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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Book Review: "Kate Douglas: A 2-Book Bundle Lethal Deception and Lethal Obsession"

     In book one of this bundle, Lethal Deception, we meet Rose DeAngelo. Rose is an insurance agent that insures high-level trucking shipments. Problem is, Rose's shipments keep getting hijacked. Mike Ramsey is an investigator for the Department of Transportation. Mike thinks the hijacks are an inside job and suspects Rose DeAngelo. In fact, she's at the top of his list.

     Through a wild twist of events leading to a car accident, Mike comes to rescue Rose and then figures out he's just recused his prime suspect. But Rose has no idea. After some healing and Rose's need to get from Pittsburgh to California to see her aunt, Mike arranges for Rose to travel with him cross-country while his partner, Kat Malone follows at a distance, so Mike can investigate Rose during the trip.

     Romantic feelings ensue. Mike becomes torn between his job and his feelings for Rose. Rose doesn't understand why Mike's attraction to her is distanced.

     Overall, Lethal Deception is a good read. It takes up about 48% of the two book bundle so it's just slightly shorter than Lethal Obsession. There are books that take me forever to finish and review and there are those I can't put down, give up sleep for, and write the review as soon as I read the last page because I just MUST get my thoughts out.

     With Lethal Deception, it was a moderately quick read, nothing I stayed awake for but I did have to finish both books fairly quickly to get my thoughts down. In hindsight, I should have reviewed this book prior to reading Lethal Obsession and then gone back to make the comparison of the two books afterward as reading both consecutively somewhat forced the comparison while reading Lethal Obsession.

     Because I liked the characters and the ending, I give this one 4.5 stars.

     In book two, Lethal Obsession, we are reintroduced to Kat Malone, Mike Ramsay's Department of Transportation partner. We find her living in California and seeing Riley O'Rourke, whom she fell for at the end of Lethal Deception. That was a minor mention and not a spoiler. We find Kat standing alone and backed away from Riley's graveside service. Riley is now dead. Killed in a car accident. Riley was also married. Kat was the outsider. As Kat gives up and walks away from the service, she bumps into Seamus O'Rourke, Riley's TWIN brother. And boy do they look alike!

     But Kat has some other secrets. NOT SPOILERS. Kat is pregnant with Riley's child which Seamus doesn't believe because of Riley and Seamus's infertility issues. Kat also has someone stalking and trying to kill her. In order to protect Riley's child, if it is Riley's child, Seamus takes Kat in, and hides her through her pregnancy in order to protect her.

     Naturally, things go batshit crazy. And of course there are romantic feelings on both sides going unconfessed because Kat and Seamus are both stubborn.

     Overall, I liked this book about as much as I liked Lethal Deception. I rated Lethal Obsession 3.5 stars and averaged the two out to four stars for the bundle. The reason I took away the stars for the second book is that there is a distinctive scene NOT written IN FULL into the book and I disliked that immensely.

I received an Advanced Reading Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Book Review of "Second Chance" by David Perry

"Pharmacist Alex Benedict’s career and personal life are collapsing around him. Battling his own exhaustion, a powerful physician, and an unforgiving boss, he fights to uncover the reason behind a series of mysterious deaths in his hospital while preparing for a life-altering crisis. The suicide of a colleague thrusts Benedict into a hunt for clues leading to the ultimate, improbable answer. In the end, Benedict discovers the unthinkable, and in a climactic, unforgettable scene must make an agonizing, life-defining choice that will haunt him forever."

Alex Benedict works as the lead pharmacist in a hospital that's primed for a takeover.  By accident during the code of a cancer patient, Alex discovers a suspicious IV bag.  The IV bag has been laced with a mysterious ingredient and turns out to responsible for at least two other deaths in the hospital.  Alex's wife is also fighting an ovarian cancer battle of her own and decides to stop treatment once and for all, which will speed up her transition to her death.  Alex's colleague, working under duress, commits suicide and leaves Alex a mysterious CD loaded with a scavenger hunt of sorts.  It is then up to Alex to solve the riddles, find the pieces of a recipe that cures people of all sickness and find the last dose of a successful preparation of that recipe so that he can save his wife's life.

At first, I thought a three-part book with forty chapters was going to be ultra long, dragging in spots, and hard to read.  It was the exact opposite. This book moved really fast!  It was fast-paced and kept me awake all night long.  The medical and pharmaceutical knowledge in the book was top notch.  I expected it to be "dumbed down" but as a nurse, I could easily tell it wasn't.  David Perry does a great job tho at describing what medicines were for and what they could do.  There are some fake medications in the book as well but it was creative to say the least.

The examination and speculation of what a discovery of a cure for all human ailments would do to the world's population is astounding without taking sides and really makes the reader think while being entertained by an excellent book.

We do meet another character named Angel in the book.  The introduction of Angel gave me a huge aforethought to a possible ending of the book and I was right.  But, you'll have to read for yourself to see if you can figure it out and to find out if you're right.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.