I received a free copy from Netgalley to review, here is the blurb:

"An invitation from an old friend draws Jack Morgan into a deadly conspiracy

On a cold January morning, Jack Morgan stands on a podium inside the New York Stock Exchange alongside his friend and former US Marine comrade whose company is being launched onto the market. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the moment the opening bell rings. But that moment never arrives. An assassin’s bullet rips through the air and finds its mark.

In the aftermath of the murder, Jack is approached by the victim’s wife. She needs him to find the killer. As the head of Private, Jack has at his disposal the world’s largest investigation agency. He accepts the case, but what Jack will discover will shake him to his core.

Jack identifies another murder in Moscow that appears to be linked. So he heads to Russia, and begins to uncover a conspiracy that could have global consequences.

With powerful forces plotting against him, will Jack Morgan make it out alive?"

When I received the download, I soon realised that the book was actually book 15 in the series regarding the Private detective agency' which has agencies all over the world. At this point my heart sank as I thought that the book would be hard to follow without prior knowledge of the other books or the characters. To be honest, this did not affect my enjoyment of the book and I didn't feel I had missed out on the history of the characters.. The book was ok, didn't particularly grip me but based on the high reviews of the other Private books this was a 'me' issue as they are clearly very popular. The character I liked best was Leonid and I warmed to him instantly. I found the other characters a bit cliche. Basically, don't be worried about not reading the other books in the series, it won't spoil it for you and if you have enjoyed the other Private books you will probably enjoy this one..

I haven't read any of the Private series before, but I have read lots f James Patterson books before. They're a bit of a guilty pleasure - short chapters, lots of action and quite often implausible stories. However, they're great fun and this is no exception. Jack Morgan's friend Karl is assassinated in front of him, and the more he looks into his friends death, the deeper down the rabbit hole he goes. As you can probably guess by the name of the book, he ends up in Moscow following the trail. I don't want to say much ore about the story as I fear I'll give spoilers away. Worth a read, and I will go and seek out others in the series after having read this.

In an ideal world I would give this book 3.5 stars. 3 stars feels a tad mean so I am upping it to 4.
I read the first two books in the Private series many years ago and had forgotten about them.. When I got this as an ARC I hadn't realised that it would be the latest in the series.
James Patterson (and fellow co-writers) have clearly hit on a winning formula that brings in the dosh, the all important dosh. The book is very formulaic with our "dashing good at everything" hero, his trusty "gorgeous, super intelligent, martial arts genius" female sidekick together with a "wise, been there, bought the T-Shirt, craggy faced old timer" at his side. Good old "boys own stuff" How long can we spend writing about fights/car chases? . The book is fast paced, short chapters, standard phrases. The plot is completely unbelievable with the villains at the end doing a good job of impersonating Rasputin.
Having said all that, it is an entertaining , enjoyable yarn and would make the sort of film that one sees all the time- "Blockbuster starring mostly incredibly handsome people while the ugly ones play Russian grunt parts". If you take this book by the pool with you on hols you might just forget to swim

I'm assuming that typos/grammar errors etc will be corrected in final edition

Been a while since I read a James Patterson book & this did not disappoint. First book I’ve read in this series after being a massive Alex cross & woman’s murder club fan. I will defiantly be going back to the start of this series. Highly recommend. Another amazing book by this author.

This is my first foray into the world of PRIVATE and i have to admit i loved it from the outset. Excellent plot, plenty of action, chase sequences, punch ups and even the odd assassination here and there. What more could you possibly want!

Really Gripping Stuff!

I have read several of the Private novels and this one was just a bit more unbelievable in parts. It was well written, fast paced and action packed. Just an ok read for me.. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

Jim Morgan is at the New York Stock Exchange with his former marine flight instructor Karl Parker, now a very successful business man when Karl is assassinated. Meanwhile in Moscow Yana Petrova is killed in an explosion at a restaurant. Maxim Yenen, an oligarch, hires Private Moscow headed by Dinara Orlova ex FSB and Leonid Boykov ex Moscow police to investigate why. Do these seemingly random events link in some way? The story takes us from the USA to Russia and back again in this high octane thriller.

Well, this is an exhilarating and exhausting read, akin to the written version of watching a Tom Cruise action movie and just as exciting. It starts at high speed and at times we’re at MACH 2 the pace is so fast. The plot is clever, the perpetrators are deviously one step ahead of Jack and Dinara’s investigation. I love the Russian setting for much of the storyline which is a perfect backdrop to this dark and intense tale. It has the works, from conspiracy theories, to adrenaline packed chases, fights, bullets whizzing every which way, numerous smokescreens of confusing deception and double crossing, we have the espionage of the security services, agents, agencies, sleeper agents, hit squads, special forces - in other words the kitchen sink!!! What emerges is a tense, suspenseful thriller with accusations and allegations against Jack and Dinara which puts them in tremendous danger especially from one elusive assassin. There’s plenty of menace and villainy and at times it’s hard to work out who the villains actually are which keeps you gripped. When the truth emerges it takes Jack to the highest level of US security in a very dramatic conclusion. Far fetched? Possibly but not beyond the realms either. Entertaining? Absolutely.

Overall, a very enjoyable, high speed, gripping thriller with the momentum barely letting up so you can catch your breath which is just the way I like them! Highly recommended.

4-5 stars rounded up for sheer entertainment!

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the ARC.

Having read a few James Patterson novels, including a number in the "Private" series, I don't rate this as one of his best. The plot is rather far fetched and I kept wondering how old Jack Morgan is now supposed to be. In most ways this can be taken as a stand-alone book, which may be an advantage to those new to JP. His fans will probably lap it up.

A roller-coaster of a read. A return to the excellence. Fast paced and you become invested in the characters and plot. Set in Moscow as the name implies, the plot could happen in real life.. Short snappy chapter that are the style of James Patterson. Hard to see where the next book will go to now.

An action packed, fast paced spy thriller, the type we have come to expect from James Patterson plus co writers. I had no idea that this was a part of a series of 'Private' books. It was a good stand alone story. I will probably catch up on others I have missed.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this book

This was not one of my favourite books written by James Patterson. It took me a long time to get into it. I don't really enjoy Russian spy novels. The book was fast moving and towards the end I started to enjoy it a bit more.

This series of books by James Patterson and now with Adam Hamdy just get better and better. It's been a while since the last Private novel that I had read (Private Delhi), so I was delighted to get this from NetGalley, prior to publication.

What a real thriller of a read, fast paced, with all the usual characters, this time moving to Russia! Jack Morgan is invited by his best friend Karl to the launching of his Company on Wall Street Stock Exchange. But just before the bell rings, Karl is assassinated and in the aftermath his wife hires Private to find his killer. The investigation leads to Moscow and a situation that would have global consequences, if allowed to proceed. So it is up to Jack and his team to stop this and at the same time find out who murdered his friend.

A fast paced thriller, a great addition to the series, a must read for fans of Private and Jack Morgan.

The assassination of of a long time Marine buddy sees Jack Morgan pick up the clue’s his friend has left him leading to a previous cold war plot and resulting in a kick to his Private’s. Private, the world wide investigation agency he heads up, piece together a link between his friends death and several other seemingly unrelated deaths which subsequently track back to Moscow. There the action hots up amidst a freezing back drop and the true scale of the plot becomes apparent, as does the lengths his opponents will go to stop him. This book drags you in so much you can almost taste the solyanka - a cracking read.

Written with good pace. I found I was invested in the plot. Shows the intrigue, lies and thuggery that is behind the American/Russian struggle for power. We have no idea what truly happens within politics and with technological developments.

The short chapters and fast moving action keep you hooked from page one.

A great book with all the characteristics we've come to expect from a classic Patterson book.

I loved it and look forward to the next one.

Karl Parker is murdered as he is about to open the stock exchange. Jack Morgan the owner of Private is with him at the time and thoroughly shocked. Karl's widow hires Jack to track down who has killed her husband despite a group called the ninety nine claiming responsibility.
Meanwhile, Dinara Orlov the head of Private Moscow is hired to investigate the murder of Yana Petrov an office worker.
Jacks investigation soon leads to a potential victim at the American Embassy in Russia. So Jack heads to Moscow where Dinara and himself start to uncover things.
A fast moving book. Very easy to read and enjoyable characters. I particularly liked Leonid Boykov an ex-cop who is Dinara's driver and side kick.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review

Absolutely gripping book that keeps you enthralled and wondering just how it is going to end up! Thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish.

This was an ARC via NetGalley in return for an unbiased review. I've read a few of the Private series now, and as each one's set in a different city, you have to quickly get to know the characters (in the local office). If I'm honest, this one did detour a bit into "suspend all belief" territory - lots of fights where your eyes glaze over a bit, and a few utterly unbelievable moments (like Jack breaking the zip tie around his hands, or how easily they seemingly break into a place). But overall, a decent storyline underneath it, if you can look past the "seriously?!" of some bits.

Jack Morgan Head of Private, is in New York to see his friend's company float on the stock market. Karl had called Jack after not speaking for years but before they can speak, Karl is assassinated.

Meanwhile in Moscow, two people after meeting online arrange to meet at a restaurant, but the place is blown to pieces, surely the two cases can't be connected.....

Absolutely action packed, maybe not the most original story, but was told really well with good pace.

Recommended

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for giving me the chance to read the book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a long time fan of Alex Cross and have clearly not kept up with James Patterson's other works as I had no idea about the "Private" series.
A great set of characters with plenty of intrigue and drama both in the States and in Moscow...the new faces did not disappoint and I look forward to catching up with all of the other books I have missed!