1. NYPD Red (c2012) by James Patterson & Marshall Karp
[Review by Shirley Ayres]
It is the beginning of “Hollywood on the Hudson” week in Manhattan and all the film stars and VIPs from both Hollywood and New York are in town for all the gala openings and A-List parties. Also in town are The Chameleon and his partner in crime, girlfriend Lexi.
Detectives Zach Jordan and his partner Kylie MacDonald are part of a Special Unit called NYPD Red that protects the rich and famous, and this week promises to be a doozy.
Written, at times, in Jordan’s voice, the book is action-packed and celebrity-laden. Ten years ago, Zach had a passionate affair with Kylie, but they broke up due to Zach’s inability to commit to a more permanent relationship. Kylie fell in love with and married television producer Spence Harrington and, ten years later is assigned to NYPD Red and is Zach’s partner.
The Chameleon and Lexi write movie scripts for every crime they commit. He uses disguises to get into places unnoticed so that he can kill his victim and get away without detection. After the crime, he and Lexi critique their “movie” and work on the next one.
The characters are believable and well defined. This is a really good book, written with very short chapters and imaginative dialogue.
2. NYPD Red 2 (c2014) by James Patterson & Marshall Karp
[Review by Shirley Ayres]
Once again, NYPD Red Special Unit Detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald are called upon to help solve the “Hazmat Killer” case.
Someone has tortured, videotaped, and killed three people in Manhattan. The tapes were made public and the victims, dressed in Hazmat suits, confessed to crimes no one knew about. When a fourth person suffers the same fate, NYPD Red is called in. The victim was rich and famous. Now, all four crimes are being investigated by Red.
A lot more crimes are committed, a lot more “confessions” are broadcast, and a lot of high-speed chases are filling up the pages before the crime is solved.
The chapters are short and keep the reader’s attention better than the usual long chapters in most books.
The book is easy to read with lots of blood and gore to keep any one turning the pages all night long.
