.

I just wish Patterson would do himself a favour and stop putting his name on any book thrown at him as his reputation is going to be dragged through the mud even more with books like this one. This is the last time that I get excited about one of his novels and pre-order it so I get it on day of release and I'll read a few other customer reviews before purchasing in future as this was a real waste of time and money.

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not a true Patterson novel, July 14, 2010

By 

Serge C. Kay "Photo Beach" (Miami, Fl.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Private (Jack Morgan) (Kindle Edition)

I have read every single novel written by Patterson.
Since ghost writers and assistant writers have written novels signed Patterson,
the quality of the story has deteriorated.
This last novel is by far the worst I have read.
The quickness of the chapters one used to feel, the incredible desire to want to read the next chapter is no longer there.

68 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Patterson with other writers a waste of time, July 13, 2010

By 

Diane M. Davis (OFallon, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Private (Hardcover)

Just plain boring. I usually don't read his books with other authors and will return to that practice after this. It is not a James Patterson book.