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Private
(Private #1)
by
Former CIA agent Jack Morgan runs Private, a renowned investigation company with branches around the globe, for maximum force and maximum discretion. Already deep into the investigation of a multimillion-dollar NFL gambling scandal and the unsolved slayings of eighteen schoolgirls, he learns his best friend's wife, Jack's former lover, has been killed.
The secrets of the ...more
The secrets of the ...more
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Hardcover, 385 pages
Published
July 20th 2010
by Little Brown and Company
(first published May 27th 2010)
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Start your review of Private (Private, #1)

I had gotten this audio book a while back as an Audible Daily Deal. I hadn't ever read anything by James Patterson and I figured that was the perfect opportunity to do so. My husband and I had to drive to Atlanta, so I chose this book, as I thought he'd enjoy it more than the paranormal fantasy stuff that I prefer. 😉

Holy complications, Batman! I've never read anything like this before.

This book was totally plot driven and moved at lightning speed. The main character is Jack Morgan, owner of Priv ...more

Holy complications, Batman! I've never read anything like this before.

This book was totally plot driven and moved at lightning speed. The main character is Jack Morgan, owner of Priv ...more

Very good start and then it fizzles out.
At this point, it is clear that the Patterson collaborations are 100% written by the second author. Nevertheless, Paetro has done a good job with some of the books on the Women's Murder Club series (though she has also delivered some duds in that one). As a result, I had mixed feelings about whether to give this series a chance or not. When I started reading this book, I was feeling like I had made a great decision.
The set up for the story was very good, w ...more
At this point, it is clear that the Patterson collaborations are 100% written by the second author. Nevertheless, Paetro has done a good job with some of the books on the Women's Murder Club series (though she has also delivered some duds in that one). As a result, I had mixed feelings about whether to give this series a chance or not. When I started reading this book, I was feeling like I had made a great decision.
The set up for the story was very good, w ...more

Apparently the start of a 'male-led' Women's Murder Club series. While some of the story outlines were interesting... too many to follow, making it hard to fucus on the central storyline.
...more

DNF at 30%.
I’ve never read a James Patterson book and Audible was giving this one away.
Beware freebies.
This was like some dumb melodrama you watch for 5 minutes while channel surfing. War veteran inherits a posh PI firm that caters to the very rich and powerful.
If this is Beverly Hills Private Investigations then I'd rather follow Axel Foley back to Detroit.
Yawn.
...more
I’ve never read a James Patterson book and Audible was giving this one away.
Beware freebies.
This was like some dumb melodrama you watch for 5 minutes while channel surfing. War veteran inherits a posh PI firm that caters to the very rich and powerful.
If this is Beverly Hills Private Investigations then I'd rather follow Axel Foley back to Detroit.
Yawn.


Private is a book written by James Patterson (and Maxine Paetro) who is a well known author of crime thriller novels. Wow. Sorry James, but this is a really crappy book. The story line is all over the place, the characters are completely undeveloped and the “reveal” at the end is totally predictable. This was the first time (that I know of) that I read a book that has a “ghost writer”. That’s right people, the person who you thought wrote the book (ie. The person’s name written in big red block
...more

Pretty good. I enjoyed the characters and the plots. I think I will still read the Michael Bennett and Alex Cross series before continuing this series, but I will continue it. Love the character of Jack and his colleagues.
My quick and simple overall: only takes a few hours to read this book and is interesting enough to keep you reading in one sitting.
My quick and simple overall: only takes a few hours to read this book and is interesting enough to keep you reading in one sitting.

When reading reviews, particularly on Amazon, I’ve noticed a lot of complaints about how the Patterson books are written. As a reader, what I care about is the end result. I want a good story. Sometimes, Patterson’s formula works and sometimes it doesn’t. I enjoy The Women’s Murder Club series and the Alex Cross series (though I must admit, I’m behind on both series.) So far I’ve enjoyed the books written with (or some might say by) Maxine Paetro.
I found Private to be a good story. At first I wa ...more
I found Private to be a good story. At first I wa ...more

This was my first crime book that I have read and absolutely loved it. I have loved watching crime and thought I would give reading crime a go. From the first chapter I was hooked. Private are a great team and get the job done. In this book they were working three major cases.

This is a difficult novel for me to review because a lot of my criticisms may be completely irrelevant to people who enjoy this kind of book. This was the first James Patterson novel I've read, and I'm mindful of the fact that my own opinions on the book are kind of irrelevant – he's got a legion of fans and they've already made up their minds on what they love and what they don't. So I'm going to point out what worked and didn't work for me, but if you're reaction to it is, "you're focusing on
...more

It was a good book. I enjoyed the story and liked the characters. It's not one of my favorite books, but it was worth reading.
...more

Meh. Too long, too many story lines, not enough emotion. And who the heck puts an epilogue in then continues the story with more chapters? WTF Patterson?

As far as private eye books go, Private takes a different approach. You won't find the boozing PI with a shabby office located in Hell's Kitchen. Private is a firm that caters to the rich and famous. Jack Morgan is the boss man of this highly sophisticated crime outfit that employs top notch experts and a crime lab that is better equipped than the police departments. Jack doesn't buzz around town in a beat up junker. He drives a Lamborghini (aka Lambo). The narrator
does a decent job for a story ...more
does a decent job for a story ...more

I don't care who wrote it, I couldn't put it down. OK, sometimes I had to sleep and work. :) And I had no problem with all the stories going on in the book, because all af them were interesting and all of them were solved as well. And I don't need weeks to read a book, so I always knew who was who and what was happening.
I think I try another Private one. ...more
I think I try another Private one. ...more

Apr 21, 2011
Sue
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
suspense-thriller-mystery
Another great book by James Patterson, "Private".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.
Jack is already deep into the investigation of a multi-million dollar NFL gamblin ...more
Jack is already deep into the investigation of a multi-million dollar NFL gamblin ...more

'Private' is the first novel of a mystery series starring Jack Morgan, ex-Marine helicopter pilot, who now is the owner of a large private detective company with offices everywhere. Morgan guides a crack team of support staff - a scientist, a psychiatric profiler, a punk-styling computer expert, a pack of neurotic detectives - who work for mostly rich Los Angeles people, including movie stars and prosecutors. The office building in which he works has equipment and labs NASA would envy, enabling
...more

Swing and a miss.
I had a feeling when I first started Private about investigator Jack Morgan, I probably would not become very attached to this one.
And unfortunately I was right.
The plot line never picked up speed for me, and for some reason was somewhat hard to follow. No real likable characters, and I was kind of left feeling blah at the ending.
I’ll try another James Patterson book one day.
I had a feeling when I first started Private about investigator Jack Morgan, I probably would not become very attached to this one.
And unfortunately I was right.
The plot line never picked up speed for me, and for some reason was somewhat hard to follow. No real likable characters, and I was kind of left feeling blah at the ending.
I’ll try another James Patterson book one day.

Aug 25, 2017
Magpie67
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
rtyr-2017,
mystery,
private-investigator,
murder,
magpie-s-2017,
serial-killer,
suspense,
kindle,
audio,
detectives
Loved, simply loved this book! Loved the action and the fast pace of the office as the team worked three cases. Each character is brilliant in their own way and I look forward to meeting up with them as I continue this series. Stunning voice too.... Mr. Peter Herman delivered the audio perfectly. He definitely could purr into my ear all day....

The latest series of Patterson starring an ex-marine named Jack Morgan the leader of an ultra-high end private investigation firm. I gave this book 2 stars, it is an easy read with the plot going back and forth between three different cases and few personal situations. Now having three different cases in one novel can be a two edged sword, in one hand it will keep the readers form getting bored with every few pages showing a different story line but it can also and in the other it might keep the
...more

Oct 07, 2010
Richard
rated it
it was ok
Recommends it for:
no one
Recommended to Richard by:
I have been reading all Mr. Patterson's work.
First of all, look at the author names on the book cover. I guess Mr. Patterson was unhappy with his coauthor the day he approved the art, but her name is very subtle at the bottom of the book.
Second, I think they have overdosed on Dirk Pitt, Stone Barrington and Secret Agent 007 with their depiction of Jack Morgan and his protection/private detective agency, Private. Resurrected from his worthless father's defunct company with $15,000,000 in stolen money dad gave Jack shortly before dying in pr ...more
Second, I think they have overdosed on Dirk Pitt, Stone Barrington and Secret Agent 007 with their depiction of Jack Morgan and his protection/private detective agency, Private. Resurrected from his worthless father's defunct company with $15,000,000 in stolen money dad gave Jack shortly before dying in pr ...more

I thought this was an alright mystery novel. I liked the parelell stories and the cast of characters but felt that some of it was just... so last generation.
For instance: There's an implication in the Steam Cleaner(I listened to it as an audio book so I'm sure that it's spelled differently but I don't know how. I figure it's "SteamKleana" or something like that) story that all people who play violent video games want to commit terrible murders. This is annoying. I play a lot of games, some of th ...more
For instance: There's an implication in the Steam Cleaner(I listened to it as an audio book so I'm sure that it's spelled differently but I don't know how. I figure it's "SteamKleana" or something like that) story that all people who play violent video games want to commit terrible murders. This is annoying. I play a lot of games, some of th ...more

Another quick, easy read from Patterson, although, I found this book a bit dull. The main character (Jack), felt like someone I would like to know, but never quite got there. It just seemed like very little character developement, which was a shame because he seemed to have so much "more to his story." The entire book felt a bit rushed to me, which is true of so many of Patterson's more recent works. I wish he would s-l-o-w down and tell us an indepth, well developed story, like he use to.
...more

This is the second read for me and I enjoyed it just as much as the first.
As to be expected, it’s well written with likeable characters that I enjoyed spending time with.
The multiple storylines added to my interest, except for the Afghanistan flashbacks and dreams, which really did nothing for the story and seemed to be resolved a little too quickly
Overall, easy to read, fast paced and enjoyable.

the book was very exciting, I was intrigued, and couldn't put it down the book, until i was hungry. then i would go and get food, and continue reading the book. it had the perfect balance of action, suspense, and a nice finishing.
...more

When will authors and audiobook studios realize that soundtracks in an audiobook causes a startle response in some people!?! Luckily it was only 5 or 6 times in the whole book and not every chapter, but it was stupid and unnecessary and left me missing part of the spoken text.
The chapters were more like "paragraphs" to me. Too short and somewhat choppy. I should have kept a list of character's first and last names because they switched back and forth so many times I sometimes got lost for a whil ...more
The chapters were more like "paragraphs" to me. Too short and somewhat choppy. I should have kept a list of character's first and last names because they switched back and forth so many times I sometimes got lost for a whil ...more

I enjoyed the book, but for relatively short book, it has a lot of storylines, a home invasion murder, a serial killer of school girls, an NFL cheating scandal, the mob, a death threat--and that got in the way of the pacing. The serial killer storyline overwhelmed the home invasion murder storyline and vice versa at times and NFL thread only received lip service. An enjoyable book but with pacing issues.

Initial Reaction:
LOVED it! One of my favorite Patterson books ever! THIS is the Patterson we know and love!! I really hope that this turns into a new series like Alex Cross and Women's Murder Club. I truly loved all the characters and the story was dynamite!
About the Book:
Jack Morgan is a former CIA Agent and Marine who inherited Private Investigations, a firm who does first-class investigations for the elite, the rich, and the famous. Private has top-of-the-line equipment, a plethora of staff m ...more
LOVED it! One of my favorite Patterson books ever! THIS is the Patterson we know and love!! I really hope that this turns into a new series like Alex Cross and Women's Murder Club. I truly loved all the characters and the story was dynamite!
About the Book:
Jack Morgan is a former CIA Agent and Marine who inherited Private Investigations, a firm who does first-class investigations for the elite, the rich, and the famous. Private has top-of-the-line equipment, a plethora of staff m ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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The Challenge Fac...: Victorian Vickie & D.L. ~ Private by James Patterson | 5 | 7 | Jul 10, 2020 03:56PM | |
Play Book Tag: Private - James Patterson & Maxine Paetro (3 stars) | 1 | 12 | Jan 03, 2020 06:17PM | |
Challenge Corner: Private Series by James Patterson -> Starting June 3rd, 2018 | 15 | 8 | Jun 25, 2018 07:30AM | |
YA Buddy Readers'...:
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13 | 22 | Jun 22, 2018 12:31PM | |
Arters AP Literat...: Private | 6 | 1 | May 06, 2017 07:37AM | |
Goodreads Librari...: Please update page count | 3 | 12 | Mar 14, 2016 08:46AM |
Official US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author and most trusted storyteller. He has created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist writing today, with his Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Private, NYPD Red, Daniel X, Maximum Ride, and Middle School series. He has sold over 380 million books wo ...more
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author and most trusted storyteller. He has created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist writing today, with his Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Private, NYPD Red, Daniel X, Maximum Ride, and Middle School series. He has sold over 380 million books wo ...more
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“People Trust Me with their secrets, and I'm not sure why. It must be something in my face, probably my eyes.”
—
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“Justine pulled her Jag over to the side of the road and stared out at the landscape. I twirled the dial on her police band radio until the signal was clear. She opened her thermos, passed it over to me. I took a sip. The coffee was black, unsugared. That's the way Justine liked just about everything: straight up, no bullshit.”
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