Author: James Patterson and Marshall Karp
Genre: Mystery, thriller
Published on: March 16, 2015 by Little, Brown and Company
PROTECT THE RICH. SERVE THE FAMOUS. HUNT THE GUILTY.
NYPD Red is the elite, highly trained task force assigned to protect the rich, the famous, and the connected. And Detective Zach Jordan and his partner Kylie MacDonald-the woman who broke his heart at the police academy-are the best of the best, brilliant and tireless investigators who will stop at nothing to deliver justice.
Zach and Kylie's New Year's celebrations are cut short when they're called to the home of billionaire businessman Hunter Alden, Jr. after he makes a grisly discovery in his townhouse garage. When Alden's teenage son goes missing soon afterwards, and his father seems oddly reluctant to find him, Zach and Kylie find themselves in the middle of a chilling conspiracy that threatens everyone in its wake-especially their city's most powerful citizens.
NYPD Red 3 is the next sensational novel in James Patterson's explosive new series, a thriller that goes behind the closed doors of New York high society and into the depths of depravity.
NYPD Red is the elite, highly trained task force assigned to protect the rich, the famous, and the connected. And Detective Zach Jordan and his partner Kylie MacDonald-the woman who broke his heart at the police academy-are the best of the best, brilliant and tireless investigators who will stop at nothing to deliver justice.
Zach and Kylie's New Year's celebrations are cut short when they're called to the home of billionaire businessman Hunter Alden, Jr. after he makes a grisly discovery in his townhouse garage. When Alden's teenage son goes missing soon afterwards, and his father seems oddly reluctant to find him, Zach and Kylie find themselves in the middle of a chilling conspiracy that threatens everyone in its wake-especially their city's most powerful citizens.
NYPD Red 3 is the next sensational novel in James Patterson's explosive new series, a thriller that goes behind the closed doors of New York high society and into the depths of depravity.
A new case is about to land for the NYPD Red unit. And in the book, it’s the start of a new year as well. A few things have happened since the events of the previous entry. The city of New York has a new mayor, Muriel Sykes. It seems the city voted her predecessor, Stan Spellman, out because they felt he wasn’t proactive enough. At first it felt to me like Mayor Sykes would be an antagonist, but she’s proving to be on NYPD Red’s side. Why do I say this? She gave me the kind of vibes that Laurel Hitchin from The Blacklist did. Turns out I was wrong.
The main characters are Detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald. They’ve become Red’s star detectives now, after solving two high-profile cases. This book’s new case begins in chilling fashion. Someone discovers a dead body inside an expensive limo in a deserted parking lot. That would be unusual in itself, except that the body was decapitated. The head wasn’t anywhere nearby. The dead person had ID on him, so investigators are able to learn who he is. The victim was Peter Chevalier, the personal driver of rich businessman Hunter Alden, Jr. This is enough to call in NYPD Red to handle the case.
Since Hunter Alden is one of the city’s most powerful businessmen (and a Muriel Sykes supporter), the NYPD assigns their best detectives to the case: Zach and Kylie. They get to work right away, heading for an interview with Mr. Alden. When they get there, Zach and Kylie are irked when they see that Mr. Alden hired a PI. The man, Silas Blackstone, is familiar with Kylie. And he’s not just a PI: he appears to be a fixer. While Kylie colors a bit outside the lines now and then, Silas is willing to go way beyond for the right price. Later, it’s revealed that Mr. Alden’s and Silas’s business relationship goes back years.
The main antagonist this time is a lot more in the background than those Zach and Kylie have gone against so far. He has something to do with Hunter Alden, but it’s not clear what at first. Soon after, the detectives find out that Mr. Alden’s son, Hunter Hutchinson “Tripp” Alden III, is missing. The circumstances of his disappearance are suspicious. Zach and Kylie aren’t sure whether Tripp killed Peter, or if he was kidnapped for ransom. Whatever really happened, Mr. Alden seems strangely determined to slow down the investigation. Zach and Kylie’s superiors advise them to tread lightly. Mr. Alden isn’t someone they want to defy. If he doesn’t want them to find Tripp, then that’s that.
As the investigation progresses, NYPD Red 3 also reveals more about Zach and Kylie’s personal lives. Zach is still dating Cheryl Robinson, the criminal shrink from the precinct he works at. She’s said to be a really smart, gorgeous Latina. This isn’t insignificant, as Zach and Kylie have a history. They were romantically involved a decade ago. Kylie is married now, but Zach still finds her incredibly attractive. No, he’s not with Cheryl just to get Kylie out of his system. Zach genuinely cares about Cheryl. He is a bit of a jealous guy, which lands him in trouble at one point. As for Kylie, her husband Spence is still in rehab. He got addicted to painkillers in book one, when The Chameleon almost killed him.
I strongly enjoyed reading this third entry of the NYPD Red series. The villain is very different from the previous two, which makes things feel fresh. The stakes are also lower, but that doesn’t mean there was less suspense. And the mystery of Hunter Alden Jr.’s secret project kept me turning page after page. When I found out the full truth behind the project, I felt shocked. One of the aspects in particular may be divisive, as it concerns a pivotal historical event. Whether its use in NYPD Red 3 is cheap or not, I’ll leave up to readers. Still, this book was just as good as its predecessors. I strongly recommend it to mystery and police procedural fans.
The main characters are Detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald. They’ve become Red’s star detectives now, after solving two high-profile cases. This book’s new case begins in chilling fashion. Someone discovers a dead body inside an expensive limo in a deserted parking lot. That would be unusual in itself, except that the body was decapitated. The head wasn’t anywhere nearby. The dead person had ID on him, so investigators are able to learn who he is. The victim was Peter Chevalier, the personal driver of rich businessman Hunter Alden, Jr. This is enough to call in NYPD Red to handle the case.
Since Hunter Alden is one of the city’s most powerful businessmen (and a Muriel Sykes supporter), the NYPD assigns their best detectives to the case: Zach and Kylie. They get to work right away, heading for an interview with Mr. Alden. When they get there, Zach and Kylie are irked when they see that Mr. Alden hired a PI. The man, Silas Blackstone, is familiar with Kylie. And he’s not just a PI: he appears to be a fixer. While Kylie colors a bit outside the lines now and then, Silas is willing to go way beyond for the right price. Later, it’s revealed that Mr. Alden’s and Silas’s business relationship goes back years.
The main antagonist this time is a lot more in the background than those Zach and Kylie have gone against so far. He has something to do with Hunter Alden, but it’s not clear what at first. Soon after, the detectives find out that Mr. Alden’s son, Hunter Hutchinson “Tripp” Alden III, is missing. The circumstances of his disappearance are suspicious. Zach and Kylie aren’t sure whether Tripp killed Peter, or if he was kidnapped for ransom. Whatever really happened, Mr. Alden seems strangely determined to slow down the investigation. Zach and Kylie’s superiors advise them to tread lightly. Mr. Alden isn’t someone they want to defy. If he doesn’t want them to find Tripp, then that’s that.
As the investigation progresses, NYPD Red 3 also reveals more about Zach and Kylie’s personal lives. Zach is still dating Cheryl Robinson, the criminal shrink from the precinct he works at. She’s said to be a really smart, gorgeous Latina. This isn’t insignificant, as Zach and Kylie have a history. They were romantically involved a decade ago. Kylie is married now, but Zach still finds her incredibly attractive. No, he’s not with Cheryl just to get Kylie out of his system. Zach genuinely cares about Cheryl. He is a bit of a jealous guy, which lands him in trouble at one point. As for Kylie, her husband Spence is still in rehab. He got addicted to painkillers in book one, when The Chameleon almost killed him.
I strongly enjoyed reading this third entry of the NYPD Red series. The villain is very different from the previous two, which makes things feel fresh. The stakes are also lower, but that doesn’t mean there was less suspense. And the mystery of Hunter Alden Jr.’s secret project kept me turning page after page. When I found out the full truth behind the project, I felt shocked. One of the aspects in particular may be divisive, as it concerns a pivotal historical event. Whether its use in NYPD Red 3 is cheap or not, I’ll leave up to readers. Still, this book was just as good as its predecessors. I strongly recommend it to mystery and police procedural fans.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
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