Review - Private (Audio CD) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Three mysteries at once keep this moving along at a very fast clip.
Private by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Hachette Audio; Unabridged edition (February 22, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1607886901
• ISBN-13: 978-1607886907

Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Product Description
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. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review:  This is fast paced and entertaining.  I really enjoyed the three mysteries winding in and out amidst some personal storylines.

Jack Morgan, the intense head of Private, is focused on his work. Jack isn’t one to reflect on or express his emotions and although he has a personal relationship it seems something of convenience instead of commitment.  There is an interesting line of background history woven into the story.that explains Jack's character.  We learn about Jack’s relationship with his criminal father, his jealous twin brother, his suppressed memories from the war and his rather shallow love affair.

Each Private team member has their own skills and quirks: The tough guy, short tempered interrogator, the geeky computer guy, the driven and beautiful profiler and others. Breaking rules and doing things not quite by the book may work for Private’s team, but at least one hot temper gets them into a major scuffle with mob thugs - not a good idea. Another comes close to making key evidence inadmissible and risking law suits for brutality and wrongful arrest.  The multi-million dollar lab and equipment go a long way to helping solve these cases more easily than normal police procedures would.  I thought the three mysteries each had interesting elements and some good twists even if they were not completely unique.

The narrator did a good job with voice changes and keeping the pace moving. I also liked that this was a quick audio book with only 6 discs instead of 18. I recommend this as a quick, easy read for mystery fans.

Thank you to Hachette for providing the audio book for review and giveaway of three copies.