Book Review: Private Screening by Richard North Patterson

Private Screening by Richard North Patterson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Richard North Patterson sits on my list of top authors along with Ed McBain, Ginger Scott, Debbie Macomber, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and a few non-fiction writers. I hadn't realized that this particular book had gotten past me. I thought I'd read all of RNP's earlier works. As it turns out, I somehow missed this first Tony Lord novel. Private Screening tells the story of the assassination of Presidential hopeful James Kilcannon (Kerry Kilcannon, younger brother of James, is the subject of a trilogy of RNP novels).

What follows is the trial of the shooter who Tony Lord defends. That story is interwoven as a wonderfully written flashback story with a present day  abduction. Stacy Tarrant is a famous singer, and former girlfriend of James Kilcannon. She was with James Kilcannon the night he was murdered. In the present day, she is in need of a good attorney and calls on Tony Lord even though she despises him for defending James' killer.

My thoughts on this book are basically the same as all of the other Richard North Patterson books I've read: they're brilliant. If you like crime novels, mysteries, court dramas and/or a mixture of some or all of those things, RNP is the writer for you.  In this particular novel, you're actually reading two novels in one. The fist novel is told in flashback and the second is in present day. But they're also interwoven and except for James Kilcannon, all of the other characters are in the past and present.

The two stories are interwoven so well, it's easy to keep track of what's going on. Many authors don't use the flashback so well. RNP nails it in this earlier work of his.

Tony Lord, our "hero" in this case, is obviously a good looking man. But his skill as a lawyer and his adoration for his son, Christopher are the two most attractive qualities of the character. If you'd already read "Silent Witness," the second Tony Lord novel, this novel gives you a look at how Tony Lord becomes a successful and much sought after attorney. In fact, he's similar to RNP's other attorney character, Christopher Paget. They are definitely different but both brilliant.

RNP tackles topics in his books that are usually controversial like gun control, abortion, the death penalty and so on. He researches like a madman before he writes and it definitely shows. In this particular novel, the reader will see how easy it's NOT to put on an insanity defense and it also tackles the subject of Vietnam Veterans who came home extremely different men and the issues attached to them as a result.

This one is an absolute must read. Every Richard North Patterson book should be on everyone's TBR list for at least a try. Chances are highly likely that even those who do not typically read the genre will be dragged in.

Like the late Ed McBain, who is probably the best mystery and crime novelist of all time, Richard North Patterson is right up there. Definitely 5 out of 5 stars!!!!!


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