Lost by James Patterson and James O. Born

Detective Tom Moon is part of an FBI task force in the city of Miami, tasked with tackling international crime and people smuggling.  When the task force gets a tip off about a human trafficker bringing a group of children and teens into the States, they act on the tip and manage to capture him - saving the group from who knows what fate in the process.  Saving them from an uncertain fate should be the end of their involvement for Tom and the rest of the task force, but Tom can't help but stay involved in the process, especially when the authorities plan on sticking the children in a detention centre until they can be flown back to Europe.  Connecting with the kids gives Tom and greater understanding of how they ended up being trafficked, but also makes him more determined to bring down the smugglers - especially when he discovers that there might be a connection to a local Russian gangster.

Wrangling his way into the role of guardian angel taking the kids back to the Netherlands, Tom soon finds that he has set himself on a path that will see his case collide with that of national police detective Marie Meijer.  Marie is tough as nails and determined to stop people smugglers in their tracks, even if that means crossing paths with her own Russian gangster.  She knows who's to blame for the people smuggling, but it will take hard evidence to bring down Hanna Greete and her brother Albert.  For their part, Hanna and Albert have been caught between impossible choices, because they are now thoroughly in debt to the Russians, who want payment in blood or diamonds if they can't get cold hard cash.  It is a race against time, and with the Russians involved there is a strong chance that it will become a bloody mess.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I like reading (most) James Patterson books (there are some librarians who don't like him that much), and Lost was definitely one of the good ones.  You know what to expect with a good James Patterson book - strong lead character, a story that jumps into the action straight away, a supporting cast of characters that are more realistic than perfect, a conundrum or villain that has a high cost if you fail, and at characters on 'both sides' of the story.  For me personally I think I enjoyed this a little more because of the connection to the Netherlands, though not so enjoyable that the Dutch characters were not usually the 'good guys'.  

I have seen some reviews that have panned the book, saying it takes over 100 pages to get into the story, but I didn't see it that way - it feels like the start of a new series and with any new series their is always a certain amount of world building and character building that has to take place so you can settle in and enjoy the ride with an understanding of who-is-who and what-is-what.  This was a great read, and I really hope there are more books in the series because I liked Detective Moon and the fact he kind of reminds me of Detective Michael Bennett, but also has his own voice and story.

If you like this book then try:

• The end by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois
• The witnesses by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois
• Private by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
• The nowhere child by Christian White
• Vodka doesn't freeze by Leah Giarratano
• Spare me the truth by C.J. Carver
• Orphan X by Greg Hurwitz
• Eeny meeny by M.J. Arlidge 
• Crimson lake by Candice Fox
• The better sister by Alafair Burke
• The killing kind by Chris Holm
• Breaking Creed by Alex Kava

Reviewed by Brilla