Private London by James Patterson and Mark Pearson

Dan Carter is the head of Private International in London, and his team is the best that money can buy - they have a big budget, the best staff, and some of the best toys in the industry.  It's just as well they are though, because they are about to have everything go to custard in a very short space of time.  Hannah Shapiro is rich, fragile, and has been flown halfway round the world to study for her degree, and she is the responsibility of Dan and his team. 

When she is kidnapped the sole focus of Private London is to find her and bring her safely home.  They all hope it is a simple kidnap for ransom because there is another disturbing possibility - that she may have been killed by someone who is killing people and leaving the bodies mutilated and missing bits and pieces.  The cases could be linked, and that puts Dan Carter on a collision course with his ex-wife DI Kirsty Webb. 

This is the second installment in the Private series by James Patterson and co-authors - although this does not strictly need to be read after Private to be enjoyable.  As a Kiwi I kept smiling every time I saw the name Dan Carter as it made me think of one of our best known All Blacks, but apart from that this was quite a serious book from the start and jumps in with rather dramatic style.  

For some reason though I found this to be not quite so good as the first Private, there was a certain spark that was missing with the writing, a certain zing that I have come to associate with James Patterson novels and the ones that he writes with other writers.  Don't get me wrong, this was an enjoyable book, but there was something that made it seem almost more a thriller-by-numbers rather than the deftly written, page-turning reads that I have come to expect. 

Patterson has set high standards in the past and this book didn't quite make it to the usual level.  I hope there are more books in this series, and I hope that we get to see some more of the Private London team as the taste we have with this novel is somewhat addictive by the end, and I can't wait to see what happens with the characters as they develop.

If you like this book then try:

• Private by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
• Swimsuit by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
• The surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
• The survivors club by Lisa Gardner

Reviewed by Brilla