This is the 7th book in the Private series by Patterson, et al. I've read a couple of the others in the series including the first book and thought they were okay Patterson thrillers. This one, however, fell a little short for me. I just don't think the characters or the plot lines were very well developed. The novel is about the establishment of a Private office in Sydney, Australia. One of the operatives from the L.A. office was sent there to help get it up and running -- beautiful Justine Smith. And then the investigators get involved in 3 unrelated cases. The first has to do with a young deaf Asian boy who was kidnapped, tortured and killed, and delivered to the Private offices. The second about a serial killer who is torturing and killing affluent women leaving a wad of phony money stuffed into their private regions! And the third about a soon-to-be 27-year-old rock star who thinks his manager is out to kill him when he turns 27 so he can join Hendrix, Cobain, Joplin, and others in "Club twenty-seven." Overall, I thought the most interesting character was the serial killer. The other plots were really secondary and predictable. This was also supposed to be set in Australia but the language used and the way the book was written didn't really portray this. Hopefully, the next Private book will be better!
If you like James Patterson, this book is another of many that will please you. Personally, I find him a fast, easy read, but his penchant for ugly, grisly murders is disconcerting.
