Massive James Patterson fan here! I have read all of the Private books and have to say that it is one of my favourite series of his. Jack Morgan is a fantastic character and will stop at nothing to get the job done. These books can easily be read as a stand alone so don’t worry if you haven’t read the other 14 books. These books are full of action and adventure, plenty of shoot outs and car chases. James Patterson can really write a page turner,.

Jack Morgan is with his friend and former Marine, Karl Parker at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate his company going public. They are about to ring the bell when Karl is shot dead by an assasin. Karl’s wife hires Private to find his killer. When a female office worker is murdered in Moscow Jack sees links to his case and jumps on a plane to Russia. This is the beginning of a wild and crazy ride that couldn’t have serious political implications.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone Century for my advanced copy of this book to read. Private Moscow’s is out September 3rd.

This is a pacey, twisty conspiracy with lots to recommend it to the reader. I was drawn in to the story quickly, and thought the settings were well researched and realised. This is an international thriller with a focus on the dark forces unleashed after the fall of Communism, moving seamlessly between the US and Russia.

Karl Parker, a former Marine and African-American telecoms specialist is murdered in public and in front of his family. Jack Morgan, an old friend, is drawn into finding out the truth about his death after being hired by Park'er's wife. At the same time a young woman is murdered in Moscow. Morgan and his team Private, an international private detective firm, dig into what connects the two murders. Morgan flies to Moscow to investigate with Russian co-workers - at great cost to all of them.

This is a punchy book, full of action sequences, impeccably plotted and with good characterisation. One of the best Patterson series out there.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This is book 15 in the series. I haven't read the other 14 ... Whoops. But it genuinely doesn't matter because, as I found at when I read it, it works perfectly well as a standalone, and you get detailed enough recaps on who the main players are in order to be able to fall right into the middle of the action and get swept away by it all. I certainly was. Maybe it is because it is a series that has been co-authored, where the second chair changes consistently as it means that while the central characters may remain, the story is always fresh.

I do love a good action thriller and, for me, Private Moscow had it all. Plenty of chases, short, fast paced chapters, brilliant characters you both loved and hated (although not at the same time) and an intricate and carefully constructed plot which keeps you guessing right to the very end. Jack Morgan is the owner of Private, a global chain of Private Investigation firms who handle some very complex cases for their clients. This time around though, Jack isn;t just investigating the case - he is part of it. Right at the very beginning of the book, Jack is thrown into action as his close friend and mentor is assassinated in front of him. From that point on this case is personal, although no-one can tell just how personal it will become for Jack and the rest of his team. The action takes us from the streets (and trading floors) of New York, to the cold streets of Moscow, with a case of corruption and conspiracy that will push Jack to the limit. And I loved it.

As I said before, the pacing of this book is spot on. The authors give you just enough to keep you on tenterhooks, the chapters short but full of action, leaving you with that just one more chapter feel that you really do need from an action thriller. I found myself left with loads of questions at each turn of the page, wondering just where and how they plot threads would pull back together. You can slowly see a picture emerging but as soon as you think you know what is really going on, another bombshell is dropped and you have to quickly rewind your thinking. It's the kind of story tat left me with a smile of satisfaction, and a sense of sadness, but only because I now know what a treat I have missed not reading the first fourteen books. Guess what I'll be asking Santa for this christmas!

The characters in this book are brilliant. Each voice is unique and the way in which they speak and act feels truly authentic. From the very start of the book I found myself warming to Jack Morgan,even though I knew little about him. Perhaps because a large portion of the book is told from first person POV with Jack as the main focus, but I really did feel that trust and that sense that this was a person I would gladly go on an adventure with. It is great to see a wealth of strong female characters throughout the book too, so well crafted that they could easily carry the story on their own which, in the case of Dinara Orlova, head of the Moscow Private office, was vital as she had to carry half of the story focus on her shoulder. Well hers and her colleague Leonid. Old school, gruff, not in the least bit politically correct (although perhaps he was by Russian standards), I really liked Leonid too. He was the kind of character who could wind you up with his actions, but whose loyalties and morales were all set in the right place. Dinara was work focused, strong, determined, but very human - perfectly balanced as a character and a joy to get to know.

Setting is all important in these kinds of novels and whether it was New York, Long Beach or Moscow, you really got a sense of where you were and of the differing politics and cultures that surrounded each location. Add to that the authors' skill in creating tension and you have the perfect action thriller combo. I was actually sad when the book finished, and it is the first book in a while that I have torn through without finding myself distracted. Do I recommend it? Well if you like action thrillers, or fast paced, mystery and intrigue laden novels with brilliant characters then absolutely. I can't compare it to what came before in the series, but I can tell you that this is one hell of a story that grabs you from the beginning and won't let go.

Being a huge fan of this author I couldn’t wait to read his latest book, and I was not disappointed.

Jack Morgan finds himself in deep water at the highest possible level, fighting for both his life and business. This is a fast paced read which kept me gripped from start to finish. Not only is Jack heavily involved, but other parts of his Private agency feature in this story.

Highly recommended for fans of the author as well as fans of stories featuring twists and turns throughout.

This is a fast paced thriller where the main character has to solve the puzzle and save the world from the consequences of the exposure of every American secret, while staying alive and protecting his colleagues! It moves quickly and chapters end on a cliff hanging situation.
Thought provoking around the Russian /American relationship!!
It is a really good edge of the seat read which keeps the reader guessing about the outcome to the end.
Recommended

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this high octane book

my first private book and it will not be my last....

a shot rings out killing a man that jack has respected during their time spent serving together in the armed forces

but why was he killed, jack wants answers and so does his widow

a bomb explodes in moscow and private moscow are asked to investigate why..but are soon told to stop

are these two cases related and how

boy oh boy was this an edge of your seat book...with not knowing who to trust and with the russians after jack and private moscow and with jack being accused of being of espionage, could it get any worse...

can jack and his team sort through it all and find the killer before he loses everything and get thrown in jail for a very long time...

brilliantly written and cant wait to read another private book from this author

A fast paced page-turner with action on every page. This read would appeal to all James Patterson fans but there is no need to have read the previous books to make sense of the storyline.

In part a tale of 2 cities – Private is a world standing investigation agency. Karl Parker is killed. But he leaves a cryptic message for his long term friend & founder of Private Jack Morgan to uncover.

Meanwhile his Russian office has been asked to investigate the death of a seemingly unknown woman at an explosion in Moscow.

The investigation will take Morgan across to Russia where a tangled web of espionage and politics unfold that will costs lives and maybe the company too.

I hadn’t read a Patterson novel for some time and was not familiar with this specific series, but fancied a bit of a Russian assassination. However after it feeling a little twee to start with, I was rapidly hooked in and taken on this rollercoaster of tension, action that went page to page to page. It’s rapid, brutal and at times sinister. Lots of great hand to hand and weaponry combat. Emotionally hard hitting for the teams involved. The retired Russian forces house was a tonic with some welcome humour to lighten the intensity. A very satisfying ending. Would make a very gripping action thriller film also. A solid and captivating read with a solid set of main characters.

I found this book a slow burner. I read to chapter 15 and had little idea what was happening then suddenly the book came to life. The characters were very believable and the plot was really good. I couldn’t put it down in the end.

A high octane thriller in this series involving Jack Morgan and his investigation agency, Private. In this book one of Jack's friends is killed, and Jack is drawn to Russia as he tries to discover who killed his friend, and what exactly his friend was involved in.

Exciting, pacy and what you'd expect form a Patterson book! There is a switch of narrator from first to third person in various chapters which occasionally jolts the reader, but its easy enough to get over. Very enjoyable, I'll be looking out for more.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and Century for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Usually enjoy Patterson but this did not live up to his reputation. I endured four chapters but gave up - the main character was so unbelievable - like a superhero gone wrong - not for me unfortunately more like a comic book hero and did not hold my interest.

Private Moscow is the first book in the Private series I have read. I certainly wasn’t disappointed. There are so many twists and turns, so much fast action and plenty of interesting characters. While Jack Morgan is trying to identify the killer of his friend In America, across in Russia Dinara and Leonid are trying to find the killer of a woman. When it becomes clear the two cases could be connected their lives are in danger

A brilliant read that I quickly became absorbed in

Private Moscow by James Patterson and Adam Hamdy was one of the best books I’ve read for a while. I do love a good spy story with great characters and a clever, credible (for the genre) storyline. The usual ingredients of former marines/servicemen in private practice, uncovering corruption and betrayal are used to good effect to tell a story of Russian American spy craft and modern war games.
Dinara and Leonid really did come to life for me. If I’m honest, Leonid did seem to be a better fit as the lead for Jack Morgan’s company Private, Moscow than Dinara but maybe her character was evolving (no spoilers). Plenty of tension and suspense kept me reading. The storyline handled Karl’s back story very well and built to an action packed conclusion with a nice hook for a sequel Five stars from me

This isn't really my sort of thing, but there is no denying that this is a gripping thriller, which will have the reader frantically turning the pages to see what happens next. Yes, the story is ludicrous, and the characters one-dimensional, but for sheer entertainment this is excellent value.

This is a well-written, fast-paced novel for lovers of action fiction. It begins with Jack Morgan, superstar detective, witnessing the assassination of a good friend and, determined to bring the killer to justice, he becomes involved in a complicated case involving espionage and other killings. Although frequently implausible if you love escapist action-packed thrillers this is for you. If, like me, you prefer more character-driven novels it might leave you cold. Despite all the drama, there wasn’t a single moment when I feared for the safety of the heroic main protagonist and all the characters were pretty one-dimensional so, for me, I’m afraid it wasn’t a page-turner.

Had been a fan of James Patterson for many years but my first excursion in to the Private series Private Moscow a great story line lots of twists and turns a spy story with a difference. Looking forward to more from this series.

A really enjoyable installment in the Private Series with characters that I actually became quite attached to.

The action was brilliant and just how I like the Private books to be with short snappy chapters that keep you turning the pages quickly.

I really enjoyed the back story which could feature in its own book (just in case the authors decide to go that way....!)

I decided to read this because I had read a Adam Hamdy thriller at the end of last year which I had very much enjoyed. This is the latest in a Patterson series that I have never read before, so the central protagonist, former marine Jack Morgan, who runs a successful international private investigations enterprise, is new to me. Jack's friend, tech billionaire Karl Parker runs Silverlink International and though the two hadn't seen each other for a while, a worried Karl arranges a meeting. To Jack's horror, Karl is assassinated in front of his eyes at the NY Stock Exchange, for which an unknown group, the Ninety-nine Percent claim responsibility. However, Jack does not believe this for one second, as Karl's widow, Victoria turns to him to get to the bottom of his death. Jack has always believed Karl is a good man, but is it possible he never really knew him?

As Jack investigates with the help of members of his team, he finds himself tumbling down a rabbit hole, there appears to be a previous linked murder and he finds himself unable to prevent another assassination. Jack's Private Moscow office run by Dina Orlova and her partner, tough ex-Moscow cop Leonid Boykov, take on much needed business with a Russian oligarch, Maxim Yenen. He asks them to look into the death of Yana Petrova, killed in a explosion at the Boston Seafood Grill. Yana, an apparently ordinary customer services employee, had a late night date at the restaurant that ended in the murder of both of them. Jack arrives in Moscow believing the next target is at the American Embassy in the city. Jack finds himself joining forces with Dina and Leonid as it begins to emerge there may be connections between their two cases.

This is a fast paced and entertaining espionage thriller where the suspense and tension is raised with the use of short chapters. It took me a while to get into this but once I did, I found myself caught up in the action packed story, and I particularly like the characters of Dina and Leonid, operating in the bitter, freezing winter of Moscow. The familiar tropes of a thriller are well deployed to give us a compelling and engaging read, with Jack, Dina and Leonid finding themselves in the gravest of danger, with the action culminating in a thrilling high octane ending. Many thanks to Random House Cornerstone for an ARC.

Jack Morgan knows he needs to find out who killed his friend Karl & if that means going to Moscow he will. But Karl was hiding secrets from everyone and danger is following Jack and he isn’t careful he will be joining his friend. He finds out things that could destroy many lifes he just needs to decide is it worth it all in the end? A good thrilling read. Jack is a man of many talents. I was lucky enough to receive a copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I love James Patterson and always look out for his latest book. This collaboration with Adam Hamdy certainly did not disappoint. It was one of those books that is finished too soon because I just couldn't put it down.I loved the storyline and the characters.
Thank you Random House UK and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to give my unbiased opinion.