Private #1 Suspect by James Patterson

Synopsis:

Unsolvable cases

Since former Marine Jack Morgan started Private, it has become the world's most effective investigation firm--sought out by the famous and the powerful to discreetly handle their most intimate problems. Private's investigators are the smartest, the fastest, and the most technologically advanced in the world--and they always uncover the truth.

Impossible murders

When his former lover is found murdered in Jack Morgan's bed, he is instantly the number one suspect. While Jack is under police investigation, the mob strong-arms him into recovering $30 million in stolen pharmaceuticals for them. And the beautiful manager of a luxury hotel chain persuades him to quietly investigate a string of murders at her properties.

The #1 suspect is Jack Morgan

While Jack is fighting for his life, one of his most trusted colleagues threatens to leave Private, and Jack realizes he is confronting the cleverest and most powerful enemies ever. With more action, more intrigue, and more twists than ever before, PRIVATE: #1 SUSPECT is James Patterson at his unstoppable best.

I am very conflicted over how I feel about this book. I was really looking forward to reading it after the first one. I was happy about it in one way, but disappointed as well.

Overall, I did enjoy the storyline. The cases were interesting to me and they kept me reading. That is the part I was not disappointed in. The book had a good pace, and it kept me interested the whole way through.

I was disappointed in the lack of character development. We don’t really learn anything knew about anyone in this book. I almost felt like I was reading the same book just with different cases. They have remained pretty flat so far. I felt like this would be the book to make them into deeper characters, but it just did not happen.

The only sort of change in character is that Jack became really unimportant to me. I feel like Justine, Del Rio, and Cruz are really taking over, and they are the more interesting characters to read about.

Jack being the main character in this series reminds a little bit of How I Met Your Mother. Watching that show, I felt every other character was exponentially better than Ted. I feel the same way about Jack. I hope that changes in the next one or these books may start to get a bit boring.

Justine is still my favorite character. I would love if she and Lindsay Boxer teamed up.

3/5 stars

Click To Purchase!

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Synopsis:

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.

Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.

Promises get broken.

Rules get shattered.

Love gets ugly.

I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this book. I had heard a lot of talk about it around the internet, and the general consensus seemed to be that it was well liked. I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the rollercoaster that was this novel though.

First of all, Tate was a very likable protagonist. I thought she had a good personality and she made me laugh quite a few times.

Miles was an interesting co-protagonist. He was a very big mystery through most of the novel. That kept my attention, and I just had to finish the book to figure out why he was the way he was.

The way this book was written also kept it exciting. It switched back and forth from Tate’s point-of-view to Miles’s point-of-view.

Tate’s sections were in the present while Miles’s sections covered the past and slowly revealed how his character came to be. Learning about him slowly throughout the book made the story even stronger.

The story itself was also interesting to me. It was a cute romance book, but it was also deeper than that. Miles dealt with a lot of pain to get to this point. Suffering from abuse and a broken heart.

Then on the other hand, there was Tate. She seemed like she had a pretty decent life and Miles completely threw her off. I was rooting for them from the beginning.

Once I really got going with the book, I could not put it down for anything. I just had to get to the end and nothing else seemed as important. It has a way of really drawing you in and not letting go until you turn the last page.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t cry.

5/5 Stars

 Click To Purchase!

Private by James Patterson

Synopsis:

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.

I was wary about starting this series because of all of the mixed reviews that it received. I bought the first one used at a great price, so I could not turn it down.

I am glad that I gave it a chance.

From reading this first installment, Private seems like it can be a good series.

Private was fast-paced and full of action. It was driven by a few very strong characters that I want to learn more about also.

Jack Morgan suffers from PTSD but runs one of the best private investigation agencies in the world.

Justine works for private and is a great female protagonist. I tend to think that comes from Patterson’s co-writer being Maxine Paetro on this one. She is also involved in the Women’s Murder Club series and I can see a lot of that in Justine’s character.

Del Rio is a great supporting character for Jack.

They are all very strong and lead certain parts of the story. I hope they stick around for more installments.

The story itself was jam packed with different cases and lots of action. The main case was about missing school girls that turned up murdered. The other cases took a back seat role to this one.

It is better to have one main storyline than to try to pay attention to all of them in an equal manner. The book would either be way too long or too confusing. I feel that it was done right with this one.

I read most of the book in one sitting. I did not want to put it down.

I am looking forward to reading the next installment in the Private series.

5/5 Stars

 Click To Purchase!